Obsessive Devotion Ice-Cold Tycoon's Calculated Proposal

Daniel was in a good mood today, and surprisingly, he didn't mind indulging in some of these prized bottles.

To be honest, Lawrence had been eyeing the row of exquisite wines on the wall for quite some time. Whenever he suggested drinking, Daniel had always refused without hesitation.

But today, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

He pointed to a bottle of Blazing Core on the wall and ordered the waiter, "That one."

The waiter didn't move.

"That's Mr. Smith's personal collection. It can't be opened without his permission."

"You can open the wine from the corridor," the waiter added.

Today, Daniel didn't say anything, but the waiter's refusal made Lawrence raise an eyebrow. "What's going on? Didn't Daniel just say I could help myself?"

"Fine, fine," Lawrence added, getting impatient, "Open that one from the wall, the rest in the corridor can wait."

Finally, with Daniel's approval, Lawrence was quick to grab the chance. "You heard Daniel earlier, let me open it. If there's an issue, just say it was my call."

The waiter hesitated for a moment, but since he had indeed heard Daniel's words, he complied and unlocked the wine.

The Blazing Core was taken to be decanted, and the waiter quickly returned, placing the wine beside Daniel with a grin. "Dan, I'm guessing this wine is from Vivian, right?"

Lawrence's face was all curiosity, but Daniel's eyes narrowed in a sideways glance.

"I think you've got too much free time," Daniel replied coolly.

"She has no idea why I came back, so watch what you say around her."

Lawrence knew all too well how much effort Daniel had put into getting back into Vivian's life. The photo in the safe was a testament to that—something Daniel cherished dearly. During his time studying abroad, and even when he was starting his business, thinking of Vivian had been his driving force.

"Got it, bro. I understand. You're still trying to win her over, afraid of scaring her off, right?" Lawrence grinned.

Before Daniel could react, Lawrence quickly shifted the topic. "Vivian really is something. She's managed to buy property around CBD, all by herself, and that wine business? It's flourishing."

From having nothing to having it all. Such a simple phrase, but only someone who has been through similar struggles would truly understand the hardship behind it.

The club was just two streets away from Vivian's wine business, a five-minute drive.

The wine had been decanted and poured into glasses, and Daniel took a sip. The smooth, sweet flavor lingered on his lips. "She's always been capable."

Lawrence, despite being friends, only brought up Vivian occasionally, and only when he was in a particularly good mood.

"Let's talk business."

Lawrence's boastful energy returned as he pulled out the papers, spreading them out on the marble table. "Your dad's got some tricks up his sleeve, huh? The engagement between Evelyn and Ethan was massive, a real show. They made sure to milk the attention before raising the price."

He clicked his tongue, genuinely impressed.

"Did you know? Blazing Core is now worth nine figures."

Daniel's dark eyes tightened slightly as his tongue rested on his jaw. "Sounds like he has a large gap to fill."

At this point, Daniel didn't know whether he should feel relieved or find it laughable. If his mother knew how much Blazing Core was worth now, would she regret marrying Vincent and handing over the family heirloom?

Lawrence wasn't bothered by Daniel's tone. "Since the engagement between the Davis and Smith families, a lot of people have been watching. AW.Inc. stock prices have surged."

In business, what matters is the aftershock.

Antiques and gold, things like jewelry and gemstones—these things are all about their latent value.

For something to be truly valuable, it needs to have high demand and rarity.

Vincent knew this all too well. To sell at a high price, he had to go to great lengths.

"What else do you have?"

After all this, it wasn't enough for Lawrence to be so pleased with himself. There had to be something more.

Lawrence scratched his nose before continuing. Normally, he'd be sipping the wine that had been decanted, but since Daniel drank first, they had an unspoken agreement: when only the two of them were around, the other couldn't drink.

So, Lawrence had to settle for tea.

"There's one more thing."

Daniel didn't say anything. He slightly tilted his head, signaling Lawrence to continue.

"The main processing plant for Smith Jewelery isn't doing well. Just the gold and silver processing part has let go of over ten senior craftsmen."

When a business is in trouble, firing the senior, high-salary employees is a common move to cut costs.

Usually, as long as proper compensation is given, the employees might even be relieved.

However, the news got out, and it was causing a stir. If the company's reputation was damaged, it could be devastating.

For a company like Smith Jewelery, which heavily relies on its reputation, it could spell disaster.

Lawrence explained, "This was kept under wraps by Smith Jewelery. If it weren't for me helping one of the employees, I wouldn't have even found out about it."

Daniel listened intently. Smith Jewelery had a shady past.

As the saying goes, the more someone lacks something, the more they flaunt it. The company's PR department had been spreading false stories about Vincent being a self-made entrepreneur.

It was all lies.

Besides the name, nothing about the narrative was real.

For years, Daniel had been overlooked in the family, with no benefits to speak of.

But that worked in his favor—he'd avoided getting entangled in all the mess.

As the sound of paper rustling filled the room, Daniel perused the financial reports, carefully scrutinizing every number.

"Why, after years of soaring gold prices, is Smith Jewelery's financial report still showing losses? Why is there so much debt?"

The reports showed constant losses. Worse still, they had closed down several high-traffic stores in Asia, and the brand's reputation had diminished year after year, which contradicted the current booming market.

It didn't add up.

For a public company to reach this point meant bankruptcy was on the horizon.

"These years, Smith Jewelery has just been living off its past success," Lawrence remarked, staring longingly at the wine. "They didn't capitalize on the recent surge in yellow sapphire rings, or the family heirloom solid gold bracelets. And your stepmother? She's been busy mingling with the rich and famous, completely ignoring the business."