Chapter 174 Another Time
Natalie had a lot going on. The real estate project wasn't going smoothly; the price she had originally negotiated with the developer suddenly changed. They wanted to jack it up by thirty percent. No way Natalie was agreeing to that.
This project was a big deal for Clark Group, so they were all over it. But every negotiator they sent came back empty-handed. The developer had suddenly gotten tough. If this dragged on, Clark Group would lose millions every day.
Victor was out of the country on an inspection, so the mess landed on Natalie's shoulders. Looking over the previous negotiation records, she couldn't shake the feeling that the developer's behavior was odd. Why the sudden hardball?
Aaron noticed her curiosity and said, "I heard someone approached this developer, Peter Parker, promising him new projects and commissions. He probably wants to use this to squeeze us."
Natalie frowned and asked, "Did you find out who it was?"
Aaron shook his head. "No, he's keeping it tight. If we bring in a developer from out of town, the back-and-forth costs would be too high and not worth it."
So, they kept trying to negotiate with him. Natalie paused and said, "Set up a meeting with him."
They couldn't let Peter call the shots.
"Sure," Aaron said. Peter agreed to the meeting pretty quickly, like he was expecting it.
Natalie showed up on time, but Peter was late by a good few dozen minutes. By the time he arrived, Natalie's mood had soured.
Peter walked in, apologizing, "Sorry, Ms. Clark, I got held up."
Despite his words, his attitude was anything but sorry, with a hint of smugness.
Natalie curled her lips and said, "Since Mr. Parker is so busy, let's reschedule." She glanced at Aaron and started to leave.
Peter panicked and quickly stopped her. "Ms. Clark, let's talk this over. It was my fault this time; please don't hold it against me."
Natalie paused, her gaze coldly sweeping over him. "Mr. Parker, I'll be blunt. Clark Group will not agree to your demands. We value integrity, both morally and in business. If you can't meet this basic requirement, there's no need for us to cooperate."
Peter's expression changed slightly, and he played his trump card. "Ms. Clark, you should reconsider. There's a big boss offering thirty percent more than Clark Group. If Clark Group matches his price, of course, I'll choose Clark Group."
Peter was confident, assuming that Natalie, being new and inexperienced, would compromise if he held firm. Plus, the Clark Group project had already been delayed for a long time. Any more delays would mean losses.
Natalie lowered her eyes slightly, a cold smile forming on her lips. "Mr. Parker, there's no need to make things difficult. It's all about profit. In that case, I can only wish you a pleasant cooperation with your new partner."
She didn't give him any chance to negotiate. If that so-called big boss could really offer such a high price, would Peter still be wavering? Natalie didn't believe it. She was just curious about who was behind Peter.
After speaking, she didn't look at Peter again and walked away. Aaron followed. At the door, Natalie paused and looked at him. "Follow him and see where he goes."
Aaron instantly understood what she meant.
Not long after, Natalie received a call from Aaron. "Ms. Clark, Peter went to a club. I saw him meeting with the chairman of NovaTech Group and Mr. Kensington."
The phone line fell silent instantly.
