Chapter 155 Call the Investor Over Right Now
Donovan was stunned for a moment when he heard the middle-aged man. He turned to James, puzzled, and asked, "You said this guy is Laura's fiancé?""Yep, that's him. He was just boasting about how he could find Laura a new investor," the middle-aged man said with a nod.
Donovan looked James up and down, then burst into laughter, pointing at him. "You're the bartender from last night! And you're Laura's fiancé?"
"My job as a bartender has nothing to do with being Laura's fiancé," James replied.
"Yeah, right!" Donovan laughed even harder.
Laura watched Donovan's reaction with a mix of exasperation and resignation. At this point, she realized that explaining herself was futile; no one would believe her anyway.
After laughing, Donovan said to James, "You're just a lowly bar waiter. You're not going to find any investors. And Laura, how did you end up with a guy like this? It's downright hilarious."
Laura couldn't take Donovan's mockery anymore and shouted, "It's not funny. Who I choose as my boyfriend is my business, not yours."
"I just think this loser doesn't deserve you," Donovan said.
James suddenly interrupted, "Laura would rather choose me, a bartender, over you. Ever think the problem might be you?"
Donovan glared at James, gritting his teeth. "Fine, I'm not arguing with you. Laura, what's your plan? Stay with this loser and watch your company go bankrupt, or be with me?"
Laura hesitated, then looked at James. Despite knowing he couldn't find investors, his confidence gave her a glimmer of hope. What if a miracle happened?
"Get the stock buyback contracts ready. I'll call the investors over right now," James said softly to Laura.
"James, can you really help my cousin find investors? If you can't, stop bragging. If she signs the contracts and can't pay severance, the company will go bankrupt!" Nancy said tensely.
James glanced at Nancy, said nothing, and walked out with his phone.
As he exited, a wave of confusion passed through the room. The onlookers were curious about whether this so-called underdog, James, could truly help Laura secure the necessary funds.
Laura took a deep breath and told Nancy, "Nancy, get my assistant to prepare the contracts!"
"Are you really going to buy back their shares? If James can't find investors, the consequences will be serious!" Nancy shouted.
"Yeah, Laura, would you rather see your company go bankrupt than be with me?" Donovan shouted too.
Laura coldly glanced at Donovan and said, "Donovan, I told you, I will never be with someone like you!"
"You!" Donovan looked furious.
He couldn't understand why Laura would choose a loser like James over him.
"Nancy, go prepare the contracts!" Laura insisted.
Laura knew that if she didn't arrange the buyout today, these people wouldn't let up. So, regardless of whether James managed to find investors or not, she had no choice but to proceed with the buyout.
As for the severance payments, if James could find the investors, that would be ideal. If not, Laura would have to turn to her father for help.
After leaving the conference room, James stepped outside and called Charles.
The phone rang for three minutes before Charles picked up.
"Mr. Smith, what can I do for you?" Charles asked.
"I need you to invest in a company for me right now, three hundred million," James said flatly.
"Okay, tell me the company's name, and I'll arrange it right away!" Charles replied quickly.
"This can't be handled by someone else. I need you to come over now. I'm at Felia Company. It's my fiancée Laura's company. I don't want to reveal my identity, so I need you to personally discuss the investment with her," James explained.
"Well..." Charles hesitated, sounding troubled.
"Is there a problem?" James asked.
"Mr. Smith, I'm on a business trip in Nova Cresta. The earliest I can get back is tomorrow. How about I talk to your Laura then?" Charles said.
"You're in Nova Cresta?" James was speechless.
"Yes, I have some matters here. If it's urgent, I can head back now, but I won't arrive until tonight. If you can't wait, I can have the finance department transfer the money first," Charles offered.
"We can't transfer the money first. If you invest such a large amount without being there, Laura will definitely suspect something. If she finds out my true identity, I won't be able to inherit the estate!" James said, frustrated.
"Mr. Smith, you're thinking things through more and more. How about this: I'll catch a flight back now and should arrive in Lumina City by midnight," Charles suggested, praising James.
James glanced at the conference room.
Everyone was waiting for him. If he went back and said Charles would come tomorrow, they wouldn't let it go.
However, if Charles didn't show up and the funds were transferred without his presence—three hundred million dollars at that—Laura would definitely find it suspicious. Even a fool could spot the red flags.
"Can't you come back this afternoon?" James asked.
"James, I'm in Nova Cresta. Even if I rush to catch a flight, I won't be there until midnight," Charles said.
"Alright, come tomorrow morning then. I'll explain to Laura first," James said, resigned.
"Okay," Charles replied and hung up.
"Charles, why are you always unreliable at critical moments!" James muttered after the call ended.
Normally, such delays might be manageable, but now everyone was waiting to see James make a joke of himself. If he returned and claimed that the investor wouldn't arrive until the following day, no one would believe him.
James took a deep breath and picked up his phone, ready to call Terry for help with the investment, planning to repay Terry later.
But then he hesitated, thinking, 'Terry's a big shot in Lumina City—everyone knows him. It would be impossible for him to just randomly invest in a cosmetics company without a solid reason. It just wouldn't make sense.'
So James didn't call Terry and turned back to the conference room.
