Joshua nodded slightly. "Over the past year, you''ve shown great ability at The Williams Group, and your work has progressed smoothly. It''s precisely because of that sess that you''ve gained such a high approval rating in such a short time."


    In just one year, Ste had established a firm foothold in The Williams Group and was now on par with Jonathan, the future heir. It was a near-miraculous achievement by any standard.


    Joshua continued, "But the higher you climb, the harder you fall, and it can be very difficult to get back up. They let you grow partly for this reason. Everything has two sides. Your rise was so rapid that you gained a lot of support, but at the same time, your foundation is unstable, and you''ve umted a number of hidden risks.


    "They have high expectations for you now, which means they won''t tolerate any mistakes. People have a tendency to let one failure overshadow ten sesses. In an ordinarypany, a few mistakes might be forgiven. But The Williams Group is different. You have enemies within.


    "The Williams family won''t pass up a chance like that. They''ll jump all over it and blow it way out of proportion."


    Joshua looked at Ste. "Star, you don''t have much margin for error."


    Ste was well aware that while she seemed to be thriving at The Williams Group, she was actually walking a tightrope. One misstep, and she would plunge into the abyss.


    This was the price of taking shortcuts.


    But she had no other choice. With the Williams family against her internally and Sellers and Leonard lurking externally, she didn''t have the luxury of slow, steady growth. If she couldn''t gain the capital to contend with them in the shortest possible time, she would be ruthlessly crushed before she could even get started.


    She could only take the gamble.


    Ste looked at Joshua, who had been helping her all this time, and said softly, "Joshua, thank you."


    Joshua smiled. "Helping you is helping myself. The resources and connections of The Williams Group are tempting even to me. So, when you be the head of the family, the Gardner family will also gain a huge advantage in expanding outward. The reason Sellers and Leonard are so willing to help Aurora is because they''re also after the Williams family''swork."


    He might have said that, but Ste knew this was a risky investment with no guarantee of a return. If she lost, all of Joshua''s investment in her would be for nothing.


    The Gardner family rarely coborated with outsiders, but that didn''t mean they had no external partnerships at all.


    Joshua introduced Ste to a few of the Gardner family''s partners.


    "These families have good reputations and credibility among the major foreign families," he told her. "Once you reach a cooperation agreement with them, they won''t be easily bought off."


    He paused, then added, "I''ve had someone look into it. The uing investment projects of these


    families are precisely where The


    Williams Group''s strengths lie Pay close attention. If you can cater to their interests, you''ll have a huge advantage in the bidding process."


    Bidding might seem fair on the surface, but in reality, it often came down to rtionships and connections After the past year, Ste had experienced enough to understand the intricacies involved.


    "I understand," Ste said.


    This party brought together the top families from abroad, and security at the entrance was extremely strict. No weapons of any kind were allowed inside, making the event very safe.


    After making the introductions, Joshua didn''t bother Ste further. Instead, he found a spot not too far from her and quietly watched her.