CHAPTER 171: CHAPTER 170. MONEY IS A FOUNDATION FOR SMOOTH PLANNING

[How the fuck can someone gamble this much?]

Sarah could hear Austin’s sigh as he scribbled on the background. She had just told him how much she would need to ’buy’ the shares--both the consultant company shares and HS Stone’s. They had to sell some shares and bonds they had set up as an emergency, but for the key shares and screwing over Joseph?

Worth it.

Yeah; the shares were something Jacob Oh should be holding for Joseph, since the old snake couldn’t buy more shares in his own name. Ultimately, what Sarah did was what Joseph had been doing: buying shares under someone else’s name to be used one day for a management rights takeover.

Initially, however, Sarah only thought about taking all the shares of the shady company. It was like a jackpot that the CEO also held onto some shares on his own. Of course, the market valuation of the shares the CEO held was way lower than what Sarah had to pay for, but...

"People lost much more in the financial world," Sarah shrugged. Compared to the bids those big players and hedge funds made during speculative wars, what ’game’ gamblers usually lost was just pocket change.

[Well, yes--but this is gamb...] Austin paused, and Sarah arched her brow while waiting. [Hated to admit it, but we do gamble a lot] the financier continued. [Especially if people do it like you--going straight to shortlisting or investing in something that didn’t even look promising]

Sarah chuckled. "It turns out good, doesn’t it?"

[It shouldn’t be] Austin, who preferred to work through tangible data, sighed heavily. If he wasn’t under the order to do anything Sarah told him to do, Austin would have argued with a lot of her decisions. [Only people who know the future can do it confidently]

Sarah flinched, feeling relieved that it was a phone call. She glanced at Hajin--the only one who knew the truth--and quietly took a deep breath to steady her voice. "That’s why I called it a gamble, Austin."

[You sure didn’t act like it]

This witty guy. "You can’t be a gambler if you don’t act confident."

[Eh, true]

Thankfully, the man was also simple. "That’s another two percent for us," Sarah smiled for another two percent taken from Joseph’s stash. "How about Joseph’s financier?"

[I’m pressuring him at the moment] Austin replied, his voice turned deeper; more serious, and also aggressive. The happy-go-lucky persona shifted to a predator with a prey in sight. [You need to distract that old snake if you want me to get him without him running to his boss]

The thing about this kind of group was that they were tightly knitted by the need to save themselves from getting caught. If Joseph’s financier were to disappear, the old man would realize something was up and proceed to take precautionary measures. Even while taking over the consulting company, Sarah told the CEO to keep on ’working’ there in the meantime to avoid making Joseph suspicious.

Thankfully, the CEO was already afraid Joseph would kill him if the man knew, so he easily agreed. Sarah even told the CEO he could buy the shares back from Sarah once he had enough money, so he would stick around for now.

Of course, saying it like that would make the desperate CEO even more prone to another gambling attempt, thinking that he would get something big with the money. And with that, the loan shark would come for his ass and get rid of him without Sarah needing to do anything more.

As for the bank’s loan...she could pay it when she sold this company to Austin’s--well, hers--investment company, NMS Funds.

At any rate, they needed to cover Joseph’s eyes until it was time to punch him in the face.

"I’ll give you the timing later. Anyway, I’ve made the list of executives. I’ll send it to you so Yonghwa can peruse it," Sarah said.

[Aight]

"I heard my baby’s name."

Sarah turned around as he ended the call with Austin, smiling at the young chairman leaning against the door frame of the conference room she was using to have a meeting with the art exhibition team. "Good day to you too, Oraboni," Sarah made a playful curtsy. "Looking very bright and refreshed, I see. Got your fill already?"

"Perhaps some distance is indeed needed from time to time," Kang Jun stroked his chin, grinning dreamily like a soldier who finally met his lover after spending months at the base. "Something you clearly had no concept of."

He smirked at Hajin, who was staying as close as possible to Sarah, practically glued to her chair. The man would have sat on the chair too if he could, but Sarah would have kicked his ass from that. And even though he knew he was being teased, all Hajin could do was glare at Kang Jun--definitely still salty about Sarah calling him with an affectionate honorific.

"Such a cute puppy, you are," Kang Jun chuckled and actually ruffled Hajin’s hair like he was nothing more than a big puppy, laughing even more when Hajin had to hold back by clenching his fist.

