Chapter 245 - Lunch with Julian Anastasia (3)

He had a little over two hours left to stall Julian and Jasper had a strategy. He was going to play a mind game with this shark. If he was going to be the bait and a hook, he wasn't going to make it too easy for Julian. The tougher a client was, the more Julian would put effort into the chase and this would, in turn, remove the targets from Alex and Scarlet's backs.

Wilmer didn't know what Jasper was doing and felt nervous for them. Julian didn't look pleased and his true colours were leaking after Jasper declared that Julian was lying even if the mafia boss' reason for wanting to acquire VR technology was completely reasonable. Not wanting Jasper to get into more trouble, Wilmer stood up and pulled Jasper with him.

"Sorry, Julian. I would like to have a private discussion with him for a bit if that's alright with you."

The smile was stiff and Julian smirked. It looks like Wilmer wasn't as foolish as the teen. His father was right. Give them a little taste of blood and the Wildes will go scurrying back into their holes like the cowards they were. It was slightly annoying to smoke these rabbits out of their holes but Julian still enjoyed the taste of the power he had when they started running at the sight of danger. It was satisfactory so the CEO decided to give them time to talk things out. Jasper might be smart but he was still young and knew no fear because he hasn't seen death yet.

Once outside, Wilmer pulled Jasper aside. "What were you thinking, provoking him like this?! Didn't I tell you that he isn't an ordinary businessman!"

Jasper sighed. He should have seen this coming. Sure, Julian wasn't an ordinary businessman but the people Jasper was working with weren't ordinary teenagers either.

"I know," he told Wilmer. "Danny is aware of this too. I'm working with Elfie so leave this to me. I need to stall him for four hours here. Help me out."

Wilmer sighed in vexation. Sometimes, kids grew up too quickly and the CEO could feel some regrets at not being there with these kids while they were growing up. Jasper sounded very sure and reliable now that gave Wilmer no choice but to believe in him.

They returned to the room where Julian was waiting and sat down again. Wilmer ordered alcohol. He was going to need something if Jasper kept on walking on the tightrope deliberately. Julian decided to hear Jasper out and the teen didn't disappoint.

With a smile, Jasper pulled out his laptop and set it up to give his side of the story and Julian waited patiently. Wilmer seemed resigned and let Jasper do whatever he wanted. This made the mafia boss rather intrigued. Wasn't Jasper the one following behind Wilmer's direction? Could he be wrong about how Kiwi Cat Studio worked? Didn't Jasper reject him multiple times because of Wilmer?

The teen pulled up his notes and both CEOs became interested in the unique layout that Jasper had. For them, powerpoint was the thing that all professionals used in presentations but Jasper had prepared something more interesting. The slides were in the form of a mind map that had no fixed sequences and the teen even pulled up a doc.u.ment with video links to make his statement.

"According to my marketing team, we're not the only company dealing with VR technology. In fact, Kiwi Cat Studio doesn't deal with VR technology in the education field, we are a gaming company with a social media chat platform side project. The VR technology is mostly used for research purposes to engage players and users in a safe online environment that could replicate the real world's sense of sight and sound. Its main purpose is to give people separated by distance the option to gather in a realistic setting to socialise better."

"If you're looking for a cost-effective solution for your training and development needs, there's a company working on something similar like an online platform one-stop solution called Aster Learning. They have something called a 360 learning approach where video simulations will be used in the training process that would suit your employee needs better. Hence, I think you're not telling me the truth about why you chose us as a company you want to invest in. Our needs do not align."

Wilmer looked at the video that Jasper played about Aster Learning's marketing video and agreed. The boy had done his homework well and Wilmer was impressed. Likewise, Julian never expected Jasper to counter his proposal with such an angle. True, he didn't consider the fact that there were competitors out there much better suited for the scenario he created. That was his mistake. Julian had too much confidence that these people would be swayed by the figures that he neglected in doing a competitor analysis that most serious buyers would have done.

Jasper had him trapped and Julian had to think fast. The teen might be inexperienced in business negotiations but he definitely had something that was unique to only young start-ups. Neither Wilmer nor Julian could compare to Jasper when it came to creativity. Unlike the rigid structures of giant companies, start-ups like Kiwi Cat Studio worked very flexibly. Their staff were very talented and well-rounded due to the lack of job identification and organisational structures.

