substitute

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The attendees exchanged bewildered glances, and someone immediately questioned, "Mr. Joshua, are you joking? Milo is just an ordinary employee of Lanman, how could he possibly be the president of Green Contract Company?"

The blue-eyed man looked at Milo and smiled, saying, "Just because you can't imagine something doesn't mean it's impossible."

The employee who had spoken had no choice but to shut up and look at his boss.

Miles stood rooted to the spot, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. He felt as if a piece of cotton was stuck in his throat, unable to be swallowed or spit out. Milo was right in front of him, yet he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity. Joshua—when had this Joshua entered his field of vision…? Miles suddenly remembered the first time he saw the investigation materials his subordinates had brought him, the name attached to the photo of the blue-eyed man.

Joshua·G

Is it Joshua Glynn or Joshua Glenn?

Yes, it's Joshua Green, not Joshua Glenn...

Miles suddenly understood why Milo was so determined to join the Daller Group. As his personal assistant, colluding with Blaise to create a crisis was just a pretext. Milo's real purpose was to use this crisis to propose a bridge loan. But in fact, the bridge loan proposal was just a catalyst. He was certain that such a risky suggestion would not be adopted by him. At this point, the olive branch from Green Deeds, which had been looming for a while, became his proactive choice.

Milo had been setting a trap for him all along.

When did it all begin? When did such a comprehensive and meticulously crafted network for him begin to be laid? How did Milo manage to build such a multinational corporation right under his nose?

For a moment, Miles suddenly realized that, compared to the anger of being betrayed, his first reaction was a brief shock, followed by a strange thrill. It felt like countless tentacles were wrapped around his neck, those suckers meant to take his life, yet also bringing a chilling pleasure.

The people he raised learned some skills from him and turned against him.

There is nothing more interesting in this world.

Miles stepped forward, pressed down on the anxious shoulders of the men below, and looked at Milo: "Mr. Joshua, right? Since we've agreed to discuss business and a prior agreement has been signed, it doesn't matter who the president is. The key is that the person in charge of the negotiations can be present."

Milo looked directly into Miles' eyes: "Green Deeds is indeed here to discuss business, but not with you."

Miles paused for a few seconds: "Sorry, I didn't understand what you meant."

Milo walked past the crowd and looked into the distance: "Green Contract promised to do business with the heir of the Dale Group, but that person may not be you."

The crowd dispersed, and those present followed Milo's gaze to Blaise, who was standing in the shadows.

Miles gritted his teeth slightly.

Blaze crossed his arms, slightly raised his chin, and pointed at Miles in the air.

This damned bastard, this shameful barbarian, how could he be insulted by such a person one day? Miles unconsciously clenched his fist, but his face remained expressionless as he looked at Milo again: "Now, I am the only heir to the Dale Group."

Milo stood beside Glenn, a slight look of surprise on his face. "What can we do then? This new situation doesn't match our initial plan. It seems that the cooperation with the Dale Group can't proceed. I can't provide the funds you urgently need." Milo sighed. "Besides, there are police everywhere outside. Under these circumstances, how can you convince me to give you this money, Mr. Miles?"

Miles fell silent. Having said all that, there was no need for him to ask any further questions.

Milo had meticulously set a trap for him, all to entice him to place all his hopes for acquiring the Thornton Group on this partnership. Perhaps Blaise's withdrawal of his investment was also part of the plan. Now, the Daller Group was indeed in his hands, but it was a complete mess. Milo's refusal to cooperate left him stuck in a limbo, unable to move forward or backward, forced to deal with external investigations while simultaneously unable to find a way to quickly acquire Lianhua Machinery. What Miles found even more unacceptable was that Milo's move had effectively pulled Blaise out of the quagmire of the Daller Group.

“Very good,” Miles nodded, having figured out the current situation. “You are indeed quite capable.”

Milo looked directly into Miles' eyes, slowly removed the ring from his left hand, and tossed it into his teacup: "You know, you're not capable of that."

The tea was slightly brown and quickly swallowed the silver ring.

Miles frowned. The public humiliation earlier hadn't angered him, but Milo's action of removing the ring burned his eyes, causing a slight sting to his heart.

“Since the Dale Group can't afford to acquire Lianhua Machinery, then Green Contract will have to take it over.” Milo looked around and calmly asked, “Any more questions?”

The room fell silent; no one questioned it.

Blaise silently walked from outside the crowd to Milo's side, standing side by side with Glenn on either side.

“If there are no problems, we can begin the meeting now.” Milo pulled out a chair and sat down in the head seat. “Mr. Miles, I don’t think you’d mind if I used your meeting room?”

Miles's gaze turned slightly cold. The head of Lianhua Machinery was also present; having been forced into this position by Milo, he couldn't afford to give any other answer that lacked decorum. Just then, the police officers knocked on the door, showed their badges, and requested that Miles come out alone.

After a few seconds of suffocating silence, Miles turned and walked out of the now-owned conference room under the complex gazes of the crowd.

Glenn walked over silently and gently locked the door from the inside.

