Claire froze for several seconds. Then she swallowed and said carefully, "I also believe that if these domestic luxury brands receive sufficient capital and exposure, their growth potential would be enormous. However… they're all developing quite well right now. Acquiring them would definitely require a significant premium."
She paused, choosing her words. "To acquire them together would likely cost over a billion dollars."
From Claire's perspective, this was not a small decision. Jason had just acquired Starlight Fashion Group. Although he had earned a fortune short-selling CloudMode International, he had also lost a major client and triggered a boycott from several foreign luxury brands. Any rational businessman would keep a large cash reserve at this point. Spending over a billion dollars to acquire three rising domestic luxury brands now felt… reckless.
But Jason's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Over a billion isn't a problem. Don't disclose this externally yet. Start the acquisitions immediately."
Claire's pupils shrank. Luxury brands on an upward trajectory always demanded high premiums. Yet Jason didn't hesitate for even a second.
In truth, Jason preferred acquisitions far more than building brands from scratch. If you truly had capital, investing was far more efficient than founding. Buffett received hundreds of millions annually just from Coca-Cola dividends—while Coca-Cola's CEO worked himself half to death for a fraction of that. Another example was TitanTech—if a startup innovated too fast to suppress, TitanTech simply bought it.
Jason's advantage was capital. He had no interest in being tied down by daily operational trivia. Investment and acquisition were the optimal path—and likely would be in the future as well.
Before Claire could fully digest his words, Olivia had already stood up. "General Manager, we'll immediately reassess the valuations and finalize the acquisition structures, and proceed as quickly as possible."
Claire felt slightly dazed. Not only was Jason Carter accustomed to casually acquiring companies—even his executive assistant treated billion-dollar acquisitions as routine tasks. She could only nod reflexively. "I've already completed an internal valuation. It may not be fully accurate, but I'll provide everything for review."
Jason nodded once. "Good." With that, he turned and left the conference room.
Outside, Josh hurried after him. "Boss, I truly want to support domestic luxury brands as well, but realistically speaking, foreign luxury houses are still the most profitable and influential. I don't want to see Starlight Fashion slowly fade into obscurity."
Jason stopped walking. He turned his head slightly, his gaze calm but cold. "Josh, you used to be extremely deferential to Edward. Don't you think you should have at least a little backbone? My decision is final. You either cooperate fully with General Manager Cheng and do your job properly—or you pack your things and leave."
Josh's face stiffened. Before he could respond, Jason had already turned away. He reached out and naturally took Grace's hand as she walked toward him. The two left together.
Behind them, the female models watched Jason's back with eyes full of admiration. Angela stood rooted to the spot. Her expression twisted with struggle. She knew her choice to leave back then likely meant she was no longer in Jason's favor. Yet… she couldn't suppress the urge to try one last time.
She stepped forward quickly. But before she could speak, Jason walked straight past her. No pause. No glance. As if she didn't exist.
Angela's face drained of color. She froze in place.
Then, a figure slipped in front of her. It was Wendy. As proactive as ever.
Today, Wendy wore a modernized pleated heritage skirt paired with a tight black knit top, perfectly outlining her mature, curvy figure. At first glance, she appeared elegant and composed—yet every movement carried the quiet allure of a confident woman.
She smiled sweetly and spoke in a playful tone. "Mr. Carter… are you heading back to Skyview Pavilion?"
Angela stood behind her, completely forgotten.
Jason Carter smiled faintly. "No. I've practically worn myself out these past couple of days. I'm planning to travel around a bit. I've been in Harbor City for a while now and haven't really looked around."
Traveling was part of it—but there was another reason. He wanted to quietly scout whether there was a suitable location to set up a Spirit-Gathering Sub-Array.
Wendy laughed softly. "Then how about I be your tour guide? I've lived in Harbor City for quite some time—I know it pretty well."
Jason glanced at her. "That sounds great, but isn't the second half of the model competition still ongoing?"
Wendy waved it off casually. "Not today. I usually train hard anyway. Missing one rehearsal won't matter—it's a good excuse to rest."
Jason nodded. "Alright then. Thanks for the trouble."
Wendy stepped closer and naturally looped her arm through Jason's free arm, smiling brightly. "No trouble at all. Traveling with you is something I'd be happy to do."
Jason left the building with Grace on one side and Wendy on the other. Behind them, many of the other models felt a wave of regret. Was preparing for the competition really more important than accompanying the boss? As long as the boss was pleased, winning awards would come easily anyway. And this boss was young, powerful, charismatic—and outrageously wealthy.
That afternoon, Wendy played the role of tour guide with enthusiasm. Though her knowledge was mostly limited to famous attractions rather than local history, her attentiveness and warmth made the trip genuinely enjoyable for Jason.
That night, they stayed at a downtown hotel. After showering, Wendy knocked on Jason's door. Jason didn't make things awkward. Her favorability had already exceeded the threshold—and her intentions were obvious. What followed was a gentle, unhurried closeness filled with mature charm and emotional warmth. It was a unique experience.
So much so that over the next few nights, Jason and Wendy were inseparable. Even when Wendy returned to the competition during the day, she would still come back to Jason's room at night.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. CloudMode International's stock price collapsed completely, hit rock bottom, announced delisting, and formally entered bankruptcy proceedings. Jason repurchased the borrowed shares at an extremely low price and returned them. Net profit: over 700 million dollars.
The model competition also concluded. The organizer directly handed the final ranking sheet to Jason for confirmation. Jason didn't interfere. He explicitly prohibited any form of under-the-table manipulation.
In the end, Katherine won champion, Sophia took runner-up, and Wendy placed third. A competition without unspoken rules ultimately came down to looks and runway skill. If catwalk technique weighed slightly less, Wendy might have placed second.
On the day the competition ended, Jason made another announcement. Starlight Fashion Group had officially acquired CloudWeave, Porcelane, and OmniCraft. All three brands would become permanent fashion-week partners.
Furthermore, Starlight Fashion would collaborate deeply with these three brands and New Vision Media to build a new generation of luxury live-commerce model influencers. For now, the two core figures being promoted were Katherine and Wendy.
The senior management erupted with excitement. Josh, on the other hand, felt numb. He had thought it was just cooperation. It turned out Jason had directly bought the brands. If he had known earlier, he would have followed Jason without hesitation. Perhaps he wouldn't have even lost his general manager position.
The models were buzzing with excitement and envy. They all understood what this meant. If Katherine and Wendy performed well, they would become brand ambassadors for three major luxury labels—their status would skyrocket.
Katherine's promotion was unquestionable—she won by sheer strength. Sophia placed second but wasn't selected. Wendy, third place, was. The reason was obvious. Yet no one complained. Even Sophia accepted it calmly—she had already received her full runner-up prize money, and this project was outside the competition's rewards.
Angela felt her heart twist painfully. After leaving Jason, her promotion resources had dropped to the lowest tier of an S-level contract. The gap between her and favored figures like Grace had only widened. Now even Wendy was about to surpass her.
Worse still, Wendy was already wearing top-tier custom designs from CloudWeave, Porcelane, and OmniCraft, with a single outfit worth over 200,000 dollars. Angela regretted it again. Deeply. But she knew there was no longer a place for her by Jason's side.
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