The Protector (The Return Of The God of War) novel Chapter 21

The Return of God of War Chapter 21

“Don’t think we are ignorant of what you’d done to the Garrison family,” Aaron scoffed, “they have warned us to prepare ourselves for a bloodbath.”

“Why do you have to piss off the Garrison family? Are you looking to get yourself killed?”

Caitlyn and Aaron were raving mad.

“If it’s not for Zoey, I’d have kicked you out of our house a long time ago.” Aaron spat with such fury that his veins stood out in his neck, “You could have been sleeping at the streets by now!”

Zoey did not want to aggravate the hostility of his parents towards Levi, but she felt Levi had acted too rashly as well.

We were lucky to have Azure Dragon bail us out this time. But what about next time? Will we get lucky again?

“Who are you to step on the toes of the Garrison family?” Caitlyn glared at Levi with total contempt, “You don’t even have a place to stay on your own!”

“Mum, Levi actually has the villa…”

Zoey was trying to explain to her mum that Levi had just got his villa back, but Caitlyn cut her off abruptly, “Don’t give me that crap about his villa. He’s simply a ticking time bomb, you shouldn’t hang around with him all the time. I’d rather you use your time to source for investors instead!”

“You should know well that the Garrison family is untouchable, not even the Lopez family could hold a candle to them. We’ll be doomed should the Garrisons decide to come at us. I’m warning you, Levi, I’ll get Zoey to seek a divorce with you if you ever dare to infuriate the Garrison family again!”

The next day.

Zoey and Levi planned to source for investors for their upcoming project. They were about to leave the house when Caitlyn reminded Zoey, “It’s going to be the National holidays soon and your cousin is coming over to spend the holidays with us. Can you go and pick her up as your dad and I are too busy with our chores?”

“Sure, mum.”

Levi knew both Aaron and Caitlyn had got their hands full at the moment. Caitlyn worked in the hospital while Aaron had just started a small business.

It was another frustrating day for Zoey. Every investor she met had snubbed her proposal.

However, Levi watched quietly without interfering. All he did was take down the names of those companies who had snubbed Zoey’s proposal.

The string of ill-luck days for Zoey had left her with no choice but to hold back her project as long as she could, since she could not source the investments she needed to kick-start her project. She was just three days away from the commencement date, as stipulated in the contract.

It had definitely stressed Zoey to the extreme.

Aaron and Caitlyn were exasperated and wore a worried look on their faces.

“Don’t be too worried, Mum, Dad.” Levi gave a placid smile, “I’m sure the investors would show up when the time comes.”

He said it with an air of confidence, since he knew he had made all the necessary arrangements.

“You should just keep your mouth shut!” Aaron flared, “Of course it’s easy for you to say that, since it’s none of your business!”

Ding Dong…

The doorbell sounded. It surprised them to see Shaun at their doorstep.

“It’s good that you’re all here, Uncle Aaron and Aunt Caitlyn. Grandpa would like all of you to come for a family meeting tonight.”

Shaun left promptly after he had relayed the message.

Shortly after, Levi, Zoey and her parents came to the family complex of the Lopez family.

It was a vast complex that comprised several buildings. Its structure and scale were one of the most affluent and lavish in North Hampton.

Zoey instantly felt animosity in the Lopez family’s members looks when they greeted her. It was as if she had just snatched away the love of their lives.

It dawned on Zoey and her family that they were no longer seen as part of the Lopez family anymore, now, they are seen as enemy who had taken their cake away and have it all to themselves.

“Come over here, Aaron and you guys. Take a seat.” Harry and the rest of them greeted them with an unusual friendliness.

“How’s your project going along, Zoey?” Harry asked once everybody was seated.

“There’s a major issue with the funding, grandpa!” Zoey sighed, “We’re just three days away from the commencement date but I’ve yet to rope in investors for the project.”

“Hahaha….Didn’t I told you that this is too large of a project for a small company like Imperial Meadows?”

“That’s right, it’s good to know your own limits. Don’t act like some big guns when you’re just nothing but a soft and limp fry!”

