Chapter 692 You came at the right time
"I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to ask the maid to leave the room as well."
Baron Sindras chuckled, poured a glass of wine himself, put his right leg on his left knee, and looked relaxed, as if he was at home.
Ignoring etiquette and deliberately showing aggression in order to gain the upper hand in the conversation, it seems that I have been underestimated by this baron... Angel smiled secretly and said:
"Because Your Excellency the Baron is more concerned about certain rumors than I am, I trust you will keep all conversations confined to this room."
As the baron picked up the wine glass, his hand froze in mid-air.
"No wonder that businessman from Disi is interested in you. Your personalities are, well, very similar..."
After a moment, Sindras put down his wine glass and said with a tone that was half surprised and half curious.
"You mean Dwayne Dantès?" Angel poured himself a glass of white wine. He took a sip, reluctantly, looking at the crystal-clear liquid, which was worth over ten pounds. "So, the Baron's visit this time is also about the shares of Coim Company?"
"That was indeed the original plan. After receiving the rejection from Dantes, I originally wanted to try another approach, such as using you to convince him, or at least to let him know the price I was willing to offer... But now there is no need."
The Baron clasped his hands together on his knees and spoke slowly.
"I learned of his decision to donate all his shares to the church to create a scholarship fund an hour after he decided. Therefore, many of the 'tricks' used against him are no longer suitable... Originally, I thought that since you had returned to Loen from Intis and hadn't yet established yourself, you wouldn't be able to refuse a baron's request."
"What if I refuse?"
Angel asked curiously.
"Reject a £20,000 reward?"
With a chuckle, the Baron replied.
20,000 pounds... Why didn't he tell me earlier? After I return to Backlund on Thursday, he can find me, and then I can discuss it with Klein. We can definitely make a profit from this money. Even if we donate it all to the church, we can still have an extra 5,000 pounds... Angel opened his mouth slightly, not knowing what to say.
"Of course, after Caron's death, and after Dantès was wrongly accused yet still trusted me, I realized something was amiss. The entire share acquisition process seemed like someone was interfering, causing me to repeatedly run into obstacles. I gradually began to consider some illegal means, and even put them into practice..."
Sindras frowned slightly, his light blue eyes fixed on the wine glass in his hand, and his tone was a little hesitant.
Caron was the shareholder who hastily sold his shares and then committed suicide, directing suspicion towards Klein... The illegal methods the Baron mentioned, could they be the gossip attacks Klein mentioned before, even going so far as to claim a few children as his illegitimate children? If I agree to cooperate with the Baron, how will he exploit my relationship with Klein... Angel's mind raced with several plans he dared not consider in detail, and he casually asked:
"Then why are you so obsessed with this small stake? From what I understand, even with its potential for appreciation, 3% of Coim's shares won't be worth more than £20,000 in a few years. It's not commensurate with your investment."
"It's okay to tell you now. Through direct and indirect shareholding, plus this 3%, I own over 50% of the shares, giving me great influence over the company's operations. I plan to take it public and, together with the coal companies owned by me and several partners, monopolize Backlund's, and even all of Loen's, anthracite coal."
In other words, this small amount of equity actually controls the decision-making power of the entire Coim Company, and can in turn affect half of the country's anthracite industry and many of the kingdom's policies. That is true monopoly, true high profits, and this is the goal of Sindras, who is worth tens of millions... Angel added the last sentence for the baron in his mind and nodded to show his understanding.
There's a saying that goes, with 300% profit, capitalists will trample on everything in the world... Of course, in this world, this statement was most likely said by Emperor Roselle.
Such a Russell joke suddenly popped up in her mind.
"Of course, at this point, I have no choice but to find another way to leverage the alliance led by the company's original owner, Ms. Marie Short, in order to gain true controlling rights. Now that I think about it, I didn't need to be so impatient to force Caron and threaten Dantes, letting things get to a point where they can't be resolved... This is strange. Perhaps I'm too focused on the success or failure of this 'battle'..."
After drinking a glass of white wine, Sindras spoke faster. With a slightly drunk expression, he spoke of his thoughts in a somewhat rambling manner.
Angel had some impression of the Lady Mary he mentioned. After her divorce, this noble lady owned 20% of the shares of Coim Company alone. Through similar means to Baron Sindras, she controlled 45% of the shares and was a strong competitor for him to control the company.
But Baron, you said so much and in such depth the first time we met. Isn't it a bit inconsistent with the etiquette of the upper class... Angel thought secretly, not sure whether the other party was expressing his true feelings under the influence of alcohol, or deliberately pretending to be so frank in an attempt to save the 3% stake.
