Chapter 162 Almost Got Fooled by You
The middle-aged man who'd been opposing Laura couldn't hold back anymore and shouted at Ian, looking excited, "Mr. Phillips, you don't seem to know much about our company. We've been losing money for two years straight. Are you really planning to invest that much in us?"
Ian was surprised and then turned to James, smiling. "Mr. Smith asked me to invest in this company. I trust him; he wouldn't deceive me. So, I think investing here is fine!"
"Did you just say Mr. Smith asked you to invest?" Laura looked at James, eyes wide with surprise.
Laura suddenly remembered Ian was here because of James!
She couldn't help but scrutinize James, curious about their relationship. Logically, James shouldn't even know Ian.
But Ian seemed to trust and respect James a lot.
James stayed calm, squinting at everyone, not saying a word.
Just then, Donovan burst into laughter.
Everyone turned to look at Donovan, confused.
Donovan squinted at Ian and said, "Mr. Phillips, your acting is top-notch. I almost got fooled by you."
"My acting?" Ian was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Laura thought Donovan was just causing trouble and quickly scolded him. "Donovan, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Laura, you're too naive. Do you really think he'd invest that much in your company?" Donovan sneered.
Ian couldn't help but sneer back. "What do you mean? Do you think I'm lying?"
"You know exactly what I mean! You're just playing along with James," Donovan pointed at James and shouted.
"Acting?" Laura was taken aback. She didn't get what Donovan was trying to do.
"Don't you all get it yet?" Donovan shouted. "This guy isn't from Golden Peak Investment Company. Golden Peak is one of the top investment firms in our state. A big company like that wouldn't be interested in a small company like yours, especially given your current situation. Do you think they'd invest a hundred million dollars? That's just ridiculous!"
Everyone was stunned, doubt gleaming in their eyes.
James looked at Donovan with amusement. He didn't expect Donovan to say such things just to win over Laura.
Seeing Laura and the others silent, Donovan continued, "Laura, you know whether what I said makes sense. I think this Ian isn't from Golden Peak at all; he's just an actor James hired to put on a show!"
Laura hesitated, thinking Donovan made sense.
First of all, the fact that James knew the general manager of Golden Peak Investment Company was already a red flag.
Laura was well aware of her company's situation. Even among investment firms with whom she had good relationships, they had been unwilling to invest. Yet, here was Ian, ready to offer a hundred million dollars. It was almost too good to be true.
"Yeah, this guy's a fraud!" a shareholder said.
"I can't believe James brought a fraud here. That's just despicable!" another added.
Nancy believed Donovan and angrily confronted James. "James, if you can't find an investor, fine. But bringing an actor to deceive us? What are you trying to do?"
"What makes you say Ian's a fraud?" James asked Nancy calmly.
"There's no way a loser like you knows someone from Golden Peak! You must've hired an actor to fool us!" Nancy snapped.
James hesitated, then looked at Ian, hoping he could prove his identity.
Ian paused, then coldly said to Donovan, "If I remember right, you're Sam Diaz's son, correct?"
Donovan sneered. "Nice try, actor. But lots of people know I'm Sam's son. That doesn't prove you're from Golden Peak."
"Your father Sam discussed a financing project with us. It wasn't huge, but given your attitude, I've decided to cancel our investment in your family," Ian said calmly.
Donovan sneered. "You think you're the general manager of Golden Peak? Our family had billion-dollar projects with them. Even if you were the chairman, you wouldn't dare cancel our cooperation!"
Ian shook his head and said, "I met your dad once. Call him and see if I'm the general manager of Golden Peak."
"Still acting, huh? You're persistent!" Donovan mocked, pulling out his phone to call his dad and confirm Ian was a fraud.
Just then, a shareholder spoke up, "Donovan, no need to call your father."
"Why?" Donovan asked.
"Because I met someone from Golden Peak a few days ago. The manager received me, so this guy's definitely a fake," the shareholder said with a smile.
