Darkstone Code
Chapter 137 - 0136 I’m showing my cards, come at me if you’ve got the guts!

Chapter 137: 0136 I’m showing my cards, come at me if you’ve got the guts!

The reception ended amidst such a heavy commercial atmosphere. After the Governor’s Personal Attendant spoke some "malicious" words, he and the Mayor left first, reportedly to adjust the upcoming development direction of Sabin City.

However, this is quite normal. Although this was a networking reception hosted by members of the Progressive Party, most of the attendees were capitalists and business people.

A small number of politicians appearing here was not a good choice. It gave the public a rather frightening negative perception, making them think that the politicians they elected were colluding with capitalists, even though, in reality, these two groups had never been separate.

In the latter part of the reception, the atmosphere became even more business-oriented. Many people had brief conversations with Lynch, exchanging contact information. They were all merchants from the same camp, capable of offering each other minor assistance if needed.

In a society built on relationships, why would someone help you if you don’t help others?

This is also why some people are eager to break into small circles; often, circles are synonymous with success.

The impact created by this reception far exceeded the participants’ expectations, or rather, as participants, they were unaware of the changes happening outside.

Less than ten minutes after the Governor’s Personal Attendant spoke about "unity," Ristone Group’s board initiated a conference call.

Almost every board member who had the time joined the call, which naturally included Mr. Neo, the CEO who was suddenly called back.

This is not an overreaction. Sometimes roles like the Mayor or Governor cannot easily express their stance, maintaining certain potential concessions in a vague and implicit way, yet they cannot appear too weak. What should they do then?

This is where their Personal Attendants or Staff Officers can play a role. The words from the Governor’s Staff Officer this time have apparently been deciphered, which is not good news for Ristone Group.

As a publicly traded company, they understand the unfathomable yet tight connection between local government attitudes and stock prices.

If they can’t resolve these issues before the market opens on Monday, Ristone’s stock price is very likely to plummet.

Just like the Mayor initially imagined, facing a group company like Ristone, talking about ethics, morality, social responsibility, and rules, they would only pretend to know nothing, as they always pursue more profits.

As long as the profits are enticing enough, violating ethics and trampling laws will not be an obstacle in their pursuit of interests.

Only when they start feeling the pain and their wealth begins to decrease will they start considering talking like a person should.

"Who’s in charge of the Policy Office now?"

The conference call had just begun when Neo, the CEO, had not yet had the opportunity to preside over the meeting with his magnetic and well-known voice, when a sudden voice made everyone pause. It was the voice of the Ristone Group Company Board Chair, an elderly man named Alben Ristone, and this company was actually founded by his grandfather.

Over the years, this company, which was initially just a small family enterprise, gradually evolved into a large group company under the management of Elder Alben and his father.

Of course, from a strict sense, this company no longer belongs to them, but their wealth has increased countless times compared to when they fully controlled the company.

The old man usually doesn’t manage affairs, and now his first question is about the Policy Office, immediately making people realize that he is alleviating the pressure on Neo, the current CEO of the group company, who is the son-in-law of Elder Alben.

Every large company will have an office dedicated to policy research. This department’s name might differ slightly, but their purpose is the same.

They identify policies issued by the government that are beneficial to the company’s development or might pose risks and then create opportunities for themselves or push for a review of the bill’s value in the State Assembly.

This is one of the significant differences between small and large companies. Many small companies have never realized how actively seeking policy advantages can benefit their development.

For example, there is an encouraging policy in this state, where establishing vocational skills training schools by factories or enterprises and training a certain number of students can result in certain tax reductions and financial subsidies from the government.

Many people aren’t aware of this policy, and even if they are, they feel it has nothing to do with them. But for large companies like Ristone, each factory has a room designated for training workers to master technical skills, and the method of training is by allowing them to work normally while being guided.

