Chapter 56 Don’t Forget What Leverage I Have in My Hands

Chapter 56 Don’t Forget What Leverage I Have in My Hands

"What?! The partner on the west side wants to pause the payment? Says they'll wait until our PR crisis blows over?!"

"Mr. Thomas also says he needs to reassess the cooperation risks? The project department is getting calls chasing the final payment?!"

Almost identical bad news.

The media storm triggered by the Chase family's ridiculous press conference, along with the negative signal sent by Central Trust Bank's loan rejection, had already started affecting their other collaborative projects and cash flow!

After hanging up, Nolan and Ethan were in no mood to argue anymore.

The urgent project situation and the panic of a potentially broken capital chain far outweighed personal grudges.

Ethan glared fiercely at Nolan, then said hastily through gritted teeth to Sebastian: "Uncle Sebastian, there's an emergency at the company. I need to go."

He turned and left quickly without looking back.

Nolan also took a deep breath and said to Sebastian: "Dad, there's a huge mess at the company. I need to go handle it right away."

Sebastian waved his hand wearily, too tired to even speak.

Nolan left too.

The living room instantly became empty.

Sebastian looked down at Vivian condescendingly and sneered.

"You know exactly what you've done and what you're scheming. Do what you want - you're only fooling yourself."

With that, Sebastian turned and went back inside.

Vivian froze in place.

The servants around were all looking at her. Though no one spoke, their eyes were enough to make Vivian burn with shame and anger.

She bit her lower lip hard, stood stiffly for a few seconds, then suddenly turned around, also preparing to leave this suffocating hellhole.

Walking to the entrance, she suddenly stopped.

After a moment of silence, Vivian quickly walked back to the sofa, bent down, and said to Nora in a low, menacing voice.

"Aunt Nora, you'd better not forget what you promised me. And don't forget what dirt I have on you. If I go down, you won't have it easy either."

With that, she yanked open the door and rushed out.

The door slammed shut heavily behind Vivian. The violent sound made Nora's whole body tremble, finally waking her up.

She bit her lip tightly, stared blankly for a moment, then quickly grabbed her phone and sent out a message.

......

Nolan and Ethan each spent half the day frantically dealing with their company's mess, barely managing to temporarily appease the most troublesome partners.

But neither felt at ease.

Although they'd stabilized things enough to keep talking, everyone knew this was just a temporary measure. Without the loan approval, these clients could still bail at any time.

So both of them coincidentally pinned their last hope on Arthur.

That afternoon, they arrived at Mitchell Group headquarters almost simultaneously.

They got out of their respective cars one after the other, exchanged glances, then both snorted and looked away, neither willing to acknowledge the other.

They remained silent all the way until the elevator slowly rose toward the top floor executive office, when they finally put on stiff, humble smiles in unspoken agreement.

When Andy saw them arrive, he showed no particular expression but stepped forward and said politely: "Mr. Chase, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Mitchell is in his office. Please follow me."

Clearly, Arthur had expected them to come.

Andy very politely and properly ushered them into the office. Once inside, Nolan was first to lower his stance.

"Mr. Mitchell, please forgive this unannounced visit."

"Mr. Mitchell, sorry to disturb you," Ethan quickly followed.

Arthur put down his pen and looked up at them.

"Sit. You two coming together - it's about the east district project loan, isn't it?"

He got straight to the point, skipping the fake pleasantries, which actually gave them some hope.

They quickly sat down humbly. Then Nolan, swallowing his pride, said ingratiatingly to Arthur.

"Mr. Mitchell, you're so perceptive. We're here because... we wanted to communicate with you, with Central Trust Bank, about the loan again. You know the prospects of this project. Both our families have invested tremendous effort and resources. Now we're just missing this final loan to get across the finish line. There may have been some misunderstandings before, or perhaps we handled things improperly, giving you and Central Trust Bank a bad impression..."

Ethan quickly added: "Yes, Mr. Mitchell, the media stuff is temporary, deliberately stirred up by someone. The project's solid fundamentals and prospects are right there. Central Trust Bank has always been the industry benchmark. If we could get Central Trust Bank's support, it would be win-win for both sides!"

Arthur maintained a gentle smile, but his words left no room for negotiation.

"Mr. Chase, Mr. Martinez, Central Trust Bank's decision to reject the loan was made after strict risk assessment. The reasons were clearly stated in the notification - excessively high public opinion risk, major uncertainties in corporate image and credibility, not meeting our current risk control policies. This judgment was based on objective facts and the bank's prudential principles, not targeting anyone personally."

The glimmer of hope that had just appeared on their faces instantly died.

But Arthur showed them no mercy, stating bluntly: "If you two really urgently need this funding to advance the project, my suggestion is - instead of explaining things to me here, you'd better spend some effort cleaning up your own private affairs first."

Nolan was seething inside but still had to keep smiling.

"Mr. Mitchell, you're right. We didn't handle things well. We're already trying our best to fix it and manage public opinion. Could you... make an exception? Even if you could approve part of it first, so our project can get moving? We'll definitely strengthen our PR and restore our image going forward!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows slightly, as if remembering something, and suddenly spoke.

"Actually, solving this matter isn't that difficult."

Nolan and Ethan's eyes lit up simultaneously, thinking there might be a breakthrough.

But they heard Arthur say leisurely: "You just need to publicly and formally clarify that what Mrs. Nora said at yesterday's press conference was all false information. Prove that your two families currently have normal relations, with no irregular benefit-sharing or private deals. That way, wouldn't the main source of public opinion risk be eliminated? The bank's concerns would naturally be greatly reduced."

The color instantly drained from both men's faces.

Publicly clarify that Nora lied? That would be like slapping their own faces, admitting the press conference was baseless slander?

What would happen to the Chase family's reputation then?

Though Nora's press conference was indeed foolish, clarifying the engagement wouldn't benefit them either!

Their resistance was written plainly on their faces.

Arthur took in their reactions and feigned confusion, drawing out his words with an "Oh."

"Looking at your reactions... is this very difficult?" Arthur tilted his head at them.