Chapter 15 Setting the Trap, Kingsley Family Falls In
Cecilia looked so innocent.
It was like she wasn't talking about something hurtful, but something totally reasonable.
Everyone in the Kingsley family was stunned. They didn't expect Cecilia to suddenly say something like that.
Cecilia felt a bit awkward under their stares, "Did I say something wrong? I thought Uncle Nathaniel always said he wanted to repay us because the Kingsley family didn't want to take advantage of the Lockhart family. So I suggested writing an IOU, that way everyone would know the Kingsley family keeps their word, and there wouldn't be any gossip about them."
Nathaniel snapped back to reality.
At that moment, he felt a bit annoyed. He hadn't expected that his attempt to show off the Kingsley family's strength would be misunderstood.
But, was it really a misunderstanding?!
Now he was a bit hesitant.
But looking at Cecilia, especially since she had always been obedient to their family, Nathaniel felt that Cecilia couldn't possibly have any ulterior motives.
Thinking this, Nathaniel quickly said, "Cecilia is absolutely right. Borrowing money should come with an IOU. Even if Cecilia hadn't mentioned it, I would have written one myself."
Cecilia smiled brightly.
Back then, the Lockhart family did indeed lend the Kingsley family $300 million.
But after that, the Kingsley family never mentioned repaying it!
In this lifetime, she wouldn't let them get away with it!
Nathaniel immediately instructed a servant to bring paper, pen, and ink pad, "I'll write it myself."
He then smoothly wrote it out.
After writing, he handed it to Theodore and said, "Theodore, see if there's anything to add. If not, I'll put my fingerprint on it."
Theodore took it and looked at it with Cecilia.
After looking at it, Cecilia said with a puzzled expression, "Nathaniel, you only wrote that you borrowed $300 million, but you didn't mention the repayment period or what would happen if you couldn't repay it on time. This IOU seems pretty useless."
Cecilia's seemingly innocent words made Nathaniel's face turn red.
She acted as if she hadn't noticed and handed the IOU directly to Dominic, asking innocently, "Dominic, you know everything. What do you think?"
Dominic was at a loss for words.
If he agreed with Cecilia, it would be a slap in Nathaniel's face. But if he disagreed, it would be a slap in his own face.
Although Cecilia's words were a bit hurtful, they were all reasonable.
Nathaniel had to quickly explain, "My fault, I've never written an IOU before, so I didn't know how to do it. I'll add a repayment period now. The period will be..."
Cecilia said, "Half a year should be enough."
Nathaniel was still hesitating between three years and five years, but Cecilia's suggestion of half a year shocked him.
"I just read a financial report on the Kingsley Group a few days ago. In the first half of this year, the Kingsley family's net income was $550 million. The trend for the second half looks good, so the income should be even higher," Cecilia explained clearly.
Nathaniel could only smile awkwardly, "I didn't know Cecilia was interested in financial news."
"Because both the Lockhart Group and the Kingsley Group are on the list, I paid a bit more attention," Cecilia said sweetly.
"Alright, half a year it is." Nathaniel gritted his teeth and wrote down the period.
As he finished writing, Cecilia suggested, "If you can't repay it in half a year, you can use Kingsley Group shares as collateral."
Nathaniel's hand, which was writing, visibly stiffened.
"A few days ago, I heard Seraphina say that she's the daughter of the chairman of House of Everhart Bank and also my best friend. She mentioned that when you took out a mortgage loan from their bank, you used Kingsley family shares as collateral. She said you borrowed $800 million and pledged 18% of Kingsley Group shares. So, based on market value, $300 million should be about 6.67% of the shares," Cecilia said, calculating as if she were just stating a fact, with an innocent look on her face.
No matter how much Nathaniel tried to hold it in, his face still looked a bit grim.
At this moment, Theodore finally understood Cecilia's intentions.
Cecilia was leading the Kingsley family step by step into a trap, leaving them with no reason to refute and no way to refuse.
After all, the Kingsley family was indeed short on money. If the Lockhart family didn't inject funds now, the Kingsley family would be in dire straits, and they couldn't afford to fall out with them.
Especially when faced with Cecilia's calm and reasonable demeanor.
Refusing Cecilia's proposal would clearly show that they didn't want to repay the money, and the Kingsley family couldn't afford to lose face like that!
Theodore secretly smiled; he was genuinely impressed by Cecilia's cleverness.
She was smart enough to put the Kingsley family in a difficult position.
"Did I miscalculate?" Cecilia asked, seeing that Nathaniel hadn't written anything, doubting herself.
She deliberately suggested that she might have miscalculated, rather than implying that her proposal had upset the Kingsley family.
She counted on her fingers again.
Nathaniel looked up at Dominic.
Dominic was clearly also put in an awkward position by Cecilia.
But the Kingsley family had no other choice now.
Without the bank's funding, they had to rely on the Lockhart family. If they didn't follow Cecilia's suggestion now, it would mean rejecting the Lockhart family's investment.
Clearly, she was forcing them to agree.
Nathaniel, being an old fox, could think of all this too.
He gave his son a look, reminding him not to let Cecilia have an easy time in the future.
Whether Cecilia did it intentionally or not, she had embarrassed their family, and she wouldn't have an easy time!
Dominic nodded, understanding Nathaniel's meaning.
Nathaniel resumed writing and said, "Cecilia is indeed meticulous. Yes, it's 6.67%."
He then completed the IOU in full.
Seeing that the terms on the IOU were clear, Cecilia, having achieved her goal, praised, "Uncle Nathaniel, your handwriting is beautiful. Our future kids will definitely learn calligraphy from you!"
"Look at you, talking about children before you're even married," Genevieve said with a doting reproach.
"I can't wait to have grandchildren," Octavia chimed in, "especially a granddaughter."
The two families continued to chat happily, showing no signs of any grudge over the IOU matter.
The Lockhart family left after having dinner at the Kingsley family home.
Before leaving, Cecilia went to the restroom.
Coming out of the restroom, she walked through a corridor that led to the Kingsley family's back garden. She took a few steps and then paused.
From a distance, she heard Penelope Kingsley, Dominic's younger sister, talking to someone on the phone in the back garden.
Her voice was low, but in the quiet night, it was still clear.
"Find a way to get Dashiell to meet me. I heard he's back," Penelope said in a somewhat domineering tone.
This former "sister-in-law" of hers always acted high and mighty with everyone.
Who knew where she got the confidence to think she was better than everyone else.
"Not tonight. Dominic's girlfriend is here, and I don't know when she'll leave. If I leave now, my dad will scold me."
"You think Cecilia is pretty? Yes, that woman is indeed naturally beautiful, but so what? My brother's got her wrapped around his finger. You have no idea how humble she is in front of him. Once she marries my brother, do you think I can make her wash my feet?"
"Bet? Fine, let's bet. When I post the photos, don't back out!"
"It's a deal."
Cecilia walked away from the corridor indifferently.
So back then, when Penelope acted coy and asked her to wash her feet, it was just to humiliate her.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
