Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Beo / No one can leave the gambling table...
Caroline's footsteps were particularly clear in the silent factory.
She walked to the front of the stage, winked at Audrey, then turned to Isabel and extended her hand. "Duchess, I'm Caroline Berkeley, a shipping merchant from Hersland. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Caroline."
Caroline took off her hat and said, "I just listened to the engineers' presentations of their work outside. Honestly, they're much better than those male engineers who only stick to old techniques."
There was undisguised sarcasm in her tone.
"I own five cargo ships, and I'd like to sign a contract with Norman Industries to replace all of their propellers with the variable-pitch propellers designed by Miss Lauren. I also have two collective factories in Hersland, and I'd like to install Miss Theresa's constant temperature device immediately."
These words were like a stone thrown into calm water, and the audience instantly exploded.
"A merchant from Heslan?" A businessman familiar with shipping quickly thought, "Could it be that emerging collective commercial company?"
Some people were enlightened, while others were still confused.
Caroline nodded politely amid the chatter and said calmly, "Perhaps some people here don't know me. Please allow me to introduce myself."
"The Berkeley Shipping and Trading Company that I represent is a collective economic organization. You may not have heard of this name, but you should have heard of our deeds." Caroline slowly unfolded a newspaper.
On the familiar front page headline, ink-printed news content was the vigorous workers' movement in Heslan.
It was through this fuse that the war spread to Ceylon, and everyone present was caught up in the storm.
"So it was you who initiated the workers' movement!" someone realized.
Even Charles couldn't help but be surprised and exchanged glances with his employer.
During the protest at White's factory, Bruson sent a tall, thin, red-haired man disguised as a Heslan worker leader to fan the flames, but was exposed by Hermann.
But according to confidential information, a Heslander did come to Haddonfield to lead the movement.
I didn’t expect that this person was an old acquaintance, Caroline!
Without waiting for their response, Caroline continued, "Yes, not only was I the one who initiated the workers' movement, I also led them to open up three coastal trade routes and establish collective economic organizations."
She slowly pulled out a check, her eyes tinged with sarcasm: "The lower-class workers you look down upon have united to create enough wealth to swallow you up."
Then, he handed the check to Isabel, "This is the deposit that Berkeley Trading paid to Norman Industrial. Please finalize the contract as soon as possible. Thank you."
As the words fell, there were gasps in the conference hall.
Previously, everyone thought that he was just a wealthy partner, but now they realized the other party's importance.
Collective organization? That's unheard of! It's like the White family inventing a new technology and then making it public. It's incredibly generous.
And precisely because of this, it is not difficult to explain why Caroline can become a worker leader. She is not just shouting slogans, but truly leading everyone to become rich!
This also means that she is not only rich, but also holds the voice of the working class!
Caroline's sudden weight immediately tilted the balance towards the White family - now it was not just a dispute between the White and Brousson families.
Sophia's church threat theory is indeed scary, but if you think about it carefully, the engineers at Norman Industrial already have the technology to break the monopoly, and it is not certain what will happen if they really turn against the party.
Mr. Moore had already realized the situation and immediately followed Caroline to start signing up.
For those in White's camp, things will be easy with a leader. As long as White doesn't fall, they will get to eat meat and drink soup!
On the other side, Sophia's face darkened.
The lively Mr. Beach had no interest in talking at the moment.
Everyone was confused by this uninvited guest from Hersland!
The most troubled ones now are not the White camp, but the group of people following Brusen!
Small factory owners, led by Beach, are stuck in the strike and cannot extricate themselves. Now they know that the workers have a huge organization behind them, which almost gives them a terrifying signal - as long as they do not compromise, they may never see the end of it.
They are now entirely dependent on Bruce's relief. Bruce is not a very generous person. Funds will eventually run out and loans must be repaid.
Behind Brousen stood Sophia, along with the large sum of money she had brought. They had previously been willing to take a gamble, but now that the workers' organization represented by Caroline had joined forces with White, how could they possibly continue?
Even a fool knows to surrender quickly!
Biqi quietly raised his eyes to look at Sophia, and saw that her face turned pale and her lips moved, but she still didn't dare to speak.
The next second, someone behind me raised his hand first: "I'm willing to join the cooperation!"