Many workers refer to this so-called training as "guided vacations," where they don’t have to endure immense pressure on the high-intensity assembly line. The factories rotate to let them receive guidance, earning tax reductions and educational subsidies ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

Do not underestimate these policy supports. With over a dozen factories and enterprises, the total tax reductions and educational subsidies bring Ristone an additional annual net profit of around hundreds of thousands.

Such policies are not rare; there are many of them, which require dedicated personnel to monitor policy trends issued by the government and research related content. The taxes saved and various subsidies gained annually constitute a staggering amount.

Now, with the Board Chair interrupting what should have been Neo’s opening remarks at the conference call, directly shifting responsibility to the policy research office, those participating in the call already understand the ensuing developments.

Neo, as the CEO, immediately explained, "Chairman, the consultant of the Policy Office does not possess the qualifications to attend the board meeting..." After all, like a consultant from Ferrari with a political background, the company would not offer these consultants shares, let alone opportunities to attend such meetings.

"Is that so?" The Chairman’s voice was filled with seemingly expected surprise, "Apologies, my age is catching up with me, and given tonight’s occurrences, our consultant failed to provide timely warnings. I’m very dissatisfied with his work."

This statement is just lip service; everyone knows the reason behind this incident. If not for Neo’s stubbornness that placed him and the Mayor at an impasse, things wouldn’t have unfolded like this, with even high-level figures like the Governor stepping in, which is definitely not good news for Ristone.

Issues that can escalate are never simple, and the root of Neo and the Mayor’s unwillingness to compromise is actually the internal power struggle within Ristone Group.

Some believe Neo is not quite suitable for his current role as CEO, and these individuals feel that Alben remains the Board Chair, and allowing Neo to become CEO means this father-in-law and son-in-law duo can indirectly control what belongs to all investors of Ristone Group.

Indeed, Ristone Group does not belong to Elder Alben Ristone or Neo, the CEO. After its public offering, it belongs to all investors, with Alben and Neo among them as investors who are trusted to hold their current positions.

Since a few years ago, the group’s growth has slowed, causing dissatisfaction among many shareholders. Coupled with the sudden investigation and closure of the Henghui Group, which had close cooperative relations with the group company, some of the company’s businesses and assets were implicated. Some board members proposed acquiring most of Henghui Group’s "inheritance" to compensate for the group’s severed assets and businesses during the investigation.

They also wanted to use some industries left behind by Henghui Group to complete the group company’s transformation or upgrade.

This was initially a good proposal, but ironically, the person suggesting and encouraging the board to vote on it was neither Neo nor Alben, but another major shareholder.

In the world of capital, there is no sentiment. This major shareholder has already grown the intention of ousting this father-in-law and son-in-law duo, forcing Neo to adopt a tough stance, or else the other side might initiate a board meeting to remove Neo from his position.

At the same time, Neo’s conflict with the Mayor made him temporarily unsuitable for internal adjustments within the group. If he won, no one would raise the recent struggles.

If he lost, the group company would need a scapegoat to earn the forgiveness of Progressive Party politicians. A current CEO is preferable to a former CEO.

Facing immense pressure, Neo and Alben decided to go all out, initially intending to leverage the Conservative Party to foster competition between the two parties and thereby win, but now it seems the Progressive Party does not intend to compromise, which instead introduces fatal issues in their plan.

After a brief pause, Neo did not shy away from the issue, first apologizing to all board members. Since it was his insistence that influenced the group company’s strategy and stability, he bore unshakable responsibility.

Following this, he shifted focus to the current situation.

"From some other channels, I’ve learned that even if we concede, resign from the CEO position, apologize sincerely to the Mayor, Governor, and others, our situation will not improve."

"Since the year before last, our financial reports have not shown significant progress. From an external perspective, our operations appear normal, but..." Neo suddenly sighed, "I need to apologize to everyone again. In fact, under my benefit, I had the finance department falsify the financial reports..."

Instantly, the sound of a cup shattering, a chair being overturned, things being thrown to the ground, and some curses were heard over the speaker...

Amidst these sounds, there were two barely audible, light chuckles from Board Chair Alben and Group CEO Neo.

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