The Versatile Master Artist

One second, two seconds... ten seconds passed... half a minute passed.

Only Miss Anna raised her arm.

Not a second shareholder followed suit.

One vote against, twelve votes in favor.

On March 19, 2017, at 9:17 AM Vienna time, the proposal for Krueger Brothers Bank to acquire ”Oil Painting” magazine was officially passed!

This is one of the top three ranked acquisition deals for a single independent magazine publication this century.

Everyone in the venue felt like they were at a historical moment.

Everyone clearly understood that the domination of the magazine by the Ilyena family, which lasted for a century, was formally announced to be over at this moment.

Now belongs to the new era of the powerful Krueger Bank.

When the voting result was announced by Sir Brown, who hosted the meeting.

Lady Elina’s secretary, Eliot, couldn’t bear to look at the expression on Miss Anna’s face, so she deliberately turned her head to look at the floating curtain by the window.

Anna’s face did not show much emotional expression.

Everyone knew she must be in great inner turmoil.

But, she didn’t burst into hysterical crying.

She only pressed her lips slightly and signed her name on the shareholder resolution with a pen, turning herself into a silent ice sculpture.

This made many feel that this young girl was heartbreakingly strong.

”Tch, I thought what would happen. Seems someone’s speech wasn’t as effective as she imagined. Trying to change everything with a few minutes of speech, who does she think she is, Kennedy or Little Moustache?”

Hellefi was particularly ruthless.

He was also one of the shareholders who could benefit the most from the acquisition deal.

For a moment just now, he was genuinely afraid that some weak-minded individuals around him would be swayed by Miss Anna.

Now that the situation has settled, the old fat man felt a huge stone in his heart finally drop.

”Looks like the surname Ilyena isn’t, as Miss Anna imagined, worth tens of millions of euros in real gold and silver...”

”Alright, Helafi Shareholder, you better stop now.”

Helafi was originally planning to utter some more biting sarcasm, but was interrupted by his own associates beside him.

”I apologize, Anna.”

Sakurai Rikuya silently signed his name in the section supporting the proposal.

Then he looked up directly into the girl’s eyes, ”The Ilyena family is remarkably great, but this truly isn’t merely a matter of tens of millions of euros. Your ideals are respectable but they no longer fit this era.”

Choosing the Ilyena family or Krug Bank is entirely not about valuation.

Essentially, it’s about choosing different rules of the game.

To continue standing on the sidelines of the sea of money as a lonely spectator, or decide to become one of the participants at the table of this gambling game—this is a political stance decision.

Krueger Bank’s entry is merely the first mast raised in the grand plan for ”Oil Painting” magazine to sail the financial sea.

Next comes bold strengthening and deep collaboration between leading galleries, and establishing the first art fund named after ”Oil Painting” magazine, along with a series of complex financial operations.

Its economic value will be inflated like a balloon expanding, consistently blown by the ”hot money” of the investment market amid deepening commercial transformations.

Everyone present will be beneficiaries during its soaring process.

Globally, ultra-high-net-worth families hold approximately $2.34 trillion in art collections, a figure between the GDP totals of France and Russia among the top five.

Art funds exceeding ten billion dollars abound in Europe and America.

The ”Oil Painting” fund has no reason not to become the next wealth myth.

Just as Professor Sakurai Rikuya said.

It’s not that people don’t want to give face to the Ilyena family, but it’s genuinely not a matter of how many tens of millions of euros.

Let’s say something even more realistic and harsh.

Uncle Osborne’s letters can be full of sympathy because he’s not a shareholder of ”Oil Painting” magazine, naturally able to talk while standing painlessly.

If he were in the positions of these shareholders, he would also find it difficult to make a different choice.

In today’s shareholder meeting, so many shareholders stood against Miss Anna, even without Krueger Brothers Bank, another investment institution would simply replace its role.

Miss Ilina’s efforts are like Sisyphus pushing a rock.

The ending was already written.

”Alright.”

Sir Brown smiled and raised his teacup, using the bone china tea lid to scrape the edge of the cup, took a sip, and said with a smile, ”Then let’s proceed to the next agenda, the dismissal of Anna Ilina’s board seat.”

-----------------

The shareholder meeting continued into the afternoon.

Apart from Sir Brown’s initial proposal, none of the meeting agendas saw all shareholders reaching consensus again.

There were no dramatic ups and downs.

Twelve shareholders supported, one opposed, with every agenda yielding the same result.

Propose the motion,

The shareholders raised hands to vote down Lady Elina’s objection.

The shareholders signed on forming new resolutions.

As if a film projector with a glitch, repeating the cycle over and over again.

Even so, due to the acquisition plan and stock variations involving hundreds of millions of euros, the meeting went on for several hours before approaching its end.

”Gentlemen, the magazine employees have delivered cold meals for work. However, I think we should finish handling this last agenda first and then go outside for a dinner together. Perhaps we could open a bottle of champagne; I know a good Italian restaurant nearby, where I have stored a bottle of unopened 2003 Romanée-Conti.”