Two minor shareholders of the Aurantius Group were present today. Prompted by Luca's words, they immediately snapped to attention, looking at Dragan with suspicion.
Everyone knew that when Dragan was kicked out of the company, he didn't keep a single share. Forget influencing shareholder decisions; he wasn't even qualified to attend a shareholder meeting. So why was he acting so confident?
Dragan's smile froze. He licked his lips nervously, his brain sinking deeper into confusion.
"Kid, you'd better know what's good for you..."
Halfway through his sentence, Dragan's shifty eyes seemed to catch something, and he abruptly shut up.
As if regaining a sliver of clarity, his chest heaved as he struggled, trying desperately to pry Shamila's hand off his collar.
"You stray dog! Let go of me! This isn't your place to interfere!"
But how could his drug-ravaged, emaciated body compete with Shamila's strength?
Seeing that Dragan seemed to have nothing more to say, Luca lost interest in tangling with him.
This guy's brain is fried. He probably doesn't even know what he's trying to say.
Luca waved at Shamila to release him, then spoke coldly to Dragan.
"Get lost. You're not welcome here."
Hearing this, Dragan looked like he wanted to approach again, but upon noticing Shamila's clenched fist, he shrank back.
Ignoring the strange looks from everyone else, he cursed under his breath and walked away alone.
However, although he left, Luca still had to deal with the mess he left behind.
The somber atmosphere of the funeral had vanished completely.
Several guests closely associated with Aurantius Industries immediately crowded around to ask questions.
"Luca, is Ms. Aurantius really not going to wake up?"
"What that man said just now..."
Clearly, as the true helmsman of Aurantius Industries, Gina Aurantius held significant weight in these people's minds.
If something happened to Gina, these partners might have to reconsider their cooperation.
Seeing the crowd gathering, Luca first signaled to Shamila that he was fine.
Then, he took two steps forward, raised a hand to calm everyone down, and spoke steadily.
"I apologize for letting you all witness such a farce today. As for my mother, Ms. Gina, she is currently receiving effective treatment and could wake up at any time."
"If there are any changes in the future, the company will issue an official statement. Please be patient."
After saying this, Luca ignored the guests' varied expressions and pulled Shamila toward a quiet corner.
Seeing the 14-year-old boy act so calmly, many people chose not to press further.
After all, as Luca said, pestering him here was pointless. They were better off waiting for an official statement or investigating privately.
Even if they pressured him, the boy probably wouldn't reveal anything more.
Meanwhile, after pulling Shamila aside...
Watching Dragan's retreating figure swaying in the distance, Luca whispered into Shamila's ear.
"Auntie Shamila, please follow him. Wait until he's somewhere with no people..."
"Should I kill him?"
Hearing Shamila's sudden interjection, Luca broke into a cold sweat.
I didn't expect Shamila to be so violent...
That was "his" biological uncle, after all.
Although... that doesn't sound entirely unacceptable?
After a brief hesitation, Luca decided to stick to his own plan.
"Find a chance to grab him. Find out why he showed up here today. If anything happens, break his arms and legs and bring him back. We'll decide what to do then."
If not for the fact that there were too many people at the funeral—most of whom were wealthy or influential—and causing a scene would be troublesome, Luca wouldn't have let him leave.
Sending Shamila after him was to figure out why this high-as-a-kite idiot dared to come here and provoke them.
But now, Shamila hesitated.
"Master Luca, leaving you here alone..."
Luca shook his head slightly.
"It's fine. There are so many people here; I won't wander off."
"Besides..."
Luca patted his waist and continued.
"...I'm not defenseless."
"Go quickly. If he gets too far, he'll be hard to track."
Shamila nodded firmly, then quickly followed Dragan from the side.
Although some guests who had been watching them noticed Shamila's departure, no one said a word.
Watching the two disappear, Luca fell into deep thought.
Naturally, Luca placed great importance on his family's company.
His cheat ability seemed to be synthesizing items.
In this situation, having the company's funds and channels would make collecting "Core Components" and synthesis materials much easier in the future.
Not to mention, their company was a weapons manufacturer.
With the R&D talent, laboratories, and industrial equipment... if he could gain control, reverse-engineering items for mass production and expanding the company's scale wouldn't be impossible.
That was exactly why Luca had saved two "Sticky Missiles" from the [Pencil Missile] launcher earlier.
The problem was, Luca was only 14.
Aurantius Industries had always been managed by his mother, Gina, while his father, Hermann, handled R&D.
At his age, Luca had never had the chance to touch company affairs.
Now, with his father dead, his mother in a coma, and two other minor shareholders killed in the Battle of New York, the company had effectively been stagnant for the past week.
With all of New York in panic, the fact that Aurantius Industries was still operating smoothly was lucky enough. No one had taken the lead to call a shareholders' meeting or change management yet.
This also involved issues with Luca's inheritance and the transfer of company shares.
Normally, the process for Luca to inherit his father's estate could take up to a year, involving probate, asset liquidation, tax audits, court rulings, and more.
Part of his father's estate would also go to his mother, Gina.
Even though Gina was in a coma, as long as doctors didn't declare her brain-dead or permanently vegetative, she retained her inheritance rights.
If she were declared a vegetable, according to the will they had prepared, both shares of the estate would go to Luca.
However, in that case, 14-year-old Luca would have to deal with the issue of guardianship.
This could involve inheritance supervision, trust fund intervention, proxy holding of company shares, and a whole host of other troublesome matters.
That cheap, idiotic uncle... he isn't actually trying to fight for my custody, is he?