Her voice trailed softer. At that, Jory panicked and thought that she was upset. He quickly comforted, “But look! You still managed a firm grip on my arm. I can’t move, see?”
Nancy patted his shoulder. She spoke earnestly at first before her voice started to bubble jovially, “So that means… I won this sparring match!”
There was no way Jory would admit defeat before a mere girl, so he swatted off Nancy’s hand from his shoulder. “What do you mean? I was technically the first to pin you down. No matter how you look at it, we’re evenly tied for this match.”
A wide grin spread across Nancy’s cheeks. She then roared out in laughter, “Just kidding! No need to take my words seriously. You shouldn’t be so petty.”
Jory pointed at himself in disbelief. “I’m petty? Are you kidding me? If I was petty, then why would I let you start first? How ungrateful!”
Nancy had already stood up and was holding her clothes. “I’ve gotta admit that I’m impressed. Your ability to react is much faster than mine. But then again, we have to consider that I haven’t practiced in a long time. Also, there’s a natural disparity between men’s and women’s strengths. It just can’t be helped…”
That last bit sounded like she was reminding herself. However, her words rang true to Jory. He agreed that the difference between men’s and women’s strengths was an important factor in winning sparring matches. Some men packed a powerful punch and weren’t afraid of pain; they could easily stand a couple of blows from a woman, whereas a woman might end up being thrown over the men’s shoulders. In such situations, it didn’t matter how agile or good a woman’s moves were because they wouldn’t even get the chance to show their skills.
This was obviously the way things worked in Taekwondo. Yet, it also seemed applicable to the unspoken rules within the commercial field; it was impossible to defeat the larger companies with big businesses and abundant funds. No matter how hard anyone tried, they could never single-handedly win against those big companies.
Even if they resorted to dirty tricks to take down those large companies, their efforts would go to waste. This was because those companies were deep-pocketed and quick to recover.
In such situations, the obvious plan of action was to attack the enemy from its roots. Just like if an extremely powerful Taekwondo athlete suffers from acute gastroenteritis before a match, then all his strength would be pointless in a game.
When Jory first faced the powerful and established Norton Corporation, he knew better than to attack them head-on. This was not only because it would lead to destructive results, but Alpire Group would also be adversely affected. Alpire Group would have a difficult time operating in the business realm should his attack fail.
Hence, he subtly used computer systems—something he was most familiar with—to find a suitable opportunity for his attack on Norton Corporation. He also manipulated Gabriella and pulled many unexpected stunts to dissolve Norton Corporation.
To some extent, Jory even took advantage of his father and Alpire Group—the company that currently belonged to his father. Ever since they got into a conflict, his dad had no intentions of making him Alpire Group’s heir. But no matter how silent Jory was about the matter, he knew that he was his dad’s only son; Alpire Group would still become his regardless of how unbecoming, worthless, or absurd he was.
It was the same as ancient, regal families where blood and kin triumphed over all other factors. A prince would still retain his title no matter how unworthy he was. Likewise, nothing would stand in the way of him inheriting the throne.
What’s more, the previously idle and philanderer version of Jory had died along with his failed marriage contract. The Jory at that moment had a purpose in life, so how could he end up incompetent or left with nothing?
Jory’s father actually knew that Jory was the mastermind who used Alpire Group’s name to acquire Norton Corporation. However, Jory’s father wasn’t bothered about it. He thought that as long as there were profits and shares to be earned, then why not? Whenever anyone asked, he would say that his son was behind it. This conveniently changed the frivolous and playboy image that others had for Jory.
The sparring match that day allowed Nancy to know Jory better. Initially, she had her doubts on whether the rumors about him were true. However, she couldn’t see the resemblance between him and the hedonistic black-sheep-of-the-family reputation he had.
