After mulling it over, Shane’s interest in this seemingly enticing $200 million investment evaporated instantly, replaced by a heart full of misgivings and hesitation.
However, he had no intention of rejecting the investment outright, nor did he express any opposition on the spot.
After all, the other party was asking for results within a year.
A year was both long and short.
A year from now, Skylark might have nothing to do with him anymore.
Even if they couldn’t meet the requirements or the project failed, it wouldn’t be his headache, and he wouldn’t have to bear any responsibility.
The most important thing right now was to scam that $50 million initial investment into his hands.
As for subsequent troubles, let the next guy deal with them.
Having made up his mind, Shane looked up, his face returning to its usual calm.
He spoke to Bernie with a firm tone.
“Go now.
Get Jack and those representatives from State Street Global back here.
We’re having another short meeting to discuss the specifics of this capital injection and finalize it as soon as possible.”
Bernie nodded quickly.
“Yes, Boss.
I’ll go get them right away.”
With that, she turned and hurried out of the office.
Before long, the conference room was full again.
The meeting that had just ended was restarted.
This impromptu short meeting was very rushed.
There were no redundant pleasantries or nonsense; they got straight to the point almost immediately.
After hearing the injection plan and related conditions, the representatives from State Street Global raised no objections throughout.
Every one of them expressed agreement, not caring in the least that their own shares would be diluted.
They were clearly optimistic about the returns this investment would bring.
In contrast, Jack sat in his seat with a heavy expression, his brow furrowed deeply.
He looked suppressed, and the pressure on him spiked instantly, making it hard for him to even breathe.
He knew very well that the “three years” he had mentioned earlier was a conservative estimate—a vague answer, at best.
Whether it could actually be achieved was uncertain, as there were many unknown variables involved.
The timeframe had been slashed by two-thirds, and the R&D difficulty had increased exponentially.
He had zero confidence and felt this was an impossible task.
But faced with the layered pressure from the board members, their gazes filled with urging and warning, he could only bite the bullet and reluctantly agree.
He didn’t dare to offer a single word of protest.
Halfway through the meeting, the board members turned their gazes collectively toward Shane.
Their eyes carried a deliberate pressure, and their tone was one of non-negotiable persuasion, trying to convince him.
They wanted him to personally lead and participate in this drone R&D project to oversee the progress.
Shane, however, didn’t even think about it before refusing on the spot.
His tone was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
“I am currently the company’s CEO.
My primary responsibility is the overall planning and decision-making for the company.
I have no obligation to personally manage specific R&D work.”
“This is not within my scope of duties!”
“Furthermore, regarding the technical terms in the original financing agreement…”
“I have already fulfilled them all.
There has been no breach of contract.
The board has no right to interfere with my work, let alone force me to do things that aren’t part of my job.”
He paused, picked up the water glass on the table, took a small sip, and added flatly, “As for whether this financing succeeds or if the subsequent project moves forward, I personally offer no opinion and will not get involved.
It all depends on your decision.”
Shane had originally thought that since he had clearly refused and his attitude was so firm, the board members would realize the difficulty of the drone R&D project.
He expected them to realize that one year was impossible and perhaps drop the idea, giving up on this seemingly attractive but troublesome financing.
But to his surprise, the board members still refused to give up.
They insisted on pushing the financing through and even pulled out their trump card, pressuring him harshly with a tone full of threats.
“Shane, if you don’t cooperate with us, don’t participate in this project, and don’t help us get this done, then we’ll just have to remove you as CEO and choose someone else!”
Shane let out a scoff, a look of disdain appearing on his face.
“Remove me, then.
Who’s afraid of who?”
“As of today, I officially resign from the position of CEO of Skylark.
I will no longer hold any related positions.”
“At the same time, I will no longer bear any responsibilities or obligations brought by Skylark.
Anything that happens to the company from now on has nothing to do with me.”
“I won’t be threatened by you lot!”
A mere CEO position meant nothing to Shane; he had been wanting to shed this shackle for a long time anyway.
He didn’t usually manage the company’s specific affairs; most of the time, he just signed documents and went through the motions.
Being a figurehead CEO meant that whether he had the title or not made no difference.
Losing the CEO position would only have one impact: he could no longer use the identity as cover to help Smith quietly embezzle money from the company.
But that didn’t matter anymore—Smith had already skimmed most of what could be taken.
The easy money had already been divided between them.
The remaining funds were guarded strictly by the board.
Even if he stayed as CEO, there wouldn’t be much opportunity to act, and he wouldn’t gain much benefit.
His only slight concern was whether there would be any slips on Smith’s end because of his resignation—whether Smith might accidentally leave a trail and cause the whole scheme to collapse, dragging him down with it.
However, he also knew that Smith was traditionally meticulous and cautious, doing things without leaving a trace.
Catching him would be incredibly difficult, almost impossible.
Moreover, all the money skimmed through Smith had already been completely laundered through various channels.
Every cent had a legal source that could be traced, and taxes had been paid in full and on time.
There were no loopholes.
Even if Smith did accidentally slip up and get caught, as long as Shane refused to admit anything and insisted he knew nothing…
As long as there were no illicit dealings with Smith on record, even if the FBI came knocking, they could do nothing to him.
They would find no substantial evidence.
In addition to that, he had been quietly employing professional private investigators to secretly monitor Smith’s every move and word, not missing a single detail.
If anything went wrong on Smith’s end, or if something felt off, the private investigators would notify him immediately.
This allowed him to prepare in advance and mitigate risks in a timely manner, ensuring he wouldn’t be dragged down by Smith.