A few minutes later, Liz found herself in one of the most scenic rooms she had ever seen. The centerpiece was a desk which seemed to be from the previous century. Beautifully carved with multiple birds, it gave Liz a pleasant feeling that made her calm down.
Although the walk to this office had also been exquisite, she had ignored it all because she had been focused on the deal that she would have to make.
Typically, in such situations, the case was usually that it was a corrupt official who wanted a bribe in return for giving the permission.
Liz didn't think this was the case right now. If it was such a simple matter such as this, she doubted that it would have required the CEO. After all, this was a common occurrence in almost all states and many even had streamlined methods to facilitate such deals.
Now, after entering the room, she felt that she had been right.
The man behind this yesteryear desk looked like he was also at least a century old. His wrinkled face spoke of the decades of wisdom that had accumulated and his eyes had a depth that Liz had seldom seen.
As for the reason that made Liz believe that her supposition was right, it was the pleasant smile on his face.
There were two ways in which Liz usually judged character: using her heart and using her mind.
Even though she was young, she had seen a lot in life that enabled her to make informed decisions about someone's character based on her observations.
Yet, sometimes, in rare occasions, her heart gave her an indication about someone even if she was looking at them for the first time.
Even though the former might have gone wrong a few times, the latter had never failed her.
The man in front of her definitely wasn't the type to demand money on the side for doing his job.
Realizing this, Liz started to look around the room.
Located on the ground floor, one side of the room was filled with glass windows that let in the sunlight. There were three bookshelves, yet Liz guessed that these were part of the room.
She was trying to find the personal effects of the man, as she knew that they might be crucial in finding some clues to lead the negotiation.
"Please take a seat. It is a pity that Mr. Will cannot join us. I was just hoping to speak with someone who can make decisions. He said that you can also do so. Is this true?"
The question made Liz stop her observation and walk towards the chair before shaking the Mayor's outstretched hand and sitting down.
"Yes, I have been authorized personally by Mr. Will. I am here so that we can reach a deal that will satisfy us both."
Setting an amiable tone for the negotiation with these words, she looked around again before finding what she was looking for.
There were two photographs in total: The first was a family photo of the Mayor along with a young man who looked like him, a woman around whose shoulder this young man's hand was and a baby held by both of them. His face was beaming with joy, and he seemed to be the happiest grandpa in the world.
The second was of the Mayor with a little girl less than ten years old. There was only a faint smile on her face, and the joy that was there in the Mayor's face in the previous photo was also absent.
The last was of a teenage girl with her friends with the backdrop of the Grand Canyon.
Before Liz could think about what these photographs meant, the Mayor said, "Lunch is being made, but we can finish our meeting before then. I am sorry, but that location cannot be demolished. I cannot disclose the reason, and nothing you say can persuade me. The only thing I am wishing to consider is renovating the entire bottom floor to accommodate your store."
Renovation? Even though she was a new employee, Liz knew that this wasn't an option.
All of Happle's stores were architectural marvels that were designed to entice people into entering to find out whether the store was as magical as it looked on the outside. For such an important location, she was pretty sure that something extravagant must have been planned.
"Mr. Mayor, I am afraid that is not an option. Happle needs the entire area. As far as I know, Happle also owns the land. I do not understand how a person of your stature can misuse your power to deny approval for something that has passed all the checks fairly. Please do tell me your issue, and I will try to resolve it as best as I can."
BANG
These words said by Liz to dig for the root cause seemed to hit some vein in the Mayor who looked kind-hearted, as he had banged the table and stood up before speaking loudly while pointing a finger at her.
"DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT PASSING ALL CHECKS FAIRLY! YOU PEOPLE STOLE THAT LAND FROM ME USING A LOOPHOLE! IT. CANNOT. BE. DEMOLISHED!"