Chapter 564 Bargaining
Sofia's face twisted up when she heard that, feeling like something bad was about to go down.
She asked, kinda nervous, "Nolan, didn't you say if I gave you the info, you wouldn't mess with Reese? What's the deal now?"
Nolan let out this creepy laugh and said, "Sofia, you think it's that simple? If she had just let me be, I wouldn't be after her. But now she's gathering dirt on me and handed it to the cops, trying to nail me. If you were me, would you let her walk?"
"But..." Sofia tried to stick up for Reese.
"And you're the one who's gonna do it," Nolan cut her off.
Sofia's eyes went wide. "What did you just say?"
Nolan sneered, "Who else could pull it off? Only you. My guys can't get near Reese, but you? You were her bestie in college. She'd trust you. Even if she's a bit wary, she wouldn't suspect too much."
Sofia shot back, "No way. I've already hurt Reese enough. Nolan, you can't make me do this again. Plus, you know Reese knows martial arts. Ten guys couldn't take her down. Now you want me to do it? You're setting me up to get killed."
Seeing Sofia's defiance, Nolan played his ace.
He said, "If you really don't wanna do it, I won't push you. But I heard your grandma's condition got worse, and the hospital needs some pricey meds to treat her."
Sofia's face darkened. Even the nicest person would snap after being pushed around like this.
Given the mess she was in, she didn't wanna be Nolan's puppet anymore.
She decided to take a shot.
Sofia tried to steady herself and negotiate with Nolan.
She asked, "Nolan, even if I agree to take out Reese, can you even cover my grandma's medical bills in your situation?"
She sized up Nolan's current state. He was on the run. Picking her, a rookie, for the job showed he had no one else to trust.
If he did, he wouldn't have come to her.
But Sofia missed one thing: Nolan's slyness.
Nolan smirked, "You underestimate me. I've been in this city for years and seen it all. In our line of work, cash is king. I'm not broke. Money's not a problem."
Hearing that, Sofia's last bit of hope crumbled. Her plan was a bust. Nolan wasn't gonna let Reese off the hook.
Even if she said no, he'd find another way to twist her arm.
She took a deep breath and said, "Alright, let's talk numbers."
She realized Nolan had dug deep into her grandma's condition. Even now, he had no plans to let her off easy.
Nolan flashed a number. "One hundred grand."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Nope, I want two hundred grand."
Nolan suddenly burst out laughing, "Sofia, you got some guts trying to negotiate with me. Don't think just 'cause I'm in a tight spot, I can't deal with you. I can still handle you, no sweat."
Sofia quickly explained, "Nolan, that's not what I meant. You know I might not make it back. You know Reese's strength better than anyone. Plus, she's got Malcolm backing her. If you can't take her down, how can I?"
She was trying to squeeze more cash out of him. No way she could ignore her grandma's situation.
Nolan sighed, "Alright, one hundred fifty grand. But if you push for more, you won't get a dime. And you won't leave here either. You should know, in my current state, I won't hesitate to add another body to my count. I'm already on the run."
Nolan's words sent a chill down Sofia's spine. She was terrified. She never thought she'd be pushed to this point.
Dealing with someone as slick as Nolan, she had to stay cool and not tick him off.
She knew if she pushed too hard, her life could be on the line.
She agreed, "Okay, one hundred fifty grand. When do I get it? I need the money to save my grandma. You know, I might not make it back"
Having been around Nolan for so long, she had learned to be smart. She couldn't always let him call the shots. While she wouldn't confront him directly, she needed some leverage.
Nolan thought for a moment and came up with a compromise.
"How about this? Tomorrow, I'll have someone check the news. If you fail, I'll give you twenty grand. But if you succeed, I'll transfer one hundred fifty grand to the hospital. Don't doubt it. I'll still need your help in the future. Your grandma's illness will keep needing money. I know you can't come up with that kind of cash on your own."
Sofia knew this all too well.
She said, "Alright, it's a deal. Nolan, if you go back on your word, don't blame me for turning on you."
Nolan sneered, "Don't worry. I've never broken a promise."
"Yeah, I know that." Sofia felt a bit reassured. Nolan had never broken a promise to her, even if his actions were hard to swallow.
Nolan laid out the rest of the plan and reminded her again, "If you dare betray me, your grandma won't make it."
After hearing his plan, Sofia felt a pit in her stomach. She might not make it.
"For my grandma, I agree. I'll do it tomorrow."
But deep down, she was already cooking up another plan, for her grandma and herself.
The next day, Reese got a call from Sofia. It had been a while since they last met after their previous plans fell through. Occasionally, they chatted briefly on social media, but most of the time, there wasn't much interaction. However, Sofia knew Reese was busy. She just didn't want their future contact to seem out of the blue. Whether Reese replied or not wasn't important. What mattered was that she had reached out.
Sofia asked, "Reese, you done with your recent tasks?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
