At this moment…
On the 33rd floor of the Golden Leaf Hotel.
Inside the chairman’s office.
The general manager of Golden Leaf Hotel Sean Caldwell was standing opposite a man who was in his thirties.
The man was sitting on the chairman’s seat.
He was reclined in the chair and his legs were on the desk.
This man was Golden Leaf Hotel’s chairman Hugh Greene.
At the same time, he was also the biggest shareholder of the hotel.
“Sean, did anything happen in the hotel recently?” Hugh asked.
He came to South River Province for business, so he dropped by while he was at it.
This occasion was purely by coincidence.
Normally, he would only drop by once or twice a year.
“Mr.
Greene, everything’s great in the hotel.
The business is rising steadily and there’s a 20% growth compared to the same quarter last year,” replied Sean.
“Not bad.
Sean, you did a good job.
Your bonus at the end of the year will be doubled and the staff’s bonus will increase 50%.”
“Thank you, Mr.
Greene!” Sean bowed and said.
“Alright, go on with your business if there’s nothing else.
I just dropped by to have a look.
I’ll leave soon,” Hugh said nonchalantly.
After Sean contemplated for a while, he said, “Mr.
Greene, I need to tell you something.
Yesterday, a customer signed up for a membership card here and immediately topped up 100 million.”
“Oh?
Using his name or his company’s name?” Hugh was interested.
“With his name.
Yesterday, he ate a meal that cost one million five hundred thousand.
He even asked the hotel to prepare his meal every day using only the best ingredients.
If he can’t come, he asked us to just throw it away.”
“Why does he sound like a parvenu to me?
How old is he?”
“Based on his information, he’s 21 and he seems to be a student from SRU.”
“21?
A student?
He’s topping up 100 million just for food?
Have you met this person?”
“Mr.
Greene, I didn’t.
The lobby manager Pearl Warner served him yesterday.”
“Get me Pearl Warner.”
“Yes, Mr.
Greene!”
Sean immediately barked into the walkie-talkie, “Is Ms.
Warner here?
Answer if you hear me!”
Soon, a voice answered from the walkie-talkie, “Mr.
Caldwell, Ms.
Warner went out this morning and she’s not back yet.”
Sean peered at Hugh and said into the walkie-talkie, “Which one of you knows what she’s doing?”
“No idea.
She didn’t tell us.”
Sean did not say anything anymore.
He looked at Hugh and said, “Mr.
Greene, I’ll call her now.”
Hugh answered with a blank face, “No need.
We’ll wait here and see when she comes back.
Sean, a staff member, is not in the hotel during work hours, and she even left without saying anything.
Is this how you manage your staff?”
“I’m sorry, Mr.
Greene.
It’s my mistake.
I’ll manage them better and I’ll reorganize the hotel,” Sean answered carefully.
At this moment, he was a little angry inside.
What was going on with Pearl?
She was pretty good at her job, so why did she let him down at this crucial moment and cause him to get scolded?
The two of them did not say anything.
Hugh lowered his head to play with his phone while Sean stood rooted to the spot.
He did not dare to move and only hoped that Pearl would come back soon.
…
After the two of them went back to the hotel, David went straight to the private room for his meal.
Meanwhile, Pearl ran straight to the general manager, Sean’s, office.
Just now, someone at the front desk told her that the manager was looking for her.
When she saw that the general manager was not there, Pearl took out her walkie-talkie and asked, “Mr.
Caldwell, hello, this is Pearl.
I’m in front of your office now.
May I know where you are?”
Sean’s legs were turning numb from standing in the chairmans’ office when he finally heard Pearl’s voice.
So, he replied, “Pearl, come to the chairman’s office.”
When Pearl heard Sean asking her to go to the chairman’s office, she was shocked.
Judging from Sean’s voice, it seemed that something was wrong.
The chairman must be here if he was asking her to go to the chairman’s office.
Mr.
Greene was a very mysterious person.
She had been working in this hotel for more than three years, but she could only see him during their annual dinner.
This time, he was asking her to meet him, but she was not here during working hours!
If she did not handle this well, she would lose her job.