Jasper was nervous. He pulled all these data out for demonstration because he wanted to confuse and trap Julian. While there were facts in this, he didn't think that he would be using his internal competitor research data to attack Julian. Still, it came in handy and Jasper had to thank Rowan, Jake and Samuel for putting this together. They really needed to hire someone to handle the marketing analysis for them.

"Indeed," Julian agreed. He couldn't deny that Aster Learning was better suited for such needs. However, he still had to convince Jasper that working with him was more beneficial for Kiwi Cat Studios than working with Wilde Inc.

"I understand that you have concerns and that you desire transparency if we were to work together. I'll be honest. I wish to acquire Kiwi Cat Studios and not just invest in it. I see a lot of potential in this start-up and I don't often buy start-ups unrelated to my company's industry. Your VR technology is something that some of my other clients are interested in. It's not just for training purposes but VR is useful for many other things."

Wilmer frowned. "I think you're forgetting that to buy over Kiwi Cat Studios, you'd have to also buy over the shares that belong to Wilde Inc. That is if I'm willing to let go of the shares to you."

The threat and warning weren't missed by Julian. Rather than feeling offended, the EZ Express CEO played it off casually and apologised for 'forgetting' that Wilmer still had a huge investment in Kiwi Cat Studio. The acting was so obvious that Jasper wondered what Julian was up to.

"I made a mistake. Let me rephrase that," the mafia boss looked at Jasper and Wilmer in the eyes. "I will be investing in Kiwi Cat Studios for now and buying it over completely when Wilde Inc. falls. No matter the price."

That finality and cold tone that Julian used sent shivers up Jasper's spine. That was a look of a man who had plotted the deaths of many of his rivals. This man should be in jail and Wilmer tensed up. Julian didn't stop there, he continued.

"Naturally, you can try to hold onto the shares you have," he told Wilmer. "However, I think it would be incredibly difficult for Jasper here to do business in the future without my assistance. You see, I happen to have a lot of connections in the business world and loyal clients who happen to be very influential. They come from all sorts of industries including finance and media. Wouldn't it be a shame if someone started spreading stories about the unprofessional connection and relationship between the CEO of Kiwi Cat Studio and the CEO's daughter of Wilde Inc.?"

Wilmer's face was so red from the anger he had been holding back but Jasper was deadly calm. Julian laughed when he saw how Wilmer was ready to pounce and tear him limb from limb. "Oh, did I forget? The adopted daughter was also seen having a relationship with the CEO of Pineapple Group. How sad, an illicit affair with a man who has already been engaged with another woman. I wonder what would happen to her acting career in China."

When Jasper heard about who Julian thought Scarlet was dating, he couldn't help but laugh internally. He was worried about what he was going to do if Julian knew the truth about Scarlet and Edward. He didn't want to be the reason why they had to break up but seeing as the truth was still not discovered, Jasper decided to make good use of this and add a smokescreen to make Julian think that his information was accurate.

"Alex and I have nothing to hide. You would only be making a loss by doing this. Any exposure to the media for Alex is always a good thing. The Wilde family will only thrive under the attention of any sort, unlike you. Scarlet is free to date whomever she pleases and we will stand by her decision if she ever intends to make it public. However, if you try to break up a happy couple, beware of retribution from the Pineapple Group."

Julian barked in laughter hearing that. CEO Zhu was a timid man who couldn't get anything done by himself. Retribution? Jasper must be living on a different planet. After getting cheated on by his longtime fiancee, the CEO of Pineapple Group was helpless as a puppet on a string, dancing to the tune of Anatasia's men within his company.

"I see where your loyalties lie now, Mr Hopper. You're a promising young lad but you lack experience. The world isn't as nice as the schools paint it to be. I'll give you another chance in case you change your mind. When the Wilde empire falls, you will understand that you have no other choice than to come to me. Mark my words, I will be seeing you again. Also, as a token of my sincerity, I will prove to you that relationsh.i.p.s can be more fragile than you think."

With that ominous parting word, Julian took his leave and Jasper checked the time. Three hours and twenty minutes. He quickly fired a text to Edward and Elfie in the group chat while Wilmer still remained dazed. They were both mentally exhausted after climbing into the limousine, Julian's words still ringing in their ears like a bad prophecy.