"Robert, why are you suddenly in Rongcheng?"
Catherine looked at Robert, who had come to see her not long ago, with some surprise.
Robert, sitting opposite Catherine, his gaze discreetly swept over Catherine, a hint of greedy desire hidden deep in his eyes.
However, he knew very well that if Catherine found out, he would be in big trouble.
Because no matter how much Catherine looked like a woman, she was the sole heir of the Douglas family, a top European family.
The Douglas family was one of the most prominent families in Europe, with businesses spanning finance, healthcare, technology, food, and real estate, holding significant positions in each sector.
As the sole heir to such a powerful family, Catherine was like a pearl, attracting the admiration of the Douglas family and the elite young talents of all of Europe.
However, Catherine had always been extremely discerning, rumored to have never had a boyfriend so far, or at least her relationships were very discreet and unknown.
As a member of the Douglas family, Robert naturally harbored ambitions towards Catherine.
However, compared to her prominent background, Robert's father was merely a branch member of the Douglas family.
Robert's father had trained him in an elite manner since childhood, without concealing his ambition. He wanted to cultivate Robert into the most outstanding talent, marry Catherine, and thus enter the core of the Douglas family's power.
As one of Europe's top families, the Douglas family's philosophies were certainly cutting-edge.
For example, the Douglas family never prohibited intermarriage within the clan, as long as they were not within two generations of blood relation.
Furthermore, the Douglas family believed that the combination of excellent bloodlines would make the next generation of the Douglas family more outstanding and stronger.
Back then, Catherine's father was not a person of power, but his exceptional talent in business won the approval of Catherine's mother, who was then part of the core power.
After their marriage, the wife provided strong support, while Catherine's father fully showcased his business acumen, thus becoming the current patriarch of the Douglas family.
"Robert? Robert, what are you thinking about?"
Catherine's voice pulled Robert back from his reverie.
Seeing Catherine staring at him with a confused expression, Robert had to temporarily abandon his daydream of marrying Catherine and becoming a magnate in the core power of the Douglas family and even of Europe.
"Nothing, just thinking about some business matters," Robert naturally did not dare to reveal his true thoughts. He quickly changed the subject, "Actually, I came because our company's people in China discovered that a cosmetics company in Rongcheng recently launched a product with great potential. My father sent me to make contact and see if it's worth acquiring."
In fact, the department where Robert's father worked was established by Catherine's father after he became the patriarch.
The specific task of this department was to station personnel worldwide to discover emerging industries or rapidly developing new companies.
Then, the company would send dedicated personnel to contact these companies. During the contact, if these companies showed immense potential, they would be acquired at all costs. Subsequently, through various means, the company would be listed as quickly as possible, and profits would be cashed out in the shortest possible time.
Initially, Catherine's father's proposal to establish this department was met with opposition from many within the Douglas family. They argued that it would consume a large amount of human resources, and the subsequent process of listing the company would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, rendering it not worthwhile.
However, Catherine's father, as the patriarch, forcefully implemented his will.
But not long after, the entire Douglas family discovered that Catherine's father's plan had become one of the most profitable businesses for the Douglas family. Everyone immediately changed their tune, all praising Catherine's father for his foresight.
After all, pride and face meant nothing to these people. More company profits meant higher year-end dividends for everyone, which was the most tangible benefit.
As for the negative impacts of this strategy, and the fact that it had caused several founders to suffer mental breakdowns and commit suicide, these were completely ignored by these cold-blooded capitalists.
In the past two years, many European families had begun to emulate the Douglas family. However, followers were just followers, unable to compare with the Douglas family, the first to venture into such territory.
"Oh, are you referring to Tiankun Group?"
Upon hearing Robert's words, Catherine immediately thought of Gong Chengbin and his company.
This fellow was currently pursuing her good friend, so Catherine had asked someone to investigate him beforehand and had some understanding of him. She had also tried the beauty products that Gong Chengbin had given to Luo Wenwen, and their effects were indeed excellent, comparable to top international brands.
However, Robert shook his head. "No, the company I'm here to contact is Chenxi Group. Is the Tiankun Group you mentioned also famous?"
It wasn't Gong Chengbin's beauty product company?
That shouldn't be the case. Catherine frowned slightly upon hearing Robert's words.
As the sole heir of the Douglas family, everything Catherine had used since childhood was the best, and beauty products were no exception.
Especially since Catherine was a woman, she naturally had some interest in beauty products.
She had researched and used products from various top international brands. It was after trying Gong Chengbin's company's products that she had concluded that they were not significantly different, with only the brand being distinct.
"Oh, right. I heard that the selling point of that company's products is that they are made from Chinese medicinal herbs, obtained by their founder from a highly skilled Chinese medicine master."
Seeing a topic that could pique Catherine's interest, Robert, who wanted to get closer to her, naturally blurted out all the information he had about the company he intended to contact.
If this information were revealed to outsiders, it would be considered classified, as many companies following the Douglas family's model were also actively seeking out promising companies.
However, for Catherine, the sole heir of the family, there was no such thing as secrecy.
"What?"
Catherine exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Robert's words.
Then, seeing Robert's expression, she realized her reaction had been a bit too excited.
Catherine smiled sheepishly, "Since you say this company has so much potential, I'd like to go and see it with you."
"Of course, of course. If you're willing to go, I couldn't be happier. With you accompanying me, I believe this interaction will be very smooth."
Was Cupid's arrow finally shot?
Catherine, who had always been indifferent to any man in the family, had actually taken the initiative to suggest accompanying him to discuss an acquisition. This was undoubtedly a very good start.
Robert secretly vowed in his heart that he must seize this opportunity to fulfill his father's expectations.
I, Robert, will be the next patriarch of the Douglas family!
He was filled with confidence about this.