Chapter 401 - 254: Are You Dissatisfied?
"BANG! BANG!"
Two clay pigeons shattered in mid-air, exploding into clouds of powder.
The entire shooting range fell deathly silent.
The expressions on everyone’s faces froze. The bodyguards and well-trained servants, who had seen it all, now stared wide-eyed as if they’d seen a ghost.
The moment Elizabeth saw the two clouds of orange-red powder explode, the tension that had gripped her instantly vanished. Overcome with excitement, she was about to leap up and cheer but immediately clapped her hands over her mouth as if electrocuted, terrified that even the slightest sound would disrupt Li Wei’s performance.
As for Alexander Mellon, who stood to the side, the calm, all-knowing smile on his face vanished without a trace.
His expression turned so dark it looked like a storm was about to break. Without a word, he stared intently at Li Wei’s back as he held the shotgun.
"CLICK!"
With fluid grace, Li Wei broke open the barrel. Two smoking shell casings ejected and landed in the snow. He then reloaded two new shells and snapped the barrel shut.
"Pull!"
"WHOOSH—WHOOSH—"
"BANG! BANG!"
The third! The fourth!
If Alexander hadn’t known beforehand that Li Wei was a football player, he would have thought an Olympic gold medalist in shooting had just arrived.
"Pull!"
"BANG! BANG!"
The fifth! The sixth!
Even with the wind, and even though this gun was custom-made for his own habits and grip, it didn’t affect Li Wei’s 100% accuracy rate.
Seeing Alexander’s shocked expression, a slightly older male valet’s face paled.
He shuffled forward half a step and, without drawing attention, turned his head to give Alexander a subtle look.
With a single nod from Alexander, he would "accidentally" trip and bump into Li Wei, disrupting his shooting rhythm.
However, Alexander Mellon met the valet’s gaze and shook his head in disapproval.
He wasn’t the type to cheat.
As the last two clay pigeons turned into a cloud of orange-red dust in mid-air, scattering with the wind onto the snow, Li Wei slowly lowered the shotgun.
Ten for ten.
A decisive, crushing victory.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
Elizabeth could no longer contain her ecstasy. She screamed, completely forgetting her ladylike composure and the ankle-deep snow, and rushed forward, throwing her arms around Li Wei’s broad back in a tight hug.
"You did it! Li Wei! You really did it!"
She babbled incoherently behind him, her eyes even turning red with emotion.
Li Wei held the gun with one hand and gently patted Elizabeth’s arm with the other.
"Ahem." Alexander crunched through the snow and slowly walked up to the two of them.
His gaze lingered on Li Wei for a good ten seconds before shifting to Elizabeth.
"Well done," he said. "Twenty percent. Also, you can have Phoenix’s independent seat."
The moment Alexander finished speaking, a translucent notification box popped up again before Li Wei’s eyes.
[You have completed the quest: A Grand Display of Skill]
[On the shooting range, you completely won over the arrogant old king. Your marksmanship has made him re-evaluate the little Princess.]
[You have received: 0.1 free attribute points]
After saying this, Alexander turned and walked away, apparently having lost interest in taking a turn himself.
"Mr. Alexander," Li Wei said, holding up the double-barreled shotgun, "your gun—"
"It’s yours," Alexander said without looking back. "We should be able to start the vote again now."
He led the way, crunching through the snow, and walked back to the magnificent French-style castle, surrounded by his entourage.
Meanwhile, in the main building’s front hall, the heat was cranked up, but Timothy Mellon felt no warmth at all.
Like a caged animal, he paced anxiously in circles on the marble floor. The CLACK-CLACK of his leather shoes against the floor only agitated him further.
He was the only one who had been left hanging here.
Charlie was nowhere to be found. Beatrice was avoiding him. He’d caught a fleeting glimpse of Alister and Silvia walking together, and Elizabeth had been personally summoned by Alexander.
’I’m the only one left! When have I ever been so completely isolated?’
"CREAK—"
The main door swung open, and a blast of cold wind swept in, carrying with it Alexander’s imposing presence.
"Where’s Silvia?" he asked, not even glancing at Timothy, who had approached him. "Notify everyone to go to the conference room. We’re going to hold the vote again."
Timothy’s heart sank. ’A revote? So soon?’
’Something big is about to happen. Someone’s been persuaded! And I’ve lost the gamble again!’
「Five minutes later, in the conference room.」
The oppressive atmosphere hadn’t changed at all. As before, Alexander was the first to speak.
"Since everyone has had a good rest, let’s start the vote again for the Free Port project," Alexander said. "Alister, you first."
Alister exchanged a glance with the expressionless Silvia, then raised his hand.
"I... I approve!"
Timothy closed his eyes in despair.
Next, Alexander had Phoenix vote again.
Phoenix glanced at Elizabeth beside him, squeezed her hand tightly, and nodded.
"I also approve," he said softly. "At the same time, I officially announce that, effective immediately, I am permanently transferring my seat and voting rights on the trust’s board of directors to my daughter, Elizabeth Mellon."
"What!"
Timothy, Beatrice, and even Alister shot to their feet in shock.
This move was insane! It meant that Elizabeth, a member of the grandchildren’s generation, had just bypassed the lengthy observation period and seniority requirements, leaping across the generational gap to stand on equal footing with her uncles and aunts on the board!
"Quiet!" Alexander barked. "Sit down!"
"I approve Phoenix’s proposal," he said, rapping the table. "Now, since the vote is unanimous, I will announce the equity distribution for the Free Port."
He picked up an agreement that Silvia had rush-printed and scanned the room.
"I will personally hold a 51% controlling stake, giving me absolute authority. I will also continue to fully manage the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."
"Elizabeth will hold 20%, making her the second-largest shareholder, and she will join the management committee."
"Beatrice gets 15%, Timothy 10%."
Hearing this, Alister swallowed nervously. Alexander shot him a sideways glance. "Alister will have 4%."
’What about the remaining 10%?’
"The remaining 10% will be non-voting shares," Alexander said. "I will distribute them to several key figures in the main financial branch of the Mellon Family. They will be responsible for helping us hide this from the other old-timers on the Clan Committee until we are fully established and no one can replace us."
A hush fell over the room at Alexander’s words.
In that instant, Timothy understood everything. He had been played by Alexander from the very beginning.
A project like Free Port, involving cash flows and operations in the tens of billions of USD, could never be hidden from the people in the main financial branch.
And the main financial branch of the Mellon Family, with its numerous members and complex factions, could never be completely unified.
Alexander had already brought the watchdogs into the scheme. His earlier actions were all about reclaiming the power they held and then redistributing it.
’If I had known Alexander Mellon hadn’t gone senile, why would I ever have opposed him!’
"If there’s nothing else, that concludes today’s meeting."
Alexander Mellon stood up and casually tossed the equity agreement onto the table. "Meeting adjourned. Silvia and the legal team will coordinate with each of you individually regarding the ownership transfers, document signing, and handovers for your trusts and foundations."
With varied expressions, the others rose to their feet. No one wanted to spend a second longer in the suffocating atmosphere of that room.
Soon, the cavernous conference room was empty, save for Alexander and Timothy, who remained rooted to his spot.
"What? Is there something you don’t understand about your 10% share?" Alexander asked, looking at his eldest son with not a trace of pity in his eyes.