Chapter 4 A Daunting Task

No one was in the living room by the time Lyndon walked out of Elena's room.

His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He saw that it was a text message. After reading it, he hesitated for a while before walking out of the villa. He went straight to the moat.

A thick cloud suddenly covered the sun that had been shining since morning. The weather became pleasantly cool. Shortly after, it began to drizzle. This made the air fresh and the plants greener.

A young man was standing under the willow at the bank of the moat. He was dressed in green casual clothes. His clothes made him inconspicuous because the color blended with the willow. One had to look carefully before they could notice him standing there.

The young man had a pair of glasses on. He looked cultured and gentle. He was staring at the water body in front of him in a daze. It was as if he was waiting for someone.

Lyndon walked straight to him with no emotion on his face.

"What's the matter?"

He looked at the young man intently. His aura was calm and he looked more experienced than his age.

The young man bowed slightly and responded, "Our company now has a stable market in the western part of this city. What should we do next?"

"Dominate the market all over the city."

With one hand in his pocket, Lyndon said casually, "But you can't stay in Wood East for the rest of your life. You are more than that place. It's time I help you to get out of there."

"What do you mean, Mr. Brooks?" the young man asked, slightly stunned.

Lyndon thought for a moment while staring at him. "Well, I have studied the real estate industry in Antpelle for the past two years. It looks promising. From all indications, it would be nice to invest in real estate now."

Excitement appeared on the man's face once he heard those words. He looked at Lyndon expectantly.

"Flint, you've worked for me for three years. Not once did you and Greg make me doubt your loyalty to me. I didn't plan for you guys to work in Wood East for too long. You can set up a real estate company.

Don't worry about funding. Leave that to me. However, the business is yours to manage. You can always come to me for advice and monetary aid," Lyndon said, patting Flint Ortiz on the shoulder.

Flint couldn't believe his ears. Only three years ago, he had encountered the biggest setback of his life. Lyndon had come to his aid and helped him to secure a job working with Greg.

The job was enough to sustain him, but it wasn't befitting for a man as qualified as him. Flint had a master's degree in economic management and real estate development. This new offer was a huge opportunity for him. His joy knew no bounds at this moment.

"Thank you so much. I promise not to let you down."

Flint cupped his hands in gratitude. He was having a hard time controlling his excitement.

"Remember, the management of the company is up to you. Go and make preparations. If you encounter any trouble, ask Greg for help. The Wood East he runs could be a good helper," Lyndon instructed.

Flint nodded slightly and left with great excitement.

Lyndon watched as Flint punched the air in jubilation as he walked away. He took a deep breath and smiled.

No one knew that Lyndon was the real owner of Wood East.

Lyndon had intended to use force from Wood East to help Elena solve the problems with Hytai Industries.

In the past two years, Lyndon had assessed that Flint was very good at business management. It was time to reward him for his loyalty. Now that the Hytai Industries also needed help, Lyndon decided to kill two birds with one stone by helping Flint to found a real estate company.

The money his parents left to him nine years ago was enough for him to live a good life.

What's more, Lyndon had invested the money in lucrative businesses. He had earned quite a lot.

Just as Lyndon was lost in thought, his phone rang again. He answered the call and Jax's throaty voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hello, sir. I just called to inform you that the sum of one billion dollars has been sent to your account on Mr. Moran Brooks's order. You are free to invest it in any business."

Lyndon's eyes widened in shock. At this moment, a text message came through. It was a bank alert stating that one billion dollars was transferred to his account.

"You have one year to prove yourself. If you are able to become the richest man in Antpelle in a year, you will be qualified to contest for the position of the family's chief.

This is not an easy task. To ease your burden, someone will be sent to Antpelle. You can establish the company using the Brooks family name. It would open so many doors for you."

Jax paused and added, "This doesn't mean that the company isn't yours. You have full control over it. No one will interfere."

A knowing smile appeared on Lyndon's face. He knew that this wasn't an ordinary test. If he couldn't achieve such a great feat within a year, his parents' names would be wiped from the family's register and he would be ostracized forever.

Moran even gave him one billion as the start-up capital.

It was a generous offer.

It proved that the Brooks family was one of the top richest and most powerful families in the capital city Aresdale. One billion was only a tiny bit of their wealth.

"Oh, I see," Lyndon finally commented nonchalantly.

He wasn't excited about the money at all. His parents had worked their asses off for the family. A percent of their labor was worth more than one billion dollars.

Lyndon returned to the Collins family's villa with a slight frown.

The entire family was seated in the living room at this time. Clara gave him a disdainful stare once she saw him.

"Where the hell are you coming from? We have been waiting for you. Why didn't you tell anyone that you were going out?"

Clara queried him coldly. Adrien's eyes were glued to the newspaper in his hands, as if he didn't want to get involved in the scolding session.

"Why did we even wait for him? He can find his way there himself. Let's go now," Lilian sneered, rolling her eyes.

"Enough, there's no point complaining now." Elena stood up and walked to Lyndon. She said, "We are going to visit Grandma this afternoon. Go and get ready."

Lyndon nodded and went to his bedroom.

His room was the smallest in the entire villa. It wasn't even half the size of a normal room, but he didn't mind.

Despite not being a top-ranked family, the Collins family lived by many elite rules.

One of such rules was paying a mandatory visit to Wilbert, the head of the family every month. They called it a get-together.

Lyndon never liked attending the get-together, but he had no choice because Wilbert always insisted that he came.

The fact that the patriarch accepted Lyndon as a part of the family didn't stop the other family members from laughing at him.

Their teases used to get to him. But he had grown a thick skin over the years.

In the afternoon, the family arrived at Wilbert's villa for the so-called family get-together.

They all went straight to the banquet hall.

Much to everyone's surprise, the hall had been decorated. It was usually plain, but now it was beautiful and festive.

"Well, well, well. Isn't that our new president? You used to be punctual. But now that you assumed office, you make us wait for you."

A young man in his twenties walked up to Elena and spoke in a voice dripping with sarcasm. The attention of some of the people sitting in the hall riveted also to Elena and her family.

"Watch your mouth, Addy. Remember that she's your superior since you are just the vice-president. If you don't behave yourself, you may be fired tomorrow."

Another member of the extended family put his hand over Addy Collins' shoulder and cautioned him with a smile. It appeared that he was supporting Elena, but she knew he was doing the opposite.

"Spare me all that, man. She's the president at work, not outside," Addy said without remorse. He didn't hold Elena in high regard.

"Besides, the position of president isn't anyone's birthright. It's held by people with great potential. If Elena fails to prove herself, she will be replaced in a time crunch."

Lyndon couldn't help noticing that the family gathering was exceptionally strange today.

He had expected that everyone would be worried about Wilbert's health.

But from the look of things, it appeared that something else was on their minds.

What was Addy up to? Why was he speaking to Elena in this manner? Was he planning to use the company's current problems against her? Lyndon was lost in thought.

At this moment, Wilbert's wife Eveline Collins slowly walked to them, aided by her walking stick.