Chapter 665: Chapter 665: Trading a Daughter
As expected, the safe was opened smoothly, and its contents were revealed to Ann Vaughn.
However, the transfer document wasn’t specifically identified, so Ann Vaughn had to take out all the paper documents inside and search through them one by one.
The initial ones were some real estate and individual subsidiary contract documents, and Ann Vaughn initially just glanced at them and set them aside. But upon seeing an investigation report tucked in the middle, she suddenly froze.
The records on it weren’t really special; it simply stated that when her great-grandfather’s daughter was born, the Sheridan Family inadvertently acquired a Phoenix Bone that could cure all diseases.
Whenever the Sheridan Family had a daughter, they would receive a rare treasure that people dared not even dream of, something only found in books.
When Ann Vaughn was born, the Sheridan Family received a piece of Dragon Marrow Jade that was extremely rare over the centuries.
Except for Ann Vaughn, the sole surviving daughter of the Sheridan Family, none of the other daughters lived past the age of twenty-three, and their deaths were horrifically tragic and shocking.
Seeing this, Ann Vaughn furrowed her delicate brows, rubbing her rosy cheeks in thought.
What does this mean?
She’s the only surviving daughter of the Sheridan Family, none of the others lived past twenty-three.
Is this a curse?
"Cynthia Vaughn..." Suddenly recalling something, Ann Vaughn immediately took out her phone to check the calendar.
She discovered that Cynthia Vaughn died on the day before her twenty-third birthday...
Ann Vaughn tightened her slender fingers around the paper’s edge, recalling a phrase in her mind.
"Why was your great-grandfather the only survivor on that ill-fated merchant ship back then?"
Because... her great-grandfather made a pact using the daughters of the Sheridan Family to exchange for a chance to survive.
Just thinking about it made Ann Vaughn’s fingertips grow colder, her face as pale as paper.
Originally, she didn’t quite believe that such absurd things truly existed in this world.
Instead, she was more inclined to believe that her great-grandfather had shrouded the Sheridan Family in a layer of mystique to make outsiders hold them in awe.
But now, with so many facts staring her in the face, she had no choice but to believe.
This investigation report states that "The Mermaid Princess" is the most likely creature that made a pact with Ann Vaughn’s great-grandfather.
But after years of searching, they recently discovered that "The Mermaid Princess" was merely a fabricated story spreading from some seaside, and does not exist.
Which means, apart from Ann Vaughn’s already deceased great-grandfather, no one knows what that monster really was.
Ann Vaughn’s mood was even heavier than when she entered the study, and after putting the investigation report back in its place, she found the transfer document at the very bottom.
She stared at the transfer document for a moment, didn’t pick it up, closed the safe, and left the study.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Flynn Murray arrived with a lawyer at the Viridian Palace to await Ann Vaughn’s descent.
Before long, Ann Vaughn walked into the dining room and sat down at the table.
Before Flynn Murray could speak, she said, "Uncle Murray, I thought carefully after coming back yesterday. I can temporarily take my uncle’s position until he wakes up, but as for the transfer of shares, let’s forget about it."
"With no shares in hand, it’ll be hard for headquarters to comply with your orders." Flynn Murray frowned, signaling the lawyer to leave.
The lawyer nodded and exited the dining room, leaving the space for their discussion.
Ann Vaughn smiled faintly, saying nothing about what she saw last night in the safe.
Instead, she took out a document and pushed it in front of Flynn Murray: "I learnt some things from my uncle’s computer last night. This is the business plan I crafted overnight. I’d appreciate your guidance, Uncle Murray."
Unexpectedly, she said that, piquing Flynn Murray’s interest as he picked up the plan and began to read.
While he flipped through the plan, Ann Vaughn explained further: "Nearly seventy percent of The Vaughn Group’s annual revenue comes from Imperial Glory. Initially, Imperial Glory developed its formulas for anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, cooling, and pain-relief drugs to where it stands now."
"In the past, it was indeed the leader in the field, even state-owned enterprises couldn’t compete with it. But lately, Imperial Glory is on the decline. I’ve investigated relevant data; Imperial Glory’s rival companies have produced counterfeit drugs identical to ours, and are now thriving, even surpassing Imperial Glory. Why is that?"
Flynn Murray pondered for two seconds, "Indeed, their medicines mirror our old formulas, but more importantly, they’re willing to spend heavily on promotions."
Imperial Glory is a globally renowned veteran company, following traditional methods — from the formulation ratios to packaging — everything sticks to the rules, unchanged for decades.
"That’s one reason. The other is that their medicines, with similar efficacy, are priced lower than ours. If we can’t outperform others, how can we expect them to choose our products?"
Finishing the business plan in his hands, a hint of amazement shined in Flynn Murray’s eyes.
"Reforming formulas isn’t easy, developing new medications is more assured, it’s simple for you too."
"That’s true." Ann Vaughn took a sip from her glass of milk to quell the churn in her empty stomach, "But it would be frustrating to just let those counterfeit formula folks have their way."
Flynn Murray burst into laughter, "You’re quite protective. But are you so confident that your updated formulas can surpass theirs? Moreover, those at headquarters might not embrace your approach."
"No one stubborn would ever reject money." After speaking, Ann Vaughn handed over another contract.
After Flynn Murray finished reading the contract, his shock was beyond words.
"The entire drug supply channel for all public hospitals in The Imperial Capital? How did you negotiate this?"
Even when he personally negotiated before, he only secured a few renowned hospitals, it was quite an impressive achievement.
Yet Ann Vaughn managed to secure them all.
Ann Vaughn’s red lips lifted into a serene smile, calm and composed, "With this premise, unless they’re afraid of too much money, no one should refuse."
Initially, upon seeing the business plan, Flynn Murray felt Ann Vaughn was being overly imaginative, taking things for granted.
But now, as a seasoned businessman, he found himself admiring Ann Vaughn’s wisdom and tact.
No wonder... she’s her daughter.
After Flynn Murray left, Ann Vaughn finished her milk, rubbed her sore eyes from staying up all night, and headed to the living room.
"Turn them down. The Vaughn Family hasn’t fallen yet; they’re too early to enjoy the show." Just entering, Ann Vaughn saw Old Mr. Vaughn toss an invitation aside, speaking indifferently.
"But if you don’t attend, they’ll be even more convinced the Vaughn Family is failing, ridiculing us behind our backs." The butler advised.
"Let them be. A few sarcastic remarks won’t make our mines produce fewer gold nuggets, will it?"