Chapter 130
Chapter 130
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: In Joy or Sorrow (6)
As I'd mentioned before, I'd decided to reject the marriage proposal from Cineron Medica.
But there was still room left for collaboration with them.
Pharma companies, hospitals, and insurers were each other's most vital trading partners, after all.
Even without a political marriage-level alliance, pursuing mutual gains through a standard partnership wasn't a bad option.
Moreover, Cineron Medica was a near-mega-corp behemoth.
Simply turning down an overture from a player like that via written notice alone would be poor business etiquette.
I figured that even if I was rejecting it, I should at least meet the person involved face-to-face once.
Which was why today, I was set to meet Ronan Criswell—the very subject of the proposal and the nephew of Cineron Medica's chairman.
======
Cineron Medica.
A pharmaceutical giant ranked 16th among the city's top 100 companies.
But labeling it simply a pharma company fell far short of the mark.
It was one of the three bio giants that dominated the global healthcare industry, holding patents on half of all medications currently available worldwide.
Especially in the Americas, where Omega Detroit had been founded, it was practically their exclusive turf—so buying any medicine in this city meant using their products one way or another.
Cineron's stature in the medical world was absolute as a result.
"That's exactly why it's so suspicious!"
The day before the meeting, Yoanna declared with fire blazing in her eyes.
"There are thousands of hospitals in this city alone, and Eleos Medical Center's market share is still under 3 percent. Even with Lumina Group and Tessellation as our backers, there's no reason for a near-mega-corp like Cineron to reach out first. It's weird! It's shady! Now do you get why I was so dead set against your marriage?!"
"..."
It sounded plausible enough at first glance...
But perhaps because the vivid image of the girl flopping onto the floor and kicking her legs in a tantrum the moment she heard about the proposal was still fresh.
Somehow, it just didn't carry much weight.
I replied in a soothing tone, as if calming her down.
"I told you, I'm definitely rejecting the marriage. But we might still collaborate in other ways, so this is just a courtesy meeting. Anyway, if we're going to keep running the hospital business, there's no upside to getting on their bad side."
"..."
Yoanna seemed to have no ready retort. And she was right; that was the reality.
Cineron Medica was a mega-corp just shy of the top tier.
But in modern society, it only paled against the capital overlords who monopolized each of the top ten industries single-handedly. Compared to Prosper Wellness, the medical insurer we'd tangled with recently, it was worlds apart in scale and influence.
Turning down a proposal from a company like that without even a face-to-face could ripple in unpredictable ways.
'Of course, it might just be overthinking it...'
Meeting the proposer once wasn't exactly a tall order anyway.
Besides, I had some personal curiosity as well.
On the surface, this marriage proposal looked like a far bigger loss for Cineron. No matter how steeply the church was growing, we hadn't posted results warranting the chairman's nephew popping up out of nowhere with a political marriage offer.
'But if I start nitpicking whether Ronan himself had some defect... nah, that wasn't it.'
Ronan Criswell, the chairman's own nephew.
At twenty-nine, he'd climbed to VP at headquarters—what we'd call an executive director-level post.
Might seem like a nepotism plant at first blush, but his track record of business savvy was dazzling.
Spotting dev firms with promising drug candidates, snapping them up, then churning out massive sales profits—he'd steadily stacked achievements, earning high marks internally.
'Rumor even has it he might leapfrog the chairman's own kids as successor.'
And his looks didn't lag behind either.
On the terminal screen displaying his profile data.
A photo of a white guy handsome enough to be a movie star floated there.
Even just a basic profile shot, but that crisp suit alone gave off fashion spread vibes.
Thanks to that killer visual, Ronan Criswell had unusually high name recognition for a corporate exec—articles like this were a dime a dozen.
[Omega Daily Special: 99 Alpha Circle Heiresses Pick 'The Perfect Groom']
Going through the various materials, I ended up more puzzled than before.
Why on earth would a guy like this propose marriage to the church?
He could snag matches with way better terms anytime.
'Guess I'll find out when I meet him.'
Clearing up that minor curiosity, sounding out business collab potential.
And above all, politely turning down the marriage.
That was the point of this meeting.
I explained it all to Yoanna step by step.
"Got it? Just a quick chat and I'll head right back, so no need to worry too much."
"..."
But the girl was still wearing a pout.
She couldn't fully hide her dislike, but once logically persuaded, she didn't throw another fit.
Kind of admirable, in its way.
So I pulled out the gift I'd prepared and said,
"Here, a present. A little reward for Yoanna, who's been such a good listener lately."
"...Huh?"
Yoanna tilted her head as she took the elegant case.
It was something I'd picked up during that shopping trip before.
'Of course I didn't just grab stuff for Esty.'
Yoanna had been helping me plenty too, so she deserved thanks just as much.
The gift I was handing her now... was a luxury fountain pen made of platinum.
Yoanna cracked open the case and stared at it, momentarily speechless.
"..."
I'd waffled a bit between that and something like a bracelet accessory, but somehow, I figured she'd prefer this.
The church's entire administrative framework was practically her handiwork alone—no exaggeration. It was an achievement no one without real passion could've pulled off. I wanted to stoke some pride in her hard work.
