Top Notch War God

Chapter 84

"I remember the Yuvi Group building; wasn't it leased?" Talon said casually.

"Yeah, it is. The lease still has three months left. Once South City is built, we'll move there. But what does that have to do with me giving Grandpa shares?" Ariya replied.

"How about this: I'll come over after dinner," Talon chuckled.

"No way! Your injury is too severe! The doctor said you need to be closely monitored!" Ariya's face darkened.

"Hey, Ariya? Ariya? Strange, why is the signal so bad?" Talon hung up the phone.

Ariya was speechless. 'After all, Philadelphia has full 5G coverage—where would there be a signal issue? This Talon can't even come up with a decent excuse.' With no choice, she walked back into the meeting room, her mind entirely preoccupied with Talon's injury. Even when talking to Alvin, she seemed distracted. Ariya was curious. Talon said the building was leased, and he didn't seem against giving shares to Mateo. 'What's going on here?'

Meanwhile, downstairs, Mateo looked smug. Taking advantage of the empty moment before the others arrived, he whispered to Jensen, "Jensen, you did a great job asking Ariya for 60% of the shares. The key is she agreed to let me attend the renaming ceremony."

He added, "Once I reconnect with the old contacts, the Willis family's rise is just around the corner. This might be my last contribution to the Willis family. In less than three years, everything the Willis family owns will be yours!"

"Grandpa, this is all your doing. I wouldn't dare take credit," Jensen whispered.

If Grandpa knew that Ariya didn't actually agree to give him shares, who knows what he'd think? But Jensen had it all planned out. Worst-case scenario, he could just claim Ariya didn't keep her word, and the whole thing would become a confusing mess again.

Mateo, full of excitement, said, "Good, good! Jensen, Grandpa is truly proud of you!"

"No more talking; the guests are here!" Mateo said, puffing up his chest as he strode out of the Arilon Group's doors.

Grady handed over the invitation. Mateo took one look and was stunned. Grady, Chairman of Philadelphia's Apex Group, was one of the top ten companies in the city. "Mr. Somerford, I'm Ariya's Grandpa and the Vice Chairman of Arilon Group. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Mateo excitedly extended his hand to shake Grady's. Grady hesitated but quickly realized what was happening. Ariya must have been unable to greet her guests, so she sent her Grandpa instead. It was a thoughtful arrangement.

"Haha, I've heard a lot about Lord Willis! It's truly an honor to meet you today. You probably have many guests to attend to, so I won't keep you long. If you're free someday, I'd love to have a drink and talk about our cooperation with Arilon Group!" Grady, a seasoned businessman, handled the situation with ease, stepping forward with feigned enthusiasm.

"Ah!" Mateo's mind buzzed. Collaborating with one of Philadelphia's elite families was something he'd never even dreamed of.

"Yes, yes, I'll be waiting for your visit. Jensen, take Mr. Somerford upstairs. Ariya should be waiting in the meeting room. Mr. Somerford, please be careful with the steps. This way!" Lord Willis was so excited he could barely form coherent sentences.

"Thank you, Lord Willis," Grady said, shaking Lord Willis' hand again before turning to leave.

"Grandpa, how did Ariya manage to invite him?" Jensen was also dumbfounded. After Grady went upstairs, he stood there dazed, asking.

"That's not for us to worry about, nor do I care to."

Mateo felt like the years of pent-up anger in his chest were finally being released. He declared grandly, "If we can really work with Apex Group, I guarantee it won't take six months for the Willis family to rise again."

He added, "By then, I'll have all the big and small families in Philadelphia bowing in front of me, begging for mercy. Jensen, stay by my side and get familiar with these big companies' CEOs—it'll help you with your future work."

"Got it!" Jensen gritted his teeth. 'No matter what Ariya's attitude is, judging by the way Grady treated Grandpa just now, it looks like I made the right bet. Ariya, you'll soon be looking up to me.'

Mateo then met with Archer Parker, the chairman of Globeworks; the chairman of Evergreen Group, Cohen Mason; the chairman and general manager of Gemedia; and other prominent business leaders in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. Even the smallest of these companies was ten times the size of Arilon Group.

It wasn't just Mateo who was shocked; even Ariya, sitting in the meeting room, was stunned. Out of the 24 companies on the list, every single one of them showed up. Only one chairman was abroad and sent their general manager instead. The rest were all represented by their chairmen, giving Ariya the utmost respect.

Alvin hadn't anticipated Ariya's influence to be so powerful either. Realizing his own position, he mingled enthusiastically with the executives. Alvin's thoughts were simple—these companies weren't short on money, so he could easily pull in some investment to boost his performance as the new deputy mayor.

Just then, another person entered.

"Sammy, please, take a seat!" Alvin had already anticipated Abel would send his secretary, so he wasn't surprised at all.

Sammy, despite his words, clearly didn't regard Alvin highly. "Haha, in front of Ms. Willis, how could I even think of sitting? I appreciate the offer, but I can't today. I'll be accompanying the mayor on a trip shortly. I'm here to offer congratulations to Ms. Willis on the renaming of Arilon Group and hope that she'll contribute to the development of Philadelphia."

He added, "The mayor also has a gift for you." Sammy gestured, and two men carrying a trophy stepped forward. Sammy pulled off the red cloth, revealing the inscription: 'Strive to be a top company, Philadelphia's rising star.'"