Chapter 543: The Opportunity Arises

As the deputy leader of the acquisition team, Elena, despite being mentally prepared, was still feeling the pressure. This was her first formal job in such a significant position, and she was concerned about not being able to perform effectively.

To alleviate her anxiety, she spent the night brainstorming and looking for feasible approaches to make an impact.

Meanwhile, her younger brother, Henry, having spent the holiday immersed in learning martial arts, was exhausted. After dinner, he took an early bath and went straight to bed.

"Ring ring!"

"Ring ring!"

The doorbell suddenly rang, startling Elena. She took a moment to calm herself before cautiously approaching the door and peeking through the peephole.

"Why is Dad here?"

Elena was surprised to see her father, Carter Howard, along with his bodyguards at the door. Her father typically resided in Norfolk, and it was already eight or nine in the evening—why had he come to London?

Without further thought, Elena opened the door and greeted him warmly, "Dad, good evening!"

Carter Howard, with a loving expression, hugged Elena and said, "My little angel, surprised to see your father?"

"Dad, come in, it's so cold outside."

Elena ushered her father and his entourage inside and promptly locked the door again.

Carter Howard removed his hat, settled into the plush sofa to warm up, and asked his daughter, "Where's Henry? I don't see him."

Elena responded with a hint of resignation, "He's exhausted from practicing martial arts all day. He's already asleep in his room."

Carter Howard raised an eyebrow, surprised by his son's dedication, and said with a smile, "If he's asleep, let him rest. We'll see him tomorrow when he wakes up."

"Dad, why did you come to London so late? The doorbell startled me."

Elena showed a lingering look of surprise on her face.

Carter Howard looked apologetic, "Sorry for scaring my little angel. I didn't mean to."

"I came to London this afternoon to handle some business and visit old friends. Since I finished dinner and noticed it was still early, I thought I'd stop by and see you."

Hearing her father's explanation, Elena simply nodded and did not press further. She continued to make Carter Howard's favorite Blue Mountain coffee.

"Here's your coffee, Dad!"

"Thank you!"

Carter Howard gratefully held the cup to warm his hands, blew on it to cool it slightly, and took a sip. He clicked his tongue in appreciation and said, "After tasting so many, my precious daughter's coffee is still the best."

At that moment, Carter Howard noticed the documents next to Elena and, recalling the recent developments, put down his coffee and asked softly, "Elena, how did you end up at Guangming Fund? I asked your mentor, but why didn't you tell me? I could have arranged for you to work at any company you wanted."

Elena smiled and replied, "Dad, there's no need to worry. I believe I can gain valuable experience at Guangming Fund, so I applied. Plus, it allows me to take care of Henry more conveniently."

"In fact, I'm now serving as the deputy leader of an acquisition team, which is an important role with excellent training opportunities. I'm already facing challenges, so I'm trying to come up with solutions at home tonight."

Carter Howard was pleased to hear this. He glanced at the documents beside Elena and suddenly asked, "Is this about the acquisition of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars?"

Elena was taken aback, looked at her father's smiling face, and asked, "Dad, how did you know?"

Carter Howard smiled and explained, "Don't forget, I'm a director at Lloyds Bank. Guangming Fund has appointed Lloyds Bank as the acquisition advisor, so as a director, I'm naturally privy to this information."

Of course, this was Carter Howard's explanation. In reality, he had long been aware of Guangming Fund's acquisition intentions.

With his daughter and son in London, and the recent incident where they were almost harmed, coupled with their frequent visits to Guangming Fund, Carter Howard had to keep a close watch. Thus, he was naturally aware that Guangming Fund was preparing to acquire Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

In theory, with so many companies in the UK, no one could keep track of all their activities. However, since Elena was at Guangming Fund, the scope of investigation was greatly narrowed. Despite Guangming Fund's precautions, its continuous recruitment and collection of information on Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, along with the involvement of a British public accounting firm, made it impossible to hide from Carter Howard's scrutiny.

As for Lloyds Bank, although he was a director, the bank was not required to report every detail to him since he was not the chairman.

So, his claim of receiving information from Lloyds Bank was merely a pretext.

"Alright then!"

Elena, feeling reassured, picked up the documents again. She was a very responsible person and found it uncomfortable not to review the acquisition details.