So as a nod to her authority and skill overseeing every bit of our church's admin, paperwork, and planning, I'd gone with the pen.
I explained my thinking and cautiously gauged her reaction.
"What do you think? Like it?"
"..."
The girl stared blankly at the pen in her hand for a good while.
Then she suddenly threw her arms around me.
"Sis! Thank you!! I'm the happiest ever!"
"Hehe, seeing you this happy makes me glad too."
I gently stroked the head of the girl in my arms.
Then, out of nowhere, Yoanna spoke up again.
"Still... you gotta be careful."
"Hm...?"
"Every decent guy out there is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Well, not just guys... but anyway, since it's him you're meeting..."
What the heck was she on about?
I was briefly thrown by the sudden word salad...
But Yoanna pulling stuff like this was par for the course, so I let it slide.
"Yeah, yeah."
Who was counseling whose grasp of men's hearts here, anyway?
I chuckled to myself.
======
Elysium Suite, the ultra-luxury hotel in Alpha Circle.
Finally facing Cineron Medica's director, Ronan Criswell, in the meeting room, he cut an even more striking figure than his photos.
Stylishly groomed black hair, sharp gray eyes radiating intellect—a handsome guy anyone would concede the point on.
But more than the formal suit or actor-tier looks, it was his aura that stood out.
The effortless poise and self-assurance unique to a successful man oozed from every pore.
Yet without a whiff of arrogance, in a voice that stayed politely measured, he said,
"'Dominate the market before you turn a profit.' A line from Sky Grid founder Victor Wedrun."
What followed was the origin story of a certain company.
"The unmanned delivery startup Victor launched, Sky Grid, posted zero profits for its first full decade in service. It racked up billions in accumulated debt over that span. Even as critics called the tech premature, they never stopped their upfront investments in drone delivery platforms and automated logistics centers."
Ronan pressed on in his signature low, velvety timbre.
"Ten years. Sky Grid weathered that endless red ink to keep its customer base intact. And when those customers synced up with the finally completed cutting-edge infrastructure and economies of scale, they locked down e-commerce logistics with unbeatable six-hour delivery on anything. Legacy rivals crumbled before the unmanned network's dirt-cheap rates."
"Those profits got plowed right back into global infrastructure builds, and now Sky Grid's service is indispensable not just in Omega Detroit but every major city on Earth."
"That's how it hit number seven on the city top 100—Sky Grid, the multinational colossus ruling the distribution game."
Ronan paused briefly, fixing me with a steady gaze.
"What let Sky Grid endure that trial by fire to birth a masterpiece? A CEO with uncommon vision, and investors sharp enough to back that success to the bitter end."
His eyes gleamed.
"That's the spot I see the Radiance Church climbing to. Red ink in a surefire winner is just an investment opportunity."
I replied,
"So that's why you proposed marriage to me?"
Ronan Criswell seemed more unshakably convinced of our success than even me, the church's head.
"Exactly. I looked into it—the Radiance Church isn't incorporated as a legal entity yet. Can't buy shares for equity, so investing in the person was the only play."
As he said that, Ronan seemed to pick up on something, flashing a soft smile.
"Of course, that's not the whole story. Truth be told, I started out just crunching the church's growth potential. But the moment I laid eyes on you today, I have to admit my interests... shifted a bit. Miss Evania, you're far more captivating than my projections accounted for."
"..."
I kept a straight face, but the abrupt flirtation turned my stomach a little.
'Ugh...'
Stunning looks, silver-tongued banter and vibe tuned to delight women, honeyed compliments delivered in that resonant voice.
Any other woman probably would've melted the instant those sly eyes met hers.
Being stuck here hearing it myself just made it a chore.
Male advances of the rational variety... well, no matter how many you weathered, they never got easier to stomach.
'Haven't dealt with pickup lines like this since the church got off the ground.'
Last ones were probably the sleazy customers groping at me during my pizza shop shifts outside.
Guess my tolerance had dipped. Goosebumps prickled up in seconds.
Sure, the guy in front of me was light-years classier than those creeps, but the core discomfort felt about the same.
I schooled my expression with effort and steered us back to business.
"Thanks for the glowing assessment. But... isn't the praise coming on a tad strong?"
"Which part?"
"...Both."
Ronan shot back without missing a beat.
"Hard to say... If the church were just running hospitals, I doubt it'd stand out much from the usual insurers. But—"
He leaned forward slightly over the table, eyes alight with intrigue as he continued.
"The church's endgame isn't grabbing lives wholesale? Private security services for public safety, jobs through church ventures, then daycare and schooling in cathedral communities for the busy parents those jobs create. Kids raised that way slide right into loyal devotees, no?"
Those gray eyes staring straight at me flashed for an instant.
"Honestly, the more I trace your moves, the more impressed I get. Where'd you even start plotting this out? How far ahead were you seeing? Your vision—whatever future it builds—has me dying to know."
"..."
At that point, I had to sink into thought for a moment.
'Wanted to go home, helped out some troublesome folks along the way, and somehow this happened...'
No way could I voice that with him building up the tension like this.