Chapter 197: Velvet Groups Mission!

Chapter 197: Velvet Groups Mission!

"It is truly good to see everyone gathered here today, let us begin the meeting," I announced, resting my palms flat against the mahogany surface to steady my focus.

I forced my expression to remain perfectly stoic, completely ignoring the footsie monster while locking my eyes onto the American entrepreneur on the left end of the arrangement. "Mr. Johnson, what news do you have for me today?" I asked, turning my notebook over to a clean page.

Max grinned broadly, clearly amused by the stiff protocol since he knew I much preferred calling him by his first name during our informal, private chats, leaning forward slightly to rest his elbows on his ledger. "Jack Daniels is still solidly in the black, and we have perfected the new product, the Jack Fruit Punch," Max reported, tapping his pen rhythmically against the wooden table. "Your idea was pretty good, and it still kicks. We should have it out in time for New Years. But it will be in Eurasia only to start. The other flavors will come later."

I gave a slow nod, absorbing the details while he clarified the timeline for the international release. Naturally, I already knew every single one of these operational details through my private briefings, but these corporate sessions served a larger purpose by letting every executive weigh in on company progress.

"Thank you Mr. Johnson," I muttered, shifting my gaze down the line toward our culinary division. "Mrs. Deng, how are things going with BBQ House?"

Melony smiled back warmly, her maternal energy radiating across the boardroom as she adjusted her glasses and smoothed out her spreadsheet. Over the last couple of years, she had become a comforting aunt figure to me during my countless on-site inspections of our restaurant locations alongside Vicky, leaving her with zero resentment about my administrative takeover.

"Well, we have done well for the summer season, but new restaurants world wide have slowed, due to nations becoming more cold," Melony explained, pointing to a dip on her chart. "Surprisingly however, in South America and even China Empire, we have had requests to open chains. We in the BBQ House company are still pondering the requests. So when we come to a decision, we will let you know. Well, unless you have an opinion?"

I kept my features completely still, but from the very corner of my eye, I noticed Ling Ling suddenly perk up. Her posture straightened the exact moment her homeland was mentioned, her sharp eyes studying how Melony and I intended to handle corporate expansion into territories aligned with the Chinese crown.

"Do what is profitable, and safe," I instructed, tapping my fingers firmly against the desk to show there was no room for debate. "As long as we do not suffer domestically from a bad reputation, then let the world eat BBQ."

I knew I had to constantly balance my international dealings to protect our corporate image in the public eye. At the end of the day, my primary objective was to secure consistent revenue, because the global landscape format revolves entirely around accumulated wealth.

"Mrs. Ben, how are things with Victoria Cosmetics?" I asked, turning my attention toward the next high-backed chair.

Megan blushed slightly, a nervous tint coloring her cheeks as she opened her financial folder to reveal the latest quarterly charts with a hesitant touch. "Sorry Boss, but our sales last quarter were not as good as we had forecast, and advertisement has been a large burden on our budget," Megan admitted, her hand trembling slightly as she turned the page. "My assistant, Ophelia Chu, has come up with a plan to perhaps sponsor a winter event. We thought of having a worldwide beauty pageant. This may foster better world wide relations, as well as show different ethnic beauty for our makeup line, and hopefully break into the other worldwide markets."

My past life had featured an incredibly lucrative competition just like that, whereas this timeline only possessed small, localized pageants. A flawless promotional strategy instantly formed in my mind. "I like it, and if you have not come up with a name, try going with... The Miss Universe Pageant," I interrupted, a confident smile stretching across my face as I leaned forward. "Every country can send 5 of their finest representatives to display their nation's diverse beauty standards, but they must be single women under the age of 25. Plus, they can only use Victoria Cosmetics products during the show."

Megan and Ophelia both looked up in absolute astonishment, their jaws dropping slightly as I rattled off structural guidelines without having seen their official paperwork. Gretta grinned at my rapid-fire brainstorming, while Megan let out a visible sigh of relief, nodding her head gracefully in deep appreciation.

"Then we will begin the work on it immediately, so we will be in the Red during Fall, so forgive me," Megan promised, a brilliant smile returning to her face as she rapidly noted down the age requirements.

I waved my hand in a casual gesture, letting her know she had my full backing. In the world of massive commerce, you frequently have to spend significant capital upfront to secure massive returns later on. Besides, if there were any actual corporate embezzlement happening behind the scenes, Lucy would have already dismantled their entire office. I turned my head to face my older distant cousin, who was watching me with an amused expression.

"Mrs. Tang, how is my Big Burger?!" I demanded, deliberately injecting some playful enthusiasm into the corporate air.

