Chapter 575: 569 Still So Awesome (Part 2)
The only good thing is that the proportions of the two timelines differ. The ratio of the other timeline to the current one is 45:1. It only takes one year in this world to equal 45 years in the other. This timeline allows Finn Lewis to save a terrifying amount of cloud mist tea. He doesn’t have to worry about preserving these tea leaves as there are ample environmental conditions in Zero to keep their composition intact.
Now, on the other hand, Finn Lewis doesn’t have much of the other two types of tea, which have less effect. He has only planted a very small portion and has no plans to expand anytime soon.
Seeing what Finn Lewis’s people brought in, Evans Sutherland and Steven were both taken aback. However, Evans Sutherland quickly curled her lips in contempt, thinking of it as too stingy – just a box of tea. Finn Lewis ignored her, turned to Mrs. Johanna, and said, “Ma’am, this box of tea is enough for you to drink for over half a year. Also, Moon of West Lake is preparing to recruit private members again. I will have the person in charge of Moon West Lake offer your Covant family 12 invitation slots. As for how to allocate these places, it’s entirely up to you.”
“What is Moon of West Lake?” Evans Sutherland seemed confused and asked over from the right.
“I believe Mrs. Johanna should know. If there are no issues, we can sign the contract now.” Finn Lewis pointed to the objects on the table, knowing Mrs. Johanna would understand. When he presented the tea just now, he noticed a spark of joy and surprise on her face.
“No problem,” Johanna quickly agreed, not giving it a second thought. A startled Evans Sutherland protested: “Mom, are you sure?”
“Sis,” Steven Cavendish quickly reached for Evans Sutherland’s hand, whispered something in her ear, and she didn’t object further. The contract signings turned out to be quite straightforward. Unlike previous acquisitions, both parties directly exchanged stocks, and it was pretty simple. They transferred all the shares to the Virtual World Corporation’s name, and the Covant family received 5% of the shares in Virtual World Corporation.
By the time they finished signing the agreement, it was almost evening. Lawyers from both sides were busy for quite some time before they had all the contracts ready. On Finn Lewis’s side, Olivia Thatcher just scanned the documents, and it was a straightforward process. Finn Lewis didn’t have to worry about any issues with the contract while the opposing side had conglomerate lawyers look through it in detail. The lawyers took a considerable amount of time reviewing the contracts.
After the conclusion of the signing, both parties opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Finn Lewis never expected that he would not only fulfil his oath on this trip to Graham Kingdom, but would also acquire Eldora seamlessly.
“Olivia, photocopy our equity ownership document and make a copy for Lewis the elder. Let him notify the remaining shareholders that we need to hold a joint meeting,” Finn Lewis said decisively.
While the Covant family owns 56% of Eldora’s shares, Finn Lewis now has more than that. The Covant family’s shares in Eldora were exchanged with him. Regarding the technology transfer, the other shareholders still need to give up half their shares. As such, out of the remaining 44% shares, Finn Lewis owns 22% since they initially authorized these to Mrs. Johanna. This means that Finn Lewis now owns 78% of Eldora’s shares – essentially close to buying out the entire company.
Without a doubt, Lewis the elder was efficient. Within a few hours, the key decision-makers of both companies’ management and board of directors had received his notice. Frankly speaking, those unaware of the situation at Flying Horse and Eldora were shocked at how far Finn Lewis had come. So, when representatives for the two companies sat together, the meeting consisted of more than 50 participants, stunning the hotel that hosted the meeting.
A massive undertaking like this could not possibly be hidden from the media. Moreover, Finn Lewis didn’t even try to hide it. So, as soon as these media companies noticed that Finn Lewis and the senior executives and shareholders of the two companies were in the same meeting room, they realized what it implied. Although Flying Horse and Eldora had collaborated before, they had never jointly participated in one meeting like this.
Of course, if you insist there was one, it was decades ago in Graham Kingdom. But since then, it had never happened. Presently, these two companies are still competitors. Hence, Volkswagen, which caught wind of the news a little late, had to call an emergency meeting. It’s not that Volkswagen reacted late, but being one of the earliest companies to collaborate with Flame Nation, it has deep-rooted connections with the Flame Nation government. So, their first move was to consult with the Flame Nation officials.
But now, as they came back to their senses, they realized that their two most formidable domestic rivals seemed to be up to something, taking a different route by collaborating with Finn Lewis. Volkswagen couldn’t ignore this because of Finn Lewis’s influence on Flame Nation’s officialdom, which even reached the highest level of government. Even provincial and ministerial officials found it challenging to meet with Finn Lewis.
In the meeting room, the participants from the two companies, although sitting separately, were easily identifiable. When Finn Lewis entered, although there were greetings exchanged between the two companies, the atmosphere was tense. Still, for some who merely had investments, it didn’t matter much, as it was just an investment anyway.
“Could the atmosphere in this room be any less heavy? I’ve brought you all here because we may need to cooperate in the future.” Finn Lewis went to the podium and spoke. As he spoke, everyone in the room immediately turned to him. Seeing everyone’s attention on him, Finn Lewis smiled then continued, “The reason is simple. I now own approximately 50.3% of Flying Horse Company’s shares. That’s just enough for absolute controlling interest. I also now own 78% of Bavarian Mechanical Manufacturing Factory’s shares. That means, from now on, both of these companies can be considered mine.”