Chapter 74 It Had to Be About Those Two Things
Michael thought for a second and then said, "Check out Rachel's social circle. That guy has to know her. Dig deep."
"Got it!" David replied with a firm nod.
"Mr. Smith." A cautious female voice came from behind.
Michael turned to see Monica and Chloe walking up with flowers.
"Mr. Smith, is Mandy here?" Monica asked softly, avoiding eye contact. "I heard she's sick, so I came to visit."
"She's in the ward," Michael said, pointing to the door.
"Thanks, Mr. Smith." Monica smiled and turned to Chloe, "Ms. Garcia, shall we?"
"Yeah." Chloe lifted her chin a bit, her eyes curious as they scanned Michael.
Monica knocked on the door while Chloe kept checking Michael out. She hadn't really noticed him last time, but now she saw he was super handsome. Even her husband Nathan couldn't compete. Thinking about her upcoming divorce, Chloe's eyes dimmed, and she looked away.
Monica opened the door and called Chloe. "Ms. Garcia, Mandy said we can come in."
"Coming." Chloe nodded at Michael and walked in on her high heels.
"I'm heading out," Michael said, handing some documents to David and making his way to the elevator.
"Mr. Smith, aren't you staying with Miss Brown?" David asked, following closely.
"No need, Ms. Garcia and the others are enough," Michael replied coolly, then texted Mandy to let her know he was leaving.
Mandy saw the message, bit her lip, and replied with an "Okay," feeling a mix of emotions.
Monica noticed her mood and put down the flowers. "Mandy, what's up?"
Mandy put away her phone and smiled, "I'm fine. Thanks for coming to see me."
"No need to thank us. We're friends," Monica said, waving it off.
Chloe sat elegantly on a chair by the bed, crossing her legs. "I heard you were kidnapped. What exactly happened?"
Though the incident wasn't public, the Brown family's connections meant the upper class knew the details.
Monica gasped, "Mandy, you were kidnapped? Who did it?"
Mandy's eyes teared up, but she forced a smile. "It was Ms. Williams' suitor. I accidentally hurt her, and he kidnapped me for revenge."
Monica's face turned red with anger. "That's insane! It was an accident, and her suitor dared to kidnap you!"
Mandy gave a bitter smile. "He might have thought I did it on purpose, so..." She trailed off.
Monica fumed, "I bet Rachel had something to do with this. She probably put him up to it!"
"No, Michael said it had nothing to do with Ms. Williams," Mandy explained, waving her hand, worried they'd get the wrong idea.
Chloe touched her chin thoughtfully. "How does he know?"
Mandy shook her head, looking downcast. "Not sure, maybe he asked Ms. Williams."
Monica put her hands on her hips, angry. "Mr. Smith must have been fooled by Rachel. Mandy, we can't let her get away with this."
"But..." Mandy hesitated, looking troubled.
Monica looked at her with pity. "Don't hesitate. She's bullying you. This time, she had someone kidnap you; who knows what she'll do next? We need to show her we're not to be messed with."
"I'll handle it," Chloe said coldly.
Mandy looked at her and asked, "Ms. Garcia, what do you plan to do?"
Chloe flicked her red nails nonchalantly. "I heard Skyline Corporation is applying for a bank loan. I can start there and restrict their cash flow. Without financial support, Skyline Corporation won't be able to operate."
With that, she started contacting various bank managers. Monica looked at her with admiration.
Seeing this, Mandy's lips curled up slightly.
Meanwhile, at Skyline Corporation, Lily rushed into Rachel's office, her face pale with urgency. "Ms. Williams, something's wrong."
"What is it?" Rachel looked up from her pile of documents, her brow furrowing in concern.
Lily reported, "Several banks called, saying our loan applications don't meet the standards and are being rejected. Some even want us to repay previous loans immediately, citing approval errors."
Rachel's face tightened, gripping her pen hard. "How could this happen?"
"I'm not sure, but with so many banks acting at once, someone must be messing with us," Lily replied, her voice shaking a bit.
A name popped into Rachel's head. She muttered, "Ethan!"
Lily frowned, "You think TriStar Corporation is behind this?"
Rachel squinted, deep in thought. "Besides him, I can't think of anyone else."
If it was Ethan, it had to be about that piece of land or Mandy.
"So, Ms. Williams, what should we do?" Lily asked, her voice steadier now.
Rachel thought for a moment and said, "Try talking to those bank managers again, see if we can fix this. Also, find out if Ethan's really behind it."
"Got it." Lily agreed, then hesitated. "Should we tell Mr. Davis?"
"No need," Rachel waved her hand. "John's got enough on his plate with his own company. I don't want to add to his troubles."
Lily nodded, "Okay."
As Lily left, Ella from finance walked in, looking just as worried.
Ella walked up to Rachel's desk. "Ms. Williams, what's going on? I just got several calls from banks demanding immediate repayment of loans. These loans were just approved, and it's not even time for repayment yet. Why are they suddenly asking for the money back?"
Rachel rubbed her temples, feeling the pressure. "It's clear we're being targeted."
"Who's behind this?" Ella slammed her hand on the desk, clearly frustrated.
Rachel's eyes turned cold. "We suspect it's Ethan, but we have no proof."
"Finding proof can wait. The most urgent issue now is solving the cash flow problem. Skyline Corporation relies heavily on those bank loans for operations. If we have to repay them early, we will have to declare bankruptcy immediately," Ella said anxiously.
Rachel pressed her lips tightly together, fully aware of the severity of the situation.
There was another knock on the door.
"Come in," Rachel responded.
Lily stood at the door, shaking her head helplessly. "I've spoken with those bank managers. The banks that haven't disbursed the loans are adamant about not approving them, and those that have are insisting on immediate repayment. Ms. Williams, what should we do?"
Rachel clenched her fists and asked, "Did they say it was on Ethan's orders?"
"No, I pressed them, but they were vague and seemed scared," Lily replied.
Ella frowned. "Banks are state-owned, after all. Why would those managers fear a private business owner?"
Rachel squinted and said slowly, "Unless the orders didn't come from Ethan but from some high-ranking officials."
"Ms. Williams, when did you offend the authorities?" Ella asked seriously.
Rachel shook her head, confused. "I don't know." She had dealings with the relevant departments over the land issue, but there was no animosity.
"Let's not worry about that for now. Ms. Williams, we need to address the funding issue quickly," Ella reminded.
Rachel closed her eyes in exhaustion. She said to Lily, "Lily, contact those bank managers who have already disbursed the loans and invite them to dinner at the Cosmos Hotel."
As for those who hadn't disbursed the loans, they could be set aside for now. For those who had, she must stop them from demanding repayment, or Skyline Corporation would be in grave danger.
Lily nodded. "Okay."
Rachel turned to Ella, "Organize the loan contracts and come with me."
Ella agreed. "Got it."
An hour later, the two arrived at the Cosmos Hotel, the only five-star place in Summit Ridge District, owned by Smith Corporation. A single meal here could wipe out an average family's savings for a year.
Not to mention, Rachel had booked a private room and ordered a table of high-end dishes to entertain the bank managers, showing her sincerity.
The managers enjoyed the high-class treatment and eventually spilled some info: the person behind it had the last name Garcia.
"Ms. Williams, the only family I know with the last name Garcia is the one from Unity Republic," Ella whispered, her eyes wide with realization.
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