Wanda immediately covered her mouth, letting out a motherly giggle at my obvious emotional attachment to the fast-food empire. "Ufufu, We are doing great, and very much in the Black," Wanda reported, her eyes crinkling as she proudly presented her summary sheet. "Thanks to using you in some commercials, we had a huge spike in movie fans the last two months. Also, as a side note, we are opening a Big Burger inside the Velvet Tower for you on the 7th floor. It is not a full sized restaurant, but it will be there for you at the very least."

I chuckled as a few of the other chief executives subtly rolled their eyes at the blatant display of corporate brown-nosed pandering. What did I care? I absolutely loved their food, and having a kitchen right inside my workspace building was an absolute win. I quickly schooled my features back into a professional mask as I addressed the next executive. "Mrs. Smith, how are things at Smith & Wesson?" I inquired gently, softening my posture.

Poor Kim instantly began to fumble with her leather notebook, her fingers trembling slightly as she tried to find the specific pages her aunt Stephani had meticulously written down for her to read. Her cheeks turned bright crimson as she grew visibly embarrassed by her own clumsiness. I maintained a warm, encouraging smile, knowing she would probably drop the corporate act and start calling me Rick the moment we were out of the boardroom.

She really was entirely too cute for this environment.

"Um?! Yeah, Rick we are in the Red for sure... It is because of the costs to build and man the new factory, and the gun market is tighter in Eurasia... But our international sales are good, that is all?!" Kim stammered, her voice shaking as she looked up with wide, pleading eyes.

She paused to catch her breath, her face now matching the bright crimson shades of her negative financial balances. I knew the initial debt was completely natural, considering I had only acquired the firearms manufacturer roughly six months ago to begin heavy factory construction. To help my flustered wife save face in front of the other board members, I immediately prepared to transition to the next corporate entity, but right as I opened my mouth, Gretta’s bare foot delivered another slow, deliberate rub against my inner calf. I suppressed a heavy sigh, shifting my focus across the table.

"Hello, Mrs. Long, how are things in Advertisement?" I asked, cutting my eyes away from Gretta to maintain control.

Diana sat up remarkably straight, her posture radiating absolute professionalism as she locked eyes with me. "President Tang, I will start by saying sorry," Diana stated, her voice steady and clear as she adjusted her cuffs. "This last quarter has been a bit rough, due to other Clans Advertising firms undercutting us at a loss. We have also been running many in company commercials that come out of our pockets due to offering reduced rates. Natalya, could you please?"

Natalya Yang stood up from her seat along the wall, carefully smoothing down her skirt before approaching the head of the table with cautious, measured steps. She held a thick manila folder out with both hands, presenting it to me with deep respect. I offered her a polite smile, noticing that Gretta had lightning-fast retracted her bare foot back into her designer pump the exact moment James Tong craned his neck forward to get an unobstructed view of Natalya’s rear bumper. I took the document from her hands.

"Thank you Miss Yang," I murmured, flipping open the hard paper cover to review the internal numbers.

She offered a respectful nod and quickly retreated to her seat along the edge of the room. I caught Gretta looking at me with a smirk, her eyes glinting as if she were actively testing to see whether I preferred the younger, serious Yang or the older, seasoned Yang. The silent dynamic inside the room actually made me laugh internally. While Natalya was undeniably an attractive, serious woman, if I ever had to choose between the two of them, I would pick Gretta every single time. Of course, I would never tell her that out loud, because doing so would only make her foot games under the table entirely relentless. Secondly, my close friend James was crushing incredibly hard on the assistant, and I would always choose my friend's romantic prospects over my own passing whims.

I scanned the financial records in front of me, quickly realizing the core issue. Internal groups like Star Entertainment and Harem-Chat had been utilizing our advertising firm almost exclusively while severely underpaying for the premium services. I closed the folder, looking directly back at Diana.

"Mrs. Long, here is what the Velvet Advertising Firm shall do effective immediately," I announced, raising my voice slightly to capture the attention of the entire room. "No more discounts to our Black companies, but give them to our Red companies. This way, we are still helping our own, but not abusing your hard work. Everyone understand? So if you are in the Black, use those cheap Advertising firms and put them in the Red. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mrs. Long."

With that issue successfully resolved, I turned toward the gaming mogul sitting next to her, offering a genuine smile.

"Mr and Mrs Kyoto, how is our Otaku Brand doing?" I asked happily, resting my arms on the table.

Kameko beamed with pride, her eyes sparkling because I had intentionally rebranded the corporate identity to a name she deeply adored. Her husband Keven adjusted his collar, addressing the entire board with immense confidence.

"We have exploded in the past year, thanks to the new online game World of Warcraft you came up with," Keven informed the room, leaning forward to highlight a massive spike on his projection screen. "We have over a million users in its release year, and expect it to climb. Also, our new Anime Branch in the Japan Empire will be up and running at the end of summer. Mr Tang, will you still be accompanying us to the grand opening event in Tokyo?"

