Chapter 274: Hernandez Finances

Given Harvey’s background, there was really no reason for him to attend Jack Denim’s engagement party personally. He had only come because he’d received some important news.

Maison Premier had invited the heirs of Hernandez Finances to the banquet.

It was no secret that Maison Premier was trying to transform its business and move into cutting-edge information technology. The sudden appearance of Hernandez Finances at such a critical moment was enough to make people wonder what kind of deal was being discussed behind the scenes.

Hernandez Finances was a genuine British conglomerate with deep roots in the United Kingdom. It possessed considerable technological resources and had investments spread across Western Europe and Japan.

The British government was also interested in obtaining access to some of the company’s scientific research and technological achievements.

That was why Harvey had been asked to make contact with the Hernandez family. He had strong connections to government circles while remaining outside the political sphere himself, making him a convenient intermediary.

For now, his task was simply to make contact and gather some preliminary information.

If things went smoothly, the government could eventually negotiate a formal partnership with Hernandez Finances. A mutually beneficial arrangement would obviously be the ideal outcome.

Of course, Harvey hadn’t come here solely for business. There were quite a few beautiful women at the banquet tonight.

’If I can establish a connection with the Hernandez family, perhaps I can take one or two of these younger ladies out for a little fun afterward.’

With that thought in mind, Harvey kept one eye on the entrance while casually scanning the hall for potential targets.

Meanwhile, the engagement banquet was gradually getting underway.

As the music played, waiters guided the guests toward their assigned tables.

Not long afterward, a man and a woman who appeared to be in their thirties approached Luca and exchanged a few polite words with him.

Afterward, they quietly returned to their seats without attracting much attention.

Only Arabella paid them any particular notice.

She suspected they had been sent by Northstar Real Estate Company.

She was only half right.

The man was indeed one of Derek Joaquin’s people, but the woman actually worked for Summit Capital. Still, there were far too many influential guests at the banquet for two people approaching Luca to be considered unusual. Plenty of people wanted to establish a relationship with him.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about these two doing the same. Not long after they left, however, another commotion erupted near the entrance.

Mr. and Mrs. Denim immediately became excited. They hurried toward the doors with their two sons. At first, Luca assumed Alani Stones had finally arrived. But when he looked up, he didn’t see the heiress of Stones Group.

Instead, several foreigners were entering the hall. The man at the front immediately drew attention. He had deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, and an exceptionally handsome face. Beside him walked a beautiful Asian woman, while several other foreigners followed behind them.

A tall man brought up the rear.

His eyes constantly swept across the room, and judging from his attire and alert posture, he was clearly a bodyguard.

"It’s them."

Harvey’s voice suddenly dropped.

Luca looked at him in surprise.

"Harvey, you know them?"

"Yeah."

Harvey’s expression became more serious.

"That’s Phil Hernandez, the heir to Hernandez Finances. I didn’t expect Maison Premier to actually get him here."

His words immediately attracted the attention of several people at the table.

Many of them turned toward the entrance with expressions of surprise.

Only Arabella and Michael exchanged a glance.

The seriousness in both their eyes was unmistakable.

The Halloway and Windsor families had maintained a long-standing partnership.

Their joint ventures included the development of a science and technology industrial park, as well as several cutting-edge technology projects. Those projects had already begun to take shape.

But cutting-edge technology was an expensive game.

Both families had already poured enormous amounts of money into the projects.

If they failed to generate sufficient returns in the future, the consequences wouldn’t simply be limited to a failed attempt at industrial transformation.

The resulting financial losses could trigger market instability and cause the stock prices of both the Windsor and Halloway families to fall.

That would severely weaken their position and potentially allow other prominent families in Capital City to pull ahead.

Since Vincent had married Stephanie, the only daughter of the Hart family, Maison Premier had also begun expanding into the same field.

But Vincent needed an enormous amount of capital to continue scaling his operations.

That was why his repeated visits to Summit Capital had made both the Windsor and Halloway families increasingly nervous.

Summit Capital might not have the centuries-old foundations of Capital City’s established families, but it had grown rapidly over the past few years.

The company had invested in numerous emerging businesses along the coast and had accumulated considerable financial influence.

If Vincent secured substantial funding from Summit Capital, Maison Premier’s expansion would pose a serious threat to both the Windsor and Halloway families.

Fortunately, more than half a year had passed without Summit Capital and Maison Premier reaching an agreement.

At least, that had been the case until now.

Because Maison Premier had somehow managed to invite the heir of Hernandez Finances to Jack’s engagement party.

Even Michael, who had never paid much attention to the world of finance, had heard of Hernandez Finances.

It was a British conglomerate with nearly a century of history.

If Maison Premier successfully partnered with Hernandez Finances, the impact on the Windsor and Halloway families could be enormous.

Money was only part of the problem.

With enough capital behind him, Vincent could expand his technology empire at an astonishing pace.

More importantly, Hernandez Finances possessed technological resources that could potentially give Maison Premier access to valuable research and expertise.

If that happened, Maison Premier’s technological development could quickly overtake theirs.

The Windsor and Halloway families would then face an extremely difficult road ahead.

They would have only a few choices.

They could fight Maison Premier head-on and risk suffering enormous losses. They could seek another established technology company as a partner, but doing so would likely mean surrendering part of their ownership. Or worse, Vincent could eventually turn his attention toward them and force their companies to come under Maison Premier’s influence.

None of those outcomes were acceptable.

Arabella and Michael simultaneously pulled out their phones. They quickly typed out messages and sent them.

Both were too occupied with their own thoughts to notice the strange look Luca gave them.

’Hernandez Finances?’

Luca’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

So that’s why Craig Arnold had mentioned that Maison Premier had been contacting Summit Capital less frequently recently.

They’d apparently found another potential investor.

But if Luca remembered correctly...

Hernandez Finances was also one of his businesses.

The realization came with a strange sense of absurdity.

It had all started back when he was dealing with the Luiz family.

Ashley Johnson, the lawyer who had represented Gordon Luiz, had tried to move his wife and daughters to the United Kingdom.

Luca’s people had intercepted him at the airport.

At the time, Luca had simply instructed the people from Hernandez Finances to handle the matter.

He hadn’t paid much attention to the company’s actual position within the United Kingdom.

The emails he’d received afterward had only given him a vague understanding of the Hernandez family’s influence.

But judging from the reactions around him now...

’So Hernandez Finances is actually this powerful?’

Luca glanced toward the entrance. What caught his attention most wasn’t even Phil.

It was Jack. The usually arrogant second son of Maison Premier was behaving almost like a completely different person. He was practically fawning over Phil, his expression filled with eagerness.

It was almost comical.

’Is this really the same Jack Denim who looks down on everyone around him?’

Jack’s usual attitude was simple. He despised peers who followed the rules and believed that wealthy second-generation heirs should live as freely as he did.

The young men and women who tried to get close to him were treated like personal followers. When he was happy, he played with them. When he got bored, he kicked them aside.

Tyrone of the Bellemy family had learned that lesson the hard way.

The Bellemy family had already gone bankrupt and been liquidated. The entire family had fled overseas, leaving their former home deserted.

That was the kind of person Jack had always been, wild, carefree, arrogant.

He acted as though nobody in his generation deserved his respect.

Yet now, in front of the heir of Hernandez Finances, that same Jack was practically bending over backward to please him.

The contrast was almost painfully ironic.