The Billionaire's Regret

Chapter 142

Everyone’s desire for Ivy to return to the show was temporarily quelled by her post. After all, she was the CEO of Morgan Corporation and didn’t rely on the entertainment industry for a living. As a result, she was unquestionably qualified to make that decision. This fever subsided quickly. Ivy assumed that this was just an excuse to leave the show, but Simba had already changed the room’s settings to the daytime mode when she awoke the following day. Sunlight streamed in through the curtains when she opened her eyes, illuminating only her face. Ivy stretched out and poked Simba. “You’ve got it wrong. It’s not time to get out of bed yet.” Simba jumped up and rubbed its head against her brow. “Someone is expecting you! They won’t let you sleep!” Ivy had no choice but to rise, as her sleepiness was nearly gone slowly. It took her twenty minutes to freshen up. She wore a luxury Elie Saab casual dress. Her gentle, youthful, and bright demeanor was enhanced by a light beige knee-length dress. Cooper was growing impatient and had checked his watch numerous times. He drew Ivy downstairs as soon as she stepped outside. “You have to go to work today. Everyone is expecting you.” Ivy looked at him in awe. ‘Today?! When did this decision get made?’ Cooper recognized her perplexity and explained, “Today is the shareholders’ meeting. Some people have been looking at your position for a long time, so you must show your face and force them to back down.” Ivy realized right away. ‘That’s exactly what it is.’ Morgan Corporation. Everyone in the conference room on the top floor was sitting up straight. The ambiance was solemn. Ivy had been through something similar before, so she was used to it. When she followed Cooper into the meeting room, many people looked at her with puzzled expressions, some joyfully relieved that she was still alive and some simply unconcerned.

The conference room erupted with applause the moment she walked in. Ivy was attending a company meeting for the first time since leaving the island. Some faces were still familiar, while others were new. “Good to see you, President Ivy.” After greeting everyone, Ivy smiled and sat next to Cooper. The meeting began. In some ways, Cooper reminded her of Wyatt Reed. He never smiled when dealing with business or strangers. He sat there, listening to the directors’ and shareholders’ reports. His face was unmoved and shrouded in a layer of chill, whether they were arguing or sneering. Ivy grasped the gist of it. A Wall Street tycoon from Italy was working on a large project involving artificial intelligence. Marco Seely was the name of this business tycoon. He was a mysterious figure who never appeared on the Forbes list, so no one knew how wealthy he was. On the other hand, his name was like a thunderclap in the business world. Many countries were thriving in artificial intelligence and secretly competing to be the best in the world. However, no one could systematically combine their accomplishments in a network. Artificial intelligence’s various aspects were dispersed. Although each had its advantages, no single company could cover the design of all of these fields and was a very niche in its domain, whether in scientific research, medicine, or smart devices. Marco Seely wished to break down this barrier to collaborate with all of the numerous companies involved in this industry and create the century’s leading collaboration in AI. Some small businesses simply lacked a competitive advantage. The only genuine partners who were eligible were those at the top of the pyramid with significant resources. Morgan Corporation valued this collaboration and had reached out to Marco Seely several times but had received no response. Icarus Lewis, one of their shareholders, wished to promote his son so he to gain a firm foothold in Morgan Corporation.

As a result, there were many objections when Icarus asked his son to take charge of this collaboration. Everyone was unyielding. “How can you just hand over such an important matter as a practice to your son? Are you getting old, Mr. Lewis?” “Even if a deal is reached, it will be because Marco Seely values our Morgan Corporation rather than your son personally. Don’t you think you’re being too aggressive in claiming this credit?” “Mr. Lewis’s son works as a department manager for our company, so he is still quite capable.” The meeting room had a tense atmosphere. Some agreed, some disagreed, and some simply watched. Ivy looked at Cooper, who had slightly narrowed his eyes. His expression was cold and indifferent as if he didn’t care about their disagreements. When Greg noticed this, he coughed viciously. Everyone immediately quieted down and looked at Cooper’s demeanor. Cooper swept a glance at Icarus Lewis, his gaze slightly cold. His voice had a gloomy tone to it. “Do you really want to give your son a chance, Mr. Lewis?” Icarus Lewis was a coward, but he mustered the courage to do so because he knew his son would be kicked out of Morgan Corporation if he did not demonstrate some accomplishments. “Sir Cooper, Zion’s accomplishments in the business department are well known to all. I believe he is capable of handling this project.” Cooper’s lips curled into a seemingly cold smile, but there appeared to be no changes on his face on closer inspection. “What if he can’t seal the deal?” For a brief moment, the atmosphere froze. The silence was unsettling. Icarus’s face stiffened instantly. His eyes flitted a little. “If he is unable...” Cooper raised his head and said coldly, “This is Morgan Corporation’s most valuable project. It requires a significant amount of our time and effort, so if he is unable to obtain it, it will result in more than just a loss of reputation for our company. Mr. Lewis, whether your son is capable ofCòntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

taking on such a large responsibility is another question. Who will bear this responsibility if our competitors win the project instead of us?” Did he think they’d just brush this under the rug? The meeting room fell silent immediately. People’s breathing became more cautious as well. Suppose Morgan Corporation’s rival company wins this deal. In that case, it will not only have a significant impact on the company’s reputation and status, but it will also have an impact on the subsequent series of collaborations. As a result, the entire Morgan Corporation’s development would suffer. Could Icarus Lewis afford to take on this burden? Icarus’ expression abruptly changed. He assumed Cooper would let him go because he had worked for Morgan Corporation for so long. Cooper, on the other hand, mentioned the consequences. Everyone’s gaze was drawn to Icarus Lewis. Will he give up or persevere? After a minute, Ivy was becoming irritated. She glanced at her watch and decided to go shopping later. “I’ll get it done!” Icarus clenched his teeth and sounded quite certain of himself. “I have faith in Zion’s abilities. He’ll be able to finish this project. If not, I’ll take full responsibility and voluntarily relinquish all of my shares.” There was an immediate uproar in the room. Only Leo Morgan held a higher position than Icarus Lewis. His reputation among shareholders was excellent. Was he really willing to give up everything for this chance? Ivy couldn’t help but notice him. Icarus’ weathered face was determined, but where did he get such assurance? Cooper clenched his teeth. “More than that, if your son fails, he will be barred from working in any of Morgan Corporation’s subsidiaries in the future.”

Icarus’ eyes flitted. “Deal,” he said emphatically. Cooper cast a glance at Ivy. “We can’t pin all of our hopes on one person, so we need a two- pronged approach. Ivy, you should follow this project as well; think of it as a warm-up.” Ivy took a breather and looked up, surprised. ‘How did I get myself involved in this again?’ Icarus had a sad expression on his face as he looked at Ivy. “How do we decide who wins or loses?” “Whoever wins gets to make the decisions. The loser accepts full responsibility.” Icarus pointed at Ivy and asked her an aggressive question. “Do you mean, Sir Cooper, that she’ll leave Morgan Corporation if she loses?” Cooper cast a cold look at Icarus. Ivy accepted the challenge before he could say anything. “Yes, we’ll give it our all.”