Chapter 239 - Kroger in Hand
"Noah..."
Isaiah's eyes flickered. "Could this Noah be the one?"
Immediately, she shook her head. She knew Noah had money, but to come up with two billion dollars at once, she found it hard to believe that Noah could do it.
"Isaiah, let's not discuss this now. Let's hurry to the courthouse," Timothy spoke up.
Isaiah nodded and left the office.
Half an hour later, the two arrived at the People's Court and, led by judicial staff, entered an office.
"Timothy, take a picture of Noah from your supermarket. He's in there, along with the personnel from the business system who will help you with the transfer procedures."
"Alright, thanks," Timothy nodded and pushed open the door.
In the office, there stood a young man and a staff member wearing glasses.
"Noah!"
Seeing this young man, Isaiah widened her eyes with disbelief.
She didn't expect to see Noah here.
"Well, long time no see," Noah said with a slight smile towards Isaiah.
Isaiah's gaze shifted and she instantly reacted. She was shocked and opened her mouth wide.
"You're the one who acquired our supermarket?"
"It's me," Noah nodded, not hiding anything.
"You bastard! You deceived me!"
Isaiah was so furious that tears welled up in her eyes. She rushed towards Noah with bared teeth and claws.
"I thought you wanted to invest in me... I didn't expect you wanted to acquire our family supermarket! Damn it!"
But before she could even touch Noah, she was stopped by the staff member by her side.
"Ma'am, please calm down," the staff member said.
Isaiah couldn't even reach Noah.
Noah stood with his hands behind his back, laughing.
"From the beginning, I never planned to invest, my idea was to directly acquire your family supermarket. Just two billion, what a great deal I stumbled upon!"
"You! Noah, is that how you talk?!"
Isaiah was so angry that she clenched her teeth. After all, the total value of her family's supermarkets added up to at least five billion, and yet Noah managed to acquire it with only two billion.
This made Isaiah's heart bleed.
"Ma'am, calm down."
The staff member held Isaiah back. "This is a courtroom, not a place for you to cause a scene!"
"Isaiah, calm down. The situation has been settled. Your current tantrum won't help," Timothy advised.
Isaiah took a deep breath and tried to suppress her anger.
"Alright, let's proceed with the transfer procedures."
Seeing Isaiah's silence, the staff member spoke expressionlessly.
The transfer procedures for the store went smoothly. After the two billion dollars were transferred, Timothy and Noah signed and stamped various contracts and agreements.
Half an hour later, Noah had a stack of contracts and a business license in his hands.
These were all the necessary materials for operating Kroger.
"Noah, from now on, Kroger is yours," Timothy said, shaking hands with Noah, sadness evident on his face. Kroger had been Timothy's labor of love.
Never did he imagine that his gambling problems would force him to sell the supermarket.
"Thank you, Timothy, for making this difficult decision," Noah said, retracting his hand and giving a slight smile. As the future manager of Kroger, Noah had decided to replace the entire management team.
The current management had serious issues.
"It's not really a difficult decision, just a desperate one," Timothy sighed. "Besides the gambling debt, we owe hundreds of millions to various suppliers. If it weren't for the court auction, I would be in prison. Now that we have received two billion dollars, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
He then turned his gaze towards Noah.
"Noah, now that you have taken over Kroger, everything is in shambles. It will take a long time for Kroger to regain its former glory without a strong leader."
"What do you mean, Timothy?" Noah's eyes flickered.
"If I may, can I recommend myself to work at Kroger?" Timothy asked. "After all, I have extensive experience in the supermarket industry, and I have poured my heart and soul into Kroger. I am familiar with every aspect of its operations and have relationships with the suppliers in Oceanbridge City."
"If you let me continue managing Kroger, I promise that with sufficient funds, I can restore Kroger to its profitable state within three months."
Noah didn't immediately agree. He pondered for a moment before responding.
"Timothy, as the former leader of Kroger, you are indeed the most suitable candidate to continue managing it. However, Kroger went bankrupt because of your gambling addiction. If I hand Kroger back to you, what will happen if your addiction resurfaces and you start misappropriating funds?"
Initially, Timothy was thrilled, but as he read further, his heart sank.
Indeed, how could others trust him, a compulsive gambler, to handle such a large supermarket?
"Noah, I have quit gambling…" Timothy pleaded.
The reason he wanted to stay at Kroger was twofold. Firstly, he had an emotional attachment to Kroger. Secondly, he was familiar with the industry and found it effortless to work in, not to mention the decent salary he would earn.
But Noah flatly refused, leaving Timothy with a sense of disappointment.
"However, it is not entirely impossible for you to manage Kroger, but there are conditions," Noah said, stroking his chin.
"What conditions, Noah? Please tell me!" Timothy's eyes lit up.
"Condition one: you will only be responsible for the supermarket's operations. I will have someone else handle the financials, and you won't be allowed to touch a penny."
"Condition two, I won't give you a salary, only annual bonuses. As for how much the bonus will be, it depends on how much profit you create for me."
"Condition three, you need to set development goals for the next three months. If one is not achieved, I will fire you."
Noah spoke up, "These are my three conditions."
The first condition was to prevent Timothy from relapsing into gambling and embezzling money while managing the supermarket.
The second condition was for Noah to see if Timothy had the ability to run Kroger well.
If he was talented, he would be kept.
If he was mediocre, Noah would just fire him. After all, there was no loss since there was no salary.
Upon hearing Noah's conditions, Timothy's eyes flickered. He didn't expect Noah, at such a young age, to consider things so carefully.
If he wasn't capable enough, he wouldn't even receive a salary for his job.
"Alright! I agree!"
Timothy nodded, clenching his teeth. Although he was confident, he knew that in the supermarket business, he had enough experience.
As long as he stayed away from gambling, he was confident he could fulfill all of Noah's conditions.
"Great, add me on WeChat, and send me the plan for the next three months. I'll take a look. If it's good, I'll give you the management rights to Kroger. Of course, I'll arrange someone else for the financial side," Noah said.
"Okay."
Timothy added Noah on WeChat.
In the meantime, Isaiah watched the scene silently without saying a word.
She knew that continuing to work at Kroger was the best choice for her father, Timothy.
After chatting for a while, Noah went home.
The first thing Noah did when he got home was to contact the Facebook Live financial director to ask if there were any available staff to manage the finances at Kroger.
