Chapter 271
That year, the entertainment division brought in a net profit of nine hundred million dollars in just six months.
The bike-sharing company had been officially operating for four months, generating four hundred million dollars in pure profit, excluding the deposits.
The bikes couldn’t be deployed all at once. Manufacturing took time, and currently, only half of the major cities nationwide had reached saturation point with the bike deployments.
It wouldn’t be until after the holidays that the various branch offices would officially start pulling in serious revenue.
As for the steakhouse, business was booming. With thirty branches operating, the total pure profit for the month easily surpassed the hundred-million-dollar mark.
Because of this, Mira Mercer was incredibly generous with bonuses and dividends at the end of the year, ensuring her subordinates would have a fantastic holiday
season.
Solflare Entertainment offered fifteen days of paid annual leave, along with triple pay for anyone willing to take shifts during the holidays. This incentive made many employees consider working through their time off.
When it came to the annual company dinner, Mira decided to distribute vouchers for Solflare Hearth & Grill as employee benefits.
The steakhouse was already wildly popular, and everyone wanted a chance to eat there. Plus, since the money was going to be spent anyway, it made sense to keep the profits within their own enterprise.
As soon as Solflare’s holiday benefits were announced, they caught the public’s attention and sparked heated discussions online. Countless people expressed their desire to join the company.
This played perfectly into Mira’s plans. She intended to use this opportunity to recruit a massive influx of talent.
They weren’t short on regular employees, but they could never have enough capable individuals with real future potential.
They were in the midst of an internet economy boom, where talent equated to leverage and wealth. Having the right people on board would allow them to flex their muscles in the future.
Just as Mira and Owen Lance had finalized their arrangements and were preparing to enjoy the holidays, Felix Grant called from Aethelgard.
Someone in Aethelgard was causing trouble, inciting the public to complain about unregulated bike parking.
Shockingly, some local officials used “city aesthetics” as an excuse to demand that EcoRide suspend operations for a complete reorganization.
Felix was a highly capable manager. Within a month of arriving in Aethelgard, he had organized all the preliminary work and initiated the deployment.
They had started later there than in Melvion City, but the net profit last month was already a hundred million dollars, nearly matching Melvion City’s numbers.
The fact that Felix was reporting this issue to headquarters meant it was a serious problem. He wouldn’t have brought it up if it were something he could handle himself.
The elite families in Aethelgard were
deeply entrenched, and it was
entirely normal for them to have
connections within local
government departments. With
interests so tightly intertwined, no
department was completely
impartial.
Who would believe this wasn’t a case of jealousy and personal vendettas?
Felix had previously mentioned that several major local investment firms had approached him, wanting to acquire or invest in EcoRide. He had rejected all of them.
At first, the prominent families of Aethelgard hadn’t paid much attention to the humble little bikes.
But once the streets and alleys were flooded with riders, they naturally took notice. Things were fine back in Melvion City. Mira was a local, born and raised, and she understood the landscape perfectly.
With her mentors holding down the fort, many people were intimidated and didn’t dare make a move.
But in Aethelgard, no matter how powerful they were, they were outsiders. When they were keeping a low profile, nobody cared. But the Butthe moment they stood out, they were bound to face pushback.
On the other hand, from an internal perspective, while the bikes provided convenience, there were always a few troublemakers who parked haphazardly, affecting traffic and city aesthetics.
However, every coin had two sides, just as every person had their strengths and flaws.
As long as the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, there should be room for tolerance.
Currently, the situation wasn’t dire. EcoRide was the only company in the market, and their management was relatively strict, so instances of chaotic parking were
rare.
Mira recalled that in the past, when several competitors flooded the market with excess bikes, the clutter had been far worse, yet the industry had still survived.