My Ex-Girlfriend Bullied Me In My Own Five Star Hotel

Chapter 21: The Fake Investment Pitch

The fifth-floor executive conference suite of the Grand Dragon Phoenix Hotel was an impressive showcase of modern corporate power. Sunlight filtered through sheer linen drapes covering twenty-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a massive thirty-foot mahogany conference table polished to a mirror finish. At the head of the room, high-definition presentation monitors displayed real-time ticker feeds from global financial markets.

Inside the suite, the air was cool, scented lightly with cedar and fresh tea.

Sitting at the center of the mahogany table was David Vance. He wore his finest charcoal suit—the only decent garment he had managed to retrieve before process servers sealed his family apartment. His hair was slicked back with cheap gel, though his hollow cheeks, dark eye circles, and bloodshot gaze betrayed his utter exhaustion. Over the past seventy-two hours, his logistics company, Vance Trading, had been cut off from all bank credit lines, lost three primary warehouse leases, and faced relentless collection calls from secondary lenders.

This meeting was his absolute last lifeline.

Sitting beside David was Kevin Zhang, wearing an oversized dark blazer and a neck brace following his release from municipal administrative custody. After the sub-zero freezer incident and the complete collapse of Hengtai Construction, Kevin had desperately leveraged his father’s remaining personal contact list to secure an impromptu pitch meeting with representatives from *Atlas International Capital*—a European venture fund visiting Shanghai to allocate fifty million dollars into regional logistics networks.

"Listen to me carefully, Uncle Vance," Kevin whispered frantically, his voice raspy as he leaned close to David’s ear. "My father met the lead partner of Atlas Capital five years ago at a trade summit. I framed your proposal as a joint restructuring of Hengtai's former supply chain. If we can secure just a ten-percent advance deposit today—five million yuan—we can pay off the immediate repo officers and keep our heads above water."

David Vance wiped a line of cold sweat from his upper lip, his trembling hands smoothing a thick, glossy presentation binder on the table.

"Are you certain they haven't seen the district compliance report, Kevin?" David asked, his voice shaking with intense anxiety. "If Atlas checks our credit history with the Pudong commercial clearing house..."

"They won't check!" Kevin hissed under his breath, his eyes darting toward the heavy double doors of the suite. "Atlas is a foreign firm! They operate on international private networks! Just stick to the inflated revenue projections I wrote on page eight. Pitch it as a guaranteed twenty-percent annual yield!"

Standing near the wall behind David’s chair was Linda Vance. She wore a simple dark blouse and black trousers, her hands folded tightly in front of her. Following her soul-crushing exclusion from the *Vance & Coop Creation* flagship boutique yesterday, she had lost every remaining drop of her vanity. She stood in the quiet conference room like a ghost, her face pale and her eyes dull, wishing with all her heart that her father would simply walk away from this desperate, hopeless charade.

"Father..." Linda whispered softly, stepping closer to David’s shoulder. "Please... let's just go home. We can sell the car and pay the basic debts. Trying to trick foreign investors will only get you sent to prison..."

"Shut your mouth, Linda!" David snarled under his breath, without even turning his head to look at her. "If I don't sign an investment contract today, we won't have a home by tomorrow morning! Stand back and keep your mouth shut!"

Before Linda could respond, the brass handles of the double doors turned with a crisp metallic click.

Two tall executive assistants wearing dark blue suits stepped inside, holding the doors open as the lead delegation from *Atlas International Capital* walked into the conference suite.

Leading the delegation was Mr. Harrison—a tall, distinguished European financier in his late fifties, wearing a immaculate pinstripe suit and a gold chronometer watch. He possessed a sharp, discerning gaze that instantly surveyed the room, accompanied by three senior risk analysts carrying encrypted digital tablets.

David Vance immediately stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the parquet floor. He forced a wide, subservient smile onto his face, extending both hands as he hurried forward.

"Mr. Harrison! What an absolute honor to meet you!" David exclaimed, his voice laced with desperate enthusiasm. "I am David Vance, Chairman of Vance Trading! And this is my associate, Kevin Zhang! We are thrilled to present our premier logistics integration proposal to Atlas Capital today!"

Mr. Harrison offered a brief, formal hand-shake, his face completely unreadable as he took his seat at the far side of the mahogany table. His three analysts sat beside him, opening their tablets in synchronized precision.

"Good morning, Mr. Vance, Mr. Zhang," Mr. Harrison spoke in clear, accented English, his voice smooth and professional. "Atlas Capital is currently reviewing regional logistics infrastructure for a multi-million-dollar deployment. We have fifteen minutes for your initial summary."

"Fifteen minutes is all we need, Mr. Harrison!" Kevin chimed in quickly, opening his own presentation binder with dramatic flair. "Vance Trading represents the single most resilient, high-yield logistics network in the Pudong commercial zone! We control three master distribution hubs, maintain exclusive transport permits with municipal ports, and project a sixty-million-yuan net operational revenue for the upcoming fiscal year!"

