Chapter:- 97 it might be a kill-or-be-killed position.

of the two eating became much quieter. After a moment of silence, Keith suddenly

laughed.

He lifted his glass and drank a sip of Coke. He smiled and said, Ms. Sampson, you're

probably not just telling me this because you're worried about me, right? I think I

understand what you mean. It seems like the waters in olive industries run quite deep.

Yvette looked at the young man in front of her in surprise. She'd been in human

resources for so many years and had seen countless people. She'd long mastered a pair

of discerning eyes.

Even when faced with Olivia, the CEO, Yvette was confident that she could figure out

some of the other party's thoughts. But this young man seemed to be shrouded in a ball

of light. He was full of mystery and a kind of thought that she couldn't see through.

But she was a smart person, and so was Keith. He had the right to be proud of himself.

He could be smart and willful, but with this kind of problem, being too smart was the

most foolish way to go about things.

Suddenly, she put down her wine glass and stared at Keith. She said, seriously, Mr.

Sanderburg, I want to follow you in the future. Megan and Fran almost spat out their

juice at the same time.

Megan hurriedly said, Ms. Sampson, I don't think you realize my brother is just a big s-

Before Megan could finish her sentence, Keith stuffed a piece of steak into her mouth. He

turned back to Yvette. Excuse her, he smiled and resumed their conversation.

You're the second person who's said that to me today. Tell me, what is the current

situation in HQ? Yvette was delighted when she heard this. It must mean that Keith

agreed.

The dark clouds on her face disappeared. She smiled and said, Mr. Sanderburg, let me

start with the structure of our company. Ten minutes later, Keith finally understood the

sequence of events.

Olive Industries was founded by Olivia's father. Up to the present day, the market value

had reached over $40 billion. In the company, Olivia currently held an absolute majority

51% share, while the other 49% of shares were held by the major and minor

shareholders.

Among them, three held more than 15% and could be considered the major shareholders

of Olive Industries. The company needed balance, and Olivia couldn't decide everything

by herself, so these three shareholders needed a spokesperson. Their former

spokesperson had been Calvin Carter.

Calvin had little talent and no moral character, but because his father had blocked

bullets for old Mr. Strauss, if he planted a trusted aide in the company or even

misappropriated company funds, the Strauss family would turn a blind eye. The three

major shareholders were more than happy with this setup. Over time, almost half of the

company's management was directly or indirectly appointed by Calvin.

He had even personally promoted four of the five senior executives. The most serious

problem was that people like Julian and Yvette, who were truly capable, couldn't advance

through the ranks. The only people who seemed to get promoted were Calvin's inner

circle.

Now that Calvin had been killed by Keith, the three major shareholders were in a hurry to

introduce a new agent. And the managers who had been promoted by Calvin were

worried that their positions might be in jeopardy. The most important thing was that

Olivia seemed to want to recognize the company's structure.

She knew that the business would be destroyed if it stayed in the hands of these people

for much longer. By now, it had become a confrontation between two interest groups.

And now, Keith had become the vice CEO of Olive Industries, and it seemed like it might

be a kill-or-be-killed position.

After listening to Yvette's narration, Keith felt a little helpless in his heart. The old man

seemed to be behind a lot of the scheming. Pushing Keith out to attract the firepower so

that his granddaughter would be able to sit back and take control of the situation, start

making plans for the future.

Seeing the helpless expression on Keith's face, Yvette bit her lip. She thought he was

going to back out. And she hurriedly said, Mr. Sanderburn, although this situation is

complicated, the overall outlook isn't that bad.

Having Ms. Stross around is enough to offset the pressure of the three major

shareholders and the general manager. We just need to gain a little more of an

advantage. You don't have to worry about your safety.

I talked to Julian this afternoon, and we agreed to follow protocol and get two

bodyguards for you. Her voice became softer and softer because Keith was looking at

her in surprise. Um, is there something on my face? Yvette instinctively touched her

cheek.

Other than her smooth skin, there was nothing there. She asked uneasily, Mr.

Sanderburn, do you have any other thoughts? Keith asked curiously. Ms. Sampson, did

you misunderstand something? What? Yvette was confused, but Keith said calmly, Do

you think I'd take these fools seriously? Hmm? She suddenly realized what was going on

and quickly said, Yes, with your skills, ordinary people wouldn't be able to hurt you.

It was Julian and me who were worried about you. No, you misunderstand. Keith smiled

and said, I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about the shareholders and the people in charge. They're nothing but fools.

Hmm? Yvette was dumbfounded.

What kind of joke was this? The three shareholders with a net worth of $52 billion and

the manager of the executive office were all fools. Then what did that make Yvette and

Julian? Were they simpletons or morons? But looking at Keith's expression, it seemed like

it was only natural for him to say these words. There seemed to be an indescribable

emotion in the depths of the young man's eyes.

Yvette's intuition told her that Keith wasn't joking. He really thought that these people

were foolish. That aloof expression seemed to convey a feeling of looking down on the

world from up high.

Where did he get such confidence? Seeing Yvette's face, Keith seemed to realize that

he'd said a little too much. He laughed and said, all right, I get it. When I have time, I'll

help Miss Strauss with this.

As for what you said before, I agree with you. From now on, you can follow me like Julian.

It was a very simple matter, just one sentence.

But a deep sense of security filled Yvette's heart, and she suddenly smiled and said, Mr.