What could he do; lunged at his princess’s sponsor? To make it worse, Sarah was actually snorting in amusement--it wasn’t every day she could see Hajin getting played by someone else.

Kang Jun hummed and casually sank himself on one of the chairs like it was a lounge instead of a conference room. "Anyway, since this art exhibition thing is happening soon, are you close to your goal?"

Sarah tilted her head in ponder. "Hmm...in the middle of the third runner, I guess?"

"Almost finale, then!" the young chairman snapped his fingers. "Be careful not to drop the relay stick, ’mkay?"

"I’ll keep that in mind," Sarah nodded, before shifting her gaze to the door as someone entered the room. "Miss Yuna."

"Miss Sarah," the woman entered with an assistant and closed the door, before bowing at Sarah and Kang Jun--who waved his hand dismissively, telling her to ignore him. "Have you decided on the date at last?"

Sarah had already told the team about how the art exhibition should be held--a week of exhibition highlighting small and unknown artists. Everything had been prepared, from contacting the artists for participation and preparing the venue--except for the exact date. Thankfully, Mirae had several art galleries they could use anytime, so all they had to do was wait for the date.

And the time was near. "Yes; are the artists ready?" Sarah asked.

"We already told them it’d be held in the fall, so they should be ready. In any case, they should have some artworks they had already made before if they couldn’t come up with a new one. Most of them had no place to showcase their art, anyway."

"This is actually nice, isn’t it?" Kang Jun looked at the planned layout and the sample of the participating artists’ works with interest. "The people you chose actually had talents--just not enough money or luck to penetrate the gallerias’ walls."

Kang Jun was doing it as a birthday gift for Sarah, but while it did feel like a charity event with virtually no profit, it was great for cultivating image. He could even consider it a CSR project rather than a personal one. If even one of those artists could make it big in the future, Mirae would be able to take credit as the one who propelled their name.

Not bad at all; making Kang Jun feel like it was no longer a birthday gift, but a business cooperation.

"Indeed; I’m quite surprised you found these people, Miss. They are honestly promising," Yuna nodded, before adding hesitantly. "Except for one, that is."

Sarah merely smiled, but it was enough for Yuna to know that she didn’t need to dig too deep into it. Despite how it would be advertised, this event was a personal one funded by Chairman Kang’s money instead of Mirae Group, after all.

"I’m not sure why, but...this is the one you said we should treat with special care, right?" she asked to make sure, pointing at a name.

"Yes," Sarah curled her eyes. "But probably not in the way you think."

She started to tell them how ’special’ she wanted Yuna’s team to treat the man--from how to inform him, how to pick him up, and how to escort him to the venue. Since there were only Yuna and her assistant there anyway, she told them what this art exhibition was ultimately for.

"Oh?" Yuna raised her brows, and her assistant’s eyes lit up. "So the whole thing is a...set up?"

Kang Jun laughed. "How amusing! That will be a nice, free advertisement in a way."

"Well...you could say so," Sarah smiled. "That’s why we’re planning to have it on the first day."

"The grand opening," Kang Jun smirked.

"An excuse for a party to invite some people, don’t you think?" Sarah winked.

Kang Jun tilted his head. "So, you want me to invite them myself?"

"Doesn’t have to be you," Sarah shook her head. "Your aunt will be more apt, don’t you think?"

"Daniel’s mother, huh? Not bad," Kang Jun nodded.

"I just need some invitations with a blank name," Sarah added. The other guest needed to be invited through a different channel.

"That can be arranged," Kang Jun nodded, slapping the table as if dropping a judge’s hammer. "Alright, this is interesting stuff. Let’s take a break before you people talk in detail."

"Yes, Sir."

"Should we have lunch, my cute junior?" Kang Jun stood up, beckoning Sarah despite Hajin’s scowl. He stretched his arms and exhaled slowly. "Wouldn’t it be nice to have a double date?"

Sarah chuckled while following the young chairman, patting her puppy to calm him. "Well, I don’t mi--excuse me for a second," she paused when she felt a vibration in her hand. Checking her phone, she arched her brow as she saw Amber’s name across the screen. "May I take this first, Oraboni?"

"Sure," Kang Jun shrugged. "Just come to the restaurant on the third floor after you’re done."

Sarah nodded and made a beeline for the emergency stairs with Hajin before picking up the call curiously. "What’s up, Eonni?"

[I found it]

No greeting as usual. "Found what?"

[Where Jasper usually had his drug party]