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The details of this internal competition were clearly laid out to everyone involved, and the winner would indisputably become the one who would lead the Gray Wolfe forward in the future.
All three siblings would be sent to different parts of the world under similar conditions, with minuscule starting funds, and at the end of a ten year time period, whoever managed to reach the greatest height would then be able to lead the Gray Wolfe forward.
Naturally, if Emilia could tell Alexander was mediocre in just one cursory meeting, how could Mr. and Mrs. Gray not know their own son's 'virtues'? Although they favored him over the deceased wife's daughter and son didn't mean they were blind.
Had this competition truly been fair, it was highly unlikely for Alexander to be able to exceed his overachieving step-sister and step-brother.
And this was especially so considering he had been sent to the most 'unfavorable' starting location - Oriana country, where both the third and fifth biggest corporations in the world competed fiercely.
In contrast, although the other two siblings were also placed in 'similarly developed' countries, they were both emerging markets with plenty of opportunities for growth, and a distinct lack of monopolistic giants.
Emilia knew without even looking at the next page that had the competition been fair, Alexander had no chance to win, at all.
However, it was precisely because of this 'tremendous disadvantage' that, if he could come out on top in the end, no one would be able to point a finger at his succession and doubt his capability, even if he made 'a few bad decisions' while starting off.
Naturally, to ensure that their favored son came out on top, the Gray family's heads had made appropriate arrangements long before the competition even started.
Emilia couldn't help but hum thoughtfully. "So all these investors who were 'convinced' by Alexander are actually sent by his parents, right?"
Noelle nodded. "Not only that, but I'm also looking into some small companies that might be posing as fake customers, in case his products fail to sell anyway."
The crimson-haired girl blinked. "Why would you do that?"
Noelle gave her a 'please, don't I know you enough by now?' look, and Emilia couldn't help but burst into giggles. "Alright, alright, you got me. Then, can you guess what I will do next?"
The gray-haired girl shrugged. "I dare not imagine what goes on in that… ahem, 'brilliant'… head of yours, but I assumed you'd want some form of revenge on him anyway."
Emilia didn't seem to notice her sarcasm as she kissed the older girl's lips gently. "Good. Then keep a tab on him for now, and I'll let you know what to do later."
Noelle hesitated for a while before nodding, and the crimson-haired girl couldn't help but raise a brow.
"I didn't know Noelle was so shy that she wouldn't dare to speak in front of me, how cu—! Ouch!" Emilia's mischievous smirk turned into a pout as she rubbed the spot on her waist where Noelle had pinched her. "Cruel!"
The gray-haired girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Be serious. I just wanted to tell you not to bite off more than you can chew. Gray Wolfe isn't Black Tiger, and even if this is our home turf, don't forget that we're still in a deadlock against our other enemies as well. In case something goes wrong…"
Emilia smiled as she snuggled into Noelle's neck. "Don't worry, I'll definitely be careful, and nothing will go wrong. After all, aren't you still there to remind me if I start to overstep my limits?"
Of course, even without Noelle's warning, Emilia had never intended to take the Gray Wolfe on so soon. She hadn't even completely dealt with the Black Tiger yet, after all.
Even if the two of them didn't band together, it was likely that her White Deer might be crushed in a frontal confrontation.
But who was Alexander Gray? Not to mention being the face of the Gray Wolfe, he wasn't even their nominal heir! All he was right now was one of the three who were vying for that position, and the least qualified one at that.
Emilia knew very well that a kingdom was the most vulnerable when the competition for the throne was at its fiercest, and the situation of the Gray Wolfe was at exactly that point.
If she didn't take advantage of it now, wouldn't she just end up making things harder for herself once these 'heirs' eventually consolidated their strength?
Cynthia couldn't help but grin. "So what's your plan, kill these idiots while they're still alone and vulnerable?"
Emilia barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 'Be serious, Cynthia. What would we even get by killing all three of them? Mr. and Mrs. Gray will still be able to lead the Gray Wolfe Corporation. Am I supposed to wait till they die for the next opportunity?'
The raven-haired girl blinked. "Then? What do you plan to do?"
Emilia smiled. 'Obviously, since our dear Alexander has paid us a visit, we should humbly entertain our guests, no?'
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Back in his office, Alexander couldn't help but shiver as he sneezed, feeling like something wasn't quite right.
But he soon shrugged the strange feeling off as he nodded towards his friend. "Well, Jake, have you taken care of it?"
Naturally, he wasn't inquiring about some business matter, but about those two beauties he had failed to pocket while leaving 'The Fawn'.
Even though he no longer had the same level of resources available at his disposal as before until this stupid 'competition' was over, Alexander couldn't believe some low-level sluts dared to challenge his authority like that.
If he didn't teach them a lesson, how could he swallow this breath?
Jake coughed nervously as he placed a folder on the mahogany table, pushing it off towards his boss and friend. "Alex, bro… I've looked through the two of them, and… we might need to give up this time."
Alexander frowned as he picked up the folder and flipped it open. "Don't be such a coward, Jake, isn't there still—!"
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