The ensuing meeting was efficient and cold. Milo dictated the pace, while Green Deal's lawyers and financial analysts took turns, their technical jargon and data reports precisely dissecting the future of Lianhua Machinery. The head of Lianhua Machinery looked ashen; his initial resistance gradually turned into silent acceptance in the face of Milo's calm yet undeniable aura and the Green Deal team's meticulous preparation. The only sound in the meeting room was the scratching of pens across paper.

Everything has settled down. From now on, Lianhua Machinery belongs to Green Contract.

As the meeting ended, Milo stood up, smiled, and saw them off. His personal cell phone in his pocket vibrated inconveniently, its buzzing sound particularly clear in the now empty conference room.

Milo glanced at the screen; it was a completely unfamiliar, unknown number. Unknown calls at times like these always carried an unusual air. Milo answered the call without speaking first.

"Hi," the person on the other end of the phone said with a bright smile, "Long time no see."

"Nonai." Milo's heart sank slightly. "You've come to Wudong Port?"

“I didn’t expect you to still remember my voice.” Nona sighed with a hint of regret. “It’s all because you tricked Blaze into working for you in Wudong Port. The old man is very angry. You can’t hide the fact that you killed Steven anymore. We’ve come here to clean up the mess.”

Milo knew this day would come: "Are you here to warn me?"

“You know perfectly well, why would we touch you?” Nonai seemed to have a lot of information. “I’ve said it before, Mr. Milo, I admire you, so I’m willing to do you a favor. Miles made a deal with the old man, asking us to kill Matsubara Yuuma today, as a way of silencing Blaise. But you and that Matsubara Yuuma are friends, so all I can do is give you a heads-up.”

Milo felt a sudden pang of fear, his breath caught in his throat, and he struggled to remain calm: "You want to kill him?"

"It's a little hard for me to do it, after all, your friend is quite good-looking. Chatchai is here too, he's quick, so if you want to save your friend, you'd better hurry. We're at Pier 3 in Wudong Port. Oh, by the way, the police are already on their way, and the one leading them seems to be your friend too." Nonai chuckled, "You're in for a lot of work."

The other party hung up the phone.

Milo stood there, his mind reeling. Looking up, he saw Miles, surrounded by police and reporters, silently watching him from afar.

Their eyes met, Miles looked away, but Milo felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

Miles had long planned to kill Yuuma.

*

Police station in the main urban area.

Miles sat in a chair as several lawyers in suits entered the interrogation room. After a tense discussion, Miles asked to have a cigarette.

The police officers exchanged a glance, opened the door, but did not follow.

As Miles stood up and stepped out the door, a lawyer who had been following him discreetly handed him a phone, and Miles dialed a number.

After a series of beeps, the call didn't go through, and Miles hung up.

The waiting area reeked of cigarette smoke. Miles moved his expensive leather shoes aside, frowning as he avoided the cigarette butts beneath his feet. He stood by the window, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the windowpane, silently counting the time.

Three, two, one, a ringing sound followed, and sure enough, the other end called back.

Miles answered.

The person on the other end was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Speak."

Miles chuckled. "Since you enjoy playing games so much, I can give you two choices now: Matsubara Yuma or Jesse. Which one do you want?"

"Chachai has already entered the country. He will enter the cross-sea bridge from the National Standard Avenue. If all goes well, he will be able to catch Matsubara Yuma in ten minutes. This news will be relayed to your friend Jesse. If Jesse catches Matsubara Yuma first, he will be able to save his life, but it means that what you did in Gangu will be exposed. Can a murderer with dual citizenship stay in Lanman? More importantly, your police friend will find out that you have been using him all along."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Miles' voice carried a hint of coldness: "Isn't this choice interesting?"

After saying that, Miles hung up the phone.

Milo, far away at the Dale Group, put down his phone, turned around with a livid face, and swept the table clean.

Glenn, who was standing next to him, was startled by his outburst: "What happened?"

“Glenn,” Milo said, gripping the edge of the table, “go book the fastest flight back to Frostraven. Miles will definitely target Green Pact once he recovers, so go back and keep things stable there.”

"Aren't you coming back with me?" Glenn asked hesitantly. "You said last time that you would go back after this meeting."

"I will go back, but not now."

“Okay.” Glenn moved at the sound of the voice, but halfway there he turned back to look at Milo. “Someone is waiting for you.”

Milo looked over.

Blaise had somehow gotten to the door and was now standing quietly in the empty conference room.

A prodigy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a young businessman with dual citizenship, not only owns an overseas biomedical company, but also aggressively acquires Lianhua Machinery, unexpectedly dragging the Dale Group into a quagmire of legal battles.

This is Milo's trump card.

This is what Milo wanted to achieve.

Blaze suddenly felt that Milo was unusually distant. This gap was not only reflected in Milo's meticulous and frightening mind, but also in the ability of the mysterious cross-border company behind him.

No wonder Milo said he could make up for the loss on his shares. The young company, operating with a 600 million trust fund, is already powerful enough for Schiele to consider partnering with it. After this great victory, its value will skyrocket. Milo, no, Joshua G, will become a rising star in the Business Weekly.

Blaise's gaze shifted slightly downwards, a vague sense of loss washing over him; he felt he was about to lose his usefulness.

"Could you help me one more time?" Milo suddenly asked.

Blaise steadied himself, wondering if he had misheard.

Milo's eyes were bloodshot, and he repeated, "Blaze, could you... help me one more time?"