The Rise of Dragon Temple

Chapter 27

After Joseph’s phone call to Alpha 1, the two most powerful forces in Oplen started to make their

moves. Dennis summoned Ernie over and ordered all employees of Gempoint Group to stop work as

soon as possible. All the executives rushed to the conference room for an emergency meeting. As the

leader of underground forces in Oplen, Ernie took charge of more than half of the city’s entertainment

industries. His company, Mysticorps Group, ranked second only to Gempoint Group in the entire

region. The company owned theme parks, shopping malls, cinemas, nightclubs, and so on. Similarly,

Mysticorps Group staff have also stopped all their existing operations. All members of the senior

management team were ordered to rush to Gempoint Group’s headquarters. When the hundreds of

executives from both Gempoint Group and Mysticorps Group were all packed in a large conference

room, everyone was shocked. These business elites were clueless as to what had happened. All they

knew was that their respective bosses, who were not on good terms in the past, jointly held an

emergency meeting all of a sudden. Soon, something even more shocking happened. At the entrance

of the conference room, Dennis and Ernie were respectfully following behind a young man. When

Alpha 1 appeared, all the executives in the room were shocked once again. An unimaginable thought

suddenly emerged on their minds. Did Oplen’s two largest companies merge into one? Who was this

person in front of Dennis and Ernie? Alpha 1 sat directly on the main seat of the conference room.

Even so, Dennis and Ernie did not seem dissatisfied. Instead, they sat on both sides of Alpha l with

great excitement. Suddenly, the conference room, filled with hundreds of people, instantly fell silent.

After everyone was seated, Alpha 1 said to Dennis and Ernie, “It doesn’t matter whether you can

satisfy me or not. The two of you should know better. I’ll repeat myself once more. On the 15th of next

month, we’ll hold a grand wedding in Oplen with a budget of one billion. We’ll spend it all! All the cities

within Central Region are eligible to take part, and we will select a thousand new couples. However,

these couples must all pass a certain level of requirements. We can’t simply let anyone in. We’ll cover

all their weddings expenses, which includes the food and beverages as well. You guys can discuss this

within the next hour. The news of this event must spread throughout Oplen, and even the whole Central

Region. Make sure this goes viral! Okay, I’ve done my part here. The rest is up to you…” As soon as

Alpha 1 finished speaking, he sat calmly and did not care about anything

else. Although he remained silent, he exuded an imposing aura like that of a big boss. In fact, his aura

completely overwhelmed Dennis and Ernie. Alpha I was a strong warrior, so he would only yield to one

person-Joseph. Outside of Dragon Temple, Alpha I could rule over anyone else… After hearing Alpha

l’s instructions, Dennis and Ernie nodded respectfully. Immediately, all the hundreds of executives were

stunned by Alpha l’s words. At this time, a bold executive from Gempoint Group suddenly stood up and

asked Alpha 1, “May… May I ask a question, sir? I’m actually getting ready to be married next month.

Can… Can I participate in the wedding?” Although this executive knew that Alpha 1 definitely came

from a strong background, he wanted to hold a grand wedding for his beloved fiancée. “How dare you!

What gives you the right to speak now? Get out of here!” Furious, Dennis got up quickly and shouted,

which scared the good-looking executive to death.

“Mr. Drake… Sir, I’m sorry, I… I’ll get out now…” The executive was startled by Dennis’ cold gaze, so

much so that he wanted to leave immediately. “Wait a minute.” At this moment, Alpha 1 uttered.

Terrified, Dennis quickly replied, “I’m sorry, sir. My subordinates are ignorant. Don’t be angry…” Dennis

begged Alpha 1 so humbly that the executive was almost scared silly. However, Alpha I waved his

hand. “Haha, it’s okay. This person is good-looking, so it’s fine. Nobody said that our own employees

are not allowed to participate in this event, right? If there are benefits, of course, you should give

priority to your staff. Mr. Drake, don’t be stingy… Let this man participate, and offer him more resources

when the time comes…” Letting out a sigh of relief, Dennis quickly turned to the executive and said,

“You should thank Mr. Alpha 1.” Alpha 1 waved his hand and nodded with a smile. Then, the

atmosphere in the meeting room became extremely enthusiastic. More than 50 executives of the two

companies intended to get married this year. Soon, all plans were listed out. An hour later, official

websites of both Gempoint Group and Mysticorps Group stated, “On the 15th of next month, a

mysterious president will hold a grand wedding in the Oplen Cathedral, worth one billion! At the same

time, up to 1314 couples are invited to participate in the ceremony. Each couple will be sponsored one

million, including the wedding accessories, gowns, and so on. These items may also be sponsored by

Gempoint Group or Mysticorps Group. The one-billion budget will be entirely used up.” Upon Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

discussion, Dennis and Ernie had extended from 1000 couples to 1314, while they would cover the

additional costs. They chose 1314 couples as the number traditionally represented long-lasting love.

