Chapter 160 Battle of Wits
Seeing Kayla, he immediately knelt down.
"Kayla, let's just sign the contract for that matter!" Now, he was begging Kayla to sign the contract, looking submissive.
Although Kayla was mentally prepared, she was still taken aback by this sudden kneel.
"Mr. Willot, please stand up first. There's no need to kneel to sign the contract." Kayla wanted to help Mr. Willot up but was afraid he would resort to tricks, so she didn't dare touch him.
"Kayla, if you don't sign the contract, I won't get up!"
Kayla felt somewhat helpless. She was about to agree to sign the contract when her father, Norman, interrupted her.
"Kayla, come with me. I need to discuss something with you." Norman saw how he was begging on his knees to sign the contract, something that should have made him happy, but the opportunist in him soon had other thoughts.
Kayla couldn't disobey Norman's words, so she followed him outside the VIP lounge. Kayla originally thought she would be scolded or questioned about what happened yesterday, but she soon realized she was mistaken.
"Kayla, since Mr. Willot is so eager to cooperate with us, raise our offer by 30% and see how he reacts."
“Let’s see if he will accept it." Norman had decided to raise the offer in order for the company to make more money.
This move, without a doubt; exposed how truly greedy Norman's nature really was. Kayla sighed bitterly. She should have known this would be the result.
"Dad, this offer is already higher than the market price. Will Mr. Willot accept it?"
"Seeing how he begged you on his knees to sign the contract, even if you raise the offer, he will accept it." Norman was very confident in his judgment.
"Well then, I'll go prepare a new contract." Kayla nodded and turned around to prepare the new contract.
In fact, there was no need to draft a new one. Just raising the offer by 30% in the original document would do. So, Kayla quickly printed the contract and returned to the VIP lounge on the first floor.
"Mr. Willot, here is our contract, but the offer has increased by 30% compared to before. I wonder if you can accept it?" Kayla was still a little nervous. This was the first time she presented such a high offer. Normally, she would never do that.
"Accept, accept! I'll sign right away." Without any hesitation, he agreed. Norman, sitting beside him, regretted a little. He should have raised it by 50%. It was clear that Norman was truly all about profit.
"Alright, just sign here." Kayla was a little surprised. Mr. Willot actually agreed to such a high offer. It really made her unable to understand. How did it seem like he had changed completely overnight?
He signed his name on the contract, two copies.
After signing, he finally relaxed a bit and got up from the floor.
"Alright, happy cooperation. I won't disturb your work anymore. I'll go back first." With the contract signed, Mr. Willot's task was finally completed, and he felt much more relieved.
"Mr. Willot, let me see you off." Norman smiled and came forward, and Kayla accompanied them as well.
William, on the other hand, didn't go to see them off. He stayed in the VIP lounge, drinking tea, looking content.
"Kayla, you did a good job with the cooperation with FHH Group, but it was wrong for you to deceive your big brother and take away his shares together with that poor guy William yesterday." After sending them off, Norman's expression instantly turned serious.
"Dad, I didn't deceive Nathan and take away his shares. He voluntarily transferred the shares to the Power Group." Kayla wasn't foolish either. She had experienced her fair share of intrigue and wouldn't admit to deceiving Nathan.
"Voluntarily transfer to the Power Group?" Norman frowned. Why was this different from what Nathan reported to him?
"Yes, the representative from the Power Group came with me today too. He's waiting inside the VIP parlor." Kayla responded calmly, having William along was kind of the right thing to do.
"Oh yeah?" Norman's expression changed, the Power Group was the top group in New York, even the four great gentry had to curry favor with Antony.
Last month, one of the four big families of the Ashford family wanted to test Antony, but unexpectedly was directly defeated by the Power Group, they had been directly reduced to the Power Group's subsidiary group, at that time; in the business circle of the big families it came as a great shock. And now, no one dares to mess with the Power Group.
Although Norman was a very conceited man; in front of the Power Group, he didn't dare not be humble.
