Chapter 147 I Won't Have Children for You
Chapter 147 I Won't Have Children for You
"I am not having your baby, you jerk! Scumbag! How can you still be laughing at a time like this?" Laura's face was flushed as she punched Benedict on the shoulder.
Benedict didn't dodge, just smiled. "So, stop wasting your breath on a jerk like me. I'll save Susie. Honestly, you're not getting any younger. You should consider dating someone instead of always burying yourself in work. You're already thirty."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm heading back. You save Susie, and be careful. Remember, my dad's got a tracker on you, so he's watching your every move!"
Laura, a bit impatient, got into her car and drove off.
Truth be told, she was very passionate about the kidnapping case.
Not being able to participate in the rescue made her uncomfortable.
Laura came from a prestigious family.
She didn't have much of a temper but was indeed a workaholic.
Benedict watched her car disappear and smiled.
"These are seasoned criminals, ruthless pros. If you got hurt, it wouldn't be easy to explain to Mr. Howard."
Benedict then went home to make breakfast.
By the time breakfast was ready, Bella and Jessica were still asleep.
They had barely slept the night before.
They were still sound asleep that morning.
Benedict didn't wake them, just ate his breakfast.
He left their breakfast on the table to reheat later.
Benedict stood by the window, observing the surroundings.
There was indeed no surveillance or tailing.
This confirmed that the kidnappers were professionals.
Such people generally sought money, not lives.
Susie should be safe.
It was mid-morning when Bella and Jessica finally got up.
Benedict reheated breakfast for them and then said he had to go out for something important.
Bella and Jessica didn't ask much.
After all, Benedict seemed reliable at the moment.
As they enjoyed the delicious breakfast, Bella and Jessica were both lost in thought.
"Bella, Benedict has really changed. To be able to make such good food at a time like this, his mental strength is impressive."
"Sigh, I hope he stays this way! Susie really can't do without her dad."
"Bella, you talk as if you could do without him."
"Me?"
Bella thought of David and the three-year agreement with Benedict, her face filled with bitterness.
She was too embarrassed to tell Jessica.
Jessica assumed she was thinking about Susie and tried to comfort her. "Bella, Susie will definitely come back safe. You need to stay strong. Come on, eat more. If you don't eat, my son will."
"Alright, I'll eat with my dear nephew! Jessica, who do you hope your son will look like, you or Eugene?"
"Who knows?"
Meanwhile, Benedict headed straight to "Sunrise Investment Company."
To be honest, the company wasn't very financially strong.
But it managed to secure many projects, both industrial and agricultural.
Its tax rate was very low.
It received high subsidies.
Because its owner was Claire.
Ralph's half-sister.
Anson's daughter from his first marriage.
The Torres Family was also prestigious in Newport.
Anson held a high position.
Behind the Economic Electronics Factory, there was a large piece of wasteland, a full 1,000 acres, owned by Sunrise Investment Company.
The project for acquiring the land was: Newport Suburban Agricultural Tourism Park.
The subsidy for it was two billion dollars.
But the project only acquired the land last year and hadn't been developed yet.
The farmland originally belonging to Elise's Baker family was also abandoned, overgrown with weeds.
The nearby riverbank was almost overrun with reeds.
Claire acquired the land at a low price and earned a subsidy of 1.9 billion dollars.
Now, Golden Bridge Realty was interested in that land.
Claire was asking for 1.5 billion dollars.
She would make a total profit of 3.4 billion dollars.
The Sunrise Investment Company office building wasn't very grand.
But it was in the city center, a five-story building, in a prime location, with high returns.
The company operated on the top floor, and the lower floors were rented out to various businesses.
The building itself was the Torres Family's property.
The parking lot in front of the building was quite large, filled with various vehicles.
When Benedict parked his car, he unexpectedly saw Zachary's Mercedes S600 there.
He figured Zachary was there on some business.
Zachary's four bodyguards were wandering around the parking lot.
They looked tense when they saw Benedict.
They quickly turned away, pretending not to see him.
Benedict ignored them and went straight to find Claire.
Outside Claire's office, he heard Zachary's voice inside.
"Claire, come on! 1.5 billion dollars is too much! You're the vice president of the Newport Chamber of Commerce, and we fully support your work. For the first half of 2010, we can cover all the Chamber's expenses. But that wasteland is just sitting there. Can you lower the price a bit? How about 1 billion dollars?"
Benedict chuckled to himself and didn't knock.
Daisy was right; Greenland Realty Group was eyeing that land.
Let's see what Claire says.
He heard her reply, "Zachary, do you think your offer is tempting? Greenland Realty Group is a national real estate giant, but so what? This is Newport. If you want my land, it's my call. 1.5 billion dollars, not a penny less. If you don't want it, someone else will."
"Who else wants it?"
"Golden Bridge Realty. They just talked to me a few days ago."
"What?" Zachary was stunned. "Golden Bridge Realty, isn't that the new company run by that criminal woman Greenland Realty Group fired?"
"I don't care if she's a criminal. If she can pay, the land is hers. If Greenland Realty Group can pay, I'll consider it too."
"Claire, that woman is dirty! Doing business with her will tarnish your reputation! People love to gossip these days!"
Claire let out a cold laugh. "Zachary, cut the crap. Money doesn't gossip. 1.5 billion dollars in front of you, would you care about reputation? Stop wasting time. I'll give you a 500 million dollar discount at most."
"500 million dollars?"
The office fell silent.
After a while, footsteps approached.
Benedict stepped back a few paces.
Soon, Zachary came out, looking dejected.
His face was grim.
His fat lips seemed to be muttering something.
After a few steps, he saw Benedict standing there with a smile.
Zachary was furious and walked over, saying coldly, "Benedict, what are you doing here?"
Benedict raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"
"Fine! Be arrogant. You'll regret it someday!"
Zachary glared at Benedict with cold eyes.
Then, he brushed past him.
He had seen the world and had some mental fortitude.
Naturally, he didn't say anything about hiring thugs to teach Benedict a lesson, just left with a cold snort.
But Zachary didn't expect that after extorting 500 million dollars from him, Claire would turn around and extort another 500 million dollars from Benedict.
As he reached the elevator, Benedict called out to him, "Wait a minute."
Zachary turned back, glaring. "What do you want?"
"I just want to know, Greenland Realty Group can't get the land?"
"None of your business!" Zachary was in a foul mood, already embarrassed by the situation.
Benedict smiled. "In the future, Greenland Realty Group won't be able to get any land in Newport. Whatever you want, Golden Bridge Realty will compete for it."