Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

When the group returned to the 47th floor, it was already past 4 p.m.

The secretary had already prepared tea and coffee as instructed.

Gutfred led Satsuki into the office, and seeing her sit down on the sofa, he specially had someone move the plate of snacks closer to her.

"I was so busy showing you around today that we missed afternoon tea. Try this first; I had my secretary prepare it specially."

"You've been very hospitable today."

Satsuki picked up her teacup and glanced at her secretary, who was busy pouring coffee for everyone.

"If this continues, I'll feel bad taking up any more of your time."

"Please don't say that."

Gutfred took off his suit jacket, handed it to his secretary, and sat down opposite Satsuki.

"The thing I have plenty of right now is time. As long as it's business with Ms. Saionji, I'm willing to clear my schedule for tomorrow."

"Then your secretary probably won't be too happy."

"She's used to it."

Gutfred glanced toward his secretary.

"Right, Mary?"

The secretary held the coat he had just taken off, looking rather helpless.

"Sir, the schedule for tomorrow morning has been changed twice already."

"See, what did I tell you?"

Gutfred turned around and shrugged.

"She even had her complaints ready."

Satsuki's lips curled up slightly.

After the secretary left, Williams picked up the dark-colored folder from the table. Gutfred reached out and took it, but didn't open it immediately.

"How was it? Was today's trip somewhat interesting?"

"It's much more interesting than sitting in a conference room listening to presentations."

Satsuki picked up a pastry.

"However, I now understand why you like bringing up those old subordinates so much. When that supervisor asked you for your bonus just now, you seemed even happier than he was."

"Happy? I'm just used to it."

Gutfred picked up his coffee and couldn't help but shake his head.

"If you've known him for twenty years, you'll know that if this guy doesn't come to talk to me about bonuses for three consecutive months, I'll have to ask someone if he's planning to switch jobs."

"Then you'd better leave him some room to negotiate."

"Don't worry, I've been competing with him for so many years, I won't suddenly disappoint him."

As Gutfred spoke, he put the coffee cup back on the saucer.

Satsuki was willing to ask questions and chat with the officials today, which was better than he had expected.

He had already wasted a lot of time, so he glanced at the folder on the table and reached out to open it.

"Speaking of which, we've already discussed quite a bit of business downstairs, and we've left the things we prepared this morning until now."

He pulled out two pages from inside and handed them to Satsuki.

"Williams has had it renovated. Take a look and see if there's anything you're not satisfied with; we can fix it now."

Satsuki took the document.

"Are you really planning to finalize it today?"

"Of course. It's rare that you have time today, I can't let such a good opportunity pass me by."

Gutfred leaned back on the sofa, his tone still relaxed.

"Besides, your people have officially started working today. How many people are watching Solomon, waiting to see what Saionji will do next?"

"It's better for both of us to clarify things that can be said publicly as soon as possible."

Satsuki lowered her head and flipped through the manuscript.

"Regarding the capital cooperation part, you didn't write down the specific arrangements, did you?"

"No. I know your team has just joined, and it would be unreasonable to ask you to agree to a certain amount now."

Goodfred reached out his hand to Williams.

The other party handed him his manuscript, and he turned to the first page and pointed it out to Satsuki.

"We only said that the two sides are discussing the possibility of further cooperation, including long-term capital arrangements."

"As for the final method, we'll discuss that after your people finish their work. These are all things we've already discussed, so it shouldn't put you in a difficult position."

"This way of writing is acceptable."

Satsuki finished reading the first page and turned to the next one.

Gutfred picked up his coffee, but his eyes remained on the documents in her hand.

The first few paragraphs are indeed fine.

Continuing long-term cooperation, discussing capital arrangements, and supporting the continued operation of Solomon's existing businesses—these are all consistent with the attitudes that Satsuki has previously expressed.

Until she saw that sentence in the middle of the second page.

The current management team will continue to advance the recovery plan and work closely with Saionji Temple to ensure business continuity.

Satsuki's gaze lingered on it for a moment.

Oh?

She looked up at Gutfred.

That old fellow really knows how to pick his timing.

Today, I specially took her on such a long tour of Solomon Islands, letting her meet so many traders and department heads who are still working diligently. Finally, producing this statement seems like a natural thing to do.

Moreover, there are no obvious flaws in the wording.

Supporting the company to resume operations and maintain management continuity sounds like exactly what Solomon needs right now.

But once this statement is released along with the joint statement from both sides, it's hard to say how the newspapers will interpret it tomorrow.

Satsuki turned back to the second page and glanced at the previous content again.

"Overall, it's well written."