She was not confident about David yet, so if she lost this job, it would be a lot of trouble.
Pearl quickly walked to the chairman’s office.
A few minutes later…
She arrived at the door to the chairman’s office.
Knock knock!
Pearl knocked twice on the door.
“Come in.”
A deep and powerful voice came from inside.
Pearl pushed the door open and saw the general manager, Sean, standing inside.
The chairman Hugh was sitting opposite him.
“Mr.
Greene, Mr.
Caldwell, hello, my name is Pearl Warner.” Pearl closed the door and walked over before greeting timidly.
When Hugh saw Pearl walking in after her introduction, he examined her closely.
She was beautiful and had a hot body.
Her uniform accentuated her charm of a professional working woman.
He did not think that there would be such an amazing woman in the hotel.
Her talents were completely wasted on being a lobby manager.
“Ms.
Warner, you left your post during work hours, and you didn’t even tell anyone.
How did you manage to get this job as a lobby manager?” Hugh lectured sternly.
When Pearl heard Hugh lecturing her immediately, she was extremely nervous.
She could not handle the aura from these people in leadership positions.
However, she still explained, “I’m sorry, Mr.
Greene.
I left my post without explicit approval because I needed to accompany a guest.”
“Accompany a customer?
When did our hotel’s lobby manager start to need to accompany our guest?
Is it because it’s required by the hotel or are you thinking of currying favors with that person?” Hugh asked sharply.
He understood these women who wanted to leap to fame and wealth overnight.
They would do anything to achieve their goals, and obviously, he felt that Pearl was this kind of woman.
The moment he saw Pearl, he had a good impression of her.
However, when he heard that she was going to accompany a hotel guest, he felt that Pearl was also that kind of woman because these women would always do such things.
She said she was accompanying a guest, and it could mean a lot of things from eating and drinking together, to even sleeping together.
“Mr.
Greene, you can penalize me or fire me, but please don’t insult me.
Mr.
Lidell wanted to buy a car today and he drove over, so that’s why he asked me to help drive the car back.
Mr.
Lidell is also the VIP of our hotel, so that’s why I went,” Pearl said, a little angry.
Pearl felt aggrieved.
Hugh thought she was a woman who would sleep with anyone as long as there was money.
She could not accept this because at the very least, her body was still clean right now.
She was 27, and in this society that was filled with temptations, it was not easy for a woman as beautiful as her to resist the temptations.
“Who is Mr.
Lidell?” Hugh asked.
“It should be the VIP who topped up 100 million yesterday.”
This time, it was Sean who answered.
“Where is he now?”
“Mr.
Lidell is eating in Private Room 3.” Now, it was Pearl who answered.
“Come, let’s go meet this VIP.
I want to see if you’re telling the truth, Ms.
Warner.”
After Hugh said that, he got up and left his office with Sean and Pearl hurrying after him.
David was eating the most exquisite food in his private room.
It was great having money.
This was the food that he never dared to dream about eating.
Now, he was eating half of it and throwing the rest away.
As he was enjoying himself, the door was pushed open.
David thought Pearl was here, so he said, “Miss Pearl, come and have some.”
When he turned his head, he saw a man in his thirties walking over.
Pearl was walking at the back while in front of him was a man in his forties or fifties.
Aside from Pearl, he did not know the two men.
However, Pearl looked off-color and her eyes were slightly red.
Therefore, David knew what was going on.
“Mr.
Lidell, hello.
I am the boss here and my name is Huge Greene.
May I know if you’re happy with the food and service provided here, Mr.
Lidell?
If you need anything, you can tell me and we’ll definitely fulfill your request,”
Hugh said modestly after he approached David.
He was very interested in David.
He must be a rich kid from a rich family since he could take out 100 million just to eat and have fun.
Plus, he was so young too, hence Hugh wanted to get to know him.
It was not a bad thing to know more friends.
Hugh was a businessman, and the larger his network, the more opportunities he would have.
Golden Leaf Hotel was just one of his industries.
He was managing a lot of different industries at the same time, so there was a chance he could work with David or David’s family in the future.
“Hello, Mr.
Greene.
I’m very satisfied with this place.”
