Gawin tapped lightly on the door of the M&A war room before stepping into a labyrinth of paper walls. The air was thick with the frantic staccato of typing and the low hum of intense deliberation. The CEO flashed his signature dimpled smile, nodding cordially to the staff before making a beeline for Adisorn's desk.
"The M&A war room looks quite lively," Gawin greeted smoothly.
Adisorn rose to meet him, a subtle smirk touching his lips. "And I trust the Green Hydrogen project is proceeding just as vibrantly?"
"Absolutely. I'm currently overhauling the entire internal workflow," Gawin replied, gesturing toward the central conference table. "But there are a few matters I need to consult with your elite team about."
The two sat across from one another. Gawin leaned back, crossing his legs with casual grace, though his eyes sharpened into two points of cold steel. "According to the merger roadmap, all KCC assets are to be consolidated into CLS. However, I want to carve out specific assets before that consolidation finalized."
Adisorn interlaced his fingers, his posture perfectly still. "You're planning to hijack assets out of the primary merger flow?"
Gawin leaned in closer. "Exactly. I want the entirety of KCC's legacy energy infrastructure—the substations, the high-voltage transmission lines, and the grid connections. I need them as the power base for my electrolyzers in the Hydrogen project."
He traced a phantom map on the table with his fingertip. "If we build the hydrogen infrastructure from scratch, we'll waste six to nine months just on permits and grid installation. But if we cannibalize KCC's existing bones, we can launch nearly a year ahead of schedule." Gawin lowered his voice, his gaze heavy with implication. "Our mission is to close this fast. You understand, don't you?"
Adisorn narrowed his eyes, calculating the fallout. "If you present this, the Chairman will ask a difficult question: If the project misses its targets, doesn't that land become a stranded asset?"
"I've already accounted for that," Gawin countered tightly. "If the project isn't on track within twelve months, that infrastructure is automatically repurposed into an Alternative Energy R&D center. No extra investment needed. The land value is protected."
Gawin's eyes sparkled with tactical brilliance. "I need your team to do two things: First, expedite the valuation of these specific assets. Second, draft the Direct Transfer Authorization for Dr. Li Ming to sign—directly. I want it done before the CLS merger is finalized."
"You want to bypass Lu Rong entirely," Adisorn surmised, reading Gawin's intent like an open book. A direct executive order from the Chairman before the deal closed would leave the CFO toothless to object.
Gawin nodded slowly, his playful, mischievous grin returning. "Precisely, Mr. Markrim."
Adisorn allowed a ghost of a smile to appear. "Consider it done. I'll have the team finalize the carve-out valuation by this evening. You'll have the documents ready for the Chairman's signature first thing tomorrow morning."
Gawin stood up, giving a friendly nod to the M&A specialists around the room. "Thank you all. I'm putting my faith in you on this one." He gave a playful wink before heading out, leaving the room charged with a new sense of urgency.