Biqi: “?!”
Facing Brusen's threatening gaze, some small factory owners stood up bravely: "And me!"
As if it were contagious, people raised their hands one after another: "I'm signing up too."
A large group of people rushed to the registration counter, and the rustling sound of pens scratching across paper completely overwhelmed the initial hesitation.
Biqi's eyes widened and he immediately jumped up: "Me, me, me! Add me in!"
Brusen: "Bicky! Think about where you stand!"
Beech's eyes drifted, "Richard, you know, when it comes to absolute interests, there is no such thing as a stance."
He greased his feet and squeezed into the crowd, "Me! Sign up for the Beech Company!"
He squeezed to the front of the line and just as he put on a flattering smile, he met Audrey's eyes.
She smiled and took the registration paper from in front of Biqi: "Sorry, we don't welcome thieves."
"No, no, no, Mrs. White, let me explain... That was all ordered by Blossom, I didn't..."
Audrey snorted coldly and turned her head away, ignoring him.
Miss Norman will not show mercy to such people!
Without waiting for Biqi to explain, the bodyguard dragged him away forcefully.
In the following half hour, everyone at the banquet rushed to the stage and the scene was in full swing.
Sophia remained sitting there, her expression gradually turning cold.
She knew very well that this game was completely lost.
She expected Isabel to have a way to save the situation, but how could she have guessed that a mysterious worker leader would appear out of nowhere, bringing with him a large sum of money?!
Could it be that the True God Shengyao wanted to bless this faithless woman?
That's ridiculous.
Sophia closed her eyes tightly.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out beside me, "Are you still going to sit here and watch yourself fail, Aunt?"
Sophia didn't open her eyes, her jawline was tense and her face gradually darkened.
Brusen looked at her terrifying expression cautiously and hesitated to speak.
Sophia knew what he was going to say.
Leading the faction's merchants and church forces to put pressure on their opponents required money. It was already difficult for the Brusen family to sustain themselves through the workers' movement, and these supplies had already emptied their wallets.
If we want to continue, we must have Sophia's support.
Sophia was rich, and she had used Edmund to take away half of the Spencer family. Blossom was her money bag in Kent, and Sophia couldn't let him fall. Now it was her turn to pay the bill to save the situation.
According to the current situation, as long as the hole in the Brusen family is filled, although the vitality will be damaged, at least it can still be sustained.
It's a break-even deal.
But... a guaranteed-investment deal? Who cares about that?
Sophia sneered through her teeth.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Isabel: "As long as you don't leave the gambling table, everyone has a chance to turn the tables."
She suddenly stood up and walked out, and Brusen hurried to follow.
Isabel's eyes followed her as she walked away.
Her fingers tapped the table regularly, her eyes relaxed and calm.
Want to turn the tables? Dream on.
-
Blossom House.
Since the end of that exchange meeting, almost half of the merchants in the Brusen camp have switched sides.
The situation was clear, agreeing to the workers' conditions was the general trend, and Brousson was no exception. For a week, old Brousson was busy cleaning up this mess.
The newspapers denounced him as a black-hearted capitalist, forcing him to compromise. The workers, out of anger, demanded higher terms before returning to work. Several small merchants followed suit, demanding payment of a ransom.
The pain of a loser lies in losing both the wife and the army!
No money was made, no reputation, and a mountain of debt remained! In the future, the White family would master the technology and dominate the market, but Brusen's development potential was clearly lacking! The future was bleak!
On the other hand, the newspapers published front-page headlines for several days in a row, reporting on the technological progress of White Company and announcing which companies had started new cooperation.
Some even named Herman the Conscientious Businessman of the Year!
Hermann? Conscience?! Do these two words even go together?
Old Brousson was so angry that he dropped his pipe and almost had a stroke!
That night, the old man tiredly pushed open the study door and looked at Sophia by the window.
Back then, he had married his granddaughter to the Earl of Brunswick, thinking it was a great honor, and he was extremely humble and respectful to the family.
At this moment, he was in no mood to please anyone and said bluntly: "We can't hold on any longer. The Brusen family is going bankrupt."
