abcnovels
Chapter 568
Chapter 568
Chapter 568
Parker Group’s current situation was a mess. In addition to the internal conflict, they were also getting hit from the outside.
Jacob Parker, the oldest and proudest son of the family, shouted, “I’m the only one who can sort out this mess! If we split up, then we’ll just collapse like dominoes. Come together and have faith in me!”
“Why should we believe in you? How many projects are you working on?”
“Hey, stop with this bullshit! You think the shareholders want someone like you?” Gloria Parker exclaimed as well.
“I’d rather fend for myself than trust someone who has hurt the entire group with all kinds of shenanigans. Why don’t you just give up and stop wasting everyone's time?”
“What nonsense...!”
This informal meeting, attended by the executives of each company and representatives of major shareholders, turned into a chaotic exchange of cursing and slander, everyone shouting at each other. After hours of fighting, some of the less influential executives simply walked out, almost giving up on the whole matter.
“They’re crazy.”
“Yeah. Now is not the time for that.”
In a fiercely competitive industry, a business could instantly collapse after a big mistake. All the subsidiaries of Parker Group and its important people were tightly connected and stayed out of politics. No matter how many times a project had failed, they had managed to survive by being self-sufficient.
However, that wasn’t the case now.
‘Should I look elsewhere?’
‘I wish I could switch to Dragon Industry.’
Step, step.
“...!”
The executives were stunned to see hunters approaching in the distance. They were quite famous, so everyone recognized them instantly.
“Aren’t you hunters from the Icarus clan?”
“What brings them here...?”
“Everyone, get out of the way! Here’s the Parker child who truly deserves the family’s inheritance!” the hunters shouted firmly, demanding everyone’s attention.
Richard turned his head away in embarrassment and pretended not to see his colleagues.
“You vile crooks!” Smallwood yelled as he walked through the door. “Were you secretly organizing a meeting like this without contacting us?”
The people in the room were naturally taken aback.
“Why are hunters from the Icarus clan here...?”
“What is this?”
“No matter what, this is someone else’s company!”
“...”
“...”
The hunters were taken aback, as they had expected the executives to react differently. They had thought that some of them would recognize Richard and say something like “Oh... It’s him!”
“Richard is part of the Parker family, so he deserves a share of the inheritance!” Guiterrez exclaimed in a voice slightly less confident than before.
“What a joke... I’ve never heard of him before!” one of the executives snarled as if telling the hunters to stop joking around.
‘...’
It was then that Richard exploded.
“What do you mean you’ve never heard of me?! I guess you just didn’t care!”
“No matter how strong Icarus is, you think you can just bring a fraud here to steal the inheritance of the Parker family?!”
“Hey... He is...” one of the lower-ranking colleagues whispered to the angered executives.
“Huh?”
“ He is Alex’s son. I guess you didn’t know because he’s a hunter.”
“...”
“Really?”
The people who didn’t know Richard sat down and whispered to each other. Richard’s face turned red.
Whittaker stepped forward. Regardless of what these people said, the immense wealth of the Parker family was on the line. He couldn’t back down.
“Unless there’s a specific will, Richard here is entitled to a part of Alex Parker’s estate following his tragic disappearance. Here, in the United States, the land of justice...”
“I have a will.”
“What?”
“I have a will,” Jacob Parker repeated while glaring at him.
“You mean that fabricated garbage?” Gloria snorted. “Who would believe that Father is giving you most of the shares and leaving the rest of us some significant assets? We all know Father wouldn’t have left such a will.”
“Are you insulting our father?”
Antony, taken aback by their exchange, asked with an incredulous expression, “Uh, didn’t you all accuse Alex Parker of colluding with the Master of Slowness and Silence the other day?”
Indeed, it was rather embarrassing to see Alex’s children act like this, given how often they used to clash with him. However, the executives ignored Antony. If it came to holding accountable the culprits, all of them would be found guilty.
“In addition, I also have a will,” Gloria continued.
“You mean you forged one!” Jacob Parker growled.
According to that will, Gloria Parker was to receive most of the shares of a major company while the insignificant bits of Alex’s fortune would be split among his other children. Of course, Jacob’s will was forged, but he was sure that Gloria had done the same thing.
As he was listening to them, Whittaker suddenly got an idea. After considering it for a moment, he eventually went for it.
“...We have a will!”
“?!?”
“???”
His colleagues were stunned.
That had come out of nowhere.
-Do we...?
-Shh. Be quiet.
“Don’t lie! If you do, why didn’t you show it before?”
“Richard here was ashamed of his family’s quarrels! That’s why he’s been putting up with it. But when he saw that his family was on the brink of collapse, he said he couldn’t take it any longer.”
“Then let’s take a look! Let’s see how authentic that piece of paper is!”
“We were going to reveal it soon anyway. Wait for the press conference!” the hunters exclaimed confidently. As all of them were high-rated, even the most trivial or far-fetched statements would carry weight if spoken by them.
