Chapter 449 The Game (1)
Cecilia let out a soft chuckle.
Every time Alaric's name popped up, her heart did this little happy dance.
She never felt this kind of fiery romance with Dominic.
She just went along with their marriage 'cause, you know, tradition and all that. She figured once hitched, it's for life, so she should give it her all.
She never really overthought it.
Looking back now, she felt like she was super naive back then.
"Cecilia." Dashiell had to call her name twice to snap her out of her daydream.
Cecilia quickly came back to the present.
"What were you daydreaming about?" Dashiell teased.
"Nothing," Cecilia denied. "I was just wondering, was Seraphina stoked to see you?"
"What do you think?" Dashiell said, all calm and collected. "She pretty much hates my guts."
"When she finds out the truth..." Cecilia started.
"She won't," Dashiell cut her off.
"You know, sometimes you're so awesome that I think Seraphina's just ungrateful," Cecilia tried to comfort him.
"You're overthinking it. She doesn't like me, so there's no need for any responsibility. She never pressured me for anything, and what I did for her was just a piece of cake," Dashiell said, still calm.
Cecilia raised an eyebrow.
Since when did Dashiell get such a big attitude?
Or maybe Alaric, Dashiell, and Cassius were all just top-tier guys.
She always felt like these three dudes, who seemed to be just chilling, actually had some serious skills.
Anyway, she didn't dare to imagine what they were really capable of.
Dashiell played it cool. "Anyway, I gotta get back to work. Once I dig up the Kingsley Group's loan records, I'll hit you up."
"Alright, I won't bug you anymore." Cecilia nodded.
"Later."
Cecilia hung up, feeling a bit lost in thought.
The Kingsley Family had their hands in so many pies now.
Some of their original investments were within the normal scope of the Kingsley Group, but stuff like Innovation Arc and the international e-commerce projects were way beyond their league. Were they just being super ambitious and taking risks, or did they have some secret help?
While Cecilia was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door.
Rose reported, "Ms. Lockhart, the person you scheduled is here and waiting in the conference room."
"Okay." Cecilia nodded. After a moment, she said, "Bring Pierce along."
"Yes."
Cecilia got up and headed to the conference room, with Pierce quickly catching up.
Inside was a middle-aged guy, Orville Kidd, who owned a small e-commerce platform. It wasn't a big deal, mostly local stuff. Cecilia was planning to buy it out.
Orville looked pretty nervous seeing Cecilia.
For a guy whose company was worth a few million, meeting the boss of a billion-dollar company was a big deal. He couldn't keep his cool no matter how hard he tried.
"Mr. Kidd, right?" Cecilia started.
"Hello, Ms. Lockhart." Orville quickly stood up to shake hands.
"Please, have a seat," Cecilia said.
Both of them sat down, and Cecilia got straight to the point, "The reason I asked you to come to the Lockhart Group today is to talk about acquiring your Pearl E-commerce Platform."
"Our small business only makes a few hundred thousand dollars a year. I don't get why Ms. Lockhart would want to buy it?" Orville was still puzzled.
For him, that kind of money was enough to keep his family comfy, but for the Lockhart Group, it was just pocket change.
"E-commerce platforms are gonna be huge in the future. But with how you're running things now, you'll get crushed by the big guys, like the Kingsley Group. They'll wipe out small players like you," Cecilia laid it out straight. "But if we, the Lockhart Group, take over, things will be different. You might wonder why I don't just start my own e-commerce company. I thought about it, but starting from scratch is a pain. So, it's easier to buy and rebuild."
Orville bought it.
With such a big gap between their companies, he didn't think the Lockhart Group had any reason to mess with him.
"So, how much are you willing to pay?" he asked.
Cecilia had done her homework and knew Orville was pretty chill about business.
As long as the money was right, he'd sell in a heartbeat.
She handed him a transfer document.
Everything was already set.
Orville glanced at it, and his eyes nearly popped out when he saw the offer.
Five million dollars.
An offer of five million dollars.
His e-commerce platform was worth, at most, two million.
"How about it? Happy with the price?" Cecilia asked.
"Of course," Orville said quickly, still a bit skeptical. "Is this for real?"
"Miracles happen," Cecilia joked.
Orville thought for a moment, "Alright. As long as you're not pulling my leg and really give me five million dollars, I'll sell Pearl E-commerce Platform to you."
"Check out the contract. Once you sign, I'll transfer the money to your account the next day."
Orville picked up the contract and read it twice, then said, "I trust you."
"Sign here. You brought your company seal, right?" Cecilia asked.
"I did," Orville replied quickly.
"Then stamp it too."
Orville did as she said.
The deal was sealed.
Cecilia stood up and shook hands with Orville.
After some small talk, Cecilia saw Orville off and headed back to the office with Pierce.
Cecilia asked, "Do you think it's worth it? Dropping five million on a company worth less than two million?"
"Totally worth it," Pierce said without hesitation. "You spent five million to boost the value of Pearl E-commerce Platform, making it more competitive. If it were too cheap, it would just show that the platform is worthless and wouldn't gain the trust of other companies. Of course, five million is still peanuts compared to the Kingsley Group's two billion."
"So, we need to hype it up," Cecilia said. "I bought Pearl E-commerce Platform, a local e-commerce platform, to develop two business areas. First, we'll keep its original business model, focusing on the local market. Our edge is in delivery speed, with same-day delivery within the city. Second, we'll dive into international e-commerce, specializing in import and export trade."
"So, Ms. Lockhart, you mean we won't complicate things like the Kingsley Group. We'll find our niche, focus on specialized projects, and attract international e-commerce partnerships."
"The only thing we're missing is..." Cecilia's voice trailed off.
"Active customers," Pierce finished.
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