Gutfred held his coffee, waiting for her to continue.

"The sections on the cooperation agreement and capital arrangements can be kept. There's only one place I want to change."

She turned the document around and pointed to the line of text in the middle of the second page.

"Delete the section about the current management team here."

Gutfred had already brought his coffee cup to his lips, but upon hearing this, he slowly put it down.

"This sentence?"

"Um."

Satsuki handed him the document.

"Just keep the support for Solomon's continued operation. As for who will be responsible for advancing the recovery plan, I don't think it's appropriate to include that in the joint statement right now."

Gutfred looked down.

That was a sentence he added himself that morning.

He picked up his pen, paused for a moment beside that line of text, then looked up and asked:

"Are you worried that outsiders will interpret this as Saionji preparing to interfere in Solomon's personnel arrangements?"

"That's not what I'm most worried about."

"What is that?"

"We haven't talked about that stage yet."

Satsuki answered naturally.

"Your team and our people are discussing cooperation, and the formal due diligence only started today. It's a bit too early for Saionji to comment on who will manage Solomon in the future."

"Besides, this isn't a capital agreement; it's just an explanation to the market of what both parties are doing."

After listening, Gutfred glanced at Williams.

Williams chimed in, "If we remove the description of the current management team, we can put business continuity first, together with existing business and customer service arrangements."

"Of course that's fine." Gutfred nodded, but still looked at Satsuki. "However, Ms. Saionji, I hope you'll also consider how people outside might interpret it."

He put the press release back on the table and leaned forward slightly.

"You saw so many people today. They're still working, and clients are still calling, but you and I both know what everyone's biggest worry right now is."

"Some people are afraid their departments will be shut down, and others are afraid that clients they've worked with for years will transfer their accounts away tomorrow. The situation seen by those outside institutions is much worse."

This time he didn't joke about the traders anymore, and his tone was much more serious than before.

"If we announce that Saionji is prepared to support Solomon, but avoid discussing the management arrangements, won't the market think that the two sides are still arguing about this issue?"

"But we hadn't agreed on any management arrangements in the first place."

Satsuki looked at him.

The statement was made very calmly, but Gutfred couldn't quite respond.

She picked up her teacup and waited for his gaze to return to her before continuing:

"I agree with what you just said; Solomon needs stability. That's why Saionji is willing to clarify what can be confirmed now."

"for example?"

"For example, the three-year cooperation agreement will be implemented as scheduled. For example, both parties are seriously discussing long-term capital arrangements. Furthermore, Saionji will not suddenly stop the cooperative projects that have already begun because of recent market rumors."

Satsuki pointed to the first few paragraphs of text on the first page.

"These things can be written more clearly. Haven't you always wanted your clients to know that Saionji is still willing to do business with Solomon? I can promise you that today."

As Gutfred listened, his expression softened slightly.

These promises certainly carry weight.

In particular, the fact that existing collaborative projects will not be halted due to market rumors is far more useful to Solomon, which is currently busy retaining customers, than a few general words of support.

But he wanted more than that.

"I appreciate your willingness to do this, Ms. Saionji." He paused, "However, I still hope you understand what managing continuity truly means for Solomon right now."

"I see."

"Then you should also know what will happen once the outside world starts speculating that the company is preparing to change management."

"Mr. Goodfred."

Satsuki put down her teacup.

"You personally introduced me to so many people today, and I believe you understand their value better than anyone else. However, their willingness to stay and continue working here is one thing, and it's another for us to make a commitment to management right now."

Gutfred's gaze fell on her face.

"I did not ask Saionji to guarantee anyone's term of office."

But after he said it, he himself felt that his explanation was somewhat weak.

If he really only asked Saionji to support Solomon's continued operation, then the previous paragraphs would have been sufficient.

He just added that sentence on purpose, implying that they both really know what they want.

Satsuki did not expose him.

"Then there's even less need for us to include that sentence, isn't there?"

Satsuki gestured to the press release in his hand.

"Supporting continued business operations, maintaining customer relationships, and continuing to advance cooperation are the things that both parties have already agreed upon."

"As for the rest, it's not too late to discuss them after we've reviewed the materials and discussed the capital arrangements in more detail."

The office was silent for a moment.

Gutfred looked down at the line of text and lightly drew a line next to it with his pen.

He could tell, of course, that Satsuki was leaving him some room to maneuver.

She did not dismiss Salomon's management team, nor did she mention replacing anyone. She was even willing to clarify the existing cooperation in a more explicit manner than the original draft, clearly indicating her intention to continue pushing forward with the investment.

But he could also tell that she was unwilling to fulfill those promises to herself.

