Chapter 820
Mira was exhausted. Nestled in Owen’s arms, she fell asleep after barely speaking two sentences. Owen had wanted to be a little affectionate, but when he didn’t get a response, he looked down to find her breathing evenly.
Never mind. Let her sleep.
Their relationship had evolved from a mentor-mentee dynamic, and that deep- rooted trust was indelible. Mira still instinctively leaned on him, trusting him completely just as she had before.
And him? Sometimes he wanted to take things further, but looking at the woman he loved, he just couldn’t bring himself to cross that line. He respected her deeply. Some things could wait until after they were married.
After all, he was entirely devoted to her. He had to cherish her.
The two of them fell into a deep sleep until a ringing phone jarred them awake. It was Hank.
“Brother, you’ve got a beautiful woman in your arms, and you’ve completely forgotten about dinner?
You’ve got all the luck. How are the rest of us single guys supposed to endure this trip? It’s depressing just thinking about it p>
Talk about touching a nerve. Owen was utterly speechless.
Because he and Mira shared a suite, everyone naturally assumed they were indulging in wild passion. But only Owen knew he hadn’t crossed a single boundary.
And if he said that out loud, who would actually believe him?
“Stop talking nonsense. My lady and I respect each other’s boundaries p>
“Come on, man. We’re all adults here. Are you afraid we’re going to judge you?” Exactly. No one believed him.
In reality, this entire hotel belonged to Owen, though the others didn’t know that. Hank was just the one handling the itinerary logistics.
By the time the two arrived at the restaurant, everyone else was already seated. Wesley Langdon immediately teased, “True to form for the Boss. Always making an entrance p>
He was poking fun at their late arrival.
“Who’s really making an entrance?
We got to the hotel ages ago. You were the last to arrive, weren’t you? Didn’t I hear Harvey Rivers had to drive out and pick you up personally p>
“That’s because I don’t have a car. I’m poor, Boss p>
“A second ago you called me Boss, now you’re talking down to me. Make up your mind on how you want to kiss up p>
“I can’t out-talk you. I surrender. I surrender p>
Wesley threw his hands up in defeat.
Back on campus, Wesley actually carried a lot of authority as a senior student. But outside those gates, the banter between classmates was simply more relaxed than wit outsiders
The joking lifted everyone’s spirits, and dinner was a casual, easygoing affair.
At 5:00 AM the next morning, the group arrived at the airport. It was still pitch black when they boarded the plane.
Right before boarding, Mira made a quick call to Leah Monroe. “Stall until noon, then tell whoever contacts you that I didn’t show up to campus today p>
Her whereabouts needed to remain absolutely classified.
For this overseas market siege, Ethan, Harvey, and Hank each brought one billion dollars.
Mira and Owen pooled together a massive reserve, drawing from their personal funds, their mentor’s
capital and corporate contingency reserves totaling over twenty billion dollars.
Every single cent was raised strictly as an investment fund, including the liquid
reserves from the various companies under their umbrella.
Shared profits, shared risks.
This meant that everyone willingly surrendered their capital to Mira and Owen to invest on their behalf. If they won after deducting
commissions and operational fees, the investors would take all the profits.
But if the investment failed, Mira and Owen would only lose their personal stakes; they wouldn’t bear any liability for the rest.
Conversely, if they had raised the money as a loan, they would be legally obligated
to repay the principal and interest regardless of whether they won or lost.
Of course, in that scenario, the lenders would have no claim to the massive profits either.
All of this had been clearly outlined in legally notarized contracts before a single cent was transferred.
Personal relationships didn’t matter here. When billions were on the line, even blood siblings kept their ledgers impeccably clear.