…

Everyone started to mock Zoey when they heard about her funding problem.

Zoey and her family could only put up with their sarcasm in silence since she could find nothing to rebuke them. The lack of funding had now put her entire project into jeopardy.

The Return of God of War Chapter 22

“I’m a bit offended, Zoey.” Harry smiled ruefully, “How could you forget about your own family?”

“Grandpa, I…”

“You should have come to me instead. The Lopez Group could work out something for you. You know it’s well within our means to take on that Ecological Park project of yours.”

“I could even provide the startup capital for your project!” said Harry seriously.

“I bet there’s going to be some conditions attached to it?” Levi drove straight to the point. “Or you wouldn’t be so kind as to provide the funding.”

He had seen through the ulterior motive for Harry to fund the project.

“Good, I like to deal with smart people.” Harry grinned, “It’d save me a lot of my time.”

His words prompted Samuel Robertson, who was sitting next to Harry, to pass over the contract to Zoey.

“Take a look at this, Zoey.”

Zoey immediately studied the contract when they passed it to her.

The content was straightforward.

The contract stated that Lopez Group would get up to ninety percent of the profits for the Ecological Park project for providing the funds to Imperial Meadows Limited.

It sent Aaron into a fit of rage after he read the contract.

The Lopez family are simply too cruel to ask for such a huge chunk of the profits.

Aaron was utterly pissed off. He felt that Harry had never regarded him as his own son, but just another prey he was targeting.

“Don’t be mad, Aaron and Zoey. Think about it, in three days’ time, the project would be automatically annulled if you can’t come up with the funding.” Harry’s grin was sly and pernicious, as if he was trying to lure the bait to the hook, “You would end up without a cent once the project was annulled. But if you accept our funding, you’d still get a ten percent cut out of the profits. That would translate to quite a considerable sum of a hundred million. It’s up to you to decide…”

“Unless you’re confident to pull in the funds that you need before the stated deadline.”

Given the tight deadline of just three days, Harry was pretty sure it was nigh impossible for Zoey to secure the funds she needed for the project. This would only leave her with no other options but to agree to his terms.

It would make the Lopez family the biggest winner with a whopping ninety percent of the profits. Even Mr. Jennings could do nothing about it.

“That’s true, Aaron.” Henry chipped in, “We should work together since we’re family. Let’s share the profits instead of having the cake all to yourself.”

“There’s no hurry to sign this. I’ll leave you guys alone to discuss it among yourselves.”

Harry and his company left Levi, Zoey and her parents to talk things out.

“Why don’t we just agree to their terms, Zoey?” Aaron and Caitlyn persuaded, “At least there’s still something left on the plate for us. You should know better that your chances of getting the funds are almost as good as zero!”

Their words almost swayed Zoey to put her name down on the contract. But she held back and sought Levi’s opinion.

“Don’t sign it!” Levi was adamant.

“Trust me, Zoey! I’m sure that I can secure the funding you need before the deadline expires!”

A fuming Aaron intervened before Zoey could fumble out a reply, “Don’t give me that crap again! Do we hold you responsible if we lose that hundred million? I firmly believe we should sign it.”

Zoey was in a dilemma as she eyed Levi skeptically. She did not have complete faith in Levi’s words.

“Alright, how about this?” Levi shrugged, “Since we have three days left to go, why don’t we hang on till the last day to see if we could pull in some investments?” he suggested, “It’s still not too late to sign the contract by then.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

“I could work with that!”

Everybody gave their nods of approval.

The same goes for Harry and his men. They agreed to the suggestion readily.

They were certain that Zoey would never secure the investments that she badly needed in just three days’ time.

…

For the next three days, Zoey worked tirelessly from day to night to meet with potential investors for the project.

Yet, there was nothing to show for all her efforts.

Those who were interested demanded a ridiculous amount of return for their investments.

It would make more sense to work with Harry, since his offer was more or less the same than the rest.

Three days passed by without a trace. The deadline was set on tomorrow before ten o’clock to kick start the project, once over the given time, the project would be automatically annulled.