The executives and major shareholders started whispering to each other.
‘Really?’
‘Otherwise, why would they barge in here and make a scene? Besides, Alex might not have been fond of his other children...’
‘If that’s the case, it’s a different story.’
The executives who had sided with Jacob and Gloria were starting to feel that these Icarus hunters weren’t lying. Weren’t these the hunters who had risked their lives time and time again in order to protect humanity?
Could such hunters be greedy for an inheritance?
“You... You bastard...!”
Jacob gritted his teeth, seemingly realizing that the others were being swayed by the hunters. Panic was starting to take hold of him, making him wonder if his father had actually left Richard a will.
***
“Gather more shareholders! If that will actually exists, I’m in big trouble!”
“I... I think some of them had gone over to Richard... I can’t get a hold of them...”
“Fucking thieves! Unfaithful bastards!” Jacob kicked the chair as he shouted. “Find a way to invalidate that will! We have to take this to court!”
“Don’t worry. Just as we’ve prepared to deal with Gloria’s will, we’ll also find a way to nullify Richard’s.”
Jacob had an army of lawyers at his disposal, determined to spot even the slightest flaw in the will and exploit it.
“I’ve gathered enough evidence to prove that Alex Parker’s mental state was compromised when he wrote the will...”
“Good, but that won’t be enough. We have to lobby to gain some influence. Get in touch with the shareholders! No matter what conditions they have, now is the time to get our hands on their shares!”
***
“I thought it would at least be shared. I really didn’t expect Richard Parker to have a will.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. If this goes to court, he’ll be able to assert his rights.”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s still amazing. I never thought there was a will... I’m curious about what it says specifically. When are you going to make it public?”
***
“Hey, you madman! You screwed us!”
“You put my reputation in jeopardy!”
The Icarus hunters were furiously banging on Whittaker’s door, ready to kick his teeth in. Of course, his high rank meant nothing if numerous people stronger than him were determined to beat him up.
Whittaker took a few punches before managing to plead his case.
“I... I had to do something in that situation.”
“You should’ve said something else. Why claim we have a will...?
“Did you know that I’m already getting calls?”
Some of the executives had contacted the Icarus hunters, saying things like “Thank you!” or “I actually trusted Richard all along.” Of course, the hunters were in disbelief.
“Let’s... Let’s forge it.”
“...”
“...”
Whittaker’s idea was so outlandish that his colleagues were speechless for a few good seconds.
“We can just fabricate it, right? With the help of the Icarus clan, I can persuade...”
“Shut him up. Let’s just say there was a mistake in the will. Then we’ll go ahead and just seize the estate.”
“I think that’s too disgraceful.”
“It’s better than embarrassing ourselves in court. Let’s handle it quickly.”
As the Icarus hunters were whispering, another clan member opened the door and joined the discussion.
“Have you seen the news?”
“What news?”
“Apparently some will has been found? One that’s in Richard’s favor...”
“???”
“What???”
The hunters rushed over in surprise.
Sure enough, that story was all over the news!
-Everyone is talking about the discovery of this new will, which is expected to end the strifes within the Parker family...
-It turned out to be quite favorable to Richard Parker, a hunter of the Icarus clan. The will is causing a stir!
-Jacob Parker declared, “Something is wrong. I will strongly contest this!”
“Oh my... God.”
“Have you heard of this, Richard?”
Richard Parker shook his head. He was more surprised than anyone else.
***
Yes. Well done.
“...Th-thank you!”
Jerry Kuber from Parker Group fell to his knees. Though he had been hesitant to report something so trivial to the constellation, the positive response reassured him that he had made the right choice.
Having learned about the inner turmoil within Parker Group, Choi Yeonseung replied in an icy tone, I’ll deal with it.
“Thank... Thank you! I will continue to be loyal!”
Jerry Kuber bowed once again, thrilled by the constellation’s answer. He had made many choices in his life, some more questionable than others, but joining forces with this constellation was something he was sure he wouldn’t regret.
A great decision indeed!
‘Wait... How exactly is he going to solve it?’ Jerry Kuber suddenly wondered.
He was aware that the master of Earth could do almost anything. However, he was a bit anxious about his solution for this problem.
Was he going to kill all the competitors?
***
Richard Parker was dumbfounded. He shook hands with the visiting executives and sat down. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but what could he do now that the will had come to light?
“Then please look after us.”
“Haha, we have a rich friend.”
Naturally, the other Icarus hunters were trying to get in Richard's good graces. None of them had expected him to achieve this much.
“Don’t forget our portion.”
“...”
Richard was baffled.
They hadn’t even done that much...!
“Hey, you’re not thinking of keeping everything to yourself, are you?”
“You’re not an asshole, right?”
That’s right. Richard isn’t an asshole.
“That’s right... Huh...? Wha-?!”
“Wh-what’s going on...?”
I’m here to get my share.
“...”
“...”
This man... wasn’t he a constellation...?