Chapter 29 Greedy
When Skye heard the new price, her eyes flew open.
She had never seen that much money in her entire life.
There was no way for her to back out of a deal that massive.
She turned again to look at Natalie,
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Jacques’s sudden hike in price and shameless greed completely shattered Natalie’s expectations of how business negotiations were supposed to go.
“Mr. Fourside,” she said calmly, “if you can truly deliver a fully autonomous driving system, not just 7 billion–even 70 billion -our boss would be willing to pay. But the real question is, can you deliver it?”
Autonomous technology had enormous potential. Once developed, it wouldn’t just be used in cars–it could revolutionize entire industries. Transportation, logistics, even military defense.
Plenty of companies had dipped their toes in the pool, but most barely made it past the surface. They offered features like assisted driving but those systems weren’t truly intelligent and were far from complete.
The only person who had successfully created real autonomous driving tech was her father.
And that technology had been locked away under his personal care. Even Natalie had never laid eyes on it. Jacques? He didn’t stand a chance of producing it.
Comered, Jacques stammered, “Six billion. Give me six billion, and I’ll sign the deal right now.”
Natalie smiled and warned, “Mr. Fourside, greed only works when the strong prey on the weak. When the weak try to bite off more than they can chew, that’s just asking for trouble.”
Jacques didn’t quite catch the warning in her words–but before he could say anything more, his assistant came rushing in.
“Boss, we’ve got a situation,” he said, glancing at Skye and Natalie across the room before bending down to whisper into Jacques’s ear.
“Alpha breached our firewall again. Tons of important files–classified company data–have been leaked.”
He hesitated, then added in a lower voice, “Also, those deals you made with the higher–ups. Alpha exposed those too
Jacques found himself in deep trouble. He clenched his jaw so tight he thought his teeth might crack. He genuinely resented this hacker.
He had no idea when he got on Alpha’s bad side, but that person seemed to be targeting him every other week.
Time and again, Alpha had struck, and every time, he came out the loser. He had hired every hacker he could find–spent millions–but no one could track Alpha down. All they knew was that Alpha was somewhere in Regalia.
And now, this latest move was a heavy blow.
The bribes, the backdoor deals–they were all out in the open now. If Alpha kept this up, it was only a matter of time before the entire list of corrupt officials got exposed.
If it came to that, Jacques was finished. Absolutely done for
Right now, he just wanted to toss this burning hot mess out of his hands. He grabbed the pen and was about to contract when Natalie swiftly pulled the papers away.
sign the
“Our offer,” she said coolly, “is now 3.5 billion dollars. Plus 250 dollars.”
“What?” Jacques exploded. “This is between me and your boss–what gives you the right to stick your nose in?!”
He was livid. They had already slashed the offer by 1.5 billion, and now this assistant had the audacity to throw in 250 dollars
Chapter 29 Greedy.
to humiliate him.
Skye didn’t miss a beat. Her opinion is my opinion.”
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Natalie added, “Word is, your company has hit a few humps lately. That spells risk for us, so we need to think things through. Of course, Mr. Fourside, you’re free to take your time as well. Just know that is today’s offer. Tomorrow or the next day, we may not be able to give you even that. But you can count on the 250 dollars staying the same.
If Jacques dared to get greedy with her, Natalie had no problem teaching him a lesson.
Greed, after all, was only possible when it was hacked by real strength.
And she had Alpha on her side. What did Jacques have?
His expression shifted.
He knew better than anyone what Alpha was capable of..
If that list of powerful officers names got leaked, he wouldn’t just lose his company–he’d be hunted down by the very people. he tried to buy. At that point, it wouldn’t even matter if he had a company left to sell. He might not even stay alive long enough to regret it.
“Til sign!” Jacques barked.
Hold on,” came a voice from the door.
Just as Jacques was about to put down his signature, the conference room door opened with a creak.
Natalie’s brows knit in annoyance.
Who is ruining the moment now?
She looked up–and saw Jonathan walking into the room.
What is he doing here?
Before she could react, he had already taken the seat across from them.
“Seven billion,” Jonathan said, his voice calm. Tll buy the Solaria Group.”
He was clearly speaking to Jacques, but his gaze never left Natalie.
It was as if he could see straight through her.
Skye sat bolt upright, frozen in her chair, She didn’t even dare glance in Jonathan’s direction.
She was terrified he might recognize her.
But clearly, she’d overestimated her presence.
To Jonathan, no matter the face, a woman was just another body in the room. Another creature. Nothing more.
Jacques didn’t hesitate when Jonathan offered to buy for seven billion. He changed his mind instantly. “Deal!”
There was no way he could turn down a number like that.
And the best part? If Jonathan owned Solaria Group, even better. Natalie had been head–over–heels for him for years. All he had to do was snap his fingers, and she’d had the company over on a silver platter.
From where Jacques stood, it was a win–win situation.
Skye looked anxiously at Natalie, her eyes silently pleading–What now?
Natulie clutched the edge of her blazer, her teeth gently biting her lower lip. Her mind was racing, thoughts tangled in panic.
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Chapter 29 Greedy
She had a thousand ways to deal with Jacques.
But Jonathan? She had none.
That subtle movement–her hesitation–didn’t go unnoticed.
Jonathan’s eyes lingered on her, deepening as if he were reading far more than just her face.
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Jacques, meanwhile, had already scribbled his name across the new contract and handed it straight to Jonathan. “All that’s left is your signature, and Solaria Group is yours.”
