Chapter 2 - No Turning Back!

What?? Is she intending to throw herself into the lion's den and investigate this incident on her own?!

To be up against the other members of the Zhong family is already a huge challenge.

But... it is entirely another matter on its own to deal with Javier Zhong directly!

With perfect facial features and a muscular build, he is known to be the most powerful and ruthless person in the Zhong Family.

If people are already so afraid of his family members, it is almost unimaginable how much more fear they would carry for him!

Furthermore, he has a very low tolerance for women and all of them are advised to stay at least three meters away from him.

Mia Xue widened her eyes and looked at her boss in shock. She really did not dare to imagine the consequences of her boss' decision.

If Javier Zhong knows about what she is planning to do, she would definitely be skinned alive!!

"Director Ruan... It's too dangerous to investigate this on your own. Why don't we think of another..."

However, Stephanie Ruan remained adamant about her decision. She interrupted Mia Xue with an assuring smile, "It's okay, don't worry about me. Just do what I say."

Stephanie Ruan knew that things would not be easy for her but since she had already come this far, she could not just give up at this moment!

After all, she had already suffered so much for the past few years. And to be honest, no situation could be worse than not knowing the reason for her family's death.

With this thought in mind, she is ready to risk everything that she has! Even if it means losing her life in the process!

...

Over at Zhong Holdings, an eerie silence overwhelmed the entire conference room that is occupied by all the high-ranking leaders from the company.

It is not even an exaggeration that everyone in this room has the same nauseating feeling in their stomach.

And their condition only becomes worse as each meeting goes by...

The final presenter gulped down his saliva nervously as he looked at Javier Zhong's sharp stare towards him.

Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead as he spoke his first words. "The business report for the current financial year has shown that our department has made an increased profit of 5.2% as compared to the previous year and..."

As soon as he saw Javier Zhong put his hand up, he had no choice but to stop his speech abruptly.

"5.2%??" Javier Zhong squinted his eyes dangerously at the department's manager in front of him.

"Ye...Yes, Chairman Zhong." The manager stuttered as he hurriedly responded to him.

With a blink of an eye, Javier Zhong threw their department's proposal report and it came flying towards the manager.

"Turn to page 157 and read out the first sentence from the sixth paragraph."

Everyone held on to their breaths as they watched the panicky manager pick up the report and rush to flip to that exact page.

"Chair...Chairman Zhong... it says that with... with the new raw materials and equipment, the department would be able to get an increased profit of at least 5.25%..."

The manager's voice trailed off as he pleaded for his boss' mercy with watery eyes. "This... let me explain, Chairman Zhong..."

However, Javier Zhong interrupted him by looking at his secretary, Isaac Wen, who is seated beside him.

"Go and prepare a contract for him to pay the remaining 0.05% in cash to the company by the end of this week!"

"!!..."

His words instantly threw the manager into a panic mode as he knew that he could never afford to pay that large sum of money.

Although it seems like a small percentage, it could easily amount to at least a few million yuan!

"That... that... Chairman Zhong, I don't... have the money to..."

"Then you don't deserve to be here! I trust my employees by their actions and not by their words."

Javier Zhong stared at the other employees, "This is also a warning to the rest of you. If you are not performing up to the company's standards, you can choose to compensate the company for the losses, or you can just pack up and leave!"

"I'll say it again, I'm a businessman, not a philanthropist." He added on indifferently.

"Isaac, fire him!"

Javier Zhong heartlessly gave the order as he stood up and left the conference room without looking back.

"No... no... I'm sorry, Chairman Zhong... please..." With Isaac Wen's subordinates holding the manager back, he could only continue begging in tears.

The employees in Zhong Holdings are known to be the most well-paid in the industry and no other companies could afford to offer such high salaries.

As such, despite them having such a hard time with a cold-blooded boss, they are still reluctant to leave the company on their own accord.

Isaac Wen quickly chased after Javier Zhong from behind, "Chairman Zhong, we only have 45 minutes to your next appointment."

"Leave now. Get the driver here."

...

Step by step, Stephanie Ruan walked confidently into the Tudor Clubhouse's reception area, with Mia Xue following closely behind her.

Though she is dressed in a white designer business suit with a pair of high heels and diamond earrings, it is not enough to hide her femininity and elegance.

Her aura is so strong that even the staff and guests could not keep their eyes away from her.

"Hello, good afternoon! I have a booking under the name of Stephanie." She smiled and greeted the staff in a polite manner.

The manager swiftly checked their administration system and ushered the two of them towards the VIP area. "Miss Stephanie, this way please."

This luxurious clubhouse is divided into two separate areas. One area is for their regular guests while the other is specially reserved for their VIP members.

Don't mention about becoming a VIP member, even signing up as a regular member in this clubhouse is a big hurdle to climb over.

Simply put, the regular membership of the country's best clubhouse is very exclusive. Without a referral, it doesn't matter how rich or powerful you are, you cannot apply to be their member at all.

As for their VIP membership, it is almost like a private clubhouse with only less than 10 Gold cards given out so far.

Thankfully for Stephanie Ruan, Daniel Yan's good friend owns this clubhouse. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how she could step into this place today.

As they were led into a long hallway filled with private dining rooms on both sides, Stephanie Ruan spotted two men in suits who are about to enter the room that she is eyeing on.

She gave a questioning look to Mia Xue, who is also thinking about the exact same question in her head. "Who are these two men?"

Didn't the investigator tell her that only a foreign business partner - Mr Robertson, Javier Zhong, and his subordinates would be in the room?

Did they invite another group of people whom she is unaware of?

"I see that our room is right at the front. You don't have to walk us there. We would like to explore this place on our own first." Stephanie Ruan maintained her smile as she spoke to the manager.

"Certainly, Miss Stephanie. There are many service buttons situated inside the room. If you need to reach us, you can just press any button and we would attend to you immediately." The manager replied respectfully before bowing and taking his leave.

She nodded at him, "Thank you very much, appreciate your hard work!"

Within a few steps, they have reached the entrance of their targeted room just in time for Stephanie Ruan to have a quick glance at the seating arrangement in the room, as well as the faces of the two men who had just entered.

"HG Group??..." Though they are the second most successful company in the country, everyone knows that both Zhong Holdings and HG Group are fierce competitors.

Before the door had closed fully, she managed to eavesdrop on Mr Robertson's words, "I hope you won't mind, Chairman Zhong. I've invited another potential partner to join this negotiation..."

"So... the foreign business partner is still in the midst of deciding on who to work with?..." Stephanie Ruan crossed her arms and fell into deep thought while tapping her fingers lightly.

Surely, it is very dangerous for her to get close to Javier Zhong and so, she better ensure that her steps are well-planned ahead and that she is taking calculated risks.

But the hard truth is, "Once you enter into the game... there is no turning back."

Well, she could only pray hard to get the good side of the coin.

With that, Stephanie Ruan placed her hand on the doorknob and decisively pushed the door open.