Seeing his daughter's state, Carter Howard felt happy, though he wished she were a boy…

"Elena, can you tell me the current situation?"

After sipping his coffee, Carter Howard relaxed on the soft sofa and casually asked.

"Our company has engaged Lloyds Bank and a public accounting firm to assist with the acquisition. We've made a second offer after the first one was rejected. This morning's second offer was followed by a meeting with Rolls-Royce's CEO, Frank Richard, and the senior management team, but we are currently at an impasse. Lloyds Bank has already taken action."

Elena thought for a moment and then detailed the situation.

Carter Howard nodded slightly and commented, "Lloyds Bank's connections can indeed play a significant role. However, when it comes to principle issues, there will be many critics. Even with Lloyds Bank's connections, success is not guaranteed."

Elena furrowed her brows and asked her father, "Dad, is it because Xia Yu is from Hong Kong?"

Carter Howard nodded, "Yes, that seems to be the biggest obstacle."

Seeing her daughter's troubled expression, Carter Howard added, "Of course, nothing in this world is absolute. Just as Guangming Fund can acquire the Financial Times Group, it also has the right to acquire an automotive company."

"As long as Guangming Fund can manage to suppress the opposition, everything will be fine. Unfortunately, although Lloyds Bank's connections are powerful, they might not be willing to go all out for this deal."

Elena pondered for a moment and asked, "Dad, if our family gets involved, can it be successful?"

Carter Howard raised an eyebrow, surprised, "Elena, why would you think of involving the family? There's no need for that. You should know that leveraging connections comes with a cost."

"Wait a minute!"

"Does Xia Yu want you to involve the family's influence just because he hired you and made you a deputy leader?"

Carter Howard was reluctant to believe that his daughter would be so imprudent.

Elena smiled and shook her head, explaining, "Dad, Xia Yu never asked me to involve the family. He just said that my background would be helpful for his acquisition, so he placed me in this position. I agreed because I thought it would be beneficial for my development. I didn't promise to get the family involved."

Hearing this, Carter Howard felt reassured and looked at Xia Yu with increased respect for his honesty.

"Elena, do you really want the acquisition to succeed?"

Carter Howard thought for a moment and then seriously asked his daughter.

Elena was surprised but nodded with a confident smile, "Yes, this is my first project, and I definitely want to complete it successfully. It's a satisfactory answer for my university career and my mentor."

"Besides, Xia Yu is my friend. He not only saved Henry but also had his bodyguards teach Henry martial arts. I certainly want to help him to the best of my ability."

"So no matter how difficult it is, I will give it my all!"

"Friend, you say?"

Carter Howard murmured, recalling the shocking information he had learned about Xia Yu and thinking about Xia Yu's relationships with his daughter and son. He said to Elena, "Then, Elena, after you start work tomorrow, invite Xia Yu here. I haven't had the chance to thank him in person yet!"

Elena's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Dad, are you planning to use the family's influence to help him?"

Carter Howard smiled faintly and shook his head, "No, I just want to see what kind of person he is and give him some guidance."

Despite this, Elena was very pleased and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Dad, why don't you tell me where to start?"

"Haha!"

"Elena, we'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm afraid if I tell you now, you might end up telling your friend right away."

Carter Howard joked.

Elena pouted and rolled her eyes, saying resignedly, "Alright, Dad, I'll definitely inform him tomorrow."

That night, after Elena went upstairs, Carter Howard made a call to the head of Lloyds Bank, asking him to provide the detailed situation of Guangming Fund's acquisition of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars by the next morning.

The following day, while Xia Yu was organizing his business plans in the office, Elena suddenly knocked on his office door.

"Elena, come in!"

Elena walked in, first giving a smile to the beaming Li Xi, and then said naturally, "Boss, I have something to report to you."

"Is there progress with the acquisition?"

Xia Yu asked

, feeling a glimmer of hope.

Elena's response brought him joy: "My father has arrived in London. He asked me to check if you're available. If so, he'd like you to come over to our place this afternoon to talk."

"Of course, I'm available!"

Xia Yu replied without hesitation.

"Then see you at three in the afternoon!"

With that, Elena flashed a charming smile and left Xia Yu's office.

Once Elena was gone, Xia Yu's face broke into a smile.

Seeing this, Li Xi felt genuinely happy for Xia Yu and quietly came up behind him, gently massaging his shoulders.