Sophia turned around and asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Putting pressure on White was a joint decision, and I won't shirk the responsibility on you. However, the Brusen family has reached a point where it can no longer hold on, and you must help me," Brusen said in a deep voice. "We both know exactly how much money I helped you make back then, and where that money came from. I'm not greedy. As long as you give me half, I'll still be your moneybag."
Sophia was silent for a moment, then quickly said, "Okay."
Brusen was stunned. He didn't expect her to agree so readily.
"You helped me so much back then, and Lisa is pregnant with my grandson. I certainly won't watch the Blossom Family fall." Sophia said with a friendly expression and concern in her eyes.
Brusen's eyes lit up: "Are you...are you telling the truth?"
Before he finished speaking, the door was pushed open and Lisa walked in happily, "Grandpa! I told you that mother wouldn't just stand by and watch someone die!"
She touched her belly, shed a few tears, and held Sophia's hand gratefully: "Thank you, mother, I knew this good news would soften your heart!"
Adam came in in a wheelchair, but he didn't look as excited as his wife.
He looked at Sophia with scrutiny.
Knowing his mother, he knew she would never do anything so kind.
Sophia didn't care about her son's gaze at all, as if he was looking at an inanimate object.
In a sense, this son is indeed a useful tool.
She helped her become a countess at birth, and because of her intelligence but disability, she won the old count's pity, which also consolidated Sophia's position as a mother. Later, when he grew up and inherited the title, Sophia naturally took over her son's power and helped him marry the daughter of a merchant with a large dowry.
She almost took Adam's role to the extreme.
Adam looked at his mother and gradually understood something.
He moved his lips in vain, trying to say something that would at least dissuade her from being so cruel to her wife, even though she was a merchant's daughter.
"Mother, Lisa is my wife and she is pregnant with my child, your grandson."
Lisa and her grandson still didn't understand what Adam meant by this.
But Sophia's gaze gradually grew colder, although a smile still hung on her face.
"Yes, of course I love Lisa." She touched Lisa's belly lovingly, but spoke cruelly in a lighthearted tone, "That's why I decided to save the Blossom family. To this end, I am willing to invest money and temporarily take over Richard's management rights so that you and your grandchildren can have a good rest. Isn't that good?"
As soon as the words fell, Richard and Lisa's faces turned pale.
The pipe fell to the ground, Richard's chest heaving violently, the old man's hands trembling: "You... you vicious woman! So you want to take advantage of this opportunity to swallow up the Brusen family, you want to completely control us! You..."
Lisa supported her grandfather and looked at Sophia blankly, "Mother...how could you do this?"
Sophia slowly adjusted her hair. "Didn't you invite me to Kent, dear?"
She smiled: "We are a family, why should we be so divided. Only when I am well can the Blossom family be well."
Lisa's eyes were filled with tears and her whole body was cold.
What a foolish thing they did! Sophia is a venomous snake!
I should have thought of this earlier. How could such a good deal exist in the world? I thought marrying into the family was an honor, but in reality, this family business has long been coveted by others! They are still inviting wolves into the house!
Lisa felt dizzy and fell backwards with a scream of pain.
"Lisa!"
Adam exclaimed and rushed forward subconsciously, but he forgot that his legs were not convenient and fell to the ground. Fortunately, he caught Lisa and prevented her from falling.
Richard ignored his anger and hurried to call a doctor.
Amidst the chaos, Sophia simply smiled at Richard and said, "Think about it carefully. You know very well that this is the only way to go."
Richard stopped and left with hatred.
Adam crawled on the ground, looking up at his mother in the backlight. It was as if he was back in his childhood, when he secretly learned to walk to surprise his mother, but ended up falling to the ground, and she looked at him with the same indifference.
It seems like watching a prisoner who breaks the rules and escapes from the cage.
With a flexible mind but limited movements, Adam feels like a puppet throughout his life, always awake and in pain.
The most desperate moment was when he realized that he was still praying for maternal love.
If he wasn't her biological son, perhaps the pain would be slightly lessened. However, the similar features and sharp minds proved that his bloodline came from her.
Lisa groaned in pain unconsciously, and Adam immediately came back to his senses, lowering his head to hide his deep eyes.
The wind outside the window blew the fallen leaves against the glass, making a slight sound.
Looking at Lisa's pale face, Adam suddenly felt that it was time to break the connection he had maintained with his mother.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
