193 Gatecrash

On the 43rd floor of the iconic Chrysler building, a very important meeting was taking place which comprised of the stakeholders of two very different kinds of enterprises which operated in the same space.

One had one of the largest chains of restaurants in the world which catered to people looking for economic options, while the other counted the world's richest people as its clientele.

A single woman was responsible for all of them congregating in one place, and her name was Keren Bradshaw.

On the large projector on one wall of the room, her photo was being displayed while the dossier that Keren had shown Will and Liz had just been distributed to the 20 individuals in the room.

The one who was speaking was the man responsible for calling this meeting: Larry Stiles.

Larry Stiles was known for his varied investments, but what many didn't know was that most of his fortune was from investing in the restaurant chain business.

Never one to place all of his eggs in one basket, he had branched out into all aspects of the food industry, including packaged food and even street stalls.

Over time, his capability of having a stake in all the businesses allowed him to leverage his power across markets, resulting in him building a fortune that made him stand as a part of the richest 2% in the world.

He was a round man, with a large pot belly and a completely bald head.

Right now, that head was shining with a lot of sweat on it, which usually happened whenever he was dealing with a very tricky case.

"Keren Bradshaw. Everything she touches, she turns into gold. We have two groups here today, from two businesses on opposite ends of the spectrum, but I've called you both here because she is currently threatening all of us. Not many are aware of this, but I always keep a close tab on all the shakers and movers in the world, so I was tipped off the moment Keren Bradshaw started looking for opportunities to invest in. To my surprise, she chose the food industry, and just when I was looking for ways to find concrete information on what she had planned, this dossier landed in my hands unexpectedly. Now, I would be a fool if I didn't utilize it properly. Gentlemen and ladies, go through it and tell me what you think."

After he said this, the room devolved into silence which was accompanied by the sound of pages being turned.

As each of them went through the plans that had been drawn up, they couldn't help but gasp at the strong grasp of strategy that the one who had drawn them up must have.

They had effortlessly identified this 'hole' that none of them had been able to see, and this strategy of targeting people from all walks of life with a dash of nostalgia would definitely be a winner.

Of course, that was only if they didn't have a say in it.

"It all looks good, but wouldn't she be much better off choosing someone who is already famous? Why choose this… Luke? He has no background, and it seems to me that she is betting heavily on him for no reason."

Chuckling, Larry pressed a button, which made the image on the projector change to one of Keren and Luke holding hands.

It was a very zoomed in image with the surroundings being the tarmac of an airport, but the faces were clear enough to distinguish who they were.

"Two reasons. One - This Luke's diner is a hidden gem in the suburbs of New York. I don't need to tell you how many times someone has identified someone capable like this and turned them into millionaires using their talent. I've had his place researched, and he has a real talent in cooking food which speaks to the soul."

This made many nod, as they knew that although such people were rare in the world, they still existed, and it was every investor's dream to find one whom they could take advantage of.

"And two-"

Bang!

Suddenly, the door was kicked open by a woman wearing a grey blouse.

After stepping in after making such a dramatic entry, the woman let out a breath, making a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face fly back to take back its place on her head.

"Two- both of them are dating. Right?"

Hearing her continue Larry's sentence in this way, many in the room stood up with shock, wondering how this woman had infiltrated this top-secret meeting and had even apparently found out their agenda.

Larry's round face even reddened up like a tomato, before he screamed, "Who the hell are you?! How did you get in here? I'll call security-"

The woman raised a hand idly before interrupting him with a calm voice, as if she were just casually strolling through the street.

"Don't bother. I'll leave soon enough. I have no interest in spending time with scum who use underhanded means. Oh, Jerry-your wife is sleeping with the gardener. She told me where you were after I threatened her that I would tell you this little tidbit."

The woman pointed at one of the men in the room before saying this sentence that made him stand up as if he had been hit by a thunderbolt.

"Anyway, getting to the point. I'm Elizabeth Redmaine, Director of Operations in Happle, Inc. I'm the one who's handling Luke's Diner on the technology side, and I also happen to be a stakeholder in the company. I just came here to check out all the competition, and to let you know that you made a big mistake by using this method. See, you've unshackled my hands, and I am very…capable when there's nothing holding me back. So, thank you all! And have a great day. Oh, I'm just leaving."

By the time the woman completed her sentence, the security had rushed into the room, making her respond in this way before casually strolling out.

Meanwhile, everyone in the room looked at each other, wondering whether they had seen an apparition during day time.

Could someone really be this badass?!