He already knew perfectly well that both James and I were scheduled to attend the international launch, but he was intentionally bringing it up in front of the board to show off his department's high status to the other seats around the table. I gladly decided to give him proper face in front of his peers.

"Yes, we will all go together, I want little Ryu to see his native homeland," I confirmed with a reassuring nod toward them both. "Well it has been a year since I visited Tokyo and I am looking forward to Fall."

Kameko added her own request, bowing her head gracefully as she spoke. "Then please come and stay at our family estate there," Kameko pleaded softly, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she smiled.

I nodded back to the couple in agreement. His wife had formed an incredibly close bond with Akeno and Hinata over the years, and she constantly arranged playdates for her daughter to hang out with our kids. I then turned my gaze toward the tech mogul, a massive grin spreading across my face as I prepared to address our aerospace division.

"I watched your live interview this morning, what does Floppy Tech have to respond with?" I chuckled, resting my chin on my intertwined fingers to watch his reaction.

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. I noticed Ling Ling's entire demeanor change the moment the topic transitioned away from Tokyo and toward our aerospace firm. Her gaze locked onto Alex, her focus sharpening significantly because she knew our high-tech satellite divisions were heavily tied to sensitive military matters. Unlike Mei, who balanced her family ties, this particular woman seemed to remain completely loyal to the shadow organizations of her homeland.

"Well, I was hit with insults for accusing China of stealing our Star Wars satellite a few years back, but that is undeniable," Alex explained, leaning back with a confident, effortless shrug. "But as for our new satellite technology of anti Star Wars shielding, all nations are sending requests for our company to buy our products. Our most persistent caller is the Central Government, but I have made no contracts as you instructed."

The entire room froze solid at my next move. I had quietly text my head lawyer to stride into the boardroom at this exact moment, pre-empting the next corporate dilemma.

"Any products our Central Government wants to buy must be marked up by 25%, to make us break even with other buyers," I commanded, my voice cutting sharply through the absolute silence of the room.

Pam Sun looked up in absolute disbelief, her jaw tightening as she stared at me across the mahogany surface. "You cannot mark up the prices for our own Government, that is treason?!" Pam gasped out, her eyes widening in pure horror at my blunt declaration.

Right at that exact second, a black-haired, blue-eyed absolute sex machine clad in a dark grey business suit stepped boldly into the room, her long ponytail swaying rhythmically along with her hips as she marched forward to openly rebuke the senior chief executive.

"The only crime would be to sell our product without a tax break..." Nichole announced, her heels clicking loudly against the floor tile as she caught the tail end of the argument. "If we sell any of our products to them and they pay us, who do we pay the return 15% sales tax too? That is right, the Central Government will only get their own money back out of our pockets. So according to tax law, it is a crime to give a break to them, unless they make the things they buy tax free, here you all can look at my documents."

A young law assistant who had followed closely behind Nichole immediately circled the wide table, handing detailed folders to every single chief executive in the room. I watched as dozens of eyebrows raised in unison the exact moment they scanned the complex fine print of the legal framework.

As Nichole stood proudly at my side, the mysterious bare foot beneath the table instantly fled back into its pump. My beautiful wife flashed me a brilliant grin, leaning down slightly to murmur into my ear. "Sorry I was late dear, but the girls were being a bit needy on my way out," Nichole whispered, her warm breath tickling my ear as she smoothed down her vest. "Nadia sneaks away and I had to settle all four girls, sigh."

I offered a warm smile to my brilliant business lawyer, looking directly up into her happy eyes while keeping my professional front intact for the surrounding board. "Mrs Tang, you were right on time," I whispered back, maintaining a steady posture. "Oh, will you be going home with us tonight?"

She flashed me a pair of dangerous, intensely playful eyes, her voice dropping to a low, quiet whisper that sent a thrill through my chest. "It is our Monday, do you think you will be anywhere else but inside us tonight?" Nichole purred, her eyes locking onto mine with absolute certainty. "Yes, I will be going home with you dear. And for bailing on me this afternoon, Nadia will put all four girls to bed, fufu."

Witnessing the absolute certainty of the legal documents in his hands, Alex Renaldo nodded with immense confidence as he gathered his presentation notes. "I will fax this along with the proposals and let them either not tax us or pay the fairness-fee," Alex stated firmly, packing his folders away neatly. "That is all from us at Floppy Tech."

I shifted my gaze over to Pam Sun, a woman I thoroughly enjoyed tormenting and blackmailing whenever the corporate opportunity presented itself.

"Mrs Sun, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday!" I announced, a mischievous smirk touching my lips as I looked across the table. "I would have been forgiving if you skipped one meeting. Well, how are things at SEG Entertainment?"

