Chapter 83 83 Diplomacy

"We're good either way" was what the two siblings portrayed with their actions as well as expressions. The inner turmoil that had been plaguing George for some time now finally settled somewhat after he received their answer. From the discussion he became sure of one thing at the very least that the family would not crumble based on his decision no matter what. Christina was fully prepared to support her brother if he took over the family and same was the case with Barry who was willing to support his talented sister in everything she did.

But just when George felt that his troubles had eased somewhat, a new trouble popped up out of nowhere. The same Luther family he hadn't cared about before had sprung up to eat the Sosis family suddenly.

George felt like he needed to reconsider his relationship management policy with the Luther family. This was a rising force and had a considerable potential that could be exploited if he played his cards right. Therefore, he had called for another meeting with his children to talk about this matter.

In the conference room that was located near the entrance of the Elizabeth family estate entrance, three individuals were seated on comfortable couches that were sufficiently cushioned to make them look increasingly comfortable and posh.

Of course, these three were the Elizabeth family head and his two children, Christina and Barry. The room was spacious enough to hold more than thirty individuals without any trouble. There were similar number of chairs around an exceptionally long table that was adorned with candelabras placed at frequent intervals and expensive looking table runners that reached from one end to the other without any space in between.

George was staring at Barry who busily gathered his thoughts as he tried to come up with the perfect answer that summarized his thoughts regarding the Luther family to his father.

"If we look at it in detail, the changes in the Luther family only occurred after they revealed their relationship with the dark mage they were harboring. The family itself has been under suppression by the alliance of other families for a long time before that. This kind of performance is only possible if the Luther family was being supported by someone else from behind them. They couldn't have taken on this kind of risk otherwise. Given the fact that the changes occurred after the arrival of that dark mage, it can be assumed that the power supporting the Luther family is either that dark mage himself or another power supporting that dark mage named Zach." Barry tried to summarize his answer in as concise a manner as possible but he still felt like he had ranted on for a long while.

No one disturbed him during his turn as was the custom in their family discussions. This kind of policy was quite efficient in preventing conflicts as it gave each and every one of them a chance to dish out their opinion.

George nodded at his son's opinion as he fully agreed with his words. Still he looked at his daughter next and indicated for her to give her opinion.

"I don't think it matters much to us whether the supporting power is that dark mage himself or some other force related to him. In fact we don't even need to bother whether the force supporting them is clean or dark in the eyes of the society. The only thing we should be interested in is the benefits this family has to offer us. As merchants, we need to think about profiting from an opportunity that is practically waiting for us to exploit it instead of being bound by the exaggerated moral values imposed on us by society." Christina looked bored as she gave her opinion but her words were razor sharp and to the point.

"What do you think we should do? Would it be advantageous for us to establish trade relations with this growing family or should we avoid it altogether considering the fact that the power behind them is unknown?" George carefully structured his question to get the answer he wanted out of his children. For him these kinds of situations were only case studies that could be used to better educate his children on how to survive in the cutthroat world of business.

He had used the same approach to teach his children since they were young and now that both of them were capable enough on their own; they could now assist him in decision making that might affect their whole family and its reputation. But as a businessman, calculated risks were a norm.

"Since we have our reputation to uphold we can't mingle with that family at least openly even though the family is on the rise ever since that incident with the Sosis family's destruction. Their popularity is on the rise and most of the lower end families are centering round that family. It might not be long before this family would be able to represent the interests of all those families. Therefore, instead of trying to suppress them or resist their increasing influence, it would be better to show our goodwill when they are still developing. That being said, we can't do this openly considering that we need to uphold our moral image in front of the city population. Supporting a dark mage openly wouldn't leave a good impression of us on those extremist individuals scattered across the city. We can't hurt our business image just to exploit one single opportunity. Therefore, it would be best to play on both sides; support the Luther family privately but shun them in front of the world." said Barry as he analyzed the situation from a pure business point of view. From his expression, it could be seen that he had no prejudice towards Zach being a dark mage. He was just concerned that the image of the family might be tarnished due to their open association with him and his allies.

George nodded at his elaborate understanding of the situation and couldn't help but be pleased with his son's performance inwardly.

"He would have been a perfect choice for an heir had it not been for his sister who was born with monstrous talent that slightly overshadowed even his brilliance." George thought as he let out a long sigh that held all his frustration.

George looked satisfied with his answer as he turned towards Christina and waited for her to answer the same question.

Christina still had the same expression on her face but her words came out to be extremely concise compared to her brother who was unable to keep it short.

"What big brother Barry suggested is the right course of action in this case. But we need to be clear about one thing that we are not the only ones thinking this. There must be scores of other families trying to establish a good relationship with the Luther family. Instead of just dealing in secret, we need to openly reject Luther family on moral grounds. This will both put a pressure on the other families and give us a way out in case the Luther family suffers damage to their reputation during the course of our collaboration. Moreover, the public will be confused in the quagmire and the leading business families of the city will try to suffuse the fire if they want to work with Luther family. This way if we can establish private dealings with the Luther family, we can hoard all the benefits and avoid losses of any kind. And even if there is a problem later on, Elizabeth family would not be affected and will only gain more momentum for being morally on higher ground compared to the other families."

In fact her thinking was quite aligned with George. She was someone who was like-minded and George could clearly understand her thought process as if it was his own brain child.

Since this wasn't the first time that Christina had read his mind, George wasn't too surprised. He had gotten used to his young daughter behaving like an experienced and old businessman when it came to such matters. She was as cunning as the most experienced people in this field despite being a mage that excelled not only amongst her peers but also among the older generation.

George felt that the plans suggested by his children could be implemented right away since both of them had been thinking along the lines of minimizing the risk to the family. The plan could be considered a safe bet if there ever was one.

"Both of you are of the same opinion and I think that based on my years of experience this kind of approach is correct in the long run. As the leaders of our family, we need to think in a strategic perspective and direct the family towards the right path. Therefore, I want' both of you to venture out and act upon your suggestions in a way that will benefit the family and will open up a path for new opportunities. You two will be responsible for this venture. I will not intervene unless you fail to handle the situation." George announced his intentions to his children.

Christina who had been bored of the paperwork during this time felt excitement course through her body as she nodded in acceptance.

"We'll do our best." Barry answered for the both of them.

"Good. Christina, since you suggested openly rejecting Luther family then you will be responsible for resisting their progress in public. You will be responsible for handling our public image and social responsibility so you need to be extremely careful." George instructed Christina in a fatherly manner since he knew that she was fully capable of carrying out the task.