Returning to the VIP parlor on the first floor, Norman didn't dare to be slow to William.
"Mr. Brown, I'm really sorry to keep you waiting, Kayla, go and bring out the Château Latour in my office."
"No, I'll just have some water!" William was satisfied with Norman's humble attitude, if he dared to run wild in front of him, William wouldn't mind exterminating the Garcia family like he did the Ashford family.
"Mr. Brown, I heard that the shares in your hands were acquired from my son Nathan, I just don't know how much is the acquisition price?" Norman asked with a hint of curiosity.
Last night Nathan told him that the shares were jointly swindled by Kayla and William, and didn't talk about the price of transferring the shares, and now that he learned that it was acquired by the Power Group, he naturally wanted to ask about the acquisition price.
"One million dollars. It's all written in the contract!" William didn't intend to hide it from him, and as he spoke he directly pushed the contract in his hand to Norman's face. The latter, hearing that a million dollars had acquired 10% of their shares, was furious and almost lost his composure and said dirty words on the spot.
But when he thought about it and remembered that the other party is the Power Group's representative, he held back, but his face was obviously very bad at holding back and showed his true emotions. Norman, who has never suffered any losses in business - The contract he just signed with FHH Group being a prime example.
However, even with that example in mind; compared to this William, he was still too gullible.
"Mr. Brown, how about I offer 10 million dollars to buy back those 10% shares?" Norman thought that it was not good to offend the Power Group, so he could only buy back the shares at a loss, so that he wouldn't lose too much money.
"Are you kidding me? I came here now to implement the task Boss Jones gave me, there has to be a member of the Power Group's board of directors in the Garcia Group." William said calmly, his tone leaving no room for disagreement.
"Increase a board member?" Norman gasped slightly, realizing that The Power Group was serious.
"I need to discuss this with the board members. I can't make the decision alone," Norman tried to buy himself some time, but William didn't give him much of an opportunity to do this.
"Fine then, I'll wait here. You go and convene the board meeting. If I don't get a result today, be prepared for the consequences. Don't think The Garcia family, one of the Four Great Families of New York, is invincible. I’m sure you are aware of what happened to the Ashford family!"
William's threat hung in the air. He had come here today to secure a seat on the board, which would eventually be prepared for Kayla, making it easier for her to become the chairperson. However, in the meantime, The Power Group would act as a temporary representative.
Hearing this, Norman trembled in fear. The future of The Ashford family was in the hands of others, and he didn't want to see the same fate for The Garcia Group.
"Mr. Brown, please wait here. I will go upstairs and discuss with the shareholders," Norman wiped the sweat off his forehead, secretly cursing his son Nathan in his heart. Why did he provoke The Power Group for no reason?
After returning to his office, Norman's face turned sour. He called for his secretary and scolded her loudly.
"Get Nathan to come here. That idiot has angered me greatly."
"He hasn't come to work for several days. Someone else answered his phone, but hung up after a few words," Penelope replied nervously.
"He's still thinking about fooling around with women at a time like this? Useless. Go and get Irving for me," Norman angrily slapped the desk, then ordered his secretary to call for his cousin.
Irving was the general manager of The Garcia Group and also held shares. He had a strong influence and ability to get things done. Whenever Norman was indecisive, he would turn to his cousin for advice. Irving was someone Norman trusted greatly.
"Norman, what can I do for you?" Irving appeared with his usual reliable and honest demeanor, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, giving off the impression of a trustworthy person. However, behind his appearance, he concealed various schemes and calculations.
"The Power Group used tricks to take away Nathan's shares. Now they have sent someone to the company to demand a board seat. What do you think we should do?" Norman informed him of the dilemma that was now the cause of his headache.
The Power Group couldn't be trusted. They were cunning and manipulative.
Offending them and not being able to buy back their shares was indeed a difficult situation to handle.
