Chapter 243: Chapter 243
At that moment, upon hearing what Cora just said, Melissa slowly nodded her head, her lips slightly parted in thought. "No problem," she said calmly. "That’s actually a good proposal. Very fair, and definitely something Luvie shouldn’t even think twice about. Helping us locate Mr. B and secure that share is worth that 5%."
Cora exhaled a bit, her face showing that tight mixture of relief and resolve. "Exactly. We give him incentive without giving away too much," she said. "Let’s go."
Without wasting more time, the two women adjusted their composure, each one putting on a calm, confident front as they approached the door. Cora reached for the handle, and with one last look at Malisa, she opened the door and both of them walked into the room once more.
Inside, Lovi was standing. He hadn’t taken his seat again. He was by the large window, his hands loosely clasped behind him, his posture relaxed but alert. His eyes moved toward them the second he sensed their entrance, and a faint smirk played at the corner of his lips. He looked like a man who already knew they would return.
Malisa’s eyes flicked briefly around the room as if expecting something had changed, but nothing had. It was still quiet, still tense but the air between them had shifted now. They had a plan. Whether Luvie would agree or not was another thing entirely.
Lovi tilted his head slightly, that same unreadable expression on his face. His voice, when he spoke, was as calm and confident as ever, almost teasing, "You took longer than I expected. I hope the discussion actually went well."
At that moment, Malisa leaned slightly forward, her eyes fixed on Lovi with a calm but serious expression. She spoke clearly, "I hope you really think this through before you respond to what we’re about to say, Lovi. This offer isn’t one of those things you can toss aside and come back to later. It’s a one-time deal. A rational decision must be made now."
Lovi stood quietly for a moment, arms folded, his gaze steady on the two women. He could sense the gravity in her tone, and the firmness in Malisa’s voice told him this was not something open to negotiation later. Then with a small tilt of his head and a slight raise of his brows, he replied with a simple, "Alright... I’m ready. Let’s hear it."
Cora gave Malisa a quick glance before stepping forward. She placed both hands gently on the edge of the table, leaned in slightly, and her voice was low, calculated, yet respectful.
"After thinking everything through, we’ve come to a final conclusion," she began. "We’re not going to offer you what you initially asked for. That’s just the truth of it. But we’re not here to insult your time or walk away from this with nothing either."
Lovi’s expression didn’t change, but his gaze sharpened slightly, showing he was listening intently.
Cora continued, "Instead, we want you to consider this an alternative. If you agree to assist us in two specific ways, we’ll make sure you get something solid in return."
Lovi raised a brow, still silent.
"First," Cora said, pausing for effect, "we want you to give us the full identity of Mr. B. No games. No delay. We want to know who he is, where he is, and how we can reach him."
She then added, "Second, we want you to help us get that 30% share from him. Help us strategize, coordinate, whatever it takes to close that gap."
Malisa picked up from there. "And in return for this just for these two things we’ll offer you 5% of whatever we get from Mr. B’s share. That’s not a bad deal. You don’t lose anything. In fact, you gain a direct cut of something you’re not even holding."
At that moment, upon hearing what Cora just said, Lovi was taken aback.
He blinked, once... then again, his brows drawing slightly together as he processed her words. It wasn’t the proposal he had anticipated not even close. For a few seconds, he didn’t say anything. He just stared at Cora, as if trying to read between her calm voice and the silent firmness in her eyes.
He hadn’t expected Cora to go in this direction. Not at all. And now, sitting there, realizing what had just been laid before him, he felt a tight pressure in his chest. A part of him had hoped for a better negotiation. A smoother deal. Something that would lean more in his favor. But this? This was clearly Cora’s final offer. It had that unspoken tone the type where walking away meant walking away from everything.
He knew Cora. Once she drew a line, she didn’t shift it easily. And judging by the way Malisa sat beside her with her arms crossed and her chin slightly raised, the both of them had already made up their minds. Declining this now would not only ruin his chance to get anything at all but it would also make him look uncooperative, maybe even suspicious.
And yet... something about this didn’t sit right with him.
Lovi wanted that share. He needed that share. He had his own reasons, ones he had not voiced to anyone. But this deal, as solid as it seemed, was too one-sided. It required him to do everything find Mr. B, expose his identity, and even convince him to sell or give up the share. And all of that before he would get paid.
That was a dangerous gamble.
He didn’t like it.
His jaw tightened slightly as he looked between the two women. His face didn’t show anger, but there was tension. There was calculation. Then slowly, he leaned back a little, letting out a short, thoughtful breath through his nose.
Then he looked at Cora and said, "Well... you just dropped a very solid deal. I won’t deny that. But let’s be honest here it’s only favorable to you, not to me. And that’s something I can’t ignore. So I’m going to propose something similar... but with an entirely different payment structure."