The atmosphere became tense.
"I'm already old. I may not live long enough. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of leaving LR Enterprise to the wrong person."
Bitterness was all over their faces. They silently squeezed their hands under the table. The old man's words were enough to make his offspring feel disappointed.
They may have inherited blood from Robert, but the only thing that he loved as a child was LR Enterprise.
Building a company was like raising a child. Robert had to devote everything so that LR Enterprise would flourish.
Robert had concerns about the future of LR Enterprise after his passing, as he feared that there would be no competent successor who could continue to nurture it.
William was frustrated after hearing his father's words.
"Father, is there no one among us who doesn't have the qualifications to lead LR Enterprise? Don't you believe in us?"
"No. You are all hopeless."
From Robert's point of view, William as the first son lacked skills. Liliana was too emotional when faced with problems, and Steve was bad at building relations.
They were bowed in shame.
However, that was not the main reason why he did not want to give the company and his shares to them.
"The world has changed since the awakener existed. Sooner or later, they will take over the world. People like us will lose power."
The rise of awakeners brought great changes to the social and economic order of the world.
Back then, the people with power were the ones with money. Thanks to money, they could escape the law, bribe judges and police, evade taxes, and even choose a leader.
In this era, it's not the rich or the conglomerates that have the most influence in government, but the awakeners.
Awakeners were the embodiment of power itself. One individual S-Class could destroy a battalion of soldiers in a blink of an eye.
If people like this had a will of their own, they couldn't be controlled. Even worse, they did not rely on the government, but rather, the government relied on them. Only the awakener could protect humanity from the monsters.
And right now, awakeners who shared the same vision and goals were banding together. They were creating an organization that was no less powerful than the conglomerate companies.
They were united under the name "guild".
In the USA, there were currently at least five powerful guilds. They were called the Five Pillars. They had great influence over politics and economics in their territories.
Washington was the headquarters of the number one guild in the USA, the Falcon Knight Guards.
Over the past seventeen years, LR Enterprise had slowly lost its influence in Washington, while the Falcon Knight Guards had grown more and more powerful by the day.
From here, Robert realized that he needed to take maneuver before his company was dictated by other guilds.
Robert needed to establish his own guild to protect LR Enterprise.
"I will give all my shares to my grandson who is able to create a guild. A guild that is strong and powerful enough to compete with the Five Pillars."
Now, everything became clear.
The aura of competition began to emanate from them. William could not hide his ambition. Liliana secretly squeezed her hands until they bled. Steve remained calm, but the gaze in his eyes was fiery.
Of all the people in the room, only Klaus looked calm.
"LR Enterprise, this company will be my first stepping stone," he muttered.
Robert only smiled at their ambition.
"That's all I want to say. I need to rest. You should go home."
With that, Robert Lee's 79th birthday celebration was over. The family gathering ended in a tense atmosphere.
...
Steve threw his coat on a chair and rolled up his sleeves when he arrived at his workroom.
The sensation of tension was still visible on his face, though he had been traveling for two hours, while Klaus had a flat expression, as if nothing had happened.
"You heard what your grandfather said, right? We need to make a strategy."
"Calm down, dad. We don't need to rush. I'm sure Uncle Will and Liliana are as surprised as we are. For now, we need to think clearly," Klaus replied.
Klaus poured a pitcher of water into a glass and served it to his father.
"You're taking it too lightly, Klaus," Steve scolded. "You sound like you already have a plan."
"Indeed, I have."
Steve reflexively stood up as he heard his son's words, while Klaus casually poured himself a glass of water.
"Do you know what you're talking about? Founding a guild is no easy matter. We are at a disadvantage."
There were several requirements that must be met to establish a guild. Besides needing members and a clear legal entity, a guild needed a guild master with a minimum rank of B-Class, while Klaus was only an F-Class awakener.
In other words, they needed a third party to become a guild master. They needed a figurehead for their guild.
However, hiring a third party was very risky. Maybe they would be obedient in the beginning, but if the guild got bigger it was not impossible that they would be uncontrollable.
That's what Steve was worried about.
"I've already prepared someone for this. You don't have to worry, dad."
Steve squinted. "Do you know a B-Class awakener?"
"Trust your son," Klaus replied in a reassuring tone.
His father let out a sigh of relief as he leaned back in his chair. One problem solved.
"You don't have to think about the guild, dad. I'll take care of it. I want you to focus on other things."
"What's that?" Steve asked.
"I want you to set up a company to support our finances."
If they wanted to build a guild, then they needed to do recruitment, building, and licensing which required a lot of money.
But most importantly, they needed members.
A common reason for awakeners to join a guild was money. So, they needed a large source of funds if they wanted to do mass recruitment. They needed money from investors.
Steve pursed his lips. "You don't have to worry. LR Electronic will be your guild's investor, I will also use some shell companies."
However, Klaus' plans did not end there.
"Investors are definitely what we need, but that's not what I meant."
Steve frowned. "You want a company of your own?"
Klaus smiled as he nodded his head. "Yes. I'll turn this company into a money tree for my guild."