Sanderburg, I feel like I'm backing the right horse. Keith shook the soda in his hand and

smiled faintly. I think so, too.

The atmosphere eased up, and Megan and Fran both heaved a sigh of relief. Now that

Yvette and her brother were on the same side, Megan's attitude immediately changed.

She giggled and said, my brother is powerful, right? You followed the right person.

Speaking of which, it's already so late. Won't your husband be worried? The girls liked to

gossip, and Megan's method of indirect questioning was effective. Yvette lightly sighed

and said, actually, I got divorced a while ago.

Oh. Megan and Fran looked at each other discreetly and raised their eyebrows. Fran

softly said, but you're so beautiful.

There must be loads of people trying to date you, right? Yvette immediately revealed a

dazzling smile. You're so sweet. You're right.

I do have a bunch of stinky men after me. And today, I even managed to trick your

brother into coming out to dinner. She chuckled.

Maybe he can be my protector? Protector? Keith and the two girls were slightly stunned,

but as if to verify her words, a handsome man in a tan suit, about 40 years old, quickly bwalked over. He sat down beside Yvette and smiled politely. Yvette, we agreed to meet

at 8 p.m. Why did you arrive so early? Yvette took a moment to recover her refined

temperament and said lightly.

Well, if there is nothing else, I'd better get to my next appointment. The man smiled and

nodded, then looked at Keith and the other two and asked curiously, These three, are

they children of your relatives? Have they come to stay for summer vacation? What?

Yvette frowned. Children of my relatives? Yvette laughed and saw Keith roll his eyes.

She covered her mouth and smiled. Mr. Howard, let me introduce you. This is the newly

appointed vice CEO of Olive Industries, Mr. Keith Sanderburg.

Mr. Sanderburg? The man squinted his eyes. He'd heard that the new vice CEO was very

young, but he didn't expect him to be this young. He was barely more than a high school

student.

Yvette went on. Mr. Sanderburg, Mr. Mason Howard is head of our hospitality subsidiary

company. Keith smiled and shook his hands.

Mr. Howard, hello? Mason looked at Keith with hostility in his eyes. He scanned Keith

from head to toe and sneered. Hello, Mr. Sanderburg.

I heard that you were very young. It seems like the rumors are true, but, oh, maybe I

shouldn't mention it. Yvette frowned at this.

A head of a subsidiary company was technically equivalent to the head of a department

or a director at Olive Industries HQ. That meant that on paper, Mason was on the same

level as Julian and Yvette. But because the subsidiaries were independent, in reality,

their heads actually had a slightly higher rank.

This was the reason why Julian wanted to be in charge of one of the subsidiary

companies. Even so, Keith was still at least two levels higher than Mason. Putting aside

his opinion, just his attitude alone was enough to indicate that he was on the side of the

three major shareholders.

Keith didn't seem to mind, though. He said lightly, Mr. Howard, since you seem to have

an opinion, let's hear it. Mason said in a sarcastic tone, as one of the front lines of the

company, the vice CEO's image is very important.

In a high-end setting like this, for example, is it really appropriate for you to wear a T-

shirt and jeans? Keith was stunned when he heard this. He'd encountered a lot today,

and he hadn't had time to buy new clothes yet. He chuckled and said, it doesn't matter

what clothes you wear.

What's important is who wears clothes. Uh, Mr. Howard, are you and Ms. Sampson here hfor a date? Mason confidently said, yes. Oh, by the way, Mr. Sandberg, I forgot to

mention, there are a lot of gangs around here.

In fact, some of the bosses are bringing their girlfriends here for a meal later. They're

fine with me, but I wouldn't want you and your two little sisters to be scared. You know

how fierce the streets are here.

Why don't you guys head out now, before they get here? Was Mason trying to threaten

Keith? He even seemed to be threatening his sister and Fran's safety. After saying his

piece, Mason poured himself a glass of red wine and looked calmly at Keith. Keith looked

back at him strangely and turned to Yvette.

Uh, Ms. Sampson, you said maybe I could be your protector. This is the person you aren't

protecting from, right? Huh? Yvette's mouth fell open slightly. On one hand, she could

tell that Mason was threatening her.

On the other hand, she did want Keith to protect her from such creeps, but she didn't

expect him to announce it so directly. She looked at Keith, then at Mason, who had a

sneer on his face. She hadn't expected the night to turn out like this.

She stood up and said angrily, Mason, do you have any idea what you're talking about?

Mason smiled and said, I'm just reminding Mr. Sanderburg that the children should go

home to bed. I have no other intention. Yvette's face was pale.

She really was afraid that those so-called gangsters would come in any minute now. If

Keith or the two girls were hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself. She

hurriedly said, Mr. Sanderburg, pretend I didn't say anything earlier.

I think it's best if you go. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. Keith looked at her in

surprise and smiled.

It's no big deal. Before he even finished speaking, the glass in his hand was smashed

into Mason's face. Mason didn't even time to scream before he collapsed to the ground

with blood all over his face.

Complete silence fell over the restaurant as the other diners were stunned by the attack.

Keith wiped the soda from his hand with a napkin, stood up and walked over to Mason.

He looked down at Mason and said casually, Mr. Howard, if you want to threaten me,

fine.

But why are you threatening my sister and her friend? I hate people who threaten my

family. Mason's eyes were filled with fear. He suddenly remembered the rumors that this

man had made the distinguished guests of an elite family banquet kneel down before

him.