Chapter 265 The Show Begins
Seeing Clara's excitement, I felt pretty confident inside, but I kept my cool. I casually grabbed a calculator and started tapping on it in front of her.
"Check this out," I said, pausing to give her a serious look.
"This research project is a goldmine and has always been a safe bet. With its current profits and growth, I could easily sell it for 30% more. But because we're tight, I'm willing to let you have it for just 25% above the project cost."
Clara's eager eyes turned sharp, her mind clearly racing. After a long pause, she looked up and said, "25% is too steep. That's a lot of money. I can only do 15%, anything more is a no-go."
I put on a troubled face and shook my head.
"That's not gonna work. 15% is too low. Honestly, someone else offered 35% above the project cost, and I didn't sell. I'm only considering you first because of our relationship."
Clara went quiet, her eyes filled with hesitation but also a strong desire to control the project. She knew that controlling this project meant controlling a ton of wealth and business resources.
The office fell silent again. Clara rested her hands on my desk, looking down like she was wrestling with a tough decision.
After a moment, she spoke again, "Alright, 20%. That's my limit. I can't go any higher."
I pretended to be super reluctant, frowning as I said, "20% it is. I'm only doing this because of our relationship. You better make the most of this project. If another good project comes up, I might come to you for investment."
Clara's face lit up with satisfaction, and she nodded eagerly. She was thrilled, like she could already see herself raking in huge rewards from the project.
Finally, under Clara's constant urging, I signed the project transfer agreement with her.
She couldn't wait to pick up the agreement, excitedly flipping through it.
I could tell she was too excited to read every clause carefully.
Seeing this, I sincerely wished Clara, "I hope you can soon reap huge rewards from this project."
In fact, I was already thinking about how to execute the next steps of my plan flawlessly.
As soon as Clara left the office, I called in Theo.
Theo took the freshly signed agreement from my hand and quickly skimmed through it. He immediately said, "Looks like Clara is completely under your control now."
A slight smile played on my lips as I softly said, "This is just the beginning. The real show is just starting. Clara has poured most of her funds into this research project. If anything goes wrong, all her money will be gone."Theo thought for a moment.
"That's true, but how do we make sure the project tanks without hurting the other departments?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
I already had a plan.
"This research project has been using some pretty outdated experimental techniques and equipment. Just keeping them running and fixing them costs a ton, right?" I said, letting the sentence hang.
Theo's eyes lit up as he caught on. "That's genius! With most of her funds tied up in this project, Clara will have no choice but to follow your lead."
I smiled and nodded. "Exactly. We just need to wait for the right moment to let the project's hidden issues come to light."
So, we went ahead with the plan. At first, because the Cooper Group had already invested heavily in the project, it managed to keep going. But as time went on, just as we expected, the experimental equipment started breaking down one after another. Each failure was like a domino effect, making the experimental data more and more chaotic. Under such dual blows, the project's progress severely lagged, and the once orderly research work came to a halt.
To keep the project afloat, Clara had to pour more money into equipment maintenance and upgrades. But things didn't go as she hoped. Gradually, Clara sensed something was off, a foreboding feeling rising within her. She seemed to have identified the problem.
Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and stormed into my office.
"Diana, what the hell is going on? Why did everything fall apart as soon as I took over?" she shouted.
Startled by her sudden entrance, I quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Clara then sat on my desk, fuming. "The research project is a mess, and all my money is gone. Are you causing trouble?" she asked.
I feigned innocence and responded, "Regular maintenance and upgrades of experimental equipment are necessary. In research, you have to invest to get returns. Some setbacks are inevitable."
"But I'm out of money now!" Clara's anger remained palpable.
"You have to help me think of something. I'm desperate!" she continued.
Noticing her anxiety, I secretly rejoiced but maintained a concerned expression. "When I handed over the project, everything was running smoothly. I didn't expect this to happen. But don't worry too much; such a big project still has room for recovery."
"Recovery? When will it bounce back? I have no money left to invest!" Clara was frustrated, nearly in despair.
I slowly poured myself a glass of milk, took a sip, and said, "We can figure out a way to resolve the money issue."
"Forget it; asking you is useless!" Clara lost her patience, stomping her foot in frustration.
"I'll go ask Cassius if he has any good ideas!" With that, she hurriedly turned and left.
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