Chapter 116 A Major Flop!
Chapter One Hundred And Fourteen
With these happy thoughts, Monica continued her meal, while giving Aria snide, victorious looks.
Having received the answer he wanted, Nathan also became quiet. He could also not wait for the day when Aria’s project would flop.
He was very confident that he would not be the loser, however. His own project was very promising and had been approved by the Chairman himself a few months ago.
He knew every in and out of the project and he knew that he was going to be making big with it. He had also taken some of the best brains in Aria’s team as well, so he wondered how she was going to be coping.
“I will win this fight. Surely, she cannot beat me with everything I know.” He thought to himself, “I will most definitely win.”
When the dinner ended, everyone went to their various rooms including Aria and Lucian.
They had quickly settled down to sharing the same room, while still getting to know each other.
When Aria stepped into the bathroom to freshen up for the night, Lucian received a call from Zach.
“What?” He asked in a bored monotone.
“Aria reached out to me today,” Zach uttered, “She asked me to look into Kurt Eugene and Elara Vaughn’s death.”
Lucian blinked in surprise, “What?” He asked, glancing at the bathroom, “Why would she do that? What business does she have with them?”
“I don’t know.” Zach answered, “That’s why I’m calling you now. What do you want me to do? Put her in the team or investigate her herself?”
Lucian was silent for a long time.
Aria had asked about Kurt Eugene and about Elara’s death. He glanced at the bathroom door once more, and a slight frown furrowed his brows.
He’d noticed that Aria had been a little bit aggressive with them, back at the mall and also when she’d outrightly taken the enemy’s project right from under their nose.
There was no doubt that she had it out for the Vaughn Empire.
But why?
“Lucian, are you still there?” Zach’s voice came over the speaker and Lucian snapped out of his thoughts.
His jaw tightened, “Give her whatever information she needs,” he said quietly, “And find out what sort of connection she has with the Vaughn Empire.”
“Yes sir.”
Three months later.
The Chairman slammed his hand on the desk, “What do you mean it flopped?!” He yelled at the top of his voice. He pointed furiously at Nathan, “Are you saying you can’t do a proper research?! What the hell is this?!”
He grabbed the sheaf of report on the table and flung them towards Nathan. The papers hit the man hard and offset his glasses.
Nathan was red in the face as he adjusted his glasses, his eyes on his feet.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger as he listened to the Chairman drum on and on about his incompetence.
This was three months after they had gotten on with the Crown Avenue project which he had approved.
It had been a major flop.
An emergency board meeting had been called to try to salvage things and the Chairman was absolutely furious.
And what’s more, all the directors and even some of his junior subordinates were here to see him get humiliated.
Aria sat behind the desk, her gaze condescending as she stared Nathan up and down, while he stood with both hands clasped before him like a child in trouble.
She shook her head slowly, then turned towards the finance director, “How bad is it?”
The finance Director cleared his throat nervously, as he sat up straightening his seat, “Crown Avenue raised rent by 28%.” He announced.
“And the sales?”
The Finance Director shook his head sadly as well, “Sales dropped. Two new malls opened nearby, and as a result our stores are bleeding cash right now.”
“Oh my poor neck!” The Chairman groaned in agony clutching his neck as though it was about to fall off. He glared at Nathan once more, “If you’re this incompetent, why did you choose to take on the project in the first place?!”
Nathan swallowed hard, his face pale, “Th…that wasn’t in the projections.” He stammered.
“Yes it was,” Aria uttered, “We went over this together we months ago.” She gave him a cruel little smile, “You choose to work on your own, and now we’re suffering this.”
Nathan glared at her, the muscles bunching in his jaw as if to say, “Shut the fuck up, bitch!”
But of course, he could not say these words out loud, because the Chairman was right there. With the way the family was practically worshipping Aria at the moment, he was sure he would be thrown out or fired headed to say anything against her.
And besides, she was right, damn it!
He closed his eyes in rage as he remembered how Aria had warned him three months against, how he’d laughed at her for taking on the Nexus project and how he’d bragged about beating her.
He heard there was even a bet going on the subject around the company.
How humiliating!
Why, oh why, did the Crown Avenue project fail?!
This was not the first one he’d accepting projects like this and making them work.
Why does it have to be now of all times to make this kind of mistake?
He sighed inwardly l, even through his gritted teeth.
He knew the answer very well.
It had been his useless pride at work, thinking he would be able to win against Aria Beaumont.
But whom on earth would know that the prediction of a country bumpkin would actually come to pass?
Who would have thought things would be this bad just like she predicted?
The finance director went on, looking round at them all with a grim expression, “The developer controls foot-traffic numbers. They increased the rent automatically.”
The Chairman shook his head in a crestfallen manner, “So we’re trapped?”
The finance director nodded gravely, “Yes sir,” he answered, “It’s a five year lease. No exit clause