The list that the legal advisor brought me this morning came back to mind.

Meeting materials from June.

Internal working draft.

Those people have already started investigating the regulatory issues, and he hasn't even received a single word of public support for the current management.

Gutfred capped the pen and put it back on the table.

"Ms. Saionji, there's something I'd like to ask you directly."

"Please speak."

"If the due diligence goes smoothly and Saionji decides to provide Solomon Islands with long-term capital, would you be willing to support the current management team continuing to oversee the recovery plan?"

Williams looked up at him.

That's already very straightforward.

Goodfred himself knew this.

He looked at Satsuki, waiting for her answer, not even noticing when the coffee in front of him had gone cold.

Satsuki didn't seem surprised.

From the first time they met, she knew that this old man would eventually bring up this issue.

"I cannot make that promise to you right now."

Gutfred's lips moved.

Satsuki continued:

"Saionji can support Solomon and is willing to invest resources to help it resume operations. However, I will not comment on the specific arrangements for the future management at this time."

"My stance remains the same whether it's written into the statement or not."

Even if we can reach an agreement on capital terms?

"That will have to wait until both sides have finished negotiating the terms."

Gutfred leaned back in his chair, glanced down at the press release, and seemed to want to say something more.

Satsuki, however, took the initiative to continue the conversation.

"However, Mr. Goodfred, you don't need to feel that our talks didn't go well today."

He looked up.

"How so?"

"We can issue the joint statement you requested."

"Existing collaborations will continue, and long-term capital arrangements will continue to be discussed. The business leaders I met today can also directly connect with Saionji's team in the future."

As she spoke, Satsuki took back the press release and added several revision suggestions next to the first paragraph with a pen.

"Furthermore, I think the content regarding the collaborative projects could be written in a more positive light."

"Didn't you just say that some clients are waiting for news from Saionji? At least on this matter, we can put their minds at ease."

She pushed the documents back in front of Gutfred.

"If both parties' legal teams can complete the verification today, it can be released tomorrow. What do you think?"

Gutfred looked down.

Satsuki did indeed add content for him.

She agreed to make Saionji's commitment to the existing cooperation clearer and was willing to send signals to the market together with Solomon even before the capital negotiations were completed.

This is clearly not an attitude of preparing to withdraw.

"Send it tomorrow?"

"Didn't you want it to be as soon as possible?"

Gutfred finally picked up the manuscript again.

"Of course, the sooner the better."

As he spoke, he gestured toward Williams.

"Have the public relations and legal departments prepare according to this revision. Keep all the points Ms. Saionji added."

Williams nodded and got up to contact the relevant personnel.

After the two of them were left alone in the office, Gutfred looked at Satsuki again.

"What about the next round of capital negotiations? When would you like to continue?"

"Once we have compiled the first batch of feedback from today's data, we can continue our discussions."

Satsuki picked up her teacup, her tone becoming more relaxed.

"You invited me to New York, you can't just let me visit the trading floor and then go back to Tokyo like this, can you?"

Gutfred finally picked up his coffee again.

"Of course not."

He glanced at the press release on the table, then looked at Satsuki.

"Then I'll wait for your good news, Ms. Saionji."

"I also hope it's good news."

Satsuki raised her teacup to him.

Gutfred took a sip, but his mind was still preoccupied with the deleted line, and he couldn't even taste it.

Tomorrow, Solomon will be able to announce to the market that Saionji is willing to continue the cooperation.

This is certainly good news.

But what he wants to know most right now is whether Satsuki will still be sitting here chatting and laughing with him like she is today after the lawyers from Saionji have finished reading the documents.

But when it comes to management, she refuses to make any promises.

Is it because the due diligence has only just begun, and she is indeed unwilling to make a statement too early?

Or was it that she never intended to stay in the first place?

Gutfred recalled the visit that afternoon. Satsuki had been in high spirits the whole way, had chatted happily with the officials, and was clearly quite satisfied with Solomon's business.

She should have been willing to save Solomon.

But would she be willing to save John Goodfred?

He took another closer look at Satsuki.

The girl was holding a teacup, and the smile on her lips was still the one he had known since their first meeting.

Just like when I visited.

Just like when I promised to issue a statement.

It's no different from refusing to endorse the current management.

Like an exquisite mask, it remains unchanged.

Did I really manage to guide her emotions?

Gutfred stared for a long time, but still couldn't find any answer in that beautiful face.

It was at this moment that he suddenly remembered something.

It is said that in Japanese business circles, many people privately refer to this eldest daughter of the Saionji family as—

"The Witch of the Saionji Family".