BXBX NOVEL Chapter 106: Tradition
The room got really quiet, and everyone turned to look at him. His shiny, Italian leather shoes made a soft sound as they touched each marble step.
When they reached the bottom, Arnold stood up straight and let go of Monica\'s arm.
He cleared his throat and looked around the room, as if assessing everyone. "Welcome, everyone," he said in a strong voice. "I\'m glad you could join our family for the gathering."
He then walked up to the center of the atrium.
It was his birthday, but there were no balloons, no cake, and no festive decorations.
One by one, his family approached him.
Sam was the first. The guests gave him space to walk up to his father.
"Happy birthday, Dad," he said simply, offering a firm handshake.
"Good to see you, Sam." Arnold nodded, his face unreadable.
Next was Evelyn. She stepped forward with a slight smile. "Happy birthday, Father," she said, her tone smooth but distant.
Arnold nodded again. "Evelyn."
Doyle followed closely behind his sister. "Happy birthday."
Arnold just gave him a nod without saying a word.
Finally, Gabriel sauntered over, holding a glass of champane in one of his hands. "Happy birthday, old man," he said with a playful smirk.
Arnold\'s eyes warmed up a little. "Thank you, Gabriel," he said, but this time his tone was much friendlier than it had been with the others.
After Gabriel, other people wished Arnold a happy birthday and said nice things to him.
One man from WhitePath Europe gave Arnold an expensive Patek Philippe watch.
Arnold accepted it, then casually handed it to one of the kids running around.
The child took the watch as Arnold moved on to the next guest without a second glance.
When it was my turn, all I did was wish him good health.
With the birthday wishes out of the way, we moved to the dining room for the grand dinner.
As I was entering the dining hall with Sam, he suddenly stopped me, placing the back of his palm against my chest.
"Sam?" I asked.
He looked up at me with his blurry, lifeless eyes, more serious than I\'d ever seen them in this life. "Jack... no matter what happens here... do not make a scene."
\'I know exactly what\'s about to happen, Sam...\' I thought.
Sam\'s gaze hardened. "Even if someone gets hurt, just sit still."
I didn\'t have the time to answer, as a servant guided us to our seats.
The table was long, covered with a pristine white tablecloth and set with the finest china and crystal glasses.
Everyone had a glass of champagne. Everything was set up perfectly.
Arnold took his seat at the head of the table, Monica beside him.
Gabriel, Evelyn, and their closest allies were seated near Arnold.
Sam, however, was led to a spot a bit further down the table, not as close to his father. I was seated right beside him.
Looking around, I noticed Derec sitting at a completely separate table.
There were a lot of people in the room, but at that moment, everyone quieted down.
At this point, there were no kids in the room because of a family tradition that was about to happen.
Arnold Johnson glanced casually at Gabriel, who was already reaching for a grape from the table.
"How is the New York WhitePath fund performing?" Arnold asked, his tone heavy and expectant.
Gabriel looked up, still chewing the grape. "It\'s running smoothly, Dad. We\'re on track to meet all targets for the quarter and for the year." he then turned to his subordinate. "Romuel, tell Father just how much we\'re raking in."
Romuel, a man in his 50s with a dark goatee, cleared his throat and spoke formally. "Mr. Johnson, since the beginning of the year, WhitePath USA has had a net profit of 180 million dollars, bringing the current balance to over 1.6 billion dollars."
Gabriel popped another grape into his mouth, "And in Tampa and Miami, I\'ve added another 100 million dollars to the balance sheets." he added nonchalantly.
"Good," Arnold said, his voice steady and warm. "Are you planning any major investments?"
Gabriel leaned in. "Oh, yeah. We own Seagen, right?" His smile turned cold. "But there\'s this pesky little company, what was it... ImmunoGen, I think. They\'ve come up with some new cancer antibodies and are starting to cause a bit of trouble.
We\'re planning to pump more money into Seagen, take them over, and merge the two companies. "
"Good," Arnold said, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Alright, well done."
Arnold then turned his gaze to his daughter, Evelyn, his expression growing stern. "How are our investments in Europe?"
Evelyn locked eyes with her father. "Almost all of our investments are on track to reach their targets."
Arnold stared at her, saying nothing. He knew she wasn\'t telling the entire truth.
He was watching her intently, like a hawk eyeing its prey.
"There is a net loss for the year." One of Evelyn\'s team members spoke up.
Evelyn didn\'t flinch, but her eyes darted briefly toward her team member before returning to her father\'s gaze.
Arnold\'s eyes remained fixed on his daughter. "Explain the details, Evelyn," he demanded.
"I, Well, " Evelyn started, "I am not taking responsi—"
"Sam!" Arnold interjected, cutting Evelyn off mid-sentence.
"Yes," Sam replied.
"Did you follow through with what we spoke about?"
Sam straightened up with confidence, "As I promised father, I did not fall under Evelyn and Doyle\'s pressure on my investments." He paused, and then bowed his head a little. "But I\'m not proud of it... Most of the funds I\'ve gained were our family\'s to begin with."
Arnold nodded in agreement. "Excellent, Son." his face even showed a little approval.
He then glanced over at me. "And who is this person with you, Sam? I had anticipated that you would arrive along with Mark, the lead trader."
"Father, this is Jack Somnus. He\'s been a board member of my company for a few months now."
Arnold\'s gaze tightened. "You transferred your shares to this man?"
"That was the right thing to do. Jack has helped me make over 300 million dollars in gains over the last few months."
"I still don\'t understand why you gave away your equity, Sam." Arnold said strongly.
Sam sighed. "If I hadn\'t, the deal wouldn\'t have gone through. Jack is a great man, and most importantly, he is too wealthy to just hire—bringing him on as an employee was never an option. We\'re business partners."