Chapter 170: Arriving in Valeria

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Arriving in Valeria

Vance Wyatt’s face was filled with apology. As an assistant, this was his fundamental duty. Failing to gather the information in advance was truly his negligence.

Julian Faulkner glanced at Vance. Instead of losing his temper, he urged, "Check the next flight from Aethelburg Capital Airport to Valeria. Buy the fastest tickets available; we need to get to Valeria first.

"Also, inform the company shareholders about Felix Faulkner selling his shares and tell them to prepare their funds. If they want to buy, they need to head to Valeria immediately."

Julian had already thought it through. No matter what, these shares of the Faulkner Group absolutely could not fall into the hands of that President Zane. As long as it wasn’t President Zane, Julian felt that the other shareholders in the company would be relatively easier to handle.

"Understood, President Faulkner," Vance immediately agreed.

Julian then led Vivian Lowell away to prepare for the security check.

The next flight was in an hour. By the time Vivian and Julian arrived at the first-class lounge, there were only about ten minutes left until boarding. The two of them sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking outside.

Vance brought two bottles of mineral water from the fridge and handed them over. "President Faulkner, Madam, have some water first. Felix’s flight won’t land in Valeria for another hour or so. We’ll definitely make it in time."

"Mhm," Julian murmured softly as he took the water. His gaze remained fixed outside, his eyes slightly glazed over as if lost in thought.

Vivian followed his line of sight. He was looking toward the shuttle buses, where several ground staff members were sweeping the tarmac and going about their duties. She knew how much doubt and concern this matter was causing him, so all she could do was stay quietly by his side.

Just before boarding, Vivian grabbed two of her favorite little cookies from the lounge. As she and Julian were about to head to the gate, a man hurried inside.

"President Faulkner?"

"President Ward?"

The two clearly recognized each other. The newcomer let out a breath of relief upon seeing Julian. "Thank goodness I made it! I was actually meeting a client nearby when I received your message. I checked and saw there was a flight to Valeria leaving right away, so I rushed over. You’re on this flight too? What a coincidence!"

President Ward was extremely polite. After exchanging pleasantries with Julian, he glanced at Vivian standing beside him. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "This must be your wife, President Faulkner?

"She certainly is a strapping figure! Anyone can see she’s a perfect match for you!"

A strapping figure?

Vivian felt that this description was... a little bit strange for a woman. Still, she kept her amusement in check and offered President Ward a polite smile, replying modestly, "You flatter me too much, President Ward!"

"Not at all, not at all!" President Ward hurriedly waved his hands. As someone who had clearly spent years navigating the business world, he was highly adept at social pleasantries. He exuded confidence in his conversations and had excellent communication skills.

He wanted to say more, but the PA system announced that their flight was now boarding.

Julian didn’t delay them any further. "Let’s board first. We can talk on the plane—it won’t be too late, since we’re all in first class anyway."

"Alright, alright." President Ward nodded in agreement. The four of them then boarded the plane together.

By the time they arrived in Valeria, it was already noon.

Vivian and Julian ate the in-flight meal. Vivian had ordered the beef rice bowl, but finding the beef a bit too fatty for her taste, she transferred all the meat to Julian’s tray. Julian had no choice but to give her his dinner roll and fruit in exchange.

Sitting in the row behind them, President Ward and Vance had been discussing Felix’s return to the country. President Ward expressed his concerns, feeling that the situation was far from simple.

"To be honest, I still remember what happened all those years ago. If Madam Faulkner hadn’t stepped up, silenced the opposition, and channeled the elder Mr. Faulkner’s commanding presence, that bunch of shareholders might not have fallen in line!

"Doing business is truly difficult, especially when you’re in business with friends. If you aren’t careful, the business might succeed, but before you know it, you won’t even be able to tell if your old friends are still friends, or if they’ve turned into enemies."

President Ward felt very strongly about this. People from that older generation usually started out with nothing. Nine times out of ten, they built their empires from scratch, relying entirely on their bare hands and burning passion. Friends could share in hardships, but they couldn’t always share in wealth.

When the Faulkner Family first made its fortune, they were surrounded by a group of such friends. The elder Mr. Faulkner distributed shares among them, claiming it was what good brothers deserved for conquering the business world together.

Later on, the elder Mr. Faulkner passed away. Felix wasn’t skilled at managing the company, so he handed corporate authority over to the shareholders below him. These shareholders were more than happy to see this happen; with the power in their hands, skimming profits became incredibly easy.

It was only when Felix got into trouble and the company was on the verge of being carved up by those parasites that Grandma Faulkner stepped forward. She reclaimed the shares and put Julian in charge of the Faulkner Family.

At that time, there was still a faction that chose not to betray the company. For instance, Master Zane had always treated Julian like his own grandson. He supported Julian and helped him grow step by step.

President Zane himself, however, was a different story. Having grown up in an era of peace, he cared nothing for the sentimental bonds of the older generation; he was entirely driven by the shrewd calculation of a businessman. Master Zane had been gone for less than a year, yet his son was already trying to squeeze more benefits out of the company, using their past ties to secure projects from Julian.

In the past, Julian had given him a few projects out of respect for Master Zane. Unfortunately, human greed knew no bounds—getting a little only made him want more.

And now, he had actually gotten in touch with Felix! No one knew what benefits President Zane had promised him, but it was enough to make Felix willing to fall out with Julian and stage such a stunt!

On the plane, President Ward and Vance spoke at length. President Ward lamented about how public morals were degrading and human nature wasn’t what it used to be. He sighed that the era of valuing loyalty and righteousness was gone, expressing his sorrow while vowing that he would always support Julian.

Listening to this, Vivian couldn’t help but smile. It felt as though, in President Ward’s words, the events of the fifties and sixties were like an epic martial arts saga—it was incredibly fascinating.

After the plane landed in Valeria and taxied for a while, Vivian, Julian, and the others exited the airport and headed straight for The Solstice Hotel.

By the time they arrived, a swarm of media was already waiting by the entrance to ambush them. Thanks to the staff Vance had arranged to receive them, the reporters completely failed to capture any footage of their arrival.

Vivian and Julian safely made it to their hotel suite, ready to prepare for the evening banquet at The Solstice Hotel.