Chapter 28: Fifty Percent
He gritted his teeth and steeled himself, saying,
"Mr. Anderson, twenty percent! Twenty percent of the shares at most! That's the absolute maximum I can offer!"
Caroline sat to the side, watching Landon's pained and conflicted expression, feeling increasingly bitter inside.
Twenty percent, and that was only because of James. Without James, she wouldn't even get one percent.
James completely ignored Landon's words. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable authority.
"I'll only say this once. Fifty percent of the shares, with Caroline in full charge of company affairs.
Agree, and the Anderson family will unconditionally cooperate with the Collins family. The Collins Group's profits - I can multiply them tenfold.
Disagree, and I can't guarantee what will happen to the Collins family in the future."
These words exploded like a thunderbolt in Landon's ears.
Cooperate with the Anderson family! Tenfold profits!
The temptation was enormous, enough to make him waver instantly.
His mind raced. Fifty percent was a lot of shares.
But if he could connect with the Anderson family, the Collins family could quickly leap to a whole new level. When that happened, what would the lost shares matter?
Besides, with Caroline's weak and useless personality, no experience and no skills, even if she got the shares, once the shareholders' meeting convened, he could take them back with any random excuse. She'd be powerless to resist.
With this thought, Landon gritted his teeth and forced a smile onto his face.
"Fine! I agree! Fifty percent it is!"
Caroline was completely stunned. She never expected Landon would actually agree, much less that James would go this far for her.
She turned to look at James, her eyes full of gratitude mixed with a hint of anxiety. She gently tugged at his sleeve and said softly,
"James, fifty percent is too much. I'm afraid I can't handle it."
She'd never been involved in company matters since childhood. Suddenly giving her fifty percent of the shares and making her deputy manager - she had no confidence at all, terrified of messing up and disappointing James.
James turned to look at her, his eyes instantly softening. He reached out and held her hand, the warmth from his palm passing over and settling her nerves considerably.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. Do whatever you want. If you make mistakes, I'll take care of it."
His voice was gentle yet firm, slowly easing Caroline's anxious heart.
Landon quickly said,
"Mr. Anderson, rest assured, I'll prepare the share transfer contract tomorrow. I guarantee it'll be done properly!"
"No need to wait until tomorrow."
James spoke coolly.
"Call a lawyer over now. Sign the contract on the spot. Transfer the shares to Caroline's name immediately."
Landon froze, not expecting James to be in such a hurry. His heart ached, but he didn't dare object. He could only nod repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, I'll call the lawyer right now!"
He fumbled for his phone and dialed the lawyer, urgently telling them to come over immediately.
Caroline watched Landon's flustered state, then looked at James beside her, calm and composed. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Ten years ago, she was the little princess cherished by her family. Ten years later, her family's love had turned into calculating opportunism. Only James still stood by her side, shielding her from the storm.
Before long, the lawyer hurried over with a contract template. Following James's requirements, they revised the terms to transfer fifty percent of the Collins Group's shares entirely to Caroline's name.
Landon held the pen, looking at the contract terms, his hand trembling. The pen tip hovered over the paper, unable to come down.
With this signature, half of the Collins family's assets would be gone. His heart ached like he was being cut with a knife.
But thinking of James's methods and the temptation of cooperating with the Anderson family, he could only grit his teeth and sign his name forcefully.
"There, the contract is signed."
Landon handed the contract to the lawyer, his voice hoarse.
Just then, the living room door was suddenly pushed open. A slightly overweight man with a fierce face charged in - it was Caroline's uncle, Gilbert Collins.
As soon as Gilbert entered, he saw the transfer contract on the table. His eyes widened. He strode over, snatched the contract, looked it over briefly, and instantly flew into a rage.
"Dad! Have you lost your mind! You're transferring fifty percent of the company's shares to Caroline?"
He jerked his head up, glaring at Landon, then turned to look at James, his eyes full of venom.
"It's you! You forced my dad into this! James, don't go too far! Our Collins family's business - an outsider like you has no right to interfere!"
Landon's face went deathly pale with fright. He quickly stepped forward to grab Gilbert, lowering his voice urgently.
"Gilbert! What are you saying! Shut up! This is Mr. Anderson!"
"So what if he's Mr. Anderson?"
Gilbert shook off his hand, his attitude arrogant and completely unafraid.
"I heard long ago - there's a two billion dollar bounty on his head on the dark web! He won't live much longer! And you're still sucking up to him, giving away the Collins family's assets to him - are you crazy!"
As soon as these words came out, the entire room fell deathly silent.
Landon was so scared his legs went weak, nearly collapsing to the floor. He never imagined Gilbert would dare say such things! He knew about the two billion dollar bounty too, and had hesitated over it, but didn't dare mention it. Now that Gilbert had exposed it publicly, he instantly panicked.
James's eyes instantly turned cold, his entire being radiating bone-chilling coldness. The temperature in the living room seemed to drop several degrees.
He sat on the sofa, motionless, but the oppressive pressure made even Gilbert shudder involuntarily.
Caroline's heart tightened. She quickly grasped James's hand, afraid he might lose his temper.
She knew what Gilbert said was true, but hearing it from his mouth made it especially grating. She worried about James getting angry while being completely disillusioned with her family.
Gilbert was frightened by James's gaze and stepped back, but then mustered his courage again, stretching his neck to shout,
"Am I wrong? So what if you're powerful? Mercenaries all over the world want to kill you - sooner or later you'll die without a grave! Don't even think about taking the Collins Group's shares!"
As he spoke, he reached to grab the contract on the table. Landon quickly blocked him, sweating profusely with anxiety.
"Gilbert! Stop this! Apologize to Mr. Anderson right now!"
"Apologize? Why should I apologize!" Gilbert pushed Landon away.
"Dad, you're just scared of him! He's a dead man walking - we don't need to fear him! The shares can't go to Caroline. That's the Collins family's property. If we're giving them to anyone, it should be my son, not some woman!"
Landon was awakened by Gilbert's words. That's right - no matter how powerful James was, with a two billion dollar bounty on his head, he'd die sooner or later. When that happened, the Collins family would lose their backing, and if the shares were still in Caroline's hands, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
With this thought, Landon's attitude changed instantly. The flattery on his face vanished completely, replaced by a hint of arrogance.
He straightened his back, looked at James, and his tone hardened.
"Mr. Anderson, I was confused earlier. Fifty percent is too much. I don't agree! The contract is void!"
Doyle and Bronte also changed their expressions. Bronte grabbed Caroline's hand, her tone instantly turning cold.
"Caroline! Tell Mr. Anderson quickly that we don't want the shares! You're just a woman - what do you need so many shares for! Don't drag the Collins family down with you!"