’I knew he was mentally tough. He wouldn’t let a small thing like today get to him.’
Seeing him back to his old self, Damien Vaughn felt a little more at ease.
"What could I be busy with? I don’t have parents as great as yours."
"Of course I know you’re working. I’m asking *what* you’re working on."
It was the first time in his life Zeke Walton had ever taken such an active interest in his work. Damien did his best to act nonchalant.
Speaking of work, Damien Vaughn wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You’ve probably heard that Veridia is planning to build an international airport. It’s a hugely lucrative project. With the real estate market in a slump, you can bet there are a ton of people eyeing this one. But I won’t let them get their way."
’So he really is busy with this.’
Zeke Walton slid his chair forward, a look of eager curiosity on his face.
"My dad mentioned it a little. But I heard it’s just a rumor for now and they haven’t started planning, so no one knows exactly where they intend to build it. Do you have inside information?"
Damien Vaughn shot him a glance. "Why are you so interested in this all of a sudden?"
Zeke Walton cleared his throat.
"My dad’s always saying I’m not focused on my career and that I should learn from you. And recently, after meeting Shane Grant, I’ve realized just how far behind you guys I really am... But it was just a casual question. I’m not in real estate, just purely curious."
Damien Vaughn leaned back in his chair.
"A while back, I made a special trip out of town to meet with someone. He didn’t reveal anything specific, but I was able to guess the general location. Before the news goes public, that land is still just a bunch of cheap, undeveloped plots. I’m going to buy up all the agricultural and non-agricultural land in Anver Town, part of Suthera County. By next year, you’ll be hearing my good news. I will win the international airport project and double the size of the Vaughn Group."
Zeke Walton’s heart pounded as he listened.
’Damien Vaughn is just too smart, too resourceful. Anyone who ends up as his business rival is incredibly unlucky.’
’While others had only heard a rumor, he had already prepared everything to secure the entire project.’
’Compared to him, Shane Grant is far too passive.’
He didn’t have the inside track, nor did he have that much capital. Zeke Walton couldn’t help but worry for Shane Grant.
If he couldn’t get this project, the Grant Group’s capital would remain tied up. They wouldn’t be able to exit the real estate market quickly, nor could they invest in other ventures. With tens of billions in bank loans, a year of bleeding cash would, if not bankrupt them, at least skin them alive.
’From the looks of it, he’s already lost to Damien Vaughn.’
’That means he’s not far from bankruptcy. What can be done?’
"Damien, I don’t have your lofty aspirations; I can’t comprehend your ambition. But I have to ask, just how much money do you need to make? How big does the group need to get before you’ll be satisfied?"
He was actually trying to indirectly persuade Damien Vaughn to let Shane Grant have the project.
But they had been friends for so many years; he couldn’t bring himself to say it directly.
Damien Vaughn leaned back in his chair with an air of command, swiveling it from side to side.
"Even if you haven’t really started in business yet, your parents have been at it for years. How could you ask such a naive question? Who in this world ever thinks they have too much money?"
’True.’
He decided to try a different approach.
"Then what about this: would losing out on this one project have any real impact on your Vaughn Group?"
’Not really.’
Damien Vaughn said with complete confidence.
"The real estate division is just a small, obscure subsidiary of the Vaughn Group. My main businesses now are tech products and e-commerce. The real estate company is on its last legs anyway, so its revenue is nothing to me. But I just can’t accept losing. I want to win, and I want to win in the spotlight for all to see."
’Right. Who in this world doesn’t want to win?’


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: My Child and I Married a Billionaire