“Come on, we’ve got to sign the contract with Harry now.” Aaron stood up and said.

“What’s the hurry? Why don’t we just wait a little longer?” Levi tried to dissuade them from signing, “We have all the time till next morning eight o’clock to sign it.”

“Let’s wait until tomorrow morning, Zoey. Don’t sign the contract today.” Levi instructed.

“I need to step out for a while.” Levi left the house after he urged Zoey to stay patient for one more night.

The Return of God of War Chapter 23

Levi left the house to meet up with Azure Dragon, whom he had instructed to wait for him outside the house.

“What can I do for you, Sir?” Azure Dragon asked.

“I want you to contact these companies.” Levi handed him a list of company names.

The following morning.

Zoey was woken up by Aaron in the wee hours of the morning.

“Where the hell is Levi? I presume he was out last night to source for funding, but what’s taking him so long to come back?” Aaron said disapprovingly, “He just can’t do anything right. He’s a born loser, a good-for-nothing!”

It angered Zoey to think that Levi did not even bother to inform her when he knew he would be out the whole night.

“We’d better sign the contract before it’s too late. Let’s meet up with Harry now!”

Harry and his men were already standing by at the family mansion when Zoey and her family arrived.

An euphoric smile hung on their faces as they greeted Zoey and her family.

It was all too gratifying for Harry and company to see the three of them come begging with their tail between their legs.

“You should have known better than to make a fool out of yourself, Aaron.” Henry and Fabian jeered at him, “Can’t you see that there’s no way you guys could ever get the investments?”

Aaron lowered his head and said feebly, “We’re here to sign the contract, dad.”

Anger welled up in his chest when he thought of Levi.

Had it not been Levi who advised them to hold back for three more days, they would have signed it on the same day when it was offered to them, It would have seemed more like a respectable deal at that time.

It had become anything but respectable in the eyes of Harry and his company now that Aaron had to beg them for the contract. Knowing the contract was now the last resort for Zoey, it would only make Aaron looked desperate and defeated in the eyes of the Lopez family.

Aaron and his family had never felt such humiliation before. This is all thanks to Levi.

“Yes, we are ready to sign it now, grandpa.” Zoey informed Harry.

“Sure, we can sign the contract. But there will be a change of terms.” Harry’s expression changed and he curled his lips into a grim smile, “We are no longer asking for ninety but ninety-five percent of the profits now. The remaining five percent would be yours.”

“What? Didn’t we agreed on a ninety percent cut for you and ten percent for us?”

A sudden terrible pang of shock hit Zoey as she stared at Harry incredulously. Harry had just dropped a bombshell on her.

“Don’t you know the terms changes accordingly?” Harry said scornfully, “That’s our offer. Take it or leave it.”

Knowing the ball was now in his court, Harry knew it was he who called the shots. The change of terms seemed justifiable to him since it was Zoey who desperately needed the contract.

Zoey winced at the cold-bloodiness of these people!

She bitterly resented her grandpa for his callous and selfishness.

“Fine then, I’ll pass! I’ll give up the project altogether!” she said in a fit of rage, “Nobody would get a dime out of it!”

“How could you say that, Zoey? Five percent would still give us fifty million, at least there’s something for us!”

“Your mum is right, Zoey. We can’t afford to lose it, just sign it!”

The relentless pestering from Aaron and Caitlyn left Zoey with no choice but to sign the contract.

“Stop! Don’t sign the contract!”

Just as Zoey was about to ink the contract, Levi showed up and halted her.

“There’s still time before the deadline,” he wrung away the pen from Zoey’s hands, “why do we have to sign it now?” he questioned.

“What do you think you’re doing, Levi?” Aaron almost wanted to slap Levi across the face “Why are you stopping us from getting the fifty million? Is it because you’re jealous you’ve got nothing for yourself?”

“Ten minutes! just give me ten minutes! Once the time is up you can do as you please.” Levi glanced at his watch and said, “You can sign it in ten minutes’ time!”

