Seeing that Joanna refused to give up, Ace didn't try to persuade her anymore. He just turned around and left with a cold expression on his face.
When he returned to the very center of the summit forum, he instantly caught everyone's attention. Ace turned his head slightly, speaking to Jack who was standing behind him. " Inform Wyatt Haughey to publicly announce that the summit will be blacklisting Stellar Group. All companies, and I mean all companies, are banned from partnering with them!"
Not only did the annual Global Technology Summit provide the top companies a platform to promote their products, the most important section within the summit was the forum. With big shots from different countries gathered in one place, they would all discuss the future development of the industry, similar to a conference meeting.
As the CEO of Moran Group, Ace's electronics company accounted for seventy-five percent of the market, so he was definitely considered the most powerful of them all.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Jack gulped, replying carefully, "There's a rumor circulating that Wyatt Haughey won't be re-elected this year, so he might not have the power to publicly announce which company he wishes to blacklist."
Wyatt had been the president of the Electronics Technology Association for years, so his position granted him quite a significant amount of power as well.
All companies had to request for approval from the association before joining the industry, and the president was the official spokesman of the association. Hence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that one word from the president would be able to determine one's fate within the industry.
For the past few years, the president of the association had always been Wyatt, who had been trained by Ace himself. This was why Moran Group could receive so many permits within the field. If there had been an election within the association this year, Wyatt would have definitely been re-elected, logically speaking.
Jack's words made Ace narrow his eyes. "He won't be re-elected?"
"Yes." Jack nodded and explained, "There were many big shots who were in the running for president in the association, and Wyatt just seemed rather average compared to them, even with Moran Group backing him. However, it is rumored that the newly appointed president is much more powerful, as they had received a vote from Mr. X himself. That's how they were able to win against their rivals, and emerge as the new president."
"So that guy came to join in on the fun too." Ace raised an eyebrow, pondering to himself.
Normally, all the most powerful figures within the business field would cast their votes to support the candidate they wished to have as president.
Mr. X was able to become a legend within the industry through his great intelligence and abilities. With that, he had earned himself the power to make the decisive vote regarding the presidential elections in the association. Despite that, Mr. X had always been quite mysterious, and had never involved himself in any past elections. He had also been rather low-key for the past couple of years, and no one knew where he had disappeared off to.
'Why is he so active this year?' Ace thought, unable to hide his curiosity towards the newly appointed president.
Jack then continued. "Don't worry, Mr. Moran. No matter who the new president is, I'm sure they'd know what to do. If you intend to blacklist Stellar Group, surely they wouldn't try to go against your wishes. I'll pass on your message to the new president later. Today marks the day Stellar Group meets their demise!"
Jack knew exactly why Ace was so resentful towards that company. Not only had his ex- wife established this company with her 'affair partner', they had even stolen Moran Group's biggest client. 'If I was Mr. Moran, I'd make both of them go bankrupt! Blacklisting their company is just too light of a punishment!"
As the forum officially started, the hall was completely silent.
After Ace made his opening speech, the emcee announced with excitement, "As you all know, recently, our association had our presidential elections. So, it's my greatest honor to welcome our new president to the stage!"
The audience started clapping as soon as the emcee finished speaking.
All the bosses and big shots stared at the door in anticipation, wondering who the new director of the Electronics Technology Association would be. This person would be the one guiding the industry of electronics technology for the next four years.
The spotlight shone on a figure walking through the door clad in a black power suit with her hair tied up in a high bun. a professional-looking woman
"What?!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief. He was the first person to respond, Rubbing his eyes, he added, "Is there a problem with my eyes? Because I think that's Mrs. Moran!!"
Ace frowned slightly. He stared at Joanna's graceful figure, completely caught off guard.
Joanna walked up to the podium with her head held high, her eyes scanning the audience below. She then introduced herself, "Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Joanna Pierce, and I am the new director of the Electronics Technology Association."
Joanna used to either dress casually or glamorously, but today, she was dressed professionally in a power suit, paired with silver-rimmed glasses, which lent her an air of smart competence.
Her narrow pencil skirt hugged her shapely hips, and her light colored silk stockings emphasized her long and slender legs, adding a touch of alluring charm to her slick appearance. Needless to say, the eyes of all the men in the audience were instantly glued to her as soon as she appeared.
Nevertheless, although her appearance was impeccable, the people who participated in the summit forum were all top dogs in their fields. There was no way that they would allow an unqualified woman to take up the important position of director of the association! And so, after getting over their momentary awe over her looks, they all started grumbling in dissatisfaction.
"Isn't that President Moran's ex-wife? Is she so distraught from getting dumped that she wandered into the wrong room?"
"Are the standards for the director of the Electronics Technology Association so low nowadays that they just pluck a random person off the streets to take up the position? They're clearly messing with us!"
The emcee was beginning to feel disconcerted as they faced a tide of mockery and cynicism in the room.
"Everyone," he implored, "please calm down and listen to me. Ms. Pierce has been selected as the director of the association because she fulfilled all the requirements for the position. All the information that she submitted is also completely in line with the qualifications to be selected. Her academic background is also incredibly impressive, and she has published numerous papers in famous journals both in this country and abroad. It's only a shame that we've always regarded her as the wife of Mr. Ace Moran in the past and totally overlooked her skills and excellence in other aspects…"
"But the most important thing," he added, "is that she is the biggest investor of this summit, and she's also the one Mr. X personally selected as the director of the association, thus proving that she undoubtedly deserves this position!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd quickly shut their mouths. Since she had been handpicked by Mr. X himself, perhaps there really was something special about her.
Joanna smiled calmly, scanned the audience, and picked up the microphone, saying, "I can perfectly understand your biases against me. After all, in your eyes, I'm nothing but a pitiful, useless woman who's been discarded by a man. But that doesn't matter, because I'll use my skills and strengths to banish all of your preconceived biases!"
After that, she proceeded to give her inauguration speech.
"In my view, chip technology is the core of the electronics industry, and it's also the area that presents the most challenges to overcome, namely from the development of semiconductors and microparticles…"
Her speech flowed as smoothly and naturally as a river. Although the audience initially paid attention to see how she would make a fool of herself, they gradually became convinced of her capabilities and were then immersed in her eloquent speech.
Ace's gaze was laser-focused on Joanna from start to finish, and he became more and more lost in her as time went on. Every move of her eyebrows, every glance, every frown, and every smile was so lively and enchanting that he felt like he was meeting her for the first time.
Although he was only a few feet away from the stage where she stood, he could not help but feel as if the distance between Joanna and himself had stretched out into a distance as vast as the impassable sea….
Joanna received a thunderous applause at the end of her speech. This signified that her position as the new director of the association had been accepted without question.
Meanwhile, Jake Moran stood at the exit, right at the very edge of the venue. He leaned his tall figure against the wall lazily. His dashingly flawless face, which resembled Ace's, was partially hidden
under the mask, but beneath it, a wry smile had cropped up.
It was clear that he had made the perfect choice. This woman was even more of a hidden gem than he expected her to be. What a huge loss for Ace, to have let her slip through his fingers so easily!