Chapter 163: Late Night Attack
Noon on the twenty-ninth.
Wayne took Mona to a castle restaurant by the canyon to enjoy the local cuisine of Luzerbourg. He had to admit that Francan food was good. The Luzerbourg’s specialties were definitely worth trying, too. The handmade salted cheese, especially, was absolutely scrumptious, and the special plum wine was refreshing and appetizing, a perfect dining companion.
Wayne was satisfied with the plum wine. He heard that having a glass before bed could calm the nerves and help with sleep, while also having beauty and anti-aging effects, so he planned to bring some back to Londan for his friends.
He had two goals for this trip: first, to bid for the contract, and second, to meet with the Pope’s envoy to clear up the misunderstanding. The former should be extremely difficult, and the latter easy. As it turned out, though, the misunderstanding only deepened, while he managed to close the business deal as a side effect.
He didn’t know how he should rate this trip. He could only say that nothing in life was predictable, and reality was always stranger than imagination.
Now that he had finished what he had set out to do, what remained was to enjoy the trip, having good food and drinks until the tendering event concluded. Then he would return to Londan.
Though Franc was right next door to Luzerbourg and offered even better scenery and cuisine, he heeded the advice of the Headless Knight and refused to set foot there, not even a single step.
Wayne was feeling comfortable with his life, but Nicholas would beg to differ. Ignoring the delicious food, he showed up with a stack of documents about the first round of bidding, taking place this afternoon.
He was panicking. Prussia was a strong military country, while Franc was financially powerful. Their odds of winning the bid were fifty-fifty, effectively eliminating all other competitors before the event even began and making it a two-horse race.
The Boswell family, leveraging their advantage in resources, successfully allied with the Franc side, joining an alliance of several strong businesses to match Prussia. On the other hand, the Lando family was in a terrible place. Owen had kicked them out swiftly, leaving them unable to even get a finger in the pie. Not only were they on their own, but they had also angered their partner, Murphy Mining.
Nicholas had no leverage over Murphy Mining, lacking both in status and seniority. He hoped that Wayne would step forward and appease them. After all, he was the new boss, and not showing him respect would be akin to not showing the Lando family respect.
“A meeting won’t be necessary. Just bid normally for all three rounds.” Wayne raised his wine glass and swirled it. “Again, don’t lower the price. Although being expensive doesn’t necessarily mean being good, cheap things are always inferior. Alberd Steel will see our sincerity.”
“But we’re offering neither resources nor a competitive price. Our sincerity seems quite lacking...”
We have connections! Wayne smiled slightly. “Don’t worry. Just do as I say. I’m confident that we’ll pass the first three rounds. On the final bidding day, there will be plenty of chumps actively seeking collaboration, and then we’ll have both resources and competitive prices.”
“Will it be that easy?” Nicholas wanted to remind Wayne that, with their current bargaining chips, they couldn’t even reach the final bidding stage. Acting recklessly would be seen as an act of disruption of the market order. Not only would they fail to make money, but their reputation would also suffer as a result.
“Oh, when others come seeking collaboration, bargain for as low a price as possible. For the contract, negotiate for a lion's share for us in the first two years, giving away all the profits from the subsequent years.”
The business would only be profitable for the first two years. After that... well, he wouldn’t say the business would turn out to be a failure. After all, no one could foresee a war!
“I understand.”
Nicholas smiled bitterly, looking at his boss and wailing internally. The young man carried himself like a playboy, and his secretary looked even more exhausted today.
Just because you’re always victorious in bed doesn’t mean you can dominate the business world, boss. The waters run deep. Please, it’s not too late to apologize to the Boswell family. Otherwise, once you return to Londan without achieving anything, the big boss might choose a new heir.
You know he has a daughter, right? Your half sister? A son-in-law may join the family and replace you.
Nicholas lost his hope for a bright future, but he still made himself head to the tendering event’s venue. He had tried his best, but the new boss was simply beyond help, not attending the bidding or meeting with their partner; all he did day after day was his secretary.
“Boss, aren’t you going to tell him?” Mona used a napkin to hide her upturned lips as she watched Nicholas walk away forlornly. The mischief made Wayne seem more like a real person. She liked that side of him a lot.
“There’s no need. The more he knows, the more curious he’ll be. I’m the boss. I don’t need to explain everything to him clearly.” He looked at Mona. “You don’t have to go to the detective agency anymore. I need a secretary. If there’s any document that requires my signature, bring it to the study at my residence. Veryl will point you to the right place.”
Mona’s heart leaped with joy. She nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice. She finally had a legitimate reason to enter Wayne’s mansion.
“Oh, and remember to come during meal times. Put on more sensual makeup and look at me with more passion.” Wayne assigned Mona a new mission, promising to reward her at regular intervals.
