Chapter 154 The Useless Boyfriend
"Are you dealing with the money problem?" Laura sneered at James. "Do you even know how much I need to pay if everyone pulls out?"
"No clue," James replied, shaking his head.
"I need nearly thirty million. Can you get that kind of money? Where will you find it?" Laura asked coldly.
"I can get it," James said through gritted teeth.
"How? By bartending or delivering food?" Laura shouted, clearly agitated.
Everyone laughed. No one expected Laura's fiancé to be a poor delivery guy and bartender. Claiming he could come up with thirty million was a joke.
Laura calmed down a bit after hearing the laughter and said, "James, stop embarrassing me. Leave now, or I'll call security."
James just stared at her.
"What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear me?" Laura shouted.
James had one thought: to have Charles bring thirty million in cash and shut everyone up. But he knew he couldn't do that without exposing his identity since he and Laura weren't married yet.
"I can help you find an investor who not only can fund your company but also help get it back on track. Plus, he can cover the severance pay for you," James said softly to Laura.
"You can find an investor? And cover the severance pay too?" Laura shook her head in disbelief, a wry smile crossing her face. "James, please, don't joke around. Even if you could find an investor, there's no way he'd cover the severance. Who do you think you are?"
"I can call him right now," James said.
"You can call him now?" Laura looked surprised.
For a moment, Laura couldn't shake the feeling that James might actually be serious.
"Yes, I can have that investor here immediately. He'll invest in your company, and his investment will far exceed what Donovan is offering," James said with confidence.
Laura rubbed her temples and shouted, "James, stop bragging. Just go do whatever you need to do!"
"I'm not bragging," James insisted."Laura, why don't you let this guy make a call? I'd like to see if he can actually find an investor for your company today. If he really can bring in an investor, maybe we'll reconsider selling our shares!" the middle-aged man suddenly chimed in, directing his words at Laura.
"This isn't up to you," James sneered at the middle-aged man. "All of you who wanted to sell your shares—get out of this company today!"
James figured that even if they didn't sell their shares, keeping them around was just a ticking time bomb. It was better to kick them all out.
Then, he could have Charles come in and buy out their shares, leaving Laura to manage the company on her own. James had plenty of money at his disposal; thirty million was nothing to him, let alone three hundred million.
Everyone was shocked by James' boldness. No one expected him to be so forceful, wanting to evict all the shareholders.
"Kid, stop bragging. Find an investor first!" a shareholder snapped.
"I'll make the call now!" James said, glancing at Laura before stepping out to make the call.
Laura looked at James, unsure if he was serious or joking.
James needed a quiet spot to call Charles and handle the situation. But before he could leave, a young man in an Armani shirt swaggered in.
James glanced up and recognized him immediately—Donovan, the wealthy playboy who had confessed his feelings to Laura the night before at the bar.
"Mr. Diaz!" "Mr. Diaz!"
As Donovan walked in, everyone in the room stood up to greet him with obsequious smiles and flattery. It was clear that they were in cahoots with him; otherwise, their fawning behavior was hard to explain.
"Laura, what's going on here? Your company's quite the spectacle today!" Donovan said cheerfully as he approached Laura.
"Donovan, stop pretending!" Laura snapped.
"Pretending? I'm not pretending," Donovan replied.
Laura glared at him. "You planned this, didn't you? You knew my company had financial issues and couldn't pay severance, so you had them threaten to withdraw their shares to force me into a corner and agree to be with you, right?"
Donovan was taken aback by Laura's quick deduction but then dropped his pretense, grinning as he said, "Laura, you're sharper than I gave you credit for. You're absolutely right—this whole mess is my doing. But I had no other choice."
"No choice? How do you figure?" Laura sneered.
"I did it to be with you! I'm sincere. If you dump your fiancé and agree to be with me, none of this would have happened," Donovan said playfully.
Laura stared at him, saying nothing.
Donovan sat down, legs crossed, and said, "Let's be clear. You have two choices: be with me, and I'll invest in your company, or stay with your fiancé, and all your shareholders will withdraw, leading to bankruptcy. Think it over!"
"Donovan, you're despicable! I'll never be with someone like you. Give up!" Laura shouted, her eyes watery.
"Didn't expect you to be so loyal. Fine, wait for your company to go bankrupt!" Donovan replied indifferently. "Where's your fiancé? Your company is collapsing, and he's not even here to help. How could you choose such a useless boyfriend?"
"Mr. Diaz, her fiancé is right behind you!" the middle-aged man who had been giving Laura a hard time said with a smile.
