Jenny furrowed her brows slightly, as if in disapproval, and opened her mouth, but her uncle didn't let her argue. He patted her on the shoulder with a good-natured smile and interrupted her:
"Alright, we came because your favourite cousin has called us. He is the boss now. Greet your second uncle and give us some space."
With a soft glare, Jenny pouted and turned her head away with dissatisfaction, though she only got a gentle, indulgent smile in response. She looked at the other uncle she had been ignoring and greeted him:
"Uncle Marten."
The lackluster tone showed how different the positions of the two elders were in her heart. Receiving a calm nod in response, she moved away from her second uncle's arms, and went to sit down on the sofa in the seating area, but not before throwing a glare at Alex.
Letting out a pout to express her dissatisfaction, she took out her phone from her purse, and set herself to not care about the rest in the office.
With a shake of his head, Sigurd went to sit on the second chair beside his elder brother, and look at his nephew across from them. But his focus on the latter didn't last long, as he turned to the side where Lance, doing his best to make himself inconspicuous, ended up attracting the attention of the tigers he had been trying to not be noticed by.
His face subtly warped with bitterness as Sigurd smiled at him:
"Little Lance, right? Riz's son."
Schooling his expression back into a display of respect, he nodded with a smile that was trying to not appear forced:
"Yes, mister Lenner."
Sigurd's smile grew as he nodded:
"It seems that Riz has Alex to thank for getting you where he has always wanted you to be. He will finally stop pulling at his hair and save himself from baldness. Hehehe…"
Lance's forced smile deepened to respond to the older man's soft laugh as he lowered his posture further. But as soon as Sigurd's gaze moved away from him, he took a subtle step to the side and to the back to make himself small in his field of view.
Sigurd didn't pay attention to him anymore, as he observed the only other person in the room who had not spoken yet up to now, apart from Alex. He looked at her up and down without being invasive, then spoke:
"Miss Sharon Kenner, right? The one Alex made us wait for yesterday."
The genial smile on Sigurd's lips took any bite out of his words, and at the same time, made it impossible to spot the true intentions behind them. Sharon didn't think much, nor did she show much reaction. She bowed slightly, and greeted politely:
"Director Lenner."
Sigurd nodded, and the friendliness he was projecting deepened:
"Welcome to Arland Group. Since Alex recognized your talent, I'm sure you will do well. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me."
Sharon bowed again, calm, unflappable:
"Understood. Thank you, director Lenner."
Sigurd nodded, and returned his gaze to Alex, this time, with an inquiring look:
"So, dear chairman, what did you call your second uncle and I for? We are all ears."
Alex rested his brown eyes on his third uncle. Whether the show just now was a display of control, of seniority, or just a genial display of his. His eyes went on to fall on his second uncle who had remained silent throughout everything, before he opened his mouth:
"I got to know that our negotiation to reach a cooperation agreement with K World Group has hit a snag. I want to know what happened."
Sigurd reacted first, raising his eyebrows as he turned to look at his elder brother:
"Oh? I didn't know that. What happened, Marten?"
Marten Lenner glanced at his younger brother, then looked squarely at his nephew. His gravely voice was flat when he answered:
"Nothing that needs the chairman to intervene. The negotiations have yet to fall through, and they will not fall through. I will take care of them."
Sigurd's intrigued expression shifted, his smile displaying his interest, before he looked away. Alex didn't press further either. After a simple look at his second uncle, he changed the subject:
"The Group has always functioned well, so there is no need to change much."
The two faces across from him displayed no reaction. His uncles simply listened as he went on:
"However, I'm different from my mother. I don't have her patience, so I will have to count on you, uncle Marten, for the expansion of the Group. You can use any means you want, so long as no stain falls onto the Group, and the name Lenner."
Silence suddenly fell into the office. Jenny stopped playing with her phone, Lance lowered his head slightly, while Sharon's expression flickered. Only the two older Lenner showed the smallest shift in demeanor, though the look in Marten's eyes deepened, and the smile on Sigurd's lips widened ever so slightly, full of interest.
His voice steady, Alex continued:
"I trust you, uncle, not to turn the Group into a stitched monster. It is a behemoth, and it must only grow to last, not to be short-lived."
With that, he turned to his smiling third uncle:
"Uncle Sigurd, I need you to keep our foundation steady. You will take care of the connections that have made the Group last until now. You know what can be done. I only demand stability."
Alex paused, letting his words sink in, before he looked at his two uncles, and asked flatly:
"So, uncles, can I count on you two?"
After a moment of silence, Sigurd's smile widened:
"You are really different from Grace. I can now see a bit of what father saw in you. He wasn't wrong to choose you as his main successor, right, Marten?"
Sigurd turned to Marten, and the latter only replied with a barely audible grunt. That made Sigurd's smile deepened, before he turned back to his nephew, and he nodded his head:
"We will get you a specific plan soon enough. After you agree, we will get to work."
Alex, impassive, nodded:
"Then I will be waiting."