Ice and Fire

Chapter 956 The FS Empire

Chatting and laughing, the six sat together, their smiles a reflection of the happy times.

"Oh, I almost forgot it. I have one thing to tell you and Jackson," Mond said in a serious tone, as he

turned to look at Cherry.

"What is it? Tell me, I'm all ears," Cherry replied in a casual tone.

"I am planning to go abroad so I can stay with Natalie and her mother. I will then leave the working of

ZM Group to Lawrence," Mond declared.

This announcement left all the others silent. Wilson, Derek, and Selina had their gaze focused on

Lawrence's parents.

Surprised, Cherry and Jackson glanced at each other dumbfounded.

Jackson narrowed his eyes towards Mond, and asked, "Are you not going to return ever?"

"I will return. But I don't know when that would be," Mond replied honestly. He had no intention of hiding

his plans from Jackson and Cherry. Looking at their confused expressions, he explained, "Natalie has

grown up. I have barely kept her company the last few years. I owe her a lot. Now I want to be a good

father to her. Before she gets married, I want to spend some more time with her."

On hearing this, Cherry and Jackson became engrossed in their thoughts. 'I understand. He isn't

joking. He must have thought all about this before making this decision, ' they mused.

Wilson and Selina exchanged glances and nodded to each other in agreement. The former then said to

Cherry, "I and Selina have also thought a lot and decided to let Lawrence take over the H King Group."

"Wilson, you..." Cherry was too shocked to even continue her sentence.

"Cherry, Jackson, you know that Austin has been abroad for a long time now. I don't think he intends to

take over the H King Group. So we decided to let Lawrence run our company. We can't trust anyone

else apart from him," Selina expounded.

"Oh, yeah, we both have become old. It's time to leave our business to the younger generation to

handle," Wilson supported her.

When Derek heard this, he became agitated. Transfixing his eyes on Jackson, he broke in eagerly,

"You haven't forgotten what I had told you earlier, have you?"

Jackson nodded his head. Of course he had remembered Derek's proposal as well. But he was taken

by great surprise that his son might have to take charge of three companies now.

"What do you think of this, honey?" Cherry turned and asked for her husband's opinion. 'I can't make a

decision on Lawrence's behalf. These are very important matters. I should first listen to Jackson's

opinion, ' she decided.

After a long pause, Jackson opened his mouth. "Are you sure about the decisions you have made?" he

asked with a scowl.

"Yes, I am," Mond replied with a firm look.

Derek and Wilson nodded in reply too.

"After we have lunch, let's first go to the JC Group. If Lawrence agrees to the proposal, I too will be

okay with it," Jackson began. "It's up to him. If he has no problem, you can hand over your companies

to him."

"Okay. We need to inform Lawrence and let's wait for him at the company," Derek agreed immediately.

"I am going to call Lawrence," Selina chimed in, as she talked towards the balcony with her phone in

her hand.

"You have suddenly put on so much weight on my son's shoulder. I feel so sorry for him," Cherry

began, a hint of concern reflecting from her face.

"We all think of Lawrence in high esteem. We believe that only he can do a good job with our

companies," Derek comforted Cherry.

"If he has any difficulties in his job, we will be there to help him," Mond assured Cherry.

"We know you love Lawrence, Cherry. But we also treat him like our own son. He is a competent young

man, and he needs more practice with business. Perhaps it's a good thing for him. He could use this

opportunity to hone himself," Wilson reassured Cherry. He understood her concern for her son but he

thought it was good for Lawrence's future prospects.

Jackson held Cherry's shoulder and said tenderly, "Honey, we are first going to ask Lawrence's

thoughts on this. If he agrees, we should respect his opinion and support him. Even if he makes a few

mistakes in the beginning, we will not go bankrupt."

"Jackson has a point. Even if we don't run the companies, we can still lead comfortable lives like other

members in our circle," Mond butted in. The Chu, Lu, Xu and Yuwen four families had already earned

their reputation and status in this city. Even without the companies, they still had connections and

power with us. These intangible assets would keep them bound to the upper class.

"Oh, yeah, Mond is right. Don't worry," Derek persuaded.

When Cherry looked at Mond and Derek, it allayed her concern. When she gazed into Wilson's eyes,

her apprehensions were dispelled instantly. 'I believe his judgment. I'm lucky to have met him. I can tell

by his eyes he has a very high expectation for Lawrence and he hopes that even I can have more faith

in my son. Perhaps they are right. I should trust my son, ' she pondered.

Cherry turned to stare at Jackson. In a commanding tone, she said, "If Lawrence meets any problems,

you must help him."

"No problem. He is my son. Of course, I will be there when he needs my help," Jackson replied without

any hesitation. 'Women always have lots of worries and fears in their mind, and so does she. I have to

understand her concerns, ' he thought.

...

In the CEO office at the JC Group, Lawrence sat on his swivel chair. He rested his hand on the arm

and looked deep in thought. There was something that was bothering him.

He had just received a call from Selina and learned about their plans. 'If I agree, I will have to be in

charge of JS Group, H King Group, and ZM Group, ' he thought. He had considered about Derek's offer

and decided to take over JS Group if his father didn't oppose the idea. But now he was caught

unprepared, as he was expected to take charge of three companies at once.

