Chapter 236: Heading to the Bell Group

Chapter 236: Heading to the Bell Group

Roman briefly introduced several common approaches, then said, "But this payment is already three days overdue, and Ms. Archer's tone wasn't great when she assigned the task. I don't think those usual methods are going to work."

Phoebe frowned slightly. Indeed, judging from how Quinn had hung up the phone, this money wouldn't be easy to collect.

"How about this - why don't you share your ideas first, and I'll help you think them through?" Roman suggested.

Phoebe shook her head. "Let's first try to meet with York, the CFO of the Bell Group, and see what the actual situation is."

"To be honest, I've dealt with York once before. This guy is a real shark in business, very tough to handle. Even Ms. Archer couldn't get anywhere with him."

"Whether we can even get a meeting with him this time is one thing, but even if we do meet him, I doubt we'll get much out of it. So what I'm saying is, if you have any ideas, you might as well bring them up now. Don't worry about making mistakes."

But Phoebe didn't budge. "Let's still try to meet with York first."

Her method - she wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.

The two walked into the Bell Group. Roman figured York definitely wouldn't agree to see them at this time, but he happened to know where York's office was, so they could go straight up to find him.

But before they even reached the elevator, they were stopped by the receptionist. "Excuse me, who are you here to see?"

Phoebe had no experience in this area and was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she stayed quiet and looked at Roman beside her.

"Here's the thing - we scheduled a meeting with York this morning," Roman said without missing a beat.

"That's not possible," the receptionist said. "York has a meeting with Mr. Garcia this morning. He just went upstairs."

Phoebe's heart sank, and then she heard the receptionist continue, "Are you sure you have an appointment?"

"Wait, isn't today Friday?" Roman said with surprise.

The receptionist looked at him, and Phoebe thoughtfully but didn't call them out. "Today is Thursday."

"Oh, I see. I got the day wrong," Roman slapped his forehead, his face full of chagrin. "I've been so busy lately, I actually mixed up something this important!"

The receptionist said nothing more, smiled at them both, and was about to leave.

"Excuse me, wait a moment," Phoebe said. "Could you help us schedule a meeting with York for today? We won't need long - just five to ten minutes after he finishes with Mr. Garcia would be fine."

The receptionist stopped. "I'm sorry, York's schedule is arranged in advance."

"Okay, thank you," Phoebe said, giving her a slight smile.

The receptionist said "you're welcome" and returned to her station, though her eyes occasionally swept toward Phoebe and Roman, watching to make sure they didn't try to go upstairs.

Roman frowned. "York's assistant said York's schedule is fully booked for the next month. If he's going to see us, it would have to be scheduled a month from now."

"What do you usually do in situations like this?" Phoebe asked.

Roman said, "The simplest and most effective method is to sue, but that won't work with the Bell Group. Their legal team is just as good as ours. They can afford to drag out a lawsuit - at most they'll pay some money, but we still won't be able to get that twenty-five million dollars right away."

Phoebe had never worked at a company and didn't understand the complexities involved. "If they have the money, why would they rather pay extra penalties and interest than repay the loan? Wouldn't that cost them more?"

"Money has time value." Realizing she lacked the relevant background, Roman explained it differently. "No matter how large a company is, to reduce time costs, working capital is budgeted in advance."

Phoebe could understand some of it at first, but then became increasingly confused.

"To put it even more simply, working capital is limited, and Foster Enterprises urgently needs this twenty-five million dollars. The Bell Group is holding onto this money to prevent us from competing with them for a project."

"That bit of penalty and interest is nothing compared to the returns from this project," Roman said.

Only then did Phoebe understand. "It's like if I need to take an important exam, and someone steals my exam fee to increase their own chances of passing by preventing me from taking the exam. Is that what you mean?"

Roman's expression was somewhat helpless. "That's pretty much it. The finance department prepares the budget in advance to ensure the normal operation of the cash flow. But with the Bell Group suddenly doing this, our cash flow will have some small problems."

Cash flow. Phoebe frowned. "Will Foster Enterprises' losses be significant?"

For companies large or small, problems with cash flow are very serious.

A company with bright prospects could face a complete cash flow breakdown of a few tens of millions of dollars, ultimately leading to bankruptcy.

"For Foster Enterprises, this is still manageable." Roman hesitated, but finally couldn't help saying, "Phoebe, you should really go back and read more professional books in this area."

The implication being that her foundation was really too weak.

Phoebe nodded. She really did need to catch up on this knowledge.

Their plan to meet York had fallen through, so they could only choose to wait. Once York finished talking with Eldridge, maybe they could intercept him.

This wait lasted nearly five hours.

Phoebe had gastritis - if she didn't eat on time, her stomach would feel uncomfortable.

Seeing her poor complexion, Roman suggested they go back and come again tomorrow. Phoebe refused, then walked to the water dispenser and got herself a cup of warm water.

After drinking the water, her stomach felt a bit better.

Phoebe took out her phone and ordered herself a simple meal. After asking Roman's preference, she ordered him a sandwich.

Just after placing the order, the elevator doors opened, and a portly middle-aged man and Eldridge emerged, surrounded by a group of people.

"That's him." Phoebe didn't recognize the middle-aged man, but she had seen Eldridge at Chloe and Conrad's wedding, so it was easy to guess that the middle-aged man was York.

Roman stood up and walked toward the middle-aged man. "York, please wait."

"York, someone's calling you." Eldridge raised his hand to check the luxury watch on his wrist and complained, "It's already seven in the evening. I've never eaten dinner this late."

York chuckled. "I don't even know the person calling me. Probably someone from some small company wanting to partner with the Bell Group. No need to pay attention."

"That's more like it." Eldridge raised his chin slightly. "Just anyone dares to shout here, without even looking at who he's calling and who that person is with."

York's eyes flashed, and he smiled. "The restaurant is ready. We can eat as soon as we get there."

Roman and Phoebe called out several times from behind, but no one paid attention. Instead, several Bell Group security guards came over to block them.

Watching York and Eldridge gradually walk away, surrounded by the crowd, something Quinn had said to her that morning suddenly flashed through Phoebe's mind:

"Why not make reasonable use of your resources? Are you trying to act all noble?"

Phoebe pushed past several security guards, her expression cold as she said, "I'm pregnant with a White family heir. I'd advise you not to lay a hand on me."