“Alright! I’ll give you another ten minutes to prove yourself!” Aaron muttered through gritted teeth, “Make sure you produce something in ten minutes’ time, or I’ll never forgive you for the rest of my life, much less allow Zoey to stay with you!”

“Okay!”

The unyielding attitude of Levi intrigued Harry. He was curious to see what would happen in ten minutes’ time.

“Alright, let’s wait for another ten minutes.”

Henry and the rest giggled with excitement. They could not wait to get their popcorn ready to watch some hilarious comedy in ten minutes’ time.

Ten minutes passed in a flash. Everything was at status quo.

“Just sign it!” Henry threw the contract in front of Zoey. He was certain there would be no white knight coming to her rescue.

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!

At the same moment, a thunderous roar of engine noises filled the whole of the Lopez family mansion.

It attracted the curiosity of everyone to step out of the building.

What greeted their eyes was a succession of luxury cars making their way into the Lopez family mansion. They all came to a halt when they reached their building.

The Return of God of War Chapter 24

It was a succession of top end luxury cars which included Maybach, Rolls Royce, and many more.

Each of these cars could easily cost over tens of millions!

The Lopez family looked on with a dazed expression. What the hell is going on here?

What are all these cars doing here?

Everyone went pop-eyed when they saw the faces of the people who alighted from the cars. They were a group of impeccably dressed, middle-aged men and women who carried an overpowering air of status and power.

Each of them carried a business savvy look synonymous to the directors of some top corporations.

“Huh? Isn’t that the President of Far East Investments, Mr. Feliciano Hayes? What brings him here?”

“Look, that’s the General Manager of Orc Investments Limited, Mr. Roberto Norris!”

“Isn’t that guy the boss of Starlight Property Development Limited, Mr. Lorenzo Woods?”

“Oh, my god! Even Pedro Zinno, the President of Hercules Property Development Company, is here too!”

…

Fabian, Henry, and the rest of them murmured among themselves into a frenzy.

The names they had murmured were the super-rich and powerful leaders who ruled the corporate world of North Hampton. Each of their net worth were in billions.

Lopez Group looked so insignificant in the eyes of these super rich. Any one of them could easily take out the Lopez Group without even battling an eyelid.

The scale and grandeur of so many big shots coming together was a sight to behold for Harry and his men.

It almost took their breath away.

Harry led Fabian and the rest to hurry themselves forward and greeted the billionaires with fawning attention; “Greetings, Mr. Zinno, welcome….”

However, nobody responded to their greetings. All the billionaires walked past them as if they were non-existent and headed straight to where Levi and Zoey were standing.

“How could it be?” Harry said in disbelief, “Could it be they are here to provide funding for Zoey’s project?”

Harry’s eyes widened in stupefaction, his jaws stiffened with astonishment.

Zoey froze when she saw the billionaires walking towards her. She wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. These were the same group of people she had approached before to solicit for their interests in her project, and they had all rejected her proposal.

What’s going on? What are they doing here?

“Hello, Ms. Lopez. I’m Feliciano Hayes from Far East Investments!”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Lopez. I’m Pedro Zinno and I represent Hercules Property Development.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Lopez. I’m Lorenzo Woods from Starlight Property Development.”

…

All the billionaires introduced themselves in a humble manner towards Zoey.

Everybody gasped in awe.

Harry and the others from the Lopez family were utterly lost for words.

It was beyond their wildest imagination to think that these billionaires would show up to fund for Zoey’s project.

Zoey was still trembling inside even though she tried to recompose herself, “H-Hello everyone…how are you…”

“Don’t be nervous, Ms. Lopez! We’re here to discuss our cooperation on the project!”

Feliciano Hayes flashed a cheesy smile, “Far East Investments would be interested to invest one billion into your project, Ms. Lopez!”

Lorenzo Woods counter-offered immediately, “Ms. Lopez, Starlight Property Development would be willing to provide up to two billion to fund your project!”

“No, Orc Investments is willing to invest up to three billion!”

