Secretary Zhang spoke up, "Second Miss is right."
Aaron nodded.
Just as things quieted down, Aaron received a flood of congratulatory calls from various CEOs, nearly causing him a heart attack. Despite their words of praise for Christian, their underlying mockery was unmistakable.
Christian's first time in charge had turned into a laughingstock among the upper echelons of Oceanic City, leaving Aaron deeply disappointed.
The Lin Group had several ongoing investment projects, and to quickly develop Site No. 1, they needed to either take a bank loan or seek venture capital funding.
At the dinner table, Aaron looked at Zuri. "Zuri, take a day off from school tomorrow and come with Dad to Shanghai."
"For what?"
"Last time Nolan spoke up for you, shouldn't you thank him in person? I happen to be going to Shanghai on a business trip tomorrow, so you can come with me."
"No need. I've already sent him a thank-you gift, which he has accepted. We're even now."
Zuri was well aware of Aaron's intentions. He merely wanted to leverage her relationship with Nolan to secure lenient terms for Lin Group's financing.
As if that would work!
"Listen to Dad," Aaron ordered coldly.
Zuri stood up abruptly. "With the college entrance exams coming up, don't bother me with unimportant matters."
With that, she left and headed to Lake Island, making it difficult for Aaron to find her.
Zuri fished out a special business card from her bag, neither gold nor jade, but warm and smooth in texture. She had thought she'd never use this number, but she was breaking that promise sooner than expected.
Meanwhile, Nolan had just exited the conference room as Grayson was briefing him on the upcoming work schedule. His rarely-used private phone vibrated softly in his pocket.
Nolan took out the phone and glanced at the unfamiliar number.
"Hello, who is this?"
"It's me," a cool female voice replied.
Nolan raised his hand, signaling for silence around him. He pushed open his office door and closed it behind him.
"Have you made up your mind?" he asked.
"No."
Nolan raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised.
"Mr. Feng, I have an unreasonable request."
"Go ahead."
"Tomorrow, the Lin Group will approach you for financing. I hope you refuse. I know this request might seem unreasonable, but please believe me, it's for your own good."
If he invested, when the Lin family collapsed, his investment would be a total loss.
She didn't want to drag him down, someone who had once helped her.
Nolan was even more surprised. If he remembered correctly, she was the Lin Group's heiress. Normally, she should be speaking on their behalf, not asking him to refuse.
"May I know the reason?" Nolan asked.
Although he admired her talent, that alone wasn't enough for him to make an exception.
"The Lin family is rotten inside. If you invest, you'll surely lose everything."
If he insisted on investing, it would only make things a bit more difficult for her, extending the Lin Group's survival a little longer.
"I'll consider it."
After hanging up, Nolan pressed the intercom button. "Bring me the Lin Group's documents."
The next day, Aaron, accompanied by several senior executives, went to FX Venture Capital.
Upon entering, Aaron felt the distinct atmosphere of a major financial firm.
"Mr. Lin, our CEO is still in a meeting. He'll come to discuss with you shortly." The receptionist smiled as she led them to the reception room, where tea and snacks were served before she left, closing the door considerately.
An hour later, the reception room door opened, and Nolan entered with a few senior executives.
After brief pleasantries, they got straight to the point.
"Mr. Feng, here are all our company's documents. Our company is a leader in Oceanic City, and we've acquired Site No. 1 in the Harbor District, which has great future potential..."
Nolan raised his hand to interrupt, speaking lightly, "The documents."
The person handed over the documents.
Nolan and two executives reviewed all the documents.
Nolan placed a hand on the documents, his sharp eyes on Aaron. "Your company does not meet our investment criteria."
Aaron and the senior executives were stunned, not expecting such a straightforward rejection.
Just as the Lin Group's manager was about to say more, Aaron quickly spoke, "I've heard that Mr. Feng is known for his swift decision-making. Truly, reputation doesn't do you justice. Even if the deal falls through, we can still be friends. I haven't had the chance to thank you for speaking up for my daughter. Perhaps Mr. Feng could honor me with a meeting to express my gratitude."
This was an attempt at a roundabout strategy, trying to use Zuri as a bargaining chip.
The FX executives looked at Aaron with disdain.
Trying to pull strings and secure financing, he had chosen the wrong person. Their CEO despised those who sought connections and special favors.
Anyone who tried was immediately blacklisted by him.
Nolan closed the documents in front of him. "No need. Grayson, see them out."
Aaron was stunned, as were the Lin Group executives. Just a moment ago, things seemed fine, but now they were being shown the door.
After Aaron left, Nolan dialed a number.
"Little girl, they've left."
"Did you agree?" Zuri asked.
Nolan leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing into the distance. "Even if you hadn't called, I wouldn't have financed the Lin Group."
As she had said the previous day, the Lin Group was already hollow inside.
If the Lin Group developed the Harbor District site properly, there might have been some investment value, but he didn't see potential in that land.
That was the real reason for his refusal.
Upon hearing this, Zuri let out a long breath and smiled. "You won't regret today's decision."
Nolan looked at the hung-up phone, a slight smile on his lips.
This girl had big plans!
Though he didn't yet know her intentions, his intuition told him she was targeting the Lin Group directly.
As soon as Aaron was kicked out of FX Venture Capital, word spread quickly in the venture capital community. When Aaron tried to approach other companies for financing, he found that they either demanded exorbitant terms or severely undervalued the loan amount.
With no other choice, Aaron abandoned the idea of financing and mortgaged his properties and company shares to secure a bank loan to start developing Site No. 1 in the Harbor District.
One afternoon, Zuri, Azura, and Farida were out shopping. Suddenly, Farida tugged at Zuri's sleeve. "Zuri, isn't that your mom? It looks like someone's pestering her."
Following Farida's pointing finger, Zuri saw Dalia in a confrontation with a middle-aged man on the street. Despite the distance, Zuri instantly recognized him.
Damian's father, her nominal third uncle.
Handing her drink to Azura, Zuri said, "You two go back first."
She then dashed across the street, heading toward the pair.