Ten minutes after the two announcements were released on the websites, all the billboards in Oplen

were also broadcasting the same message. Many well informed individuals have caught wind about the

event… Boom… All Oplen residents were completely shocked by this mysterious president’s actions. It

was one billion, after all, not to mention that over a thousand other weddings would be fully sponsored

up to one million each. People in Shelia could not imagine how grand it would be when the mysterious

president got married. One billion was offered to support more than 1000 new couples, which excluded

miscellaneous costs incurred on the wedding day itself. This wedding could easily cost more than one

billion… A few minutes later, citizens from more than 100 cities in the whole Central Region were also

completely dazzled by the news. Indeed, it was a huge project… Later, all the about-to-wed couples in

the Central Region, including Oplen, began to sign up with great enthusiasm. They wished to be

sponsored one million and hold a grand wedding along with the mysterious president. Which unmarried

woman could resist such a temptation? Therefore, the event instantly became a sensation…

At the same time, members of the Mooney family, who were still talking in the hotel room, saw this

piece of news. Lily immediately screamed, “My lord, isn’t this a tad too much? A wedding worth

billions?” Then, Lily turned her gaze to Paige. “Haha, Paige. Didn’t your so-called husband say that he

would hold a grand wedding for you earlier? Perhaps it’s the same as this one that’s worth billions. How

wealth of Joseph, haha…” Paige’s body trembled. She was no fool, so she naturally knew that Lily was

mocking her. Earlier, Joseph was talking big in front of her family, yet a mysterious

rich man suddenly decided to hold a magnificent wedding in Oplen next month. At the thought of it, she

wanted to find a place to hide her embarrassment. As for the mysterious rich man, could it be Joseph?

No way. She would never believe such a thing. Five years ago when she first met Joseph, he was dirt

poor, so much so that she was the one who bought him a mobile phone. In five years, there was no

way for him to make billions… Deep down, Paige wished that she was wrong this time. If Joseph were

here, he would definitely confront Lily, “That’s right, I’m the one who planned this wedding! Do you have

any problem with that?” Unfortunately, he was not there at the time. “Enough! Don’t you think it’s

embarrassing enough? Lily, you should keep your mouth shut as well. Paige is your cousin, so can you

treat her like family?” Leonard

was angry. What happened to Paige in the past made him ashamed. “Dad, I apologize on Paige’s

behalf. No matter what, she is a member of our family,

so can you please let her return to the company? It’s not easy for her to raise a child now…” Yahir felt

sorry for his daughter. Although he was furious, one could not change the past. What else could he do?

As soon as he finished speaking, Tommy said scornfully, “Hehe, Yahir. There is no open position in the

company now. Furthermore, there are also many other companies in Oplen. Why does she have to

come back? Lily should be more than enough for the job, right?” At this time, Estella could no longer sit

idle. Suddenly standing up, she retorted, “Don’t cross the line, Tommy! Dominic hasn’t even said a

word yet, so why are you stopping Paige from coming back? Indeed, she made a mistake, but Yahir

was right. Regardless of what happened in the past, she is a member of the Mooney family. Fine, Lily

has power and influence in the company, but why is Paige not allowed to return? You might as well

snatch all Yahir’s shares away.” “Estella, what do you mean by that? Why didn’t you bring up the

number of projects I’ve secured over these years?” Lily felt offended. “Enough, both of you! Will you

only be satisfied if Leonard suffers a stroke? Is this something to fight over? If Max hadn’t gone to the

military, would you have a chance to fight for a position in the company?” Leonard’s eldest son,

Dominic Mooney, who had not spoken all this while, uttered. As soon as he spoke, the room completely

quieted down. Indeed, amongst the third generation of the Mooneys, neither Paige nor Lily was the

most powerful figure. Instead, it was Maxton Mooney, who served as a lieutenant commander in the

military. Leonard often cared more about Dominic’s and Maxton’s opinions. After all, the future of the

family’s business still relied on Maxton. Money was not sufficient to strive in this society. One would

also need power and influence. Otherwise, no matter how wealthy one was, success was not

guaranteed. Seeing that no one was talking, Dominic looked at Paige, who was in the middle of the

room. “Paige, you are one of us, so it makes sense for you to return. In fact, it’s also possible for you to

take on some important positions in the company. Since you have brought shame to our family, you

should also contribute. Why not test it out? By the end of your probation period, you will officially

become a formal member of the company. What do you think?” Glancing at Yahir, Dominic then asked,

