Chapter 260: Who Could Be More Ruthless Than Them?

The ringleader of the troublemakers fell silent.

The narrow hotel corridor plunged into a suffocating silence.

They had almost secured a hefty compensation payout. But Ashford had snatched it away and just like that, money that should have gone into their pockets had slipped away into someone else’s hands.

Who could possibly be happy about that?

"Isn't there any other way? If you cancel the contract and sign with our village instead, you won’t need to spend money on building irrigation channels. That would save your company a fortune every year."

The village leader might have been cunning and calculating, but he was sharp enough to know his village's biggest advantage. He tried to use it as leverage with Richard.

Unfortunately for him, his proposal held absolutely no appeal for Richard.

A cold glint flashed through Richard's eyes after he heard the offer.

"The contract's already signed. There's no changing it."

"You're the one in charge, aren't you? A small adjustment like this shouldn't be a problem for someone like you." The man clung to Richard stubbornly, desperate to hear a definitive answer.

"Mr. Spencer, look—we all came here together. Yes, we offended you before, we admit that. But we know we were wrong now. Just give us another chance, and we'll make it up to you."

"The price we offered Ashford is exactly what we proposed to you last time. You rejected it and they accepted it. So we chose Ashford."

Riverside's biggest mistake was being Infinity Ventures Corporation's top choice and thinking they were the only option.

Richard had another alternative right in front of him, one that was far more cooperative. There was absolutely no reason not to choose them instead.

"Mr. Spencer, we're willing to negotiate with you because you're a businessman from the city. But our patience has limits!"

A hot-tempered villager stepped forward and jabbed his finger directly at Richard's nose, cursing viciously.

The moment those words left his mouth, the coldness in Richard's eyes intensified.

"Well, since you put it that way, there's definitely nothing left to discuss. Your village and I have absolutely nothing to talk about."

Greedy people—just a few words of provocation and they completely forgot their place. They had already lost all their leverage.

“You city people really think you’re something, don’t you?. Looks like we’ll have to teach you how things work around here!”

The man who'd just spoken raised his fist, ready to force Richard into breaking the contract.

Seeing the situation turn dangerous, Isabella immediately raised her phone high.

"Take one more step and I'm calling the police!"

Her words stopped the brutish man in his tracks. He froze mid-swing, fist still raised.

"Aetheria is a country governed by law. Business transactions are voluntary. There's no such thing as forcing a deal! Our cooperation with Ashford was mutually agreed upon. You pushed this opportunity away yourselves. If you regret it now, blame your own greed!"

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Richard’s arm forcefully.

"Save it for the police!"

Dragging Richard into the room, Isabella kicked backward. The hotel door slammed shut in the villagers' faces.

"Damn it! These big-shot city people, every single one more arrogant than the last. If you ask me, we should throw sacks over their heads and beat them bloody until they remember who's really in charge here!"

The troublemaking villagers were all uneducated. In their imagination, the best solution to any problem was always violence.

The man who'd orchestrated this confrontation shook his head slightly. "With these city people, you've got to use your brain. Otherwise you won't even know how you died."

"Stefan, so what do you think we should do?"

"According to their original compensation plan, my family would've gotten at least three or four hundred thousand dollars. Now it's all gone—handed straight to Ashford on a silver platter. Who knows when we'll ever see another opportunity like this in Riverside?"

The villagers all wore gloomy expressions, filled with regret over the money they'd lost.

"The relocation just started, hasn't it? Ashford probably hasn't received the money yet. We've still got plenty of opportunities."

Stefan Hensley pulled out a cigarette, his beady eyes gleaming with calculation.

A young man nearby, eager to curry favor, immediately produced a lighter and lit Stefan's cigarette.

Through the curling smoke, a sinister smile spread across his face.

"Eddy, go online right now and dig up everything you can about this Mr. Spencer's company."

Stefan's mind was full of schemes, and he'd quickly found an outlet for them.

"I saw online that some companies aren't compliant—major problems in their finances. One wrong move and their bosses end up in prison! If Mr. Spencer gets locked up, the deal with Ashford falls through, right? Then it'll definitely be our turn!"

Most of the villagers didn't fully understand what Stefan was talking about, but they all nodded in agreement anyway.

Especially Eddy Bowers, who'd eagerly lit the cigarette and been assigned a task—looked at Stefan like he was some kind of genius.

"Stefan, my family doesn't have much land, but I want a bigger payout. What should I do?" Eddy asked.

"That's easy! Your house is two stories now, right? Spend a little more money and add two more floors on top. Don't even bother with interior decoration—when demolition comes, it all counts toward the total square footage anyway."

Hearing Stefan's brilliant idea, the villagers all applauded enthusiastically, praising him as the smartest person in Riverside.

Only after the noise outside faded did Richard and Isabella finally breath sighs of relief.

"We're changing hotels tomorrow," Richard decided on the spot.

The security measures here were absolutely abysmal. A whole mob had waltzed right in and freely threatened guests' personal safety.

"This is already the best hotel they have in the area." Isabella gently patted Olivia's back, comforting her.

Richard stood up and contacted local government authorities to report the hotel's management negligence.

He'd barely finished handling that when Nina called.

Someone had filed a complaint about the company's tax practices. Tax bureau investigators had already arrived at the office for an audit.

One thing after another—Richard found it impossible not to connect this incident to the Riverside villagers' harassment.

After thinking for a moment, Richard also dialed the local police emergency line and filed a direct report accusing the village of harboring organized crime elements.