“That’s great.
I heard you’re a top student at SRU?
What a talented young man,” Hugh said respectfully.
“Yes, but I’m not that talented.
I know myself better than anyone.”
“Mr.
Lidell, you’re too modest.
SRU is one of the top five universities in the country.
Anyone who can study there needs to be elite in their respective industries.
This is my card.
If you need me, you can call me at any time.”
Hugh then handed a shiny card to David.
“Mr.
Greene, I want to ask you something,” David asked when he took the card.
“Please, go ahead.”
“Are you selling this hotel?”
“Huh?” Hugh was stunned by that question.
Not only Hugh, Sean and Pearl behind him were also stunned.
“Mr.
Lidell, are you joking?” Hugh smiled and asked.
“Do I look like I’m joking?
If you’re selling, I’m buying.
This is no joking matter,” David said seriously.
“Mr.
Lidell, do you know that the construction of this hotel alone cost over ten billion dollars, and that does not include the land.
Are you sure you want to buy it?”
“Of course!
If you’re selling, just state a price.
If you’re not, then so be it.”
Hugh looked at David for a while.
He felt that he could not understand this kid that was younger than him by more than a decade.
He could ignore the fact that David took out 100 million just for food, but now he was asking him if he was willing to sell the hotel?
There were some people who could take out a few hundred million dollars in cash, but there were not a lot of people who could take out billions in cash.
Even if David had hundreds of billions in assets, his family would not let him do this.
‘Is he the heir of an invisible rich family?
I think only these people can play around like this,’ Huge thought in his heart.
“Mr.
Lidell, if you’re serious about buying, it’s doable.
However, I need to discuss this with our shareholders.
After all, this hotel doesn’t belong to just me.
However, I need to inform you that we need to be paid in cash.”
“Alright, go ahead.
Tell me as soon as possible after you get the answer,” David answered nonchalantly.
“Okay, Mr.
Lidell, please enjoy your meal.
I’ll give you an answer later,” Hugh said and left the private room.
Sean also followed after him.
Pearl initially wanted to leave, but David stopped her.
“Miss Pearl, wait.
I have something to tell you.”
Pearl thought about it, and in the end, she decided to stay.
She could lose her job, but she could not lose David.
Earlier, when David said he wanted to buy this hotel, she was petrified.
This would cost him billions of dollars and they were asking for it in cash.
If David bought this place, David would not fire her based on their relationship.
It was possible that he might even promote her.
She really hoped that the boss would sell the hotel to David and David could afford it.
She already gave the boss a bad impression of her, so if she did not get a new boss, it would be hard to say if she could keep her job.
After Hugh got back to his office, he took out his phone and opened Whatsapp.
Then, he sent a message to a group chat with only four people.
Hugh: [Brothers, someone wants to buy the Golden Leaf Hotel at River City, should we sell?]
Soon, someone named Earl Durham replied to him.
Earl: [Who is this extravagant person?]
Hugh: [It’s a university student named David Lidell.
He’s studying in SRU.]
James: [A university student?
Hugh, old boy, are you being conned?
How can a university take out tens of billions to buy our hotel?]
Earl: [I think so too!]
Hugh: [Do I look like someone who’s easily conned?]
Bill: [Yes!]
Hugh: [I’m not joking with you guys.
I’m serious, are we selling or not?
He’s still waiting for an answer!]
Earl: [This depends on you.
You’re the biggest shareholder.]
Hugh: [All of your shares combined are more than mine!
If I want to sell but you guys refuse, I can’t do anything about it.]
James: [Is he really going to buy?
Who is he?
Are you sure he can afford it?]
Hugh: [I think he does.
Yesterday, he just topped up a membership card with 100 million for food.]
James: [If that’s the case, he might not be joking.
Who do you think he is, guys?
He’s so young and he can take out so much cash!]
Earl: [Could be a successor of those invisible rich families.
Bill, say something.
Didn’t you interact with these people before?]
Bill: [If he can really take out tens of billions in cash to buy Golden Leaf Hotel, then I can basically be sure he’s one of them.
They’re usually out here to gain some experience and suffer some hardship before they eventually take over a part of their family’s industry when the time comes.]
