Chapter 152
Reaching out to pick up the knife and fork, Nora had been tense for a long time without making a sound.
After a moment, she finally spoke, "No, it's not good."
Michael stood up and got Nora a clean set of utensils, "You don't need to overthink it."
Nora said, "not good," not "impossible."
"Mr. Smith, don't stand against Walter. He's the CEO of Mountain Construction Group. The cooperation between the Smith Group and Mountain Construction Group is too close, and they're all major projects. The two companies benefit each other." Nora knew Michael understood this better than she did.
But she still said it.
Michael didn't respond. He would weigh the pros and cons himself.
Company interests were naturally above everything else, especially given his current difficult situation.
But comparatively speaking, how to choose still depended on which mattered more.
Michael himself had never thought he would be an emotional person.
In the past, everyone around him said he was too rational, rational to the point of being cold-blooded.
But now, even he felt something was off with himself, really off.
After taking a bite of noodles, Nora changed the subject, "Regarding Kurt from the investment department, has Mr. Smith made any arrangements in advance?"
"During these few days in Shadow City, there's an internal company meeting about selecting the vice president position." Michael nodded, pushing the tablet in front of Nora.
"Based on the current voting results, Kurt is leading." Nora frowned. This wasn't good for their next moves, "The company emphasizes a competitive, cutthroat culture. As Luna's ace, Kurt is naturally determined to get the vice president position."
Currently, there were four vice president positions in the company. One was Michael's person, two were chosen by Nolan. If the last one went to Luna's person, Michael would become very passive.
Over the years, the profits and value Michael had created for the company were clear to everyone. The company should rightfully be his.
Unfortunately, Nolan wasn't a good father.
"What do you think?" Michael looked at Nora.
"This Miguel Jimenez, is he your person?" Nora asked.
Miguel ranked second, but far behind Kurt.
"Yes." Michael nodded.
Nora was smart and could see the current internal company situation.
"The two are thirty-four votes apart. Although the final decision is the CEO's, if the gap is too large and you make it too obvious, I'm afraid it might..." trigger company-wide resentment.
"David can manipulate the votes behind the scenes." Michael reassured Nora. Within three days, Miguel's votes would surpass Kurt's.
"With similar vote counts, we just wait for him to make mistakes." Nora thought for a moment and said quietly, "Kurt's vote count is so high, he must have been campaigning behind the scenes. People in the company speak highly of him privately. This person thinks you won't dare go against popular opinion. You need to go along with his thinking."
"Tomorrow, David and I will talk to him first, indicating that you have intentions of winning him over. We'll promote his abilities throughout the company, making everyone think he's what the people want, the obvious choice. Let him believe that you couldn't possibly go against popular opinion and choose someone else, as that would be bad for you."
Nora asked Michael to cooperate.
Michael smiled and nodded, "Where did you learn all these tactics?"
"Just psychology and some military strategy." Nora stammered, flustered.
"Indeed, building someone up within the company until they can't live up to their reputation, waiting for problems to appear, then striking." Michael nodded, "But getting the timing right really tests your abilities."
Nora bit her lip, "Don't worry, I can do it."
Afraid Michael didn't believe her, Nora spoke again, "I really can."
"Among the senior management, once you solve the Kurt problem, you'll be a hero." Michael smiled meaningfully, "You can start thinking about what reward you want."
Asking Nora to think about a reward in advance proved his unconditional trust in her.
Nora's ears turned red as she lowered her head to eat her noodles, "No need, it's what I should, should be doing."
Michael surprisingly ate an entire bowl of noodles. Normally he was terrifyingly disciplined and would never eat this many carbs late at night.
But since Nora appeared, he found she could always break all his rules.
This wasn't bad—rather, it felt refreshing to him.
He wondered how far he could go.
Late at night, at an upscale club.
Walter had drunk quite a bit, his expression grim.
"What's got Mr. Wood so upset?" a friend teased.
Walter didn't answer. Seeing James arrive, he gestured for everyone else to leave.
The others sensed the situation and got up to leave.
"Mr. Wood, you wanted to see me?" James frowned, sitting down nearby.
"I heard the Smith Group is having an internal competition for vice president?" Walter asked casually.
"Mr. Wood seems very interested in our Smith Group." James was somewhat guarded.
Walter leaned back on the sofa, looking at James, "As fathers go, the gap between you and Michael is really something. Should I call you stupid, or naive?"
James's expression darkened, "What exactly does Mr. Wood want?"
"Mountain Construction Group's cooperation with the Smith Group doesn't have to be with Michael specifically. Whoever's in the top position, we'll work with them." Walter hinted meaningfully.
"Hasn't Mr. Wood always looked down on me?" James wasn't stupid enough to miss Walter's meaning.
"Looking down on you doesn't mean you're not a good partner." Walter said coolly, picking up his glass, "I can help you get everything you want."
"Mr. Wood is being so generous?" James looked at Walter suspiciously. What did he want?
"I need a cooperative partner who listens, not a competitor like Michael who fights me at every turn." Walter's fingers tapped lightly on his glass, "Finding a way to drive Nora away from Michael's side should be pretty simple for you, right?"
James frowned, "Mr. Wood, after all these years, you still haven't given up on Nora."
"Nora is the woman I want. She can only be mine." Walter's possessiveness was too strong.
"Six years ago, you put in quite an effort to take her from me." James's fingers slowly clenched, "But you have an arranged marriage with the Clark family. Even if you don't marry Pearl, there'll be another arranged match. You can't give Nora a proper status."
"Except for status, I can give her everything she wants." Walter's voice was low.
"Someone like Michael would never put a woman first. He's just using Nora to provoke my father and mother. You don't need to push—Nora will quickly lose her value to Michael." James scoffed.
In his view, Michael wouldn't stay interested in Nora for long.
Nora would be thrown out by Michael like trash.
"I don't have that much patience, just like your mother doesn't have that much patience to wait." Walter reminded James.
"There are many ways to drive Nora away." James frowned, clenching his fists.
He needed Walter's help to solidify his position within the Smith Group.