“Yahir, what do you think?” Yahir nodded, while Paige bowed her head and tacitly approved. Then,

Leonard took a deep breath and said, “Well, other companies have a probation period of at least two

months, some even lasting up to more than half a year. In our case, we shall not fix a duration. Paige, I

will list down three conditions. Once you fulfill them, you shall pass the probation period regardless of

the duration. Firstly, the Porter family in Guplyae owes us two million. Since we have failed to collect

this

debt for the past three years, you should get this settled. Secondly, our company now has a batch of

new products, so you are required to expand three new sales channels. Thirdly, we’ve had some

projects that have been difficult to be closed. You may choose one of them for further negotiation.” After

Leonard finished speaking, Yahir suddenly had a change of expression. He quickly said, “Dad; aren’t

these three conditions too difficult?” Tommy responded, “Yahir, didn’t Estella always talk bad about

Lily? But didn’t Lily satisfy such requirements when she first joined the company as well? Paige is only

a couple of months younger than Lily, right? She also graduated from a famous university, didn’t she?”

“Tommy! How can you compare them? How long did Paige work in the industry after graduating from

college? It did not even last a full year! How can she fulfill these three conditions?” Yahir said anxiously.

At this time, Paige looked up at her father. Although Yahir was angry with her, he still felt sorry for her.

Similarly, Estella felt the same way. After taking a deep breath, Paige said to Yahir, “Dad, it’s okay. I’ll

agree to the conditions. I am responsible for my actions. I will try my best to do what Grandpa said…”

Glaring at Paige, Yahir said with a darkened expression, “You know nothing! If those three conditions

were so easy to satisfy, they would have been completed long ago! Alas…” Leonard leaned forward as

he shifted his gaze from Yahir to Paige. “Paige, your father is right. These three conditions are difficult

to meet. Well, you are my granddaughter. If you complete at least one of the three, I will transfer you to

a formal position. If you complete two, you will be promoted to a supervisor. If you meet all three

conditions, you will be a manager.” After saying that, Leonard looked at Yahir. “Alright. Paige is my

granddaughter, after all. Now that I’ve lowered my requirements, do you have any objection?” Yahir

was silent. After a long while, he shook his head. “I… I have no objections.” Glancing at Yahir again,

Leonard warned, “Don’t you help Paige with these three conditions. Forget it. If you can help, go

ahead. That’s all for today. I’ll leave now. As for Joseph, you can deal with it yourself. I only have one

condition: don’t make the Mooneys a laughing stock in Oplen ever again!” After Leonard finished

speaking, he sighed before getting up and leave. Dominic and Tommy also followed suit. However,

when Lily passed by Paige, she paused for a moment and said sarcastically, “Paige, if you can’t meet

the requirements, you can ask me for help. However, I can only help you with the second condition. I

can’t help you with anything else.” “Hehe…” Lily walked away with a smile.

“Hmph. What are you talking about? Look at how arrogant she is. She is exactly the same as her

father. She’s only arrogant because of her fiancé, Rory. If it weren’t for his help, she wouldn’t have

landed a good project.” After Lily left, Estella spat. Yahir’s face darkened. He said to Estella, “Paige has

just come back not long ago. Don’t spout too much nonsense.” Infuriated, Estella continued, “Get out of

here! Do you not let me speak anymore? I should have stayed in Usmait City and not be bullied by you

here! You have been a coward for your whole life. Now, even our daughter is bullied by others in the

family!” Estella added after a pause, “Hmph. Even Lily relies on her fiancé Rory for business purposes.

At least she has someone to rely on. Who do we have? You’re unreliable, Yahir. Should we rely on that

poor soldier instead? A woman must marry a good man. I think it’s best for Paige to get married to her

college classmate Brooks the day after tomorrow. No matter what, he’s an executive in Gempoint

Group.” Hearing this, Paige trembled fiercely. With tears in her eyes, she clenched her fists. “Mom!

Don’t say such things anymore. I don’t need any help! If I can do it, I will do it; if I can’t, I won’t regret it!”

As Paige said this, her tears flowed down… In fact, Paige was reluctant to return to the family’s

company, but she did not want to disappoint her father either… With a change in expression, Estella

stopped talking… Meanwhile, Paige’s heart was filled with determination. She muttered to herself, “I

don’t need to depend on anyone’s help…”