Chapter 437
The auction prices just kept shooting up, and the folks from MacroBuild Real Estate and Stellar Estates were keeping quiet.
Once it hit $140 million, MacroBuild Real Estate jumped in with, "$150 million!" Stellar Estates countered with $160 million!
With the big players stepping in, the smaller developers started freaking out. I even overheard a couple of them talking about teaming up to buy the land and develop it together. This kind of thing happened a lot, with two developers sharing a neighborhood to spread the risk.
I was getting a bit anxious; the location of this land was prime. Even without a subway station, it was bound to go up in value. Another three minutes went by, and the price had already shot up to $275 million!
"Any higher bids?" the auctioneer asked.
I sighed, pretty impressive. It started at $120 million, then $135 million, and now it was $275 million, more than double.
I thought, 'Stellar Estates spread rumors; won't they get investigated? They definitely will be. So, if others were tricked, it means someone behind the scenes confirmed that what Stellar Estates said was true.'
In the end, three small developers teamed up and snagged the property, and their funds checked out! Leofric frowned. "That shouldn't be."
Lauren sighed too. "Looks like we missed out on this one."
Just then, Leofric's assistant whispered something to him, and Leofric sighed. "We all got played by Stellar Estates this time."
I asked, "What do you mean?"
Leofric gritted his teeth. "This land was already sold internally."
"You mean Stellar Estates secured it beforehand and then used this auction as a front?"
"Exactly! We don't know the price, but it's definitely below market value!"
I was stunned. "Aren't they worried about getting into trouble?"
"What trouble? Who can prove it? They did place a bid. At most, they'll get a few scoldings, if even that."
They made over $100 million in profit. Even if the project failed, they'd still make money later!
"So, this is how they play?" Leofric's face turned cold. "Isn't this against the rules? Stellar Estates is breaking industry regulations! John, just wait and see. Stellar Estates is digging their own grave!"
I nodded, feeling a bit troubled, and said to Lauren, "If this doesn't work out, we'll have to bid on the other two pieces of land!" But we were tight on budget.
"How about we go to another county?" Lauren suggested.
"No, we'll stay in Joyville County. No need to move. If it doesn't work out, we'll just put the real estate project on hold for now." This industry was too complicated. Charles' phone call was a bust too.
"John, if you're not in a hurry, you can wait a few days. They'll put this land up for auction again," Leofric said.
I didn't know why Leofric was so confident, but he had no reason to lie to me. Even if it didn't happen, I wouldn't lose anything. "Alright, I'll wait and see!"
At that moment, the people from MacroBuild Real Estate stood up angrily, "This is against the rules. Just wait to be scolded by everyone. Is this how Joyville County treats its guests? Fine, our group is permanently exiting the Joyville County market!"
The people from Stellar Estates just smiled, not looking worried at all.
"Keep smiling, your tough times are coming. Do you really think you can break industry rules just because you have more assets?" Leofric said with a cold laugh.
"Let's go, I've learned something new today." I got bored and left the auction.
That evening, I didn't head back to the city. Leofric set up dinner for us in Joyville County. He was super chatty and funny, even called Richard during the meal, who hinted at my thing with Connie over the phone.
Leofric, being sharp, caught on quick and looked at me with more respect. "Man, it's been ages since I was in Greenvale City, I'm so out of touch!"
I glanced at Lauren, who was smiling, not giving anything away.
Leofric said, "Come on, John, a toast to you. Let's help each other out more in the future!"
"Absolutely, we'll help each other!" We swapped contact info and planned to meet again in a couple of days.
Back at the hotel, Lauren clung to me and even dragged Ava into the room! I was like, "What's gotten into you?"
Lauren ignored me and said to Ava, "Ava, let's show Mr. Cena what real excitement is tonight, shall we?"
Ava blushed but nodded. She was trained, shy but not hesitant. I felt like I was caught in the middle. When I was single, I always dreamed of being with beautiful women every day. Now that it was happening, I found the constant sex a bit overwhelming!
In the end, I used all my strength to satisfy Lauren and Ava. The room was a disaster. They were too tired to move. I had to carry them one by one into the big bathtub.
After a bath, Lauren and Ava clung to me tightly on either side. I had a good night's sleep. The next morning, I was sleeping soundly when I suddenly felt a chill and something pressing down on me.
I opened my eyes and saw Lauren. I rubbed my sore waist. "Lauren, are you trying to wear me out?"
Lauren tossed her hair and went at it with all her might. I felt like a toy, there for her amusement. Ava woke up too and joined in again. I could tell Lauren was still mad about Connie! Lauren said she wasn't mad, but her actions said otherwise.
I didn't know how long it lasted, but they finally stopped after making me climax again. After resting, Lauren and Ava were full of energy. Indeed, women look their best after sex.
When leaving the hotel, my legs were a bit wobbly. I swore I'd rest well for the next two days.
Two days flew by. During that time, I was busy at the company, and all departments were swamped. We kept hiring new people, especially at WY Media Company, where we added 800 employees.
The company's size doubled overnight. Every month, just the payroll was over $10 million. And now we had a problem: the current office space was too small. We had to either lease new space or buy land to build a new building.
To fit thousands of people working at once, the annual rent would be at least $15 million. Buying land and building a new building could cost dozens of times more. In the long run, building our own place was best; in the short term, leasing office space was the way to go.
"Mr. Cena, the company's finances are tight, but we can manage. If needed, we can rent a few more offices upstairs or downstairs," Holly said.
Mia added, "VelocityMart and logistics need a lot of money, we have to save where we can."
Marry didn't say anything, but I knew her stance. It all came down to a lack of money.
I said, "Let's rent a few new offices downstairs to fit the new employees. We'll manage for now, but in the future, we'll definitely have our own building! By the way, Ms. Walker, how's the loan coming along?"
Marry said, "We should have the results today."
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