She perked up at the word ‘reward’. “Boss, yesterday noon you promised to reward me after you met with the envoy as long as I performed well, but you didn’t give me anything last night.”
“Oh? Didn’t I leave you hanging last night?”
Mona’s eyes widened. How was that a reward? It was clearly punishment.
“Do you not like it?”
Well, if it was a reward in the style of a punishment, she didn’t dislike it.
***
Tendering event’s venue.
The stone-faced representative of Alberd Steel collected the bid offers one by one, smiling to the Prussian mining companies and the business partners of the Boswell family. That was a clear signal.
Owen smirked and couldn’t help but cross his legs, high-fiving his partners as they discussed where to dine tonight. They would open some champagne while they were at it!
During the conversation, he kept an eye on the seats for the Lando family—specifically, for Murphy Mining. He didn’t see Wayne looking devastated as if his father had died. Only Murphy Mining’s representative was complaining to a despairing Nicholas, whose head was lowered.
How regretful. He had prepared to console Wayne with a hug, but since the man hadn’t come, he would have to hug his own secretary after tonight’s dinner instead. Wonderful.
At this moment, it was Murphy Mining’s turn to submit their bid. The company representative had already given up. Due to the ridiculous move by the frivolous young master, they were destined to be eliminated in the first round. Coming to the event was only a show of respect to the organizers. Outside Alberd Steel, there were still other steel companies in Luzerbourg. Although they couldn’t make big money, it was possible to earn enough to make ends meet.
As soon as they returned to Franc, they would terminate their partnership with the Lando family and sell their shares, going their separate way. Never would they work with the Landos again.
Nicholas endured the cold stares from their partner, stepping forward to place the bid before the organizer.
“You must be Mr. Nicholas. It’s an honor to meet you. Here’s my business card. May I invite you for drinks tonight?” The representative of Alberd Steel handed Nicholas his card, breaking into a brilliant smile. “You may not know, but we Luzerbourg people like to discuss business over food and drinks.”
Everyone was dumbfounded. What business were they going to discuss? The first round of bidding had only just begun! Also, why would he say that in front of everyone? Just say so if he wanted to lower the price!
Owen’s heart sank. He turned around to consult with his partners. Luzerbourg was playing dirty, trying to drive down prices by using Nicholas as cannon fodder. They would have to be extra careful in the second round.
No one took Nicholas seriously. They all assumed that it was a tactic to manipulate the price. Unless there was corruption involved, Murphy Mining couldn’t possibly win the contract.
Murphy Mining’s representative thought the same. After getting excited for two seconds, he deflated again. They simply didn’t have the capability to win the contract—the other side would have to be mad to give away money like that.
After a moment of surprise, Nicholas quickly recovered and responded with his own business card, arranging to meet with the Alberd Steel representative tonight for dinner. This was an opportunity. He believed that he would be able to persuade Alberd Steel with his eloquence. As long as they allowed him to enter the first three rounds, he would be able to ally with several mining companies for resources and competitiveness.
For that, Nicholas was willing to pay any price, even though the representative was looking at him weirdly. As a gentleman from Windsor, he understood that look all too well. The way the man scratched Nicholas’s palm and licked his own lip while smiling—if he didn’t reject the man now, it seemed obvious what he would be walking into tonight.
Nicholas thought that only Windsor was like this, but apparently, people were the same in Luzerbourg...
He didn’t refuse, nodding with the resolution to give himself away.
That evening, they had a good time, and Nicholas returned to the hotel entirely untouched. He described to Wayne the bizarre turns of events.
“The Luzerbougers went mad. They want to give us money.”
Wayne smiled without a word.
***
Two days later, the second round of bidding ended. The representative of Murphy Mining and Nicholas embraced each other tightly, while Owen scowled gloomily.
Boswell Mining had also advanced to the third round, but Owen had a sense that something was amiss. He turned to Nicholas with a look of confusion. It was impossible, unbelievable, and incomprehensible.
He wasn’t looking at Nicholas. The man was only a lapdog of his employer, not worthy of any attention. He was looking at the dog’s master, Wayne.
The Lando family has great influence in Londan, but this is Luzerbourg. They don’t even operate mining businesses. Why would the Luzerbourgers treat them differently?
He couldn’t figure it out, so he ordered someone to investigate Wayne secretly to see if he had bribed the Grand Duchess.
Another two days passed. The third round of bidding ended, and the final bidding stage began right away. Alberd Steel didn’t keep everyone waiting for long before announcing their partner for the next five years: Murphy Mining!
For the next five years, all coal Alberd Steel required would be supplied by Murphy Mining.
The news left everyone dumbstruck, and the Murphy Mining group was the only one cheering while shaking their fists.
Nicholas was absolutely certain now that the Luzerbourgers had gone mad! Owen had just about lost his mind, too.
