Chapter 78 Rejection

After listening to Annie Hurst's words, Wang Xiuyuan immediately fell into a long silence.

It wasn't that he had no way to help Annie Hurst win the Hearst Family's succession war; if Wang Xiuyuan were willing, there were more than enough ways.

Assuming no forceful external intervention, the forty-plus years of advanced information in Wang Xiuyuan's head was his secret weapon for victory.

An absolute information gap creates an insurmountable moat; bridging such a gap is not something that can be achieved through individual ability and money alone.

What Wang Xiuyuan needed to consider now was whether to help Annie Hurst at all; once he took action, the challenge would be more than just helping her succeed in her career.

He had to consider how Annie Hurst's stepmother and her four half-sisters would react.

Imagine an unrelated outsider helping a stepdaughter fight for the family fortune against one's own biological daughters; anyone would find that intolerable!

Wouldn't anyone with even a bit of capability and temper try to crush that outsider?

The ancestors left behind ancient wisdom thousands of years ago: unless it concerns your own interests, try not to meddle in other people's family affairs.

Furthermore, Annie Hurst's current predicament spoke volumes; as the eldest daughter of the Hearst Family, she had been assigned to a family holding company instead of a core family enterprise. Wasn't this a disguised attempt to weaken her competitiveness?

Since Annie Hurst's stepmother could pull this off, it meant she held significant sway within the Hearst Family, or rather, she could influence her father's decisions to some extent.

At least for now, Annie Hurst was in an absolute position of weakness in the struggle for the family succession.

But the ancestors also left another piece of wisdom thousands of years ago: providing help in an hour of need is better than adding flowers to a bouquet.

Annie Hurst was indeed at a disadvantage in the succession battle, but that didn't mean the final outcome would be her elimination.

At least, according to the information Wang Xiuyuan knew from his past life, that wasn't how it ended.

If Annie Hurst had been completely eliminated, how did she end up with thirty-five percent of the Hearst Family's core assets? And how did her daughter, Amanda Hearst, obtain ten percent?

Her stepmother had four daughters in total, and combined, they only received fifty-five percent of the equity. Such an asset distribution result was hard to evaluate.

One could only say that the stepmother's side didn't win, and Annie Hurst herself didn't lose; it was essentially a draw.

Even with her stepmother pushing the front line all the way to her fountain, Annie Hurst still managed to achieve such impressive results, which showed just how capable she was.

It was hard for Wang Xiuyuan not to be tempted by such a stunning beauty with exceptional ability, looks, figure, and temperament—all top-tier.

Even if he didn't succeed in winning Annie Hurst over, the friendship built through this matter would allow Wang Xiuyuan to become an ally-like partner with her.

After repeated evaluations, Wang Xiuyuan believed the rewards outweighed the risks; it was worth a try.

The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish. Let's do it.

But how to help, in what form, and to what extent—these were matters that required careful consideration.

Wang Xiuyuan was confident that if anyone tried to make things difficult for him now, people like Devik and Sanchez would certainly step in to help, so he didn't need to worry too much about the stepmother's faction playing dirty.

But everything should be done with decorum; after all, this was someone else's family business, and it wouldn't look good for Wang Xiuyuan to meddle directly.

"Annie, this isn't something an outsider like me can interfere in. As for the specific reasons, there's no need to say more; I think you're very clear on them."

Wang Xiuyuan cleanly and decisively rejected Annie Hurst's request, leaving her no opportunity to press further.

Even so, Annie Hurst didn't give up, because her current reality forced her to do everything in her power to seize every possible chance to turn things around.

Before Annie Hurst could speak, Wang Xiuyuan raised his hand to cut her off.

"I know what you want to say, and I know what you can say, but I cannot directly interfere in your family's internal affairs."

"Mars, Locke, and Sanchez are different from you."

"At that time, they had already lost their internal family competitions. They only received that entrepreneurial support because they completely gave up the struggle and publicly supported the winners."

"If you were willing to give up the competition, I believe the Hearst Family would provide you with similar support. But are you willing?"

How could Annie Hurst be willing? Although her current situation was far from optimistic, it didn't mean there was no chance for a comeback.

Why should she give up?

It was impossible for her to give up.

Wang Xiuyuan naturally understood this.

An ordinary woman facing Annie Hurst's predicament might easily choose to give up, but any capable and ambitious woman in the same situation...

...their choice would absolutely be the same: to fight to the end at all costs!

And never compromise.

Any woman who can achieve a certain level of success in the workplace must have a very strong personality.

But beyond a strong personality, the secret weapon that allows them to break through in the workplace is the stubbornness in their bones.

That stubborn nature of never stopping until the goal is reached and never turning back until the wall is broken through.

While many might see Annie Hurst's elimination as just a matter of time, Annie herself, being in the thick of it, certainly wouldn't think so; on the contrary, she would feel she still had many opportunities.

And the final outcome of the matter did indeed end with Annie Hurst achieving unexpected results.

But that was a low-probability event, and the reason Annie Hurst and her daughter were able to secure such a large share of the assets was largely due to the Campbell Family behind her biological mother.

Annie Hurst's mother, Catherine Wood Campbell, came from the renowned Campbell Family.

The Campbell Family was not a native American noble house; it was one of the most prominent, oldest, and most powerful noble families in Scottish history, with a lineage dating back to the 12th century.

Members of the Campbell Family had served in prominent positions such as King of Scotland and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, exerting profound influence throughout Scottish and British history.

Although the Campbell Family today is not as glorious as it was at its peak, it still holds immense influence in the UK's political, commercial, cultural, and artistic fields.

While the Campbell Family didn't have very deep roots or influence in America, securing their granddaughter Annie Hurst's rightful share of the inheritance was not a major issue.