Chapter 264 The Belated James
Everyone was floored when Atticus straight-up gave Laura a twenty-million-dollar discount.
In all of Lumina City, only a handful of folks could pull that off.
Thalassa, Thalia, and Leander quickly realized Atticus was being super nice, not because of Leander, but because of Laura!
"Wow, Laura's a real big deal if even Atticus has to show her respect!" Thalia muttered, watching Laura walk away.
She felt a pang of guilt remembering how cocky she'd been earlier. Laura must've been laughing at her the whole time!
Thalassa didn't like it, but she had to admit Laura was out of her league.
Even if Laura's fiancé was a nobody, Laura herself was a powerhouse and didn't care if her fiancé had money or not!
The worst thing for a woman was to have her life controlled by a man.
Thalassa was still stuck in that trap, but Laura had already taken charge of her own destiny.
Everyone was green with envy, but Laura was actually freaking out.
Atticus had already been generous by knocking off twenty million because of Charles, but the remaining twenty million was still a massive chunk of change for The Hall Family.
Joe's company was just getting off the ground and couldn't cough up that kind of cash.
Laura's company had money, but it was all tied up in investments from Charles. Using it for personal stuff wouldn't fly.
"Mr. Hayes, I really appreciate the discount, but twenty million is still a lot for me. Can you give me some time to get the money together?" she asked Atticus softly.
Atticus paused for a moment, then said coolly, "Miss Hall, this vase isn't mine; it's the company's. I've already cut the price by twenty million for Mr. Wilson. You have to come up with the twenty million today, or I can't explain it to the company!"
Laura was stunned and felt hopeless.
Atticus seemed calm, but inside he was sweating bullets. He was in a tough spot dealing with his boss's fiancée.
When he called Charles earlier, Charles had given him a way out.
To avoid making Laura look too bad, Atticus would offer the discount. This way, he could show respect to Laura without raising any eyebrows.
But Atticus had to insist on getting the twenty million today, so Laura wouldn't think he was letting her off the hook for some reason.
Charles figured The Hall Family was well-off enough to come up with twenty million. Even if Laura paid it today, Charles would find a way to pay her back later.
This way, he could keep James's identity under wraps and not completely piss off Laura.
Charles was a pro at handling these situations, thanks to his years of social experience.
But he never imagined The Hall Family couldn't scrape together twenty million dollars right now.
Laura looked at Joe, hoping he'd have a solution.
Joe hesitated for a couple of seconds, then turned to Atticus and said, "Mr. Hayes, I can only get ten million together right now. Can I give you the other ten million in a few days?"
"No way!" Atticus shook his head and said calmly, "Ms. Hall, your dad's a big shot in Willowbrook. I don't think it'd be hard for him to come up with ten million to help you out. Plus, The Hall Family is loaded, and each member is worth billions. You can ask them for help!"
Joe bit his lip and looked down, not saying a word.
Atticus had a point. The Hall Family was indeed filthy rich, with each member worth billions. But the family was full of schemers, and Joe couldn't bring himself to ask them for help, no matter what.
Joe's dad had four sons, and Joe was the least favorite.
Joe had clawed his way to success on his own, and he'd never ask the person he despised the most for help over something like this.
"Thalia, can you help me out with some money?" He hesitated and turned to Thalia.
"Joe, you know I don't have any money." Thalia shook her head quickly, afraid Joe would ask her for cash.
Joe was speechless.
"Joe, you should blame James for this. He was supposed to help you, and he's partly responsible for your mess. You should ask him for money!" Thalia said sarcastically.
"Mom, are you serious? James bolted the moment he found out Joe was in trouble, and now he's hiding in the hotel. Besides, how could a loser like him come up with a million dollars?" Thalassa chimed in.
Even now, they couldn't resist taking a jab at James.
Joe sighed, knowing he couldn't count on James. He slowly pulled out his phone to make a call for money.
At this point, pride didn't matter anymore.
"It's just a fake vase and you dare to ask for twenty million dollars? You're too greedy!" Just as Joe was about to call his dad, a voice suddenly came from a distance. Everyone turned to look.
A young guy in ordinary clothes was walking towards them.
"Who is this guy?"
"He's got a death wish, meddling like this."
"Yeah, calling Mr. Hayes's vase fake? This kid's lost it!"
The customers at the restaurant entrance started whispering when they saw the young man.
Laura, Joe, and the others also looked at him.
When they saw his face, they were all stunned.
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