8: Making the Connection
993 Words
Astoria Enterprises primarily focuses on the tourism industry. The collaboration they were negotiating with Opal Dynamics was for the joint development of a natural scenic area—Westport Bay.
A few years ago, Westport Bay was just a small village home to a few ethnic minorities. However, two or three years back, an international economic forum was held there, with extensive media coverage and promotion. As a result, its commercial value soared, and there were rumors that Westport Bay might become the permanent venue for the economic forum. This meant that whoever could become the developer would stand to make enormous profits in the future.
Astoria Enterprises had originally been confident they would secure the contract, but unexpectedly, Lancaster Holdings swooped in and took it. Serena returned to the company with the bad news. Miles, the vice president, was so furious he nearly flipped the table, while the others didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
Miles tugged at his tie and said grimly, “Although Opal Dynamics signed with LH, that doesn’t mean we don’t have another shot at this.”
Everyone in the meeting room was an experienced executive, and some immediately understood what he meant. “You mean we should try to persuade LH to co-develop it with us?”
Another person hesitated, “But with LH’s strength, they have no reason to split the pie with us.”
Miles replied coldly, “That’s why we have to go all in! This partnership is a huge opportunity, and Mr. Shaw told us before his business trip that we need to secure this deal. If we fail, we’ll all be in trouble!”
He scanned the room, his eyes finally landing on Serena, who had been silent the whole time. He made a final decision. “Serena, you and Winston will be in charge of this project. Don’t disappoint me this time.” His last words were a veiled warning.
Serena glanced at Winston, who had a cold expression on his face, and then at Miles, who looked exasperated. In the end, she said nothing.
That afternoon, Serena went to Lancaster Holdings.
The Lancaster Holdings building was a towering landmark in New Belmont. It had a majestic design, and the company’s name was written in bold, elegant characters, as extravagant as their yearly contribution to the GDP.
The original leading families—The Remington Family and The Lancaster Family—probably couldn’t even compare to Lancaster Holdings now.
Serena lowered her eyes and walked into the LH building. By coincidence, she ran into LH’s CEO, Timothy Owens, who was walking out of the elevator with his secretaries. She smiled and greeted him, extending her hand confidently. “Hello, Mr. Owens. I’m Serena from Astoria Enterprises. May I have ten minutes of your time?”
Timothy, who had been recruited from Wall Street by LH at a high salary, was in his forties. He scanned Serena with sharp eyes but didn’t offer his hand. He simply asked coldly, “What’s this about?”
Serena wasn’t embarrassed. As she withdrew her hand, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. “I heard your company recently signed a contract with Opal Dynamics for developing a tourist area. I was wondering if Astoria Enterprises could have the honor of participating in this project?”
Timothy raised an eyebrow. “Is Astoria Enterprises interested in Westport Bay?”
Serena nodded with a smile, but Timothy’s expression remained cold. “Sorry, but we at LH have a complete development chain. We don’t need to collaborate with anyone else. Thank you.”
“Mr. Owens, why don’t you take a look at our proposal? We—”
“No interest.”
His secretary quickly moved to block Serena, and Timothy got into his car and left.
Serena shrugged nonchalantly. She had expected things wouldn’t be so easy, so she wasn’t particularly disappointed. On the way back to Astoria, she called Veronica.
“Veronica, I need a favor~”
Serena briefly explained the situation, and Veronica responded with a half-amused, half-teasing tone. “You’re trying to get close to LH? Why don’t you go to Adrian? After all, a night together equals a hundred nights of affection. He definitely wouldn’t kick you out like Timothy just did.”
Serena smiled. “Sure, if you can tell me where Adrian is, I’ll go find him right now.”
Adrian, the chairman of Lancaster Holdings, was notoriously elusive. He rarely appeared in public, and finding him was no easy task. When Serena had been his lover, it was always him who set the time and place. If he didn’t contact her, she could go a whole month without seeing him.
“Forget it. I still want to live a few more years. I’m not brave enough to track down Adrian.”
Serena couldn’t help but laugh, teasing her back. “You’re scared of someone?”
Veronica, with a cigarette between her red lips, chuckled softly. “I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t argue with you. By the way, I’ve got some news—The Remington Family is also interested in this project. I heard they’ve already sent people to make contact.”
“The Remington Family has never been involved in tourism. Why would they want to stick their noses into this?” Serena mused. “Are they planning to sell wellness services at the scenic area?”
Veronica laughed lightly and responded slowly, “They want to offer wellness services to Adrian.”
Serena immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road, her smile fading as she asked, “The Remington Family wants to marry into the Lancaster Family?”
“The Remingtons haven’t made any progress in recent years. They’re desperate for someone to help them out,” Veronica explained.
A cold smile curved Serena’s lips. “Oh, really? Well, then I’ll make sure to secure this contract!”
- Writer
