The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156 Invest More

Chapter 156 Invest More

“Nine years ago, during the very first training camp, she came in as just a trainee. She was only ten years old, and when the training ended, she ranked tenth overall.”

Everyone held their breath. After all, anyone who made it here was handpicked from elite units across the country, the youngest was at least twenty-two.

But Natalie, just a ten-year-old girl, stood out among a crowd of hardened soldiers, not only finishing the whole course but actually placing tenth.

They’d all heard stories about her. One year, during a cross-country run, her shoe sole came off at the five-kilometer mark. She ran the last five kilometers barefoot, her soles torn and bloody, leaving a trail of blood at the finish line/

But she never cried, never said a word about the pain.

Liam went on, “Second year, she ranked seventh. Third year, fourth. Fourth year, second. By her fifth year, at just fourteen, she took first place overall.

“The previous chief instructor even lost to her in a mock battle.”

The way everyone looked at Natalie changed completely. Their eyes were filled with awe. At first, they thought she was just some prodigy, but now, they knew she was the real deal.

No matter their age or rank, they honestly respected her from the bottom of their hearts.

Henry stared at Natalie’s profile, momentarily dazed. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. Liam noticed the shift in everyone’s attitude and smiled. Honestly, he was just showing off his goddaughter.

But more importantly, he wanted them to remember Natalie as the chief instructor, not just as Liam’s goddaughter. These people were all top brass, commanders, adjutants, and major generals, with access to resources, influence, and powerful connections.

Today, they met Natalie, remembered her, and recognized her.

If Natalie ever needed anything in the future, these people would help her out.

It wasn’t because of Liam’s connections. It was all thanks to Natalie’s own abilities.

He just gave her the opportunity; the journey beyond was hers to walk alone.

“Man, the younger generation really is something else.”

“Honestly, I’ve only ever seen one young talent like Chief Instructor Natalie in my whole career.” “Yeah, when I was ten, I didn’t even know where to find mud, let alone pee, just a clueless kid.”

*****

Once the praise died down, Liam cleared his throat.

“Natalie, could you give the officers a quick rundown on this year’s trainees?”

Natalie nodded, straightening up a bit, her tone steady and composed.

She said, “We started with forty-six trainees this year. After a week of pre-training adaptation, two were eliminated, so we now have forty-four remaining.

“Among them, there are two majors, eleven captains, twenty-two first lieutenants, and nine second lieutenants. “They come from a total of eleven units, including the Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central Theater Commands, as well as the Marine Corps, Air Force Paratroopers, Armed Police Commando Unit, and others.”

She started talking about the training plan…

“About the training plan…”

About half an hour later, the briefing came to an end.

Everyone was now looking at Natalie with even more respect. She rattled off everything, from the specifics about each trainee to the detailed training plans, without even needing to check her notes.

Everything she said lined up perfectly with the reports in their hands and she even threw in extra context and analysis that the documents didn’t cover.

Successfully unlocked!

The reports only listed numbers and conclusions, but valance we reasons and logic behind them in plain language.

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Chapter 156 Invest More

For instance, she explained, “This trainee’s stamina is lacking because his running form is off, his center of gravity leans left, so he ends up burning five percent more energy every kilometer.

“As for why that trainee’s marksmanship is so impressive, it’s because…”

As for why the training plan was set up this way, she broke it down: “Week one is all about building the basics, week two ramps up the intensity, week three is for testing their willpower, and week four focuses on teamwork drills…”

Every decision had a solid reason, every reason was backed by data, and she had every single number memorized.

Commander Luca set the report down, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He moved slowly, as if giving himself time to process it all.

He’d spent his whole life in the military, seen countless reports, and listened to endless briefings.

Some people stumbled over their words just reading from the script, others could recite everything perfectly but froze the moment they were asked a question, and some had all the numbers right but couldn’t explain the reasoning behind them.

But Natalie was different. She wasn’t just giving a briefing. She was telling a story.

Everyone in the room grew more and more admiring and respectful of Natalie. At her age, with all she’d accomplished, she could set aside her pride and really get to know every trainee, inside and out.

She never rushed or acted impulsively, wasn’t flashy, didn’t brag, and never felt the need to prove herself.

She sat there with her back straight, hands resting on her knees, her voice steady, neither loud nor soft, and she spoke at a measured pace.

She didn’t get flustered sitting in front of all these generals, didn’t get smug after showing her skills on the field, and didn’t let Liam’s praise make her lose her cool. That kind of composure is hard to come by!

Henry looked up from the documents in his hands, his calm gaze sweeping across the room.

“Commander Liam, Commander Luca, and all the officers,” he said. “This is the fifth year of the Pierce Group’s partnership with the military. I haven’t been here once in the previous four years.”

He paused, folding his hands on his knees, glancing first at Natalie, then at Liam.

“After seeing everything this year, I realize I should have come sooner.

“You all have the investment amounts for the past four years in your hands, so I won’t go over them again.

“Today, on top of our previous commitments, the Pierce Group will be making an additional, ongoing investment. This isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s a long-term promise. The funds will be used for equipment upgrades, training support, and injury recovery for the trainees here.”

He paused, then added, “And from now on, we’ll also be providing scholarships for each future class of trainees.”

The office fell so silent that even the sound of pages turning faded away.

No one expected Henry to make this call at this moment, in this setting.

They all knew that when Henry said something, it wasn’t just polite talk. He was putting real money into this training camp every single year.

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