Chapter 468
Players found the concept charming. They clicked to clear weeds, used their complimentary starter coins to buy seeds, and planted them in the freshly tilled soil. Once planted, a timer appeared showing how many hours until the crops matured, encouraging them to return, harvest, level up, and unlock more land.
Users who found Harvest Haven addictive immediately shared it on their social feeds, spreading the word even faster. The real hook was that players realized they could visit their friends’ farms and steal their crops.
In the gaming division of Solflare Entertainment, Soren Tate stared intently at the monitors. The screens displayed real-time active users for Harvest Haven, along with detailed metrics on microtransactions and item purchases.
“Mr. Tate, the average session length for Harvest Haven players has surpassed an hour p>
“This game just shattered the record for day-one user retention across all our previous titles p>
“And according to today’s data, the session lengths are still increasing. We’ve already amassed a massive amount of positive reviews p>
Looking at the data, Mira turned to Owen. “It won’t be long before we can negotiate a partnership with Vertex Social p>
“No need to rush. With this kind of momentum, getting into the Vertex Gaming Store is inevitable. Since it’s a win-win for both sides, they might even come to us first. That way, we hold all the leverage p>
“Let’s hope so p>
Mira just wanted to wrap up her business in Melvion so she could start building her empire in Aethelgard.
“Owen, do you think I should turn up the heat on the Porters? Force their hand p>
“You don’t need to. They’ll panic on their own. You and Ethan are getting too powerful, and they know you’ll be a massive threat later. Besides, you’re leaving soon. They’re terrified that once you’re out of reach, they won’t be able to touch you p>
“True p>
At the Mercer Group.
Roxanne was offering more advice, coaching Mara on how to swindle Lacey’s shares.
Twenty percent was a massive
chunk of meat. Even if Ethan had gutted the company’s cash flow, that twenty percent was still worth a fortune, and Roxanne had no
intention of letting it slip awa
Under the guise of a
she had already woven an inescapable web within the Mercer Group. As soon as the shares were secured, Roxanne was confident she could completely control Adrian and his daughter.
As for the so-called “graceful exit” agreement they had originally made? Only an idiot played by the rules with an enemy. Settle for thirty percent? That was nowhere near enough. The Porter family’s O
endgame had always been the complete annihilation of the Mercer family.
They didn’t just want their wealth; they wanted the Mercers ruined entirely.
When Mara went home that day, she immediately started crying. No matter how much Lacey pressed, Mara refused to speak, breaking Lacey’s heart.
It took hours before Adrian finally explained the situation. “Sigh. I wanted Mara to gain some real experience in the CEO’s chair so she could grow faster, but those old fossils on the board flat out refused p>
“What does it matter if they refuse? We’re the majority shareholders p>
“That’s true, but we still have to listen to their opinions. Honestly, I can’t entirely blame them. When Ethan siphoned all that money, it terrified the board p>
They needed Lacey to feel guilty. At the mention of Ethan, Lacey immediately felt a deep sense of debt toward Adrian and Mara. Her eldest son had been so vicious stealing seventy percent of the company’s assets, and they had absolutely no way of getting it back.
“Is there really no other way for Mara p>
Adrian shook his head helplessly. “No. Unless p>
“Unless what p>
“Unless Mara herself becomes a major shareholder. Then they wouldn’t be able to say a word p>