"Since the Power Group wants a seat on the board of directors, so be it. I remember Nathan only owns 10% of the shares, which shouldn't have much impact on the group's decision-making."
Irving didn't dare to offend the Power Group and had no choice but to make this decision. However, after a pause, he continued to ask, "But I'm curious, how did the Power Group manage to deceive Nathan out of his shares?"
Norman hesitated for a moment and then relayed exactly what Nathan had told him to his cousin. Irving tasted the underlying meaning of the story.
"Unexpectedly, Kayla has joined forces with the Power Group, deceiving Nathan and taking away his shares. This information doesn't bode well," Irving said. He was aware of Kayla's background as an illegitimate daughter, a status that wouldn't have drawn attention to her potential influence on the future of the group. But now things were different.
"What do you mean?" Norman seemed to sense something unusual and became visibly nervous.
"If I'm not mistaken, Kayla probably has ambitions to take control," Irving analyzed wisely.
After pondering and considering the possibilities, Norman realized that he couldn't possibly hand over the future of the Garcia Group to this illegitimate daughter. However, with the Power Group's involvement, he needed to prepare a countermove; otherwise, Nathan would be no match for Kayla and William.
"Exactly! If you don't intend to hand over the Garcia Group to this illegitimate daughter, then you need to plan ahead," Irving suggested after a pause.
"Or demote her and send her to the North District. That way, she won't have access to the core of the Garcia Group. Over time, people in the company will gradually forget about her," Irving proposed.
"Good idea. It's decided then," Norman silently believed that this strategy of promotion and demotion suited Kayla well. On one hand, she had just secured a major deal for the company, so not rewarding her wouldn't be justifiable. On the other hand, if Kayla had ambitions to take control, it was most appropriate to transfer her away from the core of the group and marginalize her.
Norman felt much more relieved and at ease with Irving's guidance.
Back in the VIP reception room on the first floor, William and Kayla were engaged in laughter and conversation, appearing intimate. This further confirmed Norman's decision to remove Kayla from the core of the group.
"Mr. Brown, after discussion with the board of directors, we agree to grant the Power Group a seat on the board," Norman smiled.
William just smiled as he thought, "This is also his only option. He can't afford to offend the Power Group."
"Right, you guys are smart! I will persuade Boss Jones to cooperate more with the Garcia Group in business. This will benefit everyone." William intentionally promised Norman a bright future, giving him some hope so that it would be convenient for him to do things later.
"Really? Then please help us more in front of Boss Jones!" Norman was overjoyed when he heard about the opportunity to collaborate with the Power Group. After all, the Power Group was one of the top groups in New York.
After discussing the issue of the board seat with William, Norman turned to Kayla.
"Kayla, you have secured a big order for the company this time. I've discussed it with the board members, and we have unanimously decided to promote you and give you a raise."
"Really? Thank you, Dad!" Kayla naturally felt delighted about the promotion and raise. It meant that she was getting closer to the core of the group. However, the task given to her by Norman made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
"The board has unanimously decided to appoint you as the general manager of the new company in the North district, responsible for all management and operations. Your salary will be doubled too. You will be based in the North district from now on. Just give me a report every three months," Norman said with a smile.
"Thank you, Dad." Hearing this result, Kayla felt cold inside, but she still expressed her gratitude on the surface.
The Garcia Group had no business in the North district, only a nominal shell company with two or three employees who were just there to pass the time.
If the North district had promising prospects, Kayla would still have a chance to rise. But the North district was controlled by three big families and had no room for development. Sending Kayla there at this time was obviously an intention to marginalize her.
"Work hard, my good daughter." After encouraging her with a smile, Norman left the VIP lounge, his intentions evident.
Kayla looked a bit desolate. This was like being kicked out of the Garcia family in disguise.
"How ridiculous. I thought I would receive my father's attention. It turns out he had already planned to marginalize me."
"That's not necessarily true. It might actually give you the opportunity to grow and expand." William stood up from his chair and said mysteriously.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
