Chapter 314 - 312: The New Bosses of Aetherium

Aetherium, 16th floor, business suite.

"Alright, everyone." Mr. Young raised his glass and stood up. "I’d like to propose a toast," he said with a broad smile. "To our successful acquisition of Aetherium! This is our first big deal of the year, and everything went smoothly. Let’s all drink to that!"

Aetherium had been fully acquired by Cecilia Sterling, Wesley Yates, and Mr. Young. The final paperwork was signed and completed two days ago, and the renowned, high-end business club was now under new ownership. The three new bosses were all present in the suite.

But they weren’t alone. One other person sat at the table with them.

The former manager of Aetherium, Julie!

"And we have Julie to thank for joining us!" Cecilia Sterling stood up and turned to Julie. "No one knows Aetherium better than you do. Thank you for agreeing to stay on. It’s a huge relief for us!"

"You’re too kind, Miss Sterling. I should be the one thanking you all for choosing me and giving me this opportunity. Otherwise, I might have had to start job hunting again."

Cecilia Sterling had been the one to recommend Julie. In fact, Cecilia had planned on keeping her from the very beginning.

The parent company Julie had worked for had sold off all its operations in China, which meant she was inevitably facing unemployment.

Cecilia had sounded her out about it beforehand. At the time, Julie didn’t have any definite plans for the future, so on the day the contract was signed, Cecilia extended an olive branch, inviting her to stay on and continue managing Aetherium.

For Julie, the offer was a lifeline, and she was incredibly grateful.

"In any case, today is a happy occasion! Let’s have another drink! To the future success of Aetherium!" Mr. Young boomed enthusiastically.

They all raised their glasses, clinked them together, and downed their drinks.

"Lighten up, Jeb. Don’t look so grim all the time," Mr. Young said, setting down his glass and teasing Wesley Yates.

"Have you only known me for a day?"

Wesley Yates sat down, his face a mask. Mr. Young chuckled, then turned to Julie and explained, "He’s just like that. A stone face doesn’t mean he’s in a bad mood, and a smile doesn’t always mean he’s happy. I’m used to it. You’ll get the hang of him eventually."

Julie nodded in understanding. ’All that matters is that these three are my new bosses now,’ she thought.

"Mr. Yates, I’d like to propose a toast to you."

Julie, seemingly unafraid of Wesley Yates, poured a glass of wine and proactively went to toast him.

Wesley Yates nodded, drank, and then added, "You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me Jeb."

Just then, Cecilia Sterling also raised her glass to toast Mr. Young individually. Since he had handled all the paperwork for the acquisition, he deserved most of the credit for how smoothly everything had gone.

During the meal, while Cecilia Sterling and Julie were in the restroom, Mr. Young moved to the seat beside Wesley Yates. Though his face was flushed from the alcohol, his tone was completely sober. "I heard that ’massage app’ your company made was investigated a few days ago?"

Wesley Yates owned numerous companies of various sizes. One of them was an app for booking in-home massages called "Light."

It was the first app of its kind in the major cities and was extremely well-known. Skilled individuals could register on the app as technicians. Customers would book a time, and the technician would arrive at the customer’s home to provide the massage service.

The app’s entire brand was built on providing legitimate, professional massage services in the comfort of one’s own home.

Wesley Yates glanced at him and nodded. "You hear things fast."

"Jeb, it was publicly announced. How could I not know?" Mr. Young asked in a low voice. "Is everything alright? The app’s been around for years, and this is the first time it’s been investigated. Someone must be targeting you."

"This is just the beginning. Even though someone gave me a heads-up, all I can do right now is cooperate fully."

Mr. Young’s brow furrowed. This was the first time he’d ever heard a note of helplessness in Wesley Yates’s voice.

"Are you involved in prostitution?"

Wesley Yates shot him a glare. "Don’t be ridiculous. When have I ever touched that kind of business?"

He might have come up on the streets, but he had his principles. Prostitution, gambling, and drugs were lines he would never cross.

"But your app looks like it’s tailor-made for that sort of thing," Mr. Young said bluntly. When he first heard about it, his mind had instinctively gone there.

He couldn’t be blamed. The very phrase "in-home massage" was enough to get people’s imaginations running wild.

Wesley Yates explained with a hint of impatience, "’Light’ only provides legitimate massage services, and the app only collects payment for those official, pre-booked services. If a technician and a customer arrange for ’additional services’ privately, that’s their personal choice. Our platform bears no responsibility. There’s a disclaimer in the contract. People have been arrested by the police over the years—you think any of that has ever been traced back to my company?"

"Think about it. When an unscrupulous customer meets an unscrupulous technician, what are the chances they’ll hit it off and arrange an illicit transaction behind the platform’s back? The company’s management isn’t stupid. Of course we’d state that clearly in the disclaimer. Otherwise, the company would have been shut down years ago."

"The technicians can only provide the services that the customer booked on the ’Light’ app. Do you see what I’m getting at?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Mr. Young nodded quickly. "I know you wouldn’t stoop to making that kind of dirty money. I’m just worried about you, that’s all."

At this, Wesley Yates suddenly pulled a manila envelope from his bag.

"What’s this?" Mr. Young asked, confused.

Wesley Yates sighed. "Don’t worry about what it is for now. I was originally going to give this to you. But then I reconsidered. Even though everyone knows we don’t always see eye-to-eye, our interests are too intertwined. You’d draw too much attention."

"So, I’m planning to leave this with Cecilia for safekeeping, just in case."

"Hold on a second..." Mr. Young cut him off. "You’re scaring me. It sounds like you’re writing your will. What the hell is going on? Do you have a bad feeling about something?"

Wesley Yates shook his head. "I’m just preparing a contingency plan. If I really end up going to prison one day, it’ll be too late. I’ve got so many guys who depend on me, not to mention my wife, kids, and parents. I have to plan ahead for them."

Mr. Young placed his hand on the envelope, holding it down. "Didn’t we agree not to involve Cecilia in this?" he reminded him. "She’s just a kid, she hasn’t even graduated yet. Don’t drag her into this mess."

"You don’t need to remind me," Wesley Yates said. "It’s nothing illegal. It’s a notarized share distribution agreement for my corporation, with a delayed effective date."