Chapter 120: Executives Dinner
The evening breeze carried the scent of salt and city lights as the sun dipped beneath the skyline. By the time the TG Mobility convoy arrived at the Fullerton Hotel, the streets along Marina Bay were painted gold.
imothy stepped out of the black BMW first, straightening his suit jacket as he gazed at the grand facade before him. The hotel, a stately colonial building that had witnessed decades of Singapore's transformation, glowed under the soft amber of its archway lights.
"Quite a place," Robert Vaughn said as he followed, adjusting his cuffs. "Singapore never runs out of good views."
"Nor good food," Angela added cheerfully, stepping out behind him. She looked almost casual in her blue evening dress, though the lanyard of her tablet bag hanging on her shoulder still betrayed her work habits.
Timothy smiled faintly. "Let's try to enjoy this one without turning it into another board meeting."
Hana, walking beside him, gave a small grin. "With this group? That might be impossible."
The doorman greeted them with a polite bow as they entered the hotel lobby. Inside, the marble floors gleamed, and the scent of orchids lingered faintly in the air. Classical music played softly from a hidden corner, barely audible over the gentle chatter of guests moving between the bar and the dining hall.
Their table was reserved at The Lighthouse, the Fullerton's rooftop restaurant overlooking Marina Bay. The elevator ride up was quiet, the city unfolding through glass walls as they ascended. When the doors opened, a panoramic view awaited, the glittering skyline, the glowing wheel of the Singapore Flyer, and beyond, the dark horizon of the strait.
"This is incredible," Mei Ling said softly as they approached their table near the terrace.
Timothy gestured for everyone to take their seats. "Well, after a full day of talking numbers, I figured we deserved something a little more pleasant."
The table was long, set with white linens, polished cutlery, and crystal glasses that caught the city lights. The waiters moved gracefully, pouring wine and serving the first course, a delicate mix of seafood and greens, paired with a light Chardonnay.
For a few minutes, no one spoke. The exhaustion of the day seemed to fade into the quiet rhythm of the meal. Eventually, Angela broke the silence.
"You know," she said, swirling her wine, "I've been thinking. When we go public, we'll be the only major EV company in Asia not tied to a government conglomerate. That's kind of poetic, independence being our greatest selling point."
Robert chuckled. "It's poetic until the governments start asking for deeper partnerships."
"I'm sure Mr. Guerrero has been approached by the Philippine politician to have a seat in the company," Mei chuckled.
"Well, I was but I rejected them outright. They have no place in our business," Timothy said and added. "In order to beat those kind of politicians, you just have to not entertain them."
Akira leaned forward, speaking in his calm Japanese accent. "Still, I must say… today's presentation was impressive, Mr. Guerrero. You've built something remarkable in just a few years. When we started working with TG Mobility, I never thought we'd be talking about global expansion so soon. I really thought in the beginning that it would be just a hype, about the LithiumX, the capabilities, but it turns out, the market wants it."
Timothy smiled faintly. "Neither did I. But I've learned that momentum is everything. Once you have it, you don't slow down, you steer it."
Robert raised his glass. "To steering momentum, then."
Everyone chuckled, lifting their glasses for a quiet toast.
"To TG Mobility," Timothy said simply. "And to what comes next."
Crystal clinked softly, and the conversation flowed more freely after that.
"So, do you have any more ventures in mind?" Angela asked.
"Well I'm thinking about the energy industry," Timothy revealed. "The electricity in the Philippines is too expensive for industrial consumers. And the fact that most of the operational headquarters of my future business would be in the Philippines, I really have to make electricity cheaper than it was before."
"How do you plan on doing that?" Akira asked.
"Of course, by introducing nuclear energy in my country," Timothy simply replied as he sipped his wine.
"What the…"
The executives were shocked to hear those words come out of Timothy's mouth.
Mei Ling blinked in disbelief. "Nuclear energy? As in—reactivating Bataan or something new entirely?"
Timothy looked calm, as if he had expected that reaction. "Something new. Bataan is outdated. I'm talking about small modular reactors, SMRs. Scalable, efficient, and far safer than the conventional plants from the 1980s. They can power industrial zones without relying on imported coal or overpriced LNG. Well, it's a new technology…"
Angela set her glass down, eyebrows raised. "But Timothy, nuclear is… kind of banned in the Philippines, isn't it?"
He chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair. "That's a common misconception. It's not banned, Angela. The government never actually outlawed it, they just made it so restrictive that no one dares to move forward. All those decades of fear and politics built walls around the idea, not laws."
Robert gave a low whistle. "So, what you're saying is… you're planning to break through those walls."
"Kind of. If they want to have more investors or companies like us emerging in the Philippines, they must reform their energy policy first, which is according to the recent trends on the government policy on that particular policy, they are leaning towards going nuclear. Which is a huge step."
Mei Ling folded her arms, intrigued now. "You'd be transforming the Philippines into a true manufacturing hub."
"Exactly," Timothy said. "Cheaper, stable power means global investors won't hesitate to base operations there. Particularly myself. I have so many business ventures to the point I can make myself a trillionaire."
"Well you are getting there with your automotive enterprise," Angela chuckled.
"Yeah but it's not enough. I need more enterprise," Timothy said.
"In that case, we are looking forward to it," Robert said.
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