Rebirth of England.

Chapter 679 Ongoing Lawsuit

"That's enough, Barron. Is this just your intention to humiliate me today?"

Looking at Cather's small earlobe, Barron couldn't help but take a bite, then asked her to face his gaze and said:

"Weren't you the first to be sarcastic to me? Dear Cather, I came to see you with full enthusiasm, but you made me sad..."

"I, I apologize, Barron."

"You are avoiding my gaze, Cather. An apology always requires some sincerity..."

"What do you want from me?"

"It's very simple..."

Feeling Barron's pressure on her shoulders getting stronger, Cather naturally understood what he meant. As she knelt on the carpet, she heard him say:
"Isn't it possible that you have become estranged from it after not seeing it for so long?"

Seeing “it” starting to get motivated…

Kaiser took a deep breath, raised his hand, and placed it on his belt...

……

"I really appreciate you taking the time to see me today, Ms. Meyer."

At this time, in Paris, Ashley Weber, who had recovered from a previous car accident, saw this middle-aged woman with black-framed glasses in a private club.

"I am simply curious about your purpose. After all, this is not the first time you have invited me."

"Our time is very valuable, so let me get straight to the point. I want to talk to you about the L'Oréal Group."

The woman in front of Ashley is called Françoise Bettencourt Meyer. She is the daughter of Liliane Bettencourt, the largest shareholder of the L'Oreal Group at the time, and the heir to the Bettencourt family.

"Oh? Then I'm afraid you're too anxious, because I can't make a decision about the L'Oreal Group right now."

"It will happen sooner or later, won't it? I believe you will win this lawsuit. Of course, with our help, the result will be more certain."

Ashley's next words immediately made Françoise's smile fade away. She asked with a vigilant look in her eyes:
"I don't quite understand. What do you mean?"

"Perhaps I should introduce myself first, Ms. Mayer. You should know my name. I am also the president of William Weber Capital."

Françoise had heard of William Weber Capital. After all, this company had previously injected capital into Natixis, the fourth largest bank in France, and became its major shareholder. Naturally, she would not miss this news.

"So Miss Ashley, do you want to invest in our L'Oreal Group?"

"Almost. However, it is not us, William Weber Capital, but our clients who want to invest in you."

"Your clients?" "Yes, we are currently serving the Gucci-Hermès Group and will help them complete their acquisition of the L'Oréal Group."

As soon as Ashley Webb finished speaking, Françoise stood up immediately:
"Then we don't have to talk about it. It's nice to meet you today, Miss Ashley, but I hope you know that neither my mother nor I will sell the L'Oreal Group."

"I think nothing is absolute, Ms. Meyer, and if your mother were to make the decision, given the current situation, she might not agree with you..."

"What do you mean?"

Facing Françoise's condescending words, Ashley's expression did not change at all, and she continued calmly:
"Like you said before, the lawsuit within your family has not yet come to a conclusion. Of course, the outcome will be determined by many factors, but one thing is for sure, under the current circumstances, your mother may not be willing to leave the L'Oreal Group to you..."

"Are you threatening me?"

Ashley shook her head and said:

"Of course not. I just want to tell you that your Bettencourt family has never interfered too much in the operation of the L'Oreal Group. So even if the Gucci-Hermès Group completes the acquisition of the L'Oreal Group, as long as your family's shares in the L'Oreal Group are retained, then compared to now, apart from the "name" of the family controlling the L'Oreal Group, what difference will there be? On the contrary, I believe that after being owned by the Gucci-Hermès Group, the development of the L'Oreal Group will be better, which will also be in your interest, isn't it?"

In fact, by now, the lawsuit within the Bettencourt family has become more and more interesting.

Last year, Françoise Bettencourt Meyer filed a lawsuit against her mother Liliana, claiming that her mother's mental state was not suitable for managing her property and demanded the appointment of a guardian.

She also accused her of being deceived by a photographer named Barnier, who was 25 years younger than her and mingled in upper-class society, into giving away all her huge wealth.

In her lawsuit, Francoise stated that her mother was no longer able to manage her property herself, which led to criminal charges being brought against the man who was allegedly Liliane's lover, alleging that he had taken advantage of her mother's weakness (illness) and defrauded her mother of 10 billion euros.

What is even more jaw-dropping is that in order to obtain evidence, Françoise arranged for the manager of her mother's apartment to secretly record the conversations between her mother and her subordinates in business meetings over the past year and provide them to the judicial authorities.

The judicial authorities found from these recordings that Liliana Bettencourt was suspected of tax evasion, tax avoidance and illegal political donations to politicians.

Her mother, Lilia, was not to be outdone and immediately took action to counter-sue her daughter for charges of illegal wiretapping, illegal espionage, and perjury.

Up to now, their lawsuit has lasted for more than a year and there is still no sign of stopping.

As the lawsuit escalates, more and more people are involved, and the family affair becomes a national affair. French President Sarkozy is not immune to the scandal, because the recording provided by Francoise shows that Sarkozy may have promised Lilia to help her win the lawsuit...

In the original time and space, this bloody lawsuit of the wealthy family lasted for three or four years and ended with Françoise Bettencourt Meyer's victory, and she gained control of the family business.

However, at this point in time, it is difficult to determine the outcome of this lawsuit, and as Ashley said, the intervention of the forces she represents will also affect the outcome.

After all, not only does the Weber family have a certain influence in France, but William Weber Capital and the Gucci-Hermès Group, plus the power that Barron holds later, can still do something.

And with the help of Ashley, the Gucci-Hermès Group has already reached an agreement with the Nestlé Group to lock in their shares in the L'Oréal Group early. In addition, the shares they acquired in the secondary market during the subprime mortgage crisis have posed a threat to the Bettencourt family's holdings in the L'Oréal Group.

Now it depends on what choice Françoise makes.

(End of this chapter)