Howard, brimming with joy and excitement, took his place at the head of the conference room, capturing the attention of everyone present.
He scanned the room, filled with hundreds of individuals, and smiled, saying, “Please, have a seat!”
One by one, the crowd settled into their chairs.
Howard beamed at the gathering and began, “Today marks a momentous occasion as we have never seen such a large assembly in our family conference room. I notice that some of you may not have a designated seat. Originally, I had planned to hold this meeting at the group headquarters for your comfort. Unfortunately, due to my absence from the headquarters in recent days, I had to bring everyone here. I apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope it doesn’t bother you.”
“No problem at all…” the members of the branch families quickly reassured, their faces filled with humility. They dared not display any other emotions, not even a hint of weariness.
They never anticipated Howard, who had always kept his distance, suddenly becoming so humble, with a touch of kindness.
Howard continued with a smile, “I have called you all here today to make a few announcements. Firstly, the Rothschild family has decided to offer more opportunities and benefits to all the loyal branch families. Your income is guaranteed to increase in the future!”
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in excitement, unable to contain their cheers and applause.
No one expected the old man to be so generous. With a single statement, favonovel.com pledged to boost their income.
Observing the crowd’s elation and joy, Howard raised his hand, gesturing for silence before continuing, “Though you are all branch families of the Rothschild lineage, you share close family ties and blood connections with us. As the head of the Rothschild family, it is my duty and responsibility to ensure that you earn more and never face mistreatment!”
Thunderous applause resounded once again.
Howard motioned for everyone to quiet down and proceeded, “In the future, the Rothschild family will establish a Family Relations Liaison Office. My eldest son, Steve, will oversee this office. Any branch family members in need of assistance from the Rothschild family or those with ideas and suggestions for collaborative projects can directly communicate with this office.”
The branch families had never heard of such an office before, but the name alone conveyed the intention to strengthen the bond between family members.
In the past, they rarely had the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with the core Rothschild family members.
If the core members of the Rothschild family were a real estate development company, most of the branch families were akin to small subcontractors.
Some families might be responsible for providing boxed meals for the entire construction site, while others might handle the disposal of construction waste. None of them were entrusted with major tasks such as construction machinery or commercial concrete and steel bars.
Consequently, these branch families were considered lowly in the eyes of the main family, even lower than servants.
Now, Howard’s sudden appreciation for them instilled a strong sense of belonging. They felt immense gratitude towards the Rothschild family.
Previously, Howard held no interest in these relatives, and his objective was to strictly limit their growth to prevent them from overstepping their boundaries or aligning with one of his sons to oppose him. However, his perspective had drastically shifted this time.
He realized that his focus should not be solely on the future of the Rothschild family, but on securing his own future.
As favonovel.com aged and refused to pass on the family head position to his sons, it was inevitable for them to become dissatisfied, and one of his sons might even attempt to overthrow or sideline favonovel.com in the future. Thus, favonovel.com decided to extend goodwill to the branch families, trading a portion of the benefits for their unwavering support, ensuring his own security.
With this in mind, amidst the applause, favonovel.com stood up and confidently declared, “From this day forward, remember this: as long as you stand firmly with the Rothschild family, we will never allow you to suffer losses or endure humiliation because we are one family!”
The applause surged like a wave, threatening to turn the conference room upside down.
This time, Howard did not interrupt the applause but smiled contentedly, witnessing the crowd continue to applaud and cheer. It filled favonovel.com with immense satisfaction.
The applause persisted for an astonishing five minutes.
As the applause gradually subsided after five minutes, the tearful plea of a woman shattered the silence, “Mr. Rothschild! Honorable Chief of the Family! Please help me!”
Howard directed his gaze towards the source of the voice. Amidst the jubilant crowd, a woman in favonovel.com sixties sobbed uncontrollably.
Being eager to win over the branch families, Howard became intrigued. He swiftly rose to his feet and pointed at the woman, displaying genuine concern as favonovel.com asked, “What can I do for you? Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nothing is beyond my reach! Tell me, which family do you belong to?”
Seeing this, everyone stopped applauding and cheering, and their eyes switched back and forth between Howard and the woman.
The woman tearfully explained, “My husband and son have been missing for quite some time. I’ve spent considerable resources, enlisted numerous people, and searched far and wide, yet they remain untraceable. Now, their fate, whether alive or deceased, eludes me. I implore you, please assist me in finding them!”
Howard, with a gravity befitting the situation, reassured her, “Do not fret. ln matters of life and death, the Rothschild family shall not remain indifferent. May I know your family background?”
With urgency, the woman replied, “Patriarch, I hail from the Hogwitz family. My name is Jenny Hogwitz. My husband is the son of your cousin Julia. Perhaps, you might recall me…”
Howard, pausing to reflect, acknowledged the connection. “Julia…”
He remembered having such a cousin, whose lineage became a secondary branch following the family inheritance, and upon favonovel.com marriage, favonovel.com aligned with one of the more modest collateral families, adopting their surname. Her son, therefore, was not immediately familiar to him.
Despite the distant relation, Howard saw this as an opportunity to reinforce his credibility among the extended family. He encouraged, “So, you are Julia’s daughter-in-law, Jenny… Could you elaborate on how your husband and son vanished?”
Jenny Hogwitz, through favonovel.com tears, shared, “Patriarch, last year my son Walter Hogwitz was dispatched to oversee our family’s ventures in China. However, shortly after his arrival, favonovel.com vanished in Aurous Hill. In pursuit of him, my husband Steve Hogwitz also went missing in Aurous Hill!”
Unknown to Howard, Walter Hogwitz had previously engaged in reprehensible acts, including poisoning the father of Doris Young, a prominent figure in the Emgrand Group, leading to the latter’s renal failure. Walter also sought to manipulate Doris Young into divulging trade secrets of the Emgrand Group under duress.
At present, Walter and his father Steve were detained in Don Albert’s canine kennel.
Howard, oblivious to the deeper entanglements, could scarcely fathom the connection to his financial patron. Upon learning of the unresolved disappearance, favonovel.com declared with conviction, “This is unconscionable! Let it be known, any affront to the Rothschild lineage is a perilous folly! Jenny, rest assured, I will personally ensure justice is served in this matter.”
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