“We are more than happy to provide up to three billion in funding and even take over the construction of your project. Please let Hercules Property Development be your partner instead!”

“Spark Corporation would invest up to five hundred million in your project! We would not ask for a share of your profits, Miss Lopez. All we want is to offer our sincere help!”

…

It was like some bidding war that had gone out of control. Every billionaire was competing to provide funding for Zoey’s project.

The highest bidder had offered to invest up to seven hundred million.

Everyone was reluctant to give up on the project, which could not had taken more than a billion in total.

But the bidding war had skyrocketed the total available funding by ten times its original amount.

The unexpected twist of events caused Harry’s blood pressure to shoot up exponentially, causing him to pass out on the spot.

Samuel, Shaun and the rest were almost on the verge of puking blood.

What the hell is going on here?

Why is everyone behaving like maniacs?

It was an earth-shattering feeling for Zoey as well.

She could still recall the smug and dismissive look in their eyes when they snubbed her initial proposal.

Yet the same group of people were now lining up to impress her, begging her to let them invest in her project.

Aaron and Caitlyn were too emotional to say a single word. They could only respond with their quivering bodies.

“Calm down, Zoey.” Levi put his arm around her to offer his support, “Why don’t you say a few words to show your appreciation for their interest in your project.”

“Right, I’m so glad that all of you are keen to invest in my project.” Zoey composed herself and said, “All of you are welcome to invest in my project!”

“Really? That’s good to hear it from Ms. Lopez herself.”

All the billionaires let out a hefty sigh and wiped away the sweat on their brows after they heard this.

The Return of God of War Chapter 25

“However,” Zoey added, “I’m afraid you have misunderstood the amount of funding that I’m seeking. The amount you’ve mentioned is way beyond what I’m asking for. All I need for the project is only a hundred million.”

“Just name any amount, Ms. Lopez.” Lorenzo Woods said with an air of indulgence, “Unless you’re asking for tens of billions, I’m ready to pump billions into your project.”

The words of Lorenzo Woods sent Harry’s blood pressure up a few notches when he heard he was ‘ready to pump billions into your project’. His legs wobbled, and he saw stars spinning around his head.

Zoey’s mind was in a whirlwind as she quivered in her reply, “Everybody, I am humbled by your overwhelming interest in my project. But a hundred and fifty million would be more than enough for my project.”

“How about this?” Feliciano Hayes swept his eyes across the room and suggested. “Since there are fifteen of us here, why don’t we each come up with ten million?”

“That would be the perfect solution! It would give each of us an opportunity to help Ms. Lopez.” Feliciano Hayes said, “Make sure we are not treating this as an investment or loan. It should be a giveaway to Ms. Lopez!”

Gulp!

Aaron and Caitlyn were swallowing so hard that everyone could hear them gulped.

A hundred and fifty million giveaway to our daughter?

What makes our daughter turned into a money spinning machine all of a sudden?

Everybody is begging for her to take their money.

“No, it can’t be a giveaway.” Zoey insisted, “We should treat it as an investment.”

“It’s alright, Ms. Lopez. Ten million is nothing to us!”

“Yeah, it’s just some petty cash to me.”

Each billionaire insisted they should treat the ten million as a giveaway to Zoey.

“Hey, didn’t you hear what she’d just said?” Levi snapped, “She said it should be an investment.”

Levi’s sudden bawl made the billionaires shuddered with horror.

“Yes! Sure! Indeed! It should be an investment!”

Everyone nodded emphatically.

“So, ladies and gentlemen, would you mind coming to my company, Imperial Meadows Limited, to ink the contract?” Zoey asked.

“Of course, we are more than willing to come anytime to sign it!”

They continued their frenzied nodding of heads.

“I’m sorry, grandpa.” Before stepping out of the mansion, Zoey walked up to Harry and said apologetically, “I can’t accept your terms now, but I can assure you that the Lopez family will definitely have a share of the project.”

“You!”

Harry was breathless with anger as he pointed a trembling finger at Zoey. He let out a cry and finally passed out.