Hugh: [Should we look him up?]
Bill: [Don’t!
If he finds out, you won’t even know how you died.]
Hugh: [Is he so powerful?
What era are we in?
Aren’t you blowing this out of proportion?]
Bill: [You never experienced some things so that’s why you don’t know what life is really like.
They are so powerful that it’s scary.
If there’s a chance, I’ll show you.]
James: [I wanted to see how bad*ss, these so-called invisible figures are from a long time ago.]
Earl: [Me too!]
Hugh: [Alright!
So, are we selling or not?]
Bill: [How much is he offering?]
Hugh: [He asked me to name him a price.]
Bill: [What about you two?
I’m fine, I’ll just go according to you two.
I don’t lack money.
If it’s a done deal, I want to get to know this person.]
James: [I think we can sell it for 18 billion.
Back when the hotel was completed, we spent about 12 billion.
We made a profit of tens of billions of dollars throughout the years anyway.
I think if we sell at 18 billion, we can get back about double the investment.
I have a project right now and we can invest that money into this project.]
Hugh: [What project is it?]
James: [It’s not decided yet.
When it’s done, we’ll find a time to meet up and talk about it.]
Earl: [I think it’s doable.
Hugh, just tell him 20 billion.
If he negotiates, the minimum is 18 billion.
We won’t sell if it’s lower than that.]
Hugh: [Alright, I’ll tell him 20 billion and see what he says.
I’ll go now and give you guys an update soon.]
After they reached an agreement, Hugh was about to go downstairs to tell David the price.
Golden Leaf Hotel.
Private Room 3.
Pearl stayed behind and asked David, “David, are you sure you want to buy this hotel?”
“Yes, I am.
I’m just worried that your boss won’t sell it to me.
Who is your boss?” David asked.
“I am not sure either.
Mr.
Greene rarely comes to the hotel.
Usually, he will show up during the annual dinners.
I heard he has other companies too and Golden Leaf is just one of them.”
“That mysterious?
Then it might be a bit hard.
He might not need this measly sum of money,” David said.
This measly money?
20 to 30 billion was just measly to him?
Was this the circle of the ultra-rich?
This was so scary!
Pearl was going numb.
She had worked in the most high-end hotel in South River for three to four years and with her natural advantages, had met a lot of clients and made a lot of friends.
Some of them had a net worth in the billions, or even tens of billions.
She felt that she was almost reaching this circle.
However, David taught her a lesson over these two days.
It seemed that the people she got into contact with were just the tip of the iceberg.
When it comes to the truly ultra-rich, they might just spend tens of billions just because of their interest or even as a spur-of-the-moment thing.
The so-called rich people with net worths of billions she knew might be nothing compared to David and Mrs.
Greene.
The money they spent after a thoughtless statement might be their entire net worth.
How could they compare?
They were not even on the same level.
When Pearl thought about this, she looked at David with more satisfaction.
This was the man of her dreams.
Even though he was young, his temperament was flawless.
He would discuss a business of more than tens of billions during a random meal.
It felt as if he was an emperor who was talking idly about important matters.
If David knew what was on Pearl’s mind, he would have laughed so hard his jaw would have fallen off.
‘Flawless temperament?
‘Talking idly about important matters?
‘I was just a loser with only slightly more than a thousand dollars to my name who was ditched by my f*cking ex because of a ten thousand dollar bag two days ago.
‘Any normal person who obtained limitless wealth all of a sudden would have a good temperament in this materialistic society.
They might even be more extravagant than me.’
Pearl looked at David, who was eating, and then averted her gaze.
She said, “Perhaps not.
Everything has a price.
If David is willing to pay a high price, Mr.
Greene will sell.
Mr.
Greene is a smart businessman, and his goal is to get the most profit he can.”
“It sounds possible after your analysis.
Come, don’t stand there, Miss Pearl.
Sit down and eat something.
If I buy this hotel, I’ll let you manage it!” David said carefreely as he ate.
Pearl heard what David said.
She felt a buzz in her head and it almost caused her to pass out.
What did David say just now?
He would let her manage this hotel after he bought it?
