Odyssey’s stocks had been falling for four days since rumors of Alexander not being Zachary’s biological child spread.
The plunge in prices had moderated somewhat over the past two days, showing some signs of potential recovery. Nonetheless, the rumor had raised alarm bells with Odyssey’s shareholders.
Of course, most people knew Odyssey’s shares stood a higher chance of being in the negative over the next few months. Once concrete evidence was released confirming that Zachary was not Alexander’s biological father, Alexander would surely be ousted from the company. It was difficult to imagine how badly the company stocks would be hit then.
Many smaller shareholders had begun letting go of their stocks in Odyssey, and to no one’s surprise, Dillon was busy snapping up the shares on the low. He even contacted some major shareholders with proposals to buy over their shares.
At the same time, Sophia had arranged for Yvonne to compete with Dillon for Odyssey’s shares.
Besides Alexander, there were twelve major shareholders in Odyssey. Alexander held thirty percent of the company’s shares, while the twelve major shareholders collectively owned forty percent of the company’s shares.
Of the twelve major shareholders, Asher Jewell and Simeon Carden held fifteen percent of Odyssey’s shares between them. Dillon had spent the past two days reaching out to the men to no avail.
Asher and Simeon were some of the oldest shareholders in Odyssey, having been around since Beau founded the company. When Odyssey ran into a financial crisis years ago, Asher and Simeon nearly emptied their savings to help Beau, tiding the company over a rough patch.
That was also why the two men held more shares than the other ten major shareholders in the company.
If Dillon successfully bought over their shares, he would be in an even stronger position to propose Alexander’s removal from Odyssey.
Naturally, Alexander and Sophia had fully considered the possibility of Dillon staging a coup.
Thus, Sophia had arranged for Yvonne to reach out to Asher and Simeon with an offer price three percent higher than Dillon’s.
They did not give Yvonne a definite answer and only said they would consider her proposal.
Yvonne reported the details of the meeting to Sophia, who arched a brow in interest and replied, “Got it.”
I guess Asher and Simeon’s love for the company can be bought after all. They had rejected Dillon’s offer outright when he approached them, so clearly, they weren’t happy with the price.
As that thought crossed her mind, a wry smile appeared on Sophia’s face. “Thank you, Ms. Leighton. That’s all for today.”
“All right, Ms. Yarrow.”
Later that evening, Alexander came to pick up Sophia from her office. She told him about Yvonne’s meeting with Asher and Simeon, adding slyly, “It seems your dear uncle is running short on funds.”
Alexander glanced at her and replied, “Or perhaps Asher and Simeon are simply waiting for a better offer.”
Sophia smiled agreeably and added, “In any case, Odyssey’s future doesn’t seem too good.”
Anyone in the industry could tell that an internal feud was brewing in Odyssey. Regardless of the final winner in this fight, the company was destined to face an uphill battle to recover.
“Well, I can only play along with them.” Alexander wore a cold expression as he spoke.
His cool tone drew a glance from Sophia. She chuckled and said, “That’s fine. You’re not wanting for money anyway.”
Even if he ran out of money, Sophia could still fork out her funds to help. She did not believe Dillon’s wealth could trump hers and Alexander’s combined.
Her confidence was not unfounded.
Fortuna’s net worth aside, several big companies under Sophia’s name had gone public. The smallest of these already boasted a net worth of two to three billion. She could easily pocket ten billion just by selling her stakes in these companies.
July passed by in a flash. Still, Jadeborough appeared the same as ever in August. The sunset was as beautiful as always.
Sophia turned to look out the car window. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not realize the car had come to a stop in the parking lot of a restaurant.
Beside her, Alexander unbuckled his seat belt and shot her a glance. “We’re here, Precious.”
Sophia collected herself, a flirtatious expression flashing through her gaze. She returned his stare and replied seriously, “All right, Mr. Xenos.”
Someone who did not know any better would have assumed the two were in some special relationship.
Alexander’s gaze darkened as he caught sight of Sophia’s growing smirk. He felt the urge to nip on her lips.
She sensed the change in his gaze and promptly alighted from his car. Crossing her arms before her chest, she ordered, “Come on, Mr. Xenos.”
He glanced at her before getting off the car. Then, he walked over to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist, swooping in to kiss her on the lips.
After their kiss, he even rubbed her lips with his fingers and shot her a cheeky stare.
Sophia blushed in embarrassment. Alexander was becoming more shameless and lustful than she could have ever imagined.
When another car pulled into the lot beside theirs, Alexander retracted his arm from her waist and held her hand instead. His expression returned to normal.
Sophia failed to stifle a giggle and tickled his palm with her finger.
He responded by grabbing her finger, and they only halted their playful gestures once inside the elevator.
The restaurant’s ambiance was excellent, and the owners invested wisely in its decor. Sophia had spied a painting near the entrance, which was the work of an up-and-coming artist from Granatano. The painting came with a six-digit price tag, and while it was a small sum in the grand scheme of things, most artists would struggle to auction their paintings at a similar price.
In other words, this restaurant was the perfect place to run into their acquaintances.
Sophia looked up from the menu and immediately noticed Tyler walking into the restaurant, arm-in-arm with his beau. He seemed pleased to see her and dragged his girlfriend to their table. “Alex, Ms. Yarrow. What a coincidence.”
Alexander spared him a cold glance and mumbled, “Hmm.”
Sophia shot him a perfunctory smile and greeted him curtly, “Mr. Xenos.”
“I won’t disturb you two then.”
After that, Tyler led his girlfriend away to their assigned table.
They had barely taken their seats when his girlfriend remarked curiously, “Alexander and his companion don’t seem too keen on chatting with you.”
Tyler was already upset by his cousin and Sophia’s behavior, and his mood worsened at his girlfriend’s comment. He glared at her and barked, “Do you want to eat here or not?”
His fury quickly shut her up, even though she was brimming with questions.
Then, worried that Tyler would notice her peeking at Alexander, she hastily retracted her gaze from their table.
Alas, Tyler was in no mood for a pleasant dinner date. He probably would have believed he was chewing cardboard for dinner; that was how distracted he was by his dark mood.
About forty minutes later, he noticed Alexander and Sophia getting up from their seats. Tyler said through gritted teeth, “I’m making a move.”
I can’t stand his attitude! Why is he still so snobbish? Can he even afford to do that?
Tyler initially thought of accosting Alexander. He raised his brows in interest when he realized Sophia had gone to the restroom while his cousin was paying their bill at the reception. He abruptly changed tack and swiveled on his heels, heading in the direction of the restroom instead.