But Klein had already donated it... Moreover, the Baron was able to realize the inappropriateness of his behavior after the fact, which means that he did act impulsively for other reasons at the time. It's a bit like...
At this moment, Angel jumped out of his "upper class" thinking and switched to the thinking mode of an extraordinary person, and immediately thought of several possibilities.
Apostles of Desire... no, their influence is often intense and direct... Could it be the "audience"? Someone used Beyonder abilities on the Baron, creating this series of conflicts? Perhaps they even tampered with the suicidal shareholder, Kalon, leading Klein into this murder case...
Thinking of this, Angel was about to speak when he heard a knock on the door. Then Ribak came in and asked:
"Miss, Miss Audrey Hall, the daughter of Earl Hall, is here to visit. Her carriage is already at the door."
Audrey, come visit me?
Angel's first reaction was that this "Justice" lady from the Tarot Club had already confirmed his identity as the "Queen" and was coming to expose it to her face and reminisce about the past. However, he felt that given her cautious character, she shouldn't be so direct and would at least confirm it first at the Tarot Club.
Maybe she came to thank me for saving her from the brink of social death yesterday... Angel thought of another possibility, which could also explain why Audrey came to visit without informing him in advance. This more private reason could be justified in terms of social etiquette.
The only problem is that this conflicts with Baron Sindras's meeting...
She looked at the other visitor in the room, who put down his wine glass with a serious expression mixed with dissatisfaction. He obviously thought that Angel had arranged two meetings at the same time, which was very rude.
"I'm sorry, Miss Audrey is a last-minute visitor. She doesn't have an appointment."
Angel explained quickly.
"That's right..." The Baron's expression softened, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Do you need me to step aside?"
Wouldn't that be impolite? After all, you were here first... Also, can this "audience" notice anything unusual about Syndras?
Angel thought about it and shook his head after a moment:
"Miss Audrey is probably just passing through and won't stay long. Besides, her brother, Lord Hibbert, is friends with Lady Mary. Perhaps you can use their connections to resolve the ownership of the Coim Company?"
These words made the baron, whose expression kept changing, make up his mind and "stay" in the reception room and did not leave. After all, logically speaking, he was indeed the first one to arrive.
A moment later, Audrey Hall, who was wearing a light long dress and was probably preparing to go to a salon, came to the well-lit room on the third floor under the guidance of her maid. She also left her personal maid outside the door and entered the reception room alone.
She first looked curiously at Baron Sindras, who was sitting in a standard posture, but her gaze lingered on this "dazzling gem" for a long time. After a moment, she turned her gaze to Angel.
"Christine, I happened to be passing by the Hillston area today, and I remembered that you lived here, so I stopped by to thank you for what happened last night. Did I come at a bad time?"
No, you came at the right time... Her expression of trying to get close but worrying about offending successfully dispelled Angel's last bit of doubt.
But it is likely that this is also a disguise of the "audience"...
After having Audrey sit down, Angel briefly told her about the share issue that Sindras had mentioned earlier, and then asked:
"I heard that Lord Hibbert is the Chief Secretary of the Air Pollution Inquiry Committee and is acquainted with Ms. Mary of Coim. Could you mediate and find a compromise solution between the Baron and Ms. Mary that would resolve the concerns of both parties?"
Looking at Christine Theresa with an eager face, Audrey's doubts kept surging in her heart.
Why would the "Queen" lady of the Tarot Club, a true demigod, care about these things?
Moreover, both sides hold nearly 50% of the shares and are working hard to gain complete control of the company. Baron Syndras has even made many attempts that are borderline illegal. Can such a sharp contradiction be reconciled through dialogue?
As she pondered, Audrey suddenly realized the other party's true purpose.
Would a newly minted noble, a wealthy man worth over ten million pounds, be so eager to do something for such a small benefit?
The "Queen" suspected that there was some supernatural power behind this, and she thought that I, a "hypnotist", might be able to see the problem?
Thinking of this, Audrey became a little excited.
Before the social season began in June, she had been staying in her family's territory, trying to use the power of the "audience" among the local nobles to do what she could. The impulse of "Great Detective Audrey" in her heart had long been nowhere to go, and now she was eager to try.
Even if he misunderstood, "Christine" was not the "Queen", and his actions would not reveal his identity as a Beyonder.
"Your Excellency, Baron, I'd like to know who initially suggested you acquire the Coim Company?"
She sat with her back straight, her feet together and to the side, her hands folded on her legs, in a posture that even the etiquette teacher could find no fault with, and put on what she thought was a perfect smile, and began to ask.
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