Looking around, he saw that the allies who had been treating him like a brother were going up to Nicholas, handing out business cards and offering congratulations. This was a huge pie, and Murphy Mining alone couldn’t swallow it all. They had to work together so that everyone would profit.
The offensive and the defensive positions had reversed. Now, it was Nicholas’s turn to choose subcontractors.
Alberd Steel didn’t even glance at the commotion. Perhaps afraid of overhearing their conversation, they left right after announcing the result.
While selecting partners, Nicholas fairly rejected neither the Francan nor the Prussian companies. Collaboration created mutual benefits. Everyone would be making money together.
When Nicholas was finalizing the contracts, he suddenly remembered Wayne’s words and froze, disbelief written on his face. His boss seemed to have foreseen their victory!
“Impossible. All he does is eat and play around...” Nicholas shivered. He seemed to have underestimated his boss and the bloodline of the big boss. “That’s right. His heir couldn’t possibly be a lout who only plays with women.”
So, how exactly did they win?
One’s joy was another’s misery. The continuous laughter coming from Nicholas’s side was noise to Owen. After hesitating for a long time, he managed to squeeze out a smile and forced himself to join the crowd, handing Nicholas a business card.
“Boswell Mining has a strong foundation and multiple partners in Franc.”
That was the only thing Owen managed to say. Nicholas didn’t even have to turn him down before Owen’s former allies pushed him aside.
Owen left angrily. That evening, he received the investigation report: Wayne hadn’t bribed the Grand Duchess since they hadn’t even met. Every day, he ate, drank, played, and slept with his secretary, wearing the poor woman out.
He didn’t believe he had lost to Nicholas. Murphy Mining’s miraculous victory had to be attributed to some under-the-table trickery.
“So what? I’m inferior to him because I’m no match for his secretary?”
***
“Boss, did you have insider information?”
In the presidential suite, Nicholas reported the good news. Wayne’s unsurprised expression cemented his suspicion. Playing with the secretary was only a front. His boss had fooled everyone and secured Alberd Steel’s contract. That begged the question: how?
Nicholas knew how difficult it had to have been. Luzerbourg’s geographical position dictated that this bidding would also be a political statement.
“Who knows? Maybe it’s just luck. My luck has always been pretty good.” Wayne sat on the sofa, his secretary standing behind him. That reminded Nicholas of Auston, the big boss. They weren’t just similar, but identical.
Nicholas was deeply impressed. The Lando family bloodline was truly formidable. He bowed and said, “Boss, Alberd Steel is hosting a banquet at the Grand Duchess’s mansion tonight. I’ve invited several business partners to attend. Will you be there?”
“No, I have research to conduct tonight. Take all the team members with you. You’ve all worked hard these past few days. Have fun.”
“Research?” Nicholas perked up. What research? Was it the Lando family’s business secrets? He would like to be there!
“Yes, researching her.”
Wayne pointed at Mona, who looked perfectly composed like the nightly research was a routine.
Nicholas was momentarily speechless. So that was the Lando family’s business secret. It was too profound for an ordinary person like him. Organizing his thoughts, he finally managed to find the words to say: “Boss, take care of your health. You are integral to the future of the conglomerate.”
He walked away in an awkward gait, moving his left arm and leg in tandem.
“Hahaha, what a funny guy.” Wayne laughed out loud, stroking his chin. He knew what tickled him wasn’t Nicholas, but the fact that he was standing at the top. Everything looked amusing from this perspective.
“Capitalism can certainly teach many lessons, especially in the art of corrupting people. It’s only been a few days, and I’m already getting carried away.” Wayne shook his head and turned to Mona. “I’ve been busy designing clothes and neglecting training. I just rewarded you, so there won’t be anything tonight. Let’s move. I’ll set up another meditation circle.”
Mona nodded. She hoped that they would be discovered again tonight so that she could help Wayne with the cover-up.
Wayne didn’t leave the hotel immediately. He watched the antique television for a while and set out at ten o’clock at night.
Meanwhile, over a dozen black figures silently circled the grand hotel with night as their cover.
“The target is in the hotel. Most of the irrelevant people have left. The remaining tourists are ordinary civilians who won’t affect anything.”
“Is everything in place?”
“Yes. Both the anti-magic domain and the mirror space projection barrier. They’re dead... But is it necessary to use such precious items?”
“Don’t underestimate them. They’re the first group the Church of Moonlight is sending to Londan. Without the mirror space barrier, we would have trouble taking them down.”
“Cut the crap. It’s the higher-ups’ order. We just have to execute it.”
“Understood.”
***
Wayne walked out of his suite and stood at the fiftieth-floor elevator, humming a tune Mona had never heard before. They waited for the elevator pointer above to move.
“Huh?!”
His breath hitched, and he turned around stiffly, looking incredulously at the end of the corridor. Grey Death energy and terrifyingly oppressive force approached... The Death Knight was coming!