In the afternoon, Lawrence was going through some files in his office. Suddenly, his telephone rang

breaking his reverie. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

"Your father has taken the lift to your floor, Mr. Lawrence," the receptionist said politely.

"Ummm," Lawrence answered as he hung up the phone.

He rose from his seat, did a quick check of himself and headed for the lift to welcome all of them.

As soon as he reached, the lift door opened. He saw his parents, Derek, Wilson, and Selina step out of

it.

"Hello, Mom, Dad," Lawrence greeted courteously.

"Are we interrupting your work, Lawrence?" Cherry asked with motherly affection as she knew her son

must have been busy with something.

"No, you aren't. Aunt had informed me of your coming, so I had gotten everything ready," Lawrence

replied.

Mond walked towards his nephew's side and patted his shoulder lightly. "We all came here to see you.

If they are not urgent matters, you can handle them tomorrow," he said.

"Are you misleading my nephew?" Selina interrupted jokingly. She pulled Lawrence to her side and

they entered his office. She offered, "Tell me your assignments at hand. I will try and help you with

them."

"No, thanks. But I will ask you for help if I need any assistance in the future," Lawrence declined.

"So you don't need my help, uh?" Selina said teasingly as she took a seat on the lounge in the

reception room.

Cherry and Jackson smiled at her remark and made themselves comfortable on the couch along with

Derek, Wilson, and Mond.

Soon Lawrence's two assistants entered the office with trays in their hands. Carefully, they placed tea

in front of his guests.

"Leave us now. I don't want anyone to interrupt me this afternoon. Do you understand?" Lawrence

instructed his assistants.

"Okay, Mr. Lawrence," the assistants replied obediently, as they turned around and left the office.

Now they were left alone. They intended to stop joking and get straight to the point.

Cherry drew near and sat beside her son. Holding him by the hand, she began softly, "Your Aunt must

have told you why we are coming here. What's your decision on the matter?"

Lawrence hadn't made a decision yet. Instead of answering, he focused his gaze on Wilson. "Are you

sure that you want to let me take over the H King Group as well? What if Austin is dissatisfied with this

arrangement, and raises an issue later on?" he blurted his concern.

He had to take everything into consideration, even though they were his relatives and they had

proposed this to him. 'Austin is an excellent young man and he has his own ambitions. H King Group is

one of the leading enterprises in the city. If I take charge of the company, and Austin isn't okay with the

arrangement, then things will get complicated, ' he mused.

Before Wilson could give him his reply, Selina opened her mouth. She rose and took a seat on the

other side of Lawrence. Holding his arm, she said decisively, "Austin will be okay with with this, I can

vouch on his behalf. He has told us that he will not be taking over H King Group. So don't worry."

"Aunt, you can leave your company to Austin. When he returns from abroad, he can inherit the

company. I will give him guidance on running the H King Group. What do you think about that?"

Lawrence said to Selina. He had already accepted Mond's and Derek's offers in his heart. But

considering that Wilson had a son, he hesitated to take over his business.

Selina shook her head. "Lawrence, just say yes. Austin has opened a company abroad, and I don't

know how things will shape up there. You know his character. He will not take over H King Group," she

tried to erase the young man's misunderstanding.

With a resolute look on his face, Wilson followed, "I have full faith in you, Lawrence. H King Group will

be safe in your hands."

Now that both Wilson and Selina insisted, he didn't retort but agreed to their request.

Sensing that Lawrence had agreed to Wilson and Selina's offer, Mond couldn't wait but cut in. "I don't

think you have got a problem in taking charge of ZM Group, do you? We are a family," he said, fixing

his eager eyes on Lawrence.

Lawrence nodded in a sign of accepting the offer.

"What's your plan, Lawrence?" Derek too joined the conversation.

Jackson and Cherry looked at their son, waiting for his answer. They decided to side with him on

whatever ideas he had.

"I'm going to merge JS Group, H King Group, ZM Group, and the JC Group. I will be in charge of all of

them," Lawrence replied curtly.

"Merge them?" Derek repeated, as he glanced at Mond and then at Jackson to see their reaction.

Selina and Wilson wanted to hear what Lawrence's plan was.

"Now that you decided to leave your companies to me, I will merge them and that will be under my

control. After the merger, the systems and the management of four groups will be the same as before

but only for a short time. At the same time, I will work out all the company rules, and new schemes for

the transfer of personnel among the management. This way, I can keep everything in order and get to

know all the exact standings of all of them," Lawrence voiced his thought.

His plan put the rest into contemplation.

"It's not a bad idea," Selina remarked.

"I agree with you. Merging the four and changing the members of the management. After getting things

in control, work out schemes to manage the companies," Derek quickly approved of Lawrence's plan.

"Don't you think we should name the newly merged company?" Mond asked.

"Oh, yeah. That's important," Cherry echoed, agreeing to her son's idea.

"I think that should be Lawrence's task," Wilson suggested.

"Well, let me think. The FS Empire, should be its new name," Lawrence responded.