The moment I redirected the conversation, Nichole walked over to take a seat directly next to Lucy, the two women immediately whispering secrets to one another while Pam adjusted her posture to deliver her update.

"Hmm? We have done well with many of the current films raising our stock values," Pam informed me, her voice sliding back into her polished executive tone. "Many new and upcoming actors and actresses want to sign with us now after the many award winning films we have turned out. Our TV programs have had high ratings, and overall, SEG is having its best year yet."

I narrowed my eyes slightly, ready to deploy my burning question. "Mrs Sun, what happened to your assistant Vincent Rin?" I inquired casually, leaning back in my chair. "I was a bit surprised to see your daughter-in-law here?"

Pam let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head at the memory while explaining the sudden staffing shift. "Ah, poor Vincent Rin was mugged last month by an unknown robber and he was left hospitalized," Pam explained, shrugging her shoulders with a look of annoyance. "So he decided to retire early. Ling Ling here has recently finished her business degree in Star City Community College at the top of her class, so I hired her. She is very skilled and overqualified for the position, and I can show you her grades if you do not believe me?"

What Pam completely failed to realize was that the unknown robber was actually a big-boobed loli-like assassin behind her, but I kept my face entirely smooth as I face-slapped her in front of the entire board.

"No, no, you misunderstood, I don't mind anyone you hire for the spot," I chuckled, waving my hand in a dismissive gesture that cut her off entirely. "Your talent at running SEG is impeccable, I just did not want that turd Sam back in my company... Mrs Ling, welcome to Velvet Group."

Pam and Ling Ling, along with the rest of the surrounding chief executives, were left entirely speechless by how brutally I had just insulted her son, who happened to be Ling Ling's husband, right to their faces. Yeah, it felt incredibly good to be the undisputed King of this empire.

I then directed my gaze toward the woman who had fast retracted her foot earlier, noting she had straightened up to look remarkably serious as she launched into her quarterly report.

"The new launch of Family-Chat feature has exploded, bringing Valentine to the young children in the life of families, officially," Gretta reported, pulling a clean document from her briefcase to hide her slight flush. "Harem-Chat has become a household staple in ¾ of all harems and family homes worldwide. We received a survey recently that proved in the last 3 years, marriages have spiked by a large margin, as well as divorce rates shrinking. Cough, Well overall."

She cleared her throat, looking visibly embarrassed right at the end of her speech as several other board members raised an eyebrow at the hilarious irony of her own high-profile divorce having been directly caused by the launch of Harem-Chat.

I let out a quiet sigh, remembering how Gretta had been entirely wrongly accused by the public, yet she had never even attempted to clear up the massive misunderstanding. Her ex-husband still constantly gave me dirty looks whenever our paths crossed, even though she and I had never actually done a single inappropriate thing together because his personal jealousy was completely irrational.

I cast a final, sweeping gaze around the immense mahogany table, projecting my authority across the room. "Does anyone in the room have concerns or something they feel must be brought up?" I asked, looking deliberately at each face to see if anyone would challenge me.

I studied every single face, including the secondary assistants sitting along the walls, but no one openly stepped forward to ask anything in front of the crowd despite my sharp instincts telling me a number of people were desperately waiting to speak with me in private.

"All of you have my phone number or can come to my office upstairs if you have more confidential things you need," I announced, sliding my notes into my briefcase and snapping it shut. "With that, I adjourn this meeting, good evening everyone."

The moment I stood up from my center seat, every single person in the room rose in perfect unison, allowing me to march straight out of the boardroom doors alongside Nichole and Lucy.

We stepped inside the elevator cabin, the doors sliding shut as the mechanism engaged to take us back up to the 39th floor before Nichole turned to face me with a warm smile. "Husband, we will go up with the others, so hurry with business, so we can go pick up sister Mary," Nichole reminded me, reaching over to pat my forearm gently. "We do not want to be late for dinner. Love you dear."

The elevator chimed and the heavy doors slid open, allowing her to step out while Lucy leaned closer to deliver a quick whisper. "Keep your guard up around Ling Ling, she may look cute, but she is trouble, fufu," Lucy whispered, her eyes flashing with absolute mischief as she slipped out into the corridor. "Bye Rick."

Her beautiful, troublemaking face was instantly obscured by the closing elevator doors as the cabin ascended toward the penthouse, leaving me to let out a heavy sigh in the quiet corridor.

"Sigh, I can't live with her or without her," I muttered to myself, shaking my head as the silence of the empty hallway settled around me. "Well, let us see who is going to be my headache today..."

I turned on my heel, walking briskly down the polished glass corridor toward my private office suite to deal with my waiting employees.