She would be the general manager?
Even though the difference between a lobby manager and a general manager was just one word, the position and treatment were not even on the same level.
It would be massively different.
The general manager was the highest authority here aside from Mr.
Greene, and the other chairmen.
If Mr.
Greene was not around, he would be the boss here.
Plus, his annual salary with his bonus was over ten million dollars.
How much was she making a year?
Now, David was saying he would buy the hotel and let her be the general manager?
Wasn’t this an instant success?
“David, darling, are you joking?” Pearl asked, feeling light-headed.
“Of course not!
Why does everyone think I’m joking?
Didn’t I tell you?
If your boss causes trouble for you, I’ll buy the boss and make you the boss.
I saw that your eyes were red when you entered the door.
I believe your boss might have caught you going out this morning.”
When Pearl heard that, her eyes turned red again.
Tears also spilled out of her eyes uncontrollably.
However, this was not for the same reason as moments ago.
Right now, she was touched and was ecstatic.
“David, we’ve known each other for two days.
Why are you so good to me?
You gave me a car and you even let me stay in such a nice house for free.
Now, you’re even buying this hotel to promote me!” Pearl said as she sobbed.
David heard that something was not right with Pearl’s voice, so he turned around to look.
“Miss Pearl, why are you crying…”
When David was about to say something, the door was pushed open.
Pearl quickly recomposed herself and stood to one side.
Hugh walked in with Sean behind him.
Just now, Sean was waiting for Hugh outside his office.
Now, he also followed Hugh down here.
He had no choice.
This was the moment to determine his fate.
The boss of this hotel might change at any time.
If there was a change, would he still be the general manager?
Judging from Pearl and David’s relationship, the chances were slim.
His annual salary was 6 million in this position and his bonus was about ten million too.
In addition to that, Mr.
Greene was always not around, so he was like the boss here.
He could also secretly make some ill-gotten gains of around a few million.
Where would he find such a good job again if he lost this one?
Over these years, he even used his power to take advantage of those female attendants who wanted to climb up the ladder.
He even hinted at Pearl a few times, but she always ignored him.
If Pearl was not good at her job, he would have fired her a long time ago.
At this moment, he could only pray that this transaction was unsuccessful.
If not, his good days would come to an end.
“Sean, you should go out with Ms.
Warner.
I need to talk to Mr.
Lidell.” After Hugh walked in, he said to Sean behind him.
“Yes, Mr.
Greene.”
“Yes, Mr.
Greene.”
Sean and Pearl answered at the same time.
Then, they left the private room.
“Mr.
Lidell, are you serious about buying this hotel?” Hugh asked after he sat down.
“Of course, Mr.
Greene.
If you’re selling, I’m buying,” answered David.
“Mr.
Lidell, I just discussed with the shareholders and if you’re serious about buying, you need to pay this price.
What do you think?”
Hugh then gestures a two with his fingers.
“20 billion?”
“Yes, Mr.
Lifell.
You should know that this hotel is located in the busiest area in River City and it’s also in the busiest area in South River Province.
The renovations were also done according to the highest standard.
The profit is rising steadily every year, so you won’t suffer a loss at this price.”
“Alright, 20 billion it is.
However, I’m not familiar with the handover.
Just contact Pearl directly.
She’ll be the general manager here from now on,”
David said nonchalantly.
It was just 20 billion.
It was nothing.
Actually, he had never even spent 200 dollars so carefreely before.
“Great!
Since you’ve agreed to this, it’s a deal then.
However, the process of a handover is mired in minor details, so it might take around a week.
According to the rules, you’ll have to pay a 10% deposit.
If for any reason you’re unable to continue with this transaction, we won’t return the deposit to you.”
“Okay!”
Hugh took out his phone and made a call.
A voice came from the phone soon after.
“Hello, Mr.
Greene.
This is Jack Hansen.
How may I help you?”
The person who answered the phone was the head of financial affairs in Golden Leaf Hotel.
“Mr.
Hansen, come to Private Room 3,” Hugh said into the phone.
“Okay, Mr.
Greene, please wait a moment.
I’ll be there soon,” answered Jack.