Chapter 64 Despicable Tactics
"Straight up, a hundred million dollars," Ethan declared, raising a confident finger.
John rolled his eyes and finally couldn't hold back. "Mr. Brown, are you serious about taking the downtown land for a hundred million? Or is TriStar Corporation having money problems?"
Ethan's face darkened, his voice low and threatening. "Mr. Davis, think before you speak, or you might end up in legal hot water."
John, undeterred, sneered. "Am I wrong? Why only a hundred million? Do you think we're not worth more?"
Rachel took a sip of coffee, her smile unwavering. "I agree with John. A hundred million is way too low."
Ethan knew his offer was weak and stayed silent for a moment before speaking, his brow furrowing. "Then how much do you want?"
Rachel put down her coffee cup and replied firmly. "A flat price, two billion dollars."
Ethan was shocked, and John was equally stunned, both men momentarily speechless.
Ethan slammed the table, his voice rising. "Ms. Williams, two billion is too high."
Rachel responded with a steady smile. "Sure, it's a bit high, but not unreasonable. The downtown land is valued at around one and a half billion. As the area develops, the price will only go up. Two billion isn't excessive."
Ethan smiled bitterly, frustration evident. "Who knows when the land will be worth two billion? Asking for that now, are you not really intending to sell?"
Rachel shook her head, her smile never faltering. "Not at all. If you can afford it, I'll transfer the land immediately. If you think it's too expensive, that's your problem. I'll keep it to build my factory."
"Then I'll wait and see if you can successfully build that factory!" Ethan snorted coldly, his eyes narrowing.
Rachel squinted, her tone icy. "Mr. Brown, is that a threat?"
Ethan said nothing and turned to leave, his steps heavy with frustration.
John watched him slam the door, his voice filled with disbelief. "Rachel, you're not just messing with him, are you?"
Rachel continued to sip her coffee calmly. "No. I'm telling the truth. If he can afford it, I'll sell it. If he thinks he can't, that's his problem."
John circled her, clicking his tongue in amazement. "How quickly you've become a real sly operator in the business world, Rachel! Two billion dollars, even Michael can't come up with that kind of cash quickly, let alone Ethan."
"Then I'll just keep it for myself." Rachel smiled, her eyes twinkling with determination.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Rachel put down her coffee cup and frowned slightly when she saw the caller ID, her voice cautious. "Hello."
"Sorry, Ms. Williams, our construction team has encountered some issues and won't be able to build your factory. You'll need to find someone else."
Without waiting for Rachel's response, the other party hung up quickly.
"What happened, Rachel?" John asked anxiously, seeing her unhappy expression.
Rachel hesitated, and the phone rang again. It was a call from the machinery company.
The other party asked, "Hello, is this Ms. Williams?"
"Yes, it's me." Rachel gripped the phone tightly, her voice slightly hoarse, vaguely guessing the other party's intention.
The other party said, "Ms. Williams, our machinery factory recently received a large overseas order and won't be able to assemble your equipment. We apologize for the inconvenience."
With that, the call was quickly hung up as if afraid Rachel would hold them up.
"Rachel, what's going on?" John asked, seeing her face growing darker.
Rachel slowly put down the phone, her face icy. "Ethan's blocking our construction by cutting off our connections with the construction team and machinery company," she said.
"What?" John slammed the table in anger, his voice rising. "Ethan is so despicable, using such underhanded tactics. I'll try contacting other companies."
"It might be useless. If Ethan is determined to obstruct us, he must have already notified others," Rachel said, clenching her fists, her frustration palpable.
John was silent for a moment, his determination unwavering. "We have to try."
With that, he started making calls and taking action, his voice filled with urgency.
Rachel tiredly rubbed her temples, opened Facebook, and posted about her current mood. Just as she was about to put down her phone, a message popped up at the top of the screen.
Z-H: [What's going on?]
It was him! Rachel's heart skipped a beat. She didn't understand why seeing Z-H's message made her feel different. She didn't think much, took a deep breath, and replied: [What's up?]
Z-H: [Your Facebook post.]
Rachel realized he had seen her post and was asking about it. Feeling a bit warm inside, Rachel replied with a smile: [Are you concerned about me?]
Michael pursed his lips. He didn't understand why he had asked about her post impulsively. By the time he realized it, the message had already been sent. Retracting the message was pointless, so he decided to go with the flow.
Z-H: [Think what you want.]
Rachel: [Then I'll take it as a concern.]
Z-H: [Okay.]
Rachel: [Do you really want to know what just happened?]
Michael's eyes flickered as he typed: [No, say it if you want to.]
Rachel: [Sure, why not?]
She chuckled softly. For some reason, she unconsciously saw him as someone to confide in and narrated Ethan's despicable tactics through voice messages.
Michael listened, his brows furrowing slightly, feeling a rare sense of displeasure toward Ethan's actions. Using such underhanded tactics just because of a failed land bid seemed too despicable.
While pondering, his phone vibrated again. He collected his thoughts and glanced down. It was another message from Rachel.
Rachel: [What do you think I should do now?]
The message ended with a sighing emoji, exuding a bit of playfulness and helplessness. Michael unconsciously imagined Rachel's expression at that moment. But then he realized this thought was unnecessary and inappropriate, and his face darkened. What did Rachel's current state have to do with him?
Z-H: [I have no idea.]
Rachel felt a slight disappointment after reading it. Last time, it was this man who had given her advice, helping her successfully acquire Blue Sky Ventures. Now, she habitually saw him as someone to seek help from, tentatively asking if he had any new solutions. Then, she suddenly realized this mindset was inappropriate.
She patted her cheeks self-deprecatingly, regained her composure, and typed: [Sorry, I was just asking casually. Don't worry about it. My friend and I will find a way to do it ourselves.]
Friend? Michael's eyes narrowed as he typed: [Boyfriend?]
Rachel looked toward the balcony and replied: [Yes.]
Z-H knew she was Joseph's friend and understood she had a boyfriend, but he didn't know that this boyfriend was fake.
Knowing Rachel admitted to the relationship, Michael felt inexplicably irritated. He loosened his tie and typed: [Successfully building the factory is not difficult!]
Rachel stood up in surprise. How could he say he had no idea one moment and then have a solution the next? Without thinking much, she immediately sent a voice message. "What solution?" she asked.
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