Chapter 90: The Offer.
A week later, Friday.
Rina had finally finished collecting the oath of loyalty from all the board members, if you don't count her brother and the board chairman who she didn't try to make him swear his allegiance to her as he was the family head and her father.
Another reason was that no matter how she threatened him nothing will come out of it as he usually doesn't interfere with the competition between the family member for the next family head as he considered it the way to weed out the weak competitors for the next family head so nothing good will come from antagonizing him.
Following the completion of turning all the board members loyal to her, he contacted each member individually and gave them instructions on what to do in the upcoming board meeting.
She wasn't going for anything groundbreaking like firing her brother or something, as that would raise suspicion in her brother's mind that she had all the board members on her side due to him having heard about her visit to all of them through the spies in the board members' houses.
She knew that if she used it that way her brother would retaliate in an unexpected way, she wanted to prove herself to the family head so that it would make the family head choose her for her abilities in the company.
.......
Eden.
The atmosphere at the presidential palace was abuzz with activity as a grand celebration was underway, with the attendance of numerous influential personalities from the country. The ambiance was lively and dynamic, with guests mingling and interacting with each other. The air was filled with joy and excitement, as people from different walks of life came together to revel in the festivities.
To enhance the festive spirit, the palace was adorned with exquisite decorations, and the staff were all dressed in their finest attire. The guests were treated to a delightful spread of gourmet cuisine and an array of beverages. The mood was set, and everyone was having a splendid time.
The event was not just an occasion for merrymaking, but also an opportunity for people to network and build new relationships. The presence of several powerful individuals added an air of significance to the celebration, making it an event to remember.
But despite all the festivities there were some people who had attended but were noticeably absent from the crowd, where guests were socializing and networking to form new connections.
The absence of these individuals did not go unnoticed by the attendees, especially since they were all from the same industry - Telecommunication.
Inside one of the meeting rooms located in the presidential palace.
The room was arranged with two rows of seating facing each other, with a long table in the center separating them.
If you knew who they were, you would realize that these individuals were the ones who were missing from the crowd.
As soon as the dictator finished his welcoming speech and officially initiating the ceremony, these individuals were summoned to the meeting under the pretext of having something important to discuss with them
As they waited for the dictator to arrive and begin the discussion, one of them couldn't help but ask, "What do you think he summoned us here for?"
"I'm not sure, but it's likely related to the telecommunication industry or something similar. After all, everyone who's here seems to be from that field," replied the man sitting across from the person who posed the question.
Before they could continue their conversation, the door opened and Adolf walked in. They promptly stood up to show respect. Following behind him was Felix carrying a briefcase.
"have a seat. We have something to discuss," said Adolf, as he took his place at the head of the table.
Felix stood beside Adolf, knowing that he would soon leave so that he could take his own seat.
Once he saw that the telecommunication company owners were attentive, Adolf wasted no time in beginning his speech. He didn't want to waste any time with them, as he had his eyes on a beautiful lady in attendance and planned to bed her by the end of the party.
"Perhaps some of you have already guessed that I have called you here to discuss something related to the telecommunications industry," began the dictator.
"Yes, Your Excellency," they all answered in unison.
"Alright, that saves me a lot of time. I have brought my friend Felix here, as he has something important to discuss regarding your companies," Adolf stated, raising his hand and pointing at Felix to introduce him to the group.
Felix simply raised his hand and gave a wave in acknowledgement, choosing not to add anything further as the dictator had already said what he needed to when introducing him.
"I will be leaving shortly, but remember, his words are my words," Adolf said before standing up from his chair and promptly leaving the room. Felix was left behind to continue the conversation on his own.
Adolf's parting words carried weight, making the company owners take Felix seriously and be willing to fulfill any orders he gave, as long as it was within their capabilities and not harmful to them.
After the dictator left, Felix took a seat in the chair previously occupied by Adolf and opened his briefcase, retrieving some folders that he then distributed to the owners of the telecommunication companies.
Upon receiving the folder from Felix, they immediately opened it and started reading its contents.
During this time, Felix remained silent, allowing the telecommunication company owners to read through the contents of the folders.
He didn't want to interrupt their reading or rush them in any way. He knew that the information he provided them with was crucial, and he wanted them to fully comprehend it before any negotiations began.
"You want to buy my company?" asked one of them after finishing perusing the contents on the first folder, without bothering to continue reading the following pages.
"Mine too?"
"Mine too?"
"Mine too?" chimed in the remaining company owners.
They were quite surprised that someone was attempting to buy all of their companies, and even worse, that he was giving them the offer with the backing of the dictator.
"Are you trying to strong-arm us by using the dictator as your backing and forcing us to sell at a lower price?" asked one of them with anger and frustration in his voice.
The man wasn't angry that someone wanted to buy his company, as he was already planning on selling it and leaving the country, since it was no longer profitable. In order to start earning profits, he would have to upgrade the infrastructure of the entire country, which he had no plans of doing. What angered him was the man's attempt to use the dictator to force him to sell it for a low price.
"Before you shout at me, first finish reading the documents in your hands. The price is on the last page, which I'm quite sure none of you have opened to read," Felix replied calmly. Despite them looking at him like a raging bull ready to jump at him at a moment's notice to kick the shit out of him, no matter the consequences.
When they heard him mention that the price was on the last page, they immediately turned to the last page without listening to anything else Felix said, eager to see the offered price.
Once they saw the price that Felix was offering, their demeanor changed and they were more willing to listen to what he had to say. Especially since they were not emotionally attached to their companies and were about to be forced to upgrade their infrastructure to keep up with the fast-changing world of IT.
The amount they were being offered was unbelievable, more than what they would have gotten from selling their companies through normal means. However, as the saying goes, greed is man's greatest enemy.
They immediately composed themselves and exchanged knowing glances, realizing that if they were going to sell, they needed to exploit their situation to get the best possible deal.
"The amount is very small, you need to increase it by about 15 percent. So that we can sell it without any resentment," one of the owners said, trying to negotiate for a higher price.
When Felix saw the group's expression of wanting more money, he made himself comfortable on his chair by putting one leg on top of the other before he spoke slowly and clearly.
"This offer includes a ten percent premium based on your current valuation calculated from profits earned in the past five years. If you had read the contents in the folder correctly, you would have realized that we are the ones helping you out.
Your telecommunication infrastructure is about to become outdated, which will force you to reinvest any money earned in the following years to upgrade it. However, that infrastructure will be outdated again within a few years, resulting in no profit for you in the upcoming decade.
Furthermore, you seem to have forgotten that you will be forced to sell the company to me no matter the price I offer. Offering a ten percent increase was an act of mercy for buying your companies without your consultation.
But since it seems too high for you, I'm rescinding the offer and offering you only a five percent increase. Any further negotiation or haggling will result in me reducing the offer by five percent continuously until you end up paying me.
So, think carefully about what you will say from now on, or you might have to prepare yourselves to become the first visitors of the soon-to-be-opened Gulag.".