Chapter 118 Do You Want Antonio To Get Nothing?
The next morning, Antonio dragged himself to the office.
James caught sight of Antonio's sour mug and felt a shiver of dread.
Yesterday ended in a dumpster fire, and he had no clue what went down after, but one thing was clear: They had another blowout.
Whenever they clashed, it was always James who got the short end of the stick.
But work still needed to be done. Feeling like crap, James sucked it up and reported, "Mr. Valencia, Alex is here."
Hearing Alex's name, Antonio's face got even stormier, making James's spine turn to jelly, almost bringing him to tears.
The office vibe turned icy, while down on the first floor, Alex, looking sharp in his suit, strolled in like he owned the place.
Alex had that easygoing smile that put folks at ease. The receptionist lit up with a shy grin the moment she saw him.
Alex had an appointment, so after a quick hello with the receptionist, he hopped in the elevator and hit the button for the top floor.
The secretary led him to the meeting room. Seeing Antonio wasn't there yet, Alex shrugged and took a seat.
Just then, his phone buzzed; it was Brian calling.
Whatever Brian said made Alex's face go from chill to serious real quick. He glanced at the door and whispered, "You want Antonio to get zilch?"
After a pause, Alex looked troubled. "Outsmarting Antonio ain't a walk in the park."
Even though he knew Brian never picked a fight he couldn't win and must've had a solid plan, Antonio was a business shark, and nobody messed with him lightly.
But Brian reassured him, "Chill, we got this!"
Alex sighed, feeling stuck, and reluctantly agreed.
This was a contest between father and son. He couldn't interfere too much; he just needed to complete his own task.
As soon as the call ended, the meeting room door swung open.
In walked Antonio, looking like a storm cloud, with a jittery James trailing behind.
Antonio still had that icy, arrogant vibe. He marched into the room, bringing a chill with him.
Seeing Antonio arrive, the ever-polite Alex stood up smoothly, radiating calm and flashing a polite smile.
Alex, in all his years, had never been manhandled like he was yesterday. He couldn't help but inwardly scoff at Antonio's hot-headedness.
Seeing the tension, James felt like sparks were about to fly and quietly edged back to save his own skin.
Alex hid his unusual feelings and slowly pocketed his phone. "Mr. Valencia, good to see you again. Yesterday, your performance in the third level was something else. Today, I'm here on behalf of our president to talk business."
He made sure to bring up the video.
Even though he ticked off Antonio yesterday, he felt it wasn't enough.
Sure enough, hearing "third level," Antonio's face tightened.
That video had made him look like a fool, and so many people had seen it. Even if he could shut the media up, folks wouldn't forget that easily.
Antonio shot a frosty glare at James, who shook like a leaf, wishing he could disappear.
'Antonio, don't glare at me. I have already started digging into the matter and had the PR team on it ASAP.' James pondered.
Antonio pulled his gaze back and gave Alex a cold look, seeing him as calm as ever, like he wasn't the guy who tried to snatch Sarah away yesterday.
They sat across from each other, one with a face like ice, the other with a smile.
Seeing that Antonio wasn't blowing a gasket, James felt a bit of relief but was still on edge, worried they might throw down during the negotiation.
But now it was his turn to speak. He took a deep breath and, despite his pounding heart, started, "Alex, Mr. Valencia wanted to team up with BrianTech Solutions Inc. mainly to break into the international market. He planned to build a hotel under the Valencia Group on a piece of land there, but that land is currently under BrianTech's usage rights. So, we want to work with BrianTech to buy those rights."
He quickly laid out the situation, then turned to Alex and earnestly asked, "So, what's your price?"
Alex slowly rubbed his gold ring, listening patiently, and then gave James a polite nod.
He then looked at Antonio and asked, "What's Mr. Valencia's offer?"
His tone was cool, giving nothing away.
Antonio, wanting to wrap this up fast and get Alex out of his hair, stayed icy and said, "Ten million dollars."
James nodded slightly and glanced at the tablet in his hand.
The company had already crunched the numbers, and ten million was a fair deal.
But Alex's gentle face showed a hint of dissatisfaction, and he calmly replied, "Our president's asking price is thirty million dollars."
With a smile, Alex continued, "Given your interest in that land, I'm sure Mr. Valencia knows it's a rare find. The demand is high, and The Valencia Group is just one of many interested parties. Our president hasn't decided on a buyer yet, but one thing's for sure: our president doesn't do unprofitable deals."
In other words, lowball offers wouldn't cut it.
Raising the price by twenty million, Antonio's lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowing.
He'd seen this game before; hot properties always drew more bidders.
He knew the land's worth. If he didn't snag it, someone else would.
And the seller, not short on buyers, wouldn't budge.
Antonio didn't care about the price; he had deep pockets, but...
"Thirty million is fine, but I want to meet your president in person." Antonio stressed "in person," eyeing Alex with deep distrust.
He felt negotiating with Alex was risky.
After all, Alex was a schemer. What if he took the money and bolted?
Plus, Alex was just a small fry, not fit to discuss these matters with him.
And this was a thirty-million-dollar deal. Antonio had come in person, and the president hadn't shown up, which ticked him off.
Alex got where Antonio was coming from and responded with a slight smile, "Then please wait a moment, Mr. Valencia. I'll check with our president."
He pulled out his phone, called Brian, quickly explained the situation, and then smiled. "Got it."
Alex then looked at Antonio, still calm. "He said a video conference would be fine."
Antonio nodded and signaled James to set it up right away.
Both sides moved fast, and a few minutes later, the video call was connected.
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