America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 655 An Sheng

June 17, 1999.

The morning mist in Hidden Mountain City had not completely dissipated, hanging on the glass curtain wall of the master bedroom, refracting tiny rays of light in the dim morning light.

After washing up, Ernst wiped the water off his face and headed toward the dressing room.

Just as he took off his bathrobe and reached for his shirt, two soft, warm touches suddenly pressed gently against his back from behind, carrying the unique warmth of human skin and a faint scent of gardenia perfume.

The touch was soft and elastic, conforming perfectly to the curve of his back, bringing a slight shiver.

"Is there anything important today?" Annie's voice came from behind, gentle with a hint of languid sleepiness.

Her fingertips gently traced Ernst's waist, the movement natural and intimate.

Ernst slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the naked woman in front of him. Her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, her fair skin glowed with a luminous sheen under the light, and her face still carried the drowsy look of someone who had just woken up from bed.

He pulled her soft body into his arms, his nose brushing against the top of her head, and said with a hint of teasing, "Are you deliberately trying to seduce me?"

The other person's expression was somewhat awkward, but the blush that used to appear after being teased was gone.

He even boldly reached down and flicked the unruly thing below, with a hint of provocation, "Do you still need me to seduce you?"

Ernst squinted. "You're playing with fire."

Anne was not afraid at all. Instead, she raised her chin slightly, her eyes even more defiant, as if to say, "So what?"

"Looks like you're convinced that I can't do anything to you today."

She wrapped her arms around Ernst's neck, pressing her body close to his, her warm breath brushing against his collarbone. "Isn't that right?"

Getting up so early means Ernst has something important to do today.

"Are you sure?" His gaze passed over Annie's shoulder and landed on the large bed in the bedroom.

The blanket was pulled up at one corner, revealing a section of fair forearm, indicating that someone was still fast asleep.

He withdrew his gaze and returned it to Anne's face. "If I remember correctly, Monica said yesterday that her period should start around today, right?"

"Are you sure you'll get away with this tonight?"

Ernst went to great lengths to get Anne to accept these women.

For more than three months, he made Annie his primary target, forcing her to seek help from other women to share the burden.

Charlize Theron, Monica Bellucci, Gisele Bündchen, Jessica Alba, and even a pregnant Jennifer Connelly.

Aside from Nicole Kidman, who never returned from Australia, Anne has worked with various groups.

They can be in pairs, in groups of three, or even on stage as a group of four.

It wasn't that she wanted to be like this; she was naturally unrestrained.

She simply couldn't take it anymore, to the point that she actively sought out women for him.

She came from a prominent family, and she knew better than anyone how many women the men in those families had.

Ernst's wealth, power, and charm were enough to make any woman's heart flutter, and his possessiveness and passion were too much for her to bear alone.

Since she couldn't stop other women from appearing around him, she simply accepted it.

At least, she doesn't have to endure the endless loneliness of being alone in her empty house year after year, like her aunts in the family.

She had heard those aunties complain in private more than once that some of them couldn't even have marital relations once a year and could only secretly go to private clubs to find solace in the fingers of other women.

"What's wrong? Tired of playing with the ones at home? Going out to pick wildflowers this early in the morning?" She maintained a calm facade, gave a light snort, then glanced back, her tone tinged with resentment, "You don't like the Italian ones anymore, so you've switched to the French ones, huh?"

Ernst coughed lightly, a rare hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

It's because he was caught red-handed by Sophie Marceau, the lead actress of "007," at MGM a few days ago while they were discussing acting.

Although they weren't caught in the act, Sophie Marceau was taking a shower in his office lounge at the time. The steamy air and scattered clothes made it easy for anyone to guess what had happened.

"What nonsense are you talking about? She was just using the bathroom because it was hot."

He did play around, but he would never admit it unless he was caught red-handed.

Even though Annie knew perfectly well what he meant, her guess was different from what he actually said.

