From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea )

Carole let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness it wasn't the Morris family causing trouble again.

“Ann, I've heard that playing the stock market can be risky. How about we stick to the restaurant business? We're making a decent buck these days,” Carole continued.

Even if Anthea didn't snap up the diner right now, in a few months, the revenue would more than cover the purchase.

Anthea grinned, “Mom, don't worry. I've got it all under control.”

Nanson slid the contract back across the table, “Ann, I can't take this company off your hands.”

Despite Nanson's jokes about wanting Anthea to buy him a mansion, he never really meant it. He wasn't the kind of person who would take advantage of his niece.

Anthea challenged him, “Did you know your company's on the brink of bankruptcy? I didn't spend much, but if you don't want to take over, I can only watch it go under.”

Nanson was stunned, clearly blindsided by the news of his company's dire straits.

Anthea pressed on, “You can't just watch me waste my money, right? I believe in you. You have the skills to turn it around. If it makes you feel better, consider my money an investment. If you turn me down now, it's like you don't think of me as family.”

With the conversation reaching that point, Nanson found it hard to refuse.

Maybe he could give it a shot.

Nanson stood up and agreed, “Alright, let's get one thing straight. The company is still yours. I'm just managing it for you.”

“That's not fair to you. How about this? You take eighty percent of the shares, I take twenty, and you give me my dividends at the end of the year,” Anthea suggested. It seemed fair since Nanson would be the one doing the heavy lifting.

Before Nanson could object, Anthea made up his mind for him.

Ruffling her hair, she stood up, “Deal. I'm off to my room.”

Having settled two major issues, Anthea felt light and breezy and went for a shower before starting her live streaming.

Sherman booted up his computer and saw a game notification.

‘Griffin·YC has accepted your friend request.’

The message was several days old.

He'd been tied up at headquarters dealing with the OS System and hadn't been gaming.

Sherman quirked his brow.

He'd suspected that Griffin·YC was Anthea.

Could she have so much free time playing games every day? It seemed unlikely. Content is property of NôvelDrama.Org.

Anthea was only eighteen. Balancing tasks at GlobalGigaNet and gaming? Where would she find the energy?

Sherman sent a challenge to Griffin·YC.

The challenge was accepted immediately.

The game began.

Minutes in, Sherman noticed Griffin·YC’s playstyle was bizarre, as if making moves on whims without pondering the consequences.

No sane person would make such a move!

Was this player just clueless about chess, and his previous wins were sheer luck?

As Sherman let his guard down, the system alerted him to an impending checkmate. He was caught in a dilemma!

He lost! He had been defeated again!

Losing three times in a row to the same opponent was... somewhat infuriating.

Frowning, Sherman looked at the board and then a smile crept across his face, “So it's a sort of diversion?”

He'd played chess for years but had never encountered such a legendary strategy.

Interesting.

Sherman sent a message, ‘Another round?’

‘Sure.’

Back at Anthea’s side, the live stream chat was lively.

‘This guy is such a goof! Three losses in a row and still not giving up!’

‘Those who understand chess see the strategy. This guy is pretty good, definitely professional.’

Anthea chuckled, “Indeed, this guy's got talent. But unfortunately for him, he's up against me.”