Chapter 196: Are You Afraid Of Me?
No matter who wins that civil war, both sides would still want to keep Vanitas Motors, so Mark was certain that they were doing everything in their power to transport all the Vanitas cars properly while also hiding the internal war.
But that was not enough to stop Mark from finding out about it easily. Hugo had insiders in every major company that the Vanitas franchise deals with, and those insiders give monthly reports of the company\'s condition to make sure that the Vanitas business is not affected in any way.
Hugo was able to find out about the internal civil war the moment it began, but they haven\'t done anything about it up to this moment because it hasn\'t affected their business yet.
But Mark couldn\'t stay silent anymore. Mark now had a reason to speak up and choose a side.
Whatever side Mark chooses will gain the upper hand in the war, and if Mark goes one step further and threatens the right people at just the right time, then he is sure that he would easily win the war. All Mark had to do was strike at the right time.
Jane was still looking at Mark expectantly and Mark decided to finally respond.
"I\'m thinking of buying out the Triston Company."
Jane\'s eyes widened minutely as she heard this, but her facial expression remained as stoic as ever as she nodded. She had no right to question the decision made by the future head of the Vanitas Motors franchise, so she just kept her opinions to herself no matter how unprofessional she felt the decision was.
Jane knew that it would not be difficult to buy out the Triston company, but buying them would add a whole host of new costs to the Vanitas company and add difficulties that simply should not exist. They will have added tax costs, and higher assessment and maintenance costs in their Transportation sector if they add a company as large as Triston.
But Jane was certain that Mark had his reasons for what he was doing, so she simply nodded her head once and went silent. The ride was quiet for a while after that short conversation that they had, but after some time, Mark spoke up again as he asked a question.
"What is the ambiance like in the office?"
"Sir? I don\'t seem to understand the question."
Mark glanced up from the papers and looked at Jane over his sunglasses. Jane managed to keep eye contact with him for some time, but after a few moments, she couldn\'t help but shuffle around in her seat as she felt a little uncomfortable. No matter how trained she was, there was a large difference between a human and a superhuman\'s aura.
If it was a regular human who was looking at Jane with such intensity, then Jane would have held their eyes for as long as she wanted without even breaking a sweat! But Mark was not a normal person. Jane could feel a slight sweat travel down the back of her neck unconsciously and she was extremely glad that Mark finally spoke up after a few seconds as he explained what he meant.
"I\'m sure you\'ve gotten the news about what I recently did in my last fight. I killed someone. He might have been a criminal, but that does not mean he was not a human. For all intents and purposes, the majority of the world sees me as a murderer. Are you afraid of me?"
Jane\'s heart shook as she heard Mark say that he was a murderer and she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. As she opened them again, Mark could see a strong resolve in there.
"Your actions have been cleared by the law as self-defense. I do not see you as a criminal, Mr. Vanitas. I apologize if I am stepping out of bounds, but I have known you since before your parents\' deaths. I watched you grow and I am aware of the sort of principles your father and mother instilled in you from a young age.
I do not believe you will take a life without good reason and I believe that you are wise enough to choose what is right and what is wrong. That is my opinion."
Mark hummed as he heard all this. He was glad that there were still some people in the company who had common sense and knew that he would not just start taking lives without a good reason. Sometimes, Mark felt disappointed by how easy it is to sway people\'s opinions by a single action.
The same people who used to call him a hero and praise him all the time were now trying their best to get him convicted for killing a criminal!
Mark wasn\'t affected by their actions because he has seen the public turn against their former heroes far too many times already, but that does not mean it was not an irritating situation.
Mark read through a clause in the Triston document that stipulated the necessary actions needed to become the majority stakeholder and Mark frowned as he turned the page while talking to Jane.
"And do the rest of the staff members share your sentiments?"
Jane remained silent as she tried to organize a proper response in her mind. Jane was no fool, she knew that there were members of the staff who did not appreciate what Mark did against the superhuman killer, and she also knew that they would not be pleased to find out that Mark was coming to the office after something like that happened.
If Mark were to go back, there would be whispers and rumors among the staff who are not on his side.
But that does not mean that they are all against him. Humans have been known to choose sides, so there are those who actually support what he did just like her.
"There will surely be some backlash, Mr. Vanitas, and from my knowledge, there is a high likelihood that the shareholders will try to use this opportunity to make you seem even more unfavorable in the eye of the staff and other investors. But that is only a small portion of the staff members. A majority of us support you wholeheartedly.
I believe you can rest assured that we will not doubt your integrity."
Mark took in a deep breath and sighed as he stared out from the car. It was reassuring that they still supported him. Mark knew that there would be those who did not like what he did, but he didn\'t care about that. He did what he did to protect those around him and he was not going to regret it.
Mark already figured out a way to deal with the difficult shareholders once and for all, but it was going to take quite some time.
With how hectic things already were, Mark just knew that it was going to be a long day.