"Alright, I have something important to discuss, there's no time to spare." With that, he reached for the shirt prepared in the dressing room and prepared to put it on.

Seeing this, Anne stopped arguing with him and simply stepped forward obediently, took the shirt from his hand, and gently helped him put on his clothes.

After he finished dressing, he gently kissed her forehead and said affectionately, "Go back and sleep a little longer. I'll be back soon."

He stepped out of the bedroom and into the dining room, where his secretary, Daphne Barnes, was already waiting for him.

"What was AXA's response?" he asked, sitting in his seat at the restaurant before picking up his coffee.

"AXA CEO Jim Teler's assistant said he will be flying to Geneva Airport tomorrow afternoon, and if we are to meet, he can come to Los Angeles tonight to see you in person," Daphne replied respectfully.

The AXA Consulting v. Arthur Andersen case has entered a critical stage of arbitration, and during this period, AXA has focused all its attention on this arbitration case.

The fact that he was willing to personally fly to Los Angeles at this time, given that both Arthur Andersen and AXA are headquartered in Chicago, already shows him considerable respect.

Ernst thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Tell Jim Terrill that he doesn't need to fly over. I will go to Chicago to see him myself tomorrow morning."

Since I was going to the east anyway, I figured I might as well do it while I was there.

"I'll inform them." Daphne nodded, then handed over the folder in her hand. "This is what you asked me to compile: AXA's financial reports for the past three years. The consulting business revenue grew by 22% annually, and the profit was 6 percentage points higher than the industry average."

"In particular, their ERP system upgrade project for GE had a project cycle of only 18 months, total revenue of over $3 million, and a profit margin as high as 47%, setting a record for the highest in the industry for similar projects."

Daphne was amazed, unable to believe that the other party's report was so impressive, even exaggerated.

It's important to know that these three years were the three years when AXA and Arthur Andersen had the fiercest conflict.

The extent to which Arthur Andersen's business has been affected is evident to everyone in the industry.

With a significant increase in customer churn and a decline in revenue for two consecutive years, AXA Consulting, as a subsidiary, was naturally also affected.

Not only does it face resource blockade from its parent company, but it has also been suppressed by some competitors in the industry. Many clients are even hesitant to cooperate with it due to concerns about the outcome of the arbitration case.

Despite such an unfavorable external environment, AXA Consulting not only avoided a decline in performance but also achieved an annual revenue growth rate of 22%, with a net profit margin far exceeding the industry average, which can only be described as a miracle.

Daphne couldn't help but imagine that if AXA Consulting could successfully break away from Arthur Andersen and escape the constraints of its parent company, its performance would likely experience explosive growth, thanks to its strong business capabilities and market competitiveness, and it would undoubtedly capture a significant market share.

"The other Big Four accounting firms haven't made any moves?" Ernst asked without looking up as he flipped through the financial report.

AXA is going to be split up, completely break away from Arthur Andersen, and become independent.

This is a lucrative opportunity, and he doesn't believe that the other Big Four accounting firms haven't made a move.

"We haven't heard much from KPMG and EY. Deloitte and AXA have been in contact, but they don't seem very proactive. The most active one is PwC."

"PwC representatives visited AXA twice, and the day after tomorrow in Geneva, PwC's CEO will personally meet with Jim Terrill, supposedly to discuss a strategic partnership."

"Can the news be confirmed?" Ernst asked, looking up.

Daphne nodded. "It came from Jim Terrill's assistant, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Ernst nodded, then asked the other person to call Muller over.

A moment later, Muller came up to Ernst. "Boss, you wanted to see me?"

Ernst put down his knife and fork and said, "You and Daphne should conduct a thorough investigation into all the information about Jim Terrill's assistant, including his family background, financial situation, career plans, interpersonal relationships, and potential needs and weaknesses."

"I need to know if there's any possibility that this person could be turned by us."

This assistant is quite interesting. If we can develop him into one of our own, he would be a valuable asset, both now and after the acquisition of AXA.