David Vance nodded eagerly, tapping page eight of his binder. "That is correct, Mr. Harrison! Our projected returns are guaranteed at twenty percent annually! If Atlas Capital commits a preliminary development tranche of ten million dollars today, we can offer primary equity shares at a twenty-percent discount!"

Mr. Harrison sat quietly, listening to the pitch with his hands folded neatly over his silver fountain pen. He didn't interrupt, nor did his expression betray a single emotion.

Beside him, the lead risk analyst tapped a few commands into his tablet, running a background cross-reference check against local corporate registries.

After five minutes of David’s sweating, frantic presentation, the lead analyst suddenly paused. He leaned over to Mr. Harrison, placing his tablet screen directly in front of the lead partner's eyes.

Mr. Harrison looked down at the tablet.

On the screen was an official red-flagged system alert issued by the Pudong Commercial Clearing Bank, displaying the complete asset freeze, land lease cancellations, structural audit failures, and emergency liquidation orders currently active against Vance Trading and Hengtai Construction.

Mr. Harrison’s eyebrows raised slightly. He slowly picked up his silver fountain pen, capped it with a soft click, and looked across the table at David Vance and Kevin Zhang.

The temperature in the executive conference suite seemed to plunge by ten degrees in an instant.

"Mr. Vance," Mr. Harrison said, his voice flat, cold, and entirely devoid of its earlier polite warmth. "According to your presentation, Vance Trading controls three master distribution hubs in the Pudong district."

"Y-Yes, sir!" David Vance stammered, wiping another bead of sweat from his forehead. "Fully operational! Premier facilities!"

"Then why," Mr. Harrison continued, leaning forward with a piercing gaze, "did Sovereign Real Estate terminate all three of your warehouse land leases seventy-two hours ago due to total credit default?"

David’s breath caught in his throat as if he had been struck in the chest with a heavy hammer. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. "I... we... that was a temporary administrative misunderstanding—"

"And why," Mr. Harrison interrupted sharp and hard, "does your financial statement fail to disclose that your primary corporate guarantor, Hengtai Construction, is under active municipal investigation for structural fraud and bankruptcy liquidation?"

Kevin Zhang froze in his chair, his hands clutching his presentation binder so hard the paper creaked. "Mr. Harrison! The audit is just a routine check! My father has political backing—"

"Your father’s firm has been blacklisted across the entire Asian financial sector, Mr. Zhang," Mr. Harrison stated with utter disdain.

Mr. Harrison stood up, pulling his jacket closed. "Attempting to secure capital investment by presenting fraudulent balance sheets and concealed debt defaults is a severe violation of international commercial law. Atlas Capital terminates this meeting immediately."

David Vance dropped to his knees right beside the mahogany table, tears of sheer, desperate panic bursting from his eyes as he grabbed the edge of Mr. Harrison’s sleeve.

"Mr. Harrison! Please! I beg you!" David sobbed, his voice cracking violently. "Give us five hundred thousand yuan! Just a small loan! My company has operated for fifteen years! If we don't get fresh capital today, the debt collectors will seize my family's last personal belongings by nightfall!"

Mr. Harrison pulled his sleeve back with visible disgust. "You are wasting our time, Mr. Vance. We do not do business with corporate frauds."

Before Mr. Harrison could step toward the door, the heavy brass handles of the main suite entrance turned once again.

The double mahogany doors swung wide open.

Stepping into the executive suite, flanked by four senior directors from *Atlas International Capital* bowing in deep respect, was Executive General Manager Daniel Lee. And walking beside him, wearing an immaculate dark charcoal suit with a crisp white shirt, was Liam Coop.

Mr. Harrison—the lead partner who had just treated David Vance with ice-cold disdain—instantly turned around. Seeing Liam walk into the room, Mr. Harrison’s rigid posture dissolved into absolute, deep reverence.

Mr. Harrison walked quickly forward, bowing at a precise ninety-degree angle before Liam.

"Chairman Coop!" Mr. Harrison announced, his voice filled with profound respect. "Welcome to the executive inspection! Atlas International Capital has completed its preliminary asset review for the Shanghai logistics deployment, as requested by the Sovereign Trust!"

David Vance, still kneeling on the floor, froze as if turned to stone. His bloodshot eyes bulged out of his head as he stared at the young man standing at the entrance.

Kevin Zhang slumped back in his chair, his jaw hanging open, his face as white as a bedsheet.

Linda Vance covered her mouth with both hands, hot tears streaming down her cold cheeks as she stood pressed against the back wall.

Daniel Lee stepped forward, holding a black leather document folder. He looked down at David Vance groveling on the floor with cold, unyielding eyes.

"Mr. Harrison," Daniel Lee spoke in a low, authoritative voice that echoed through the quiet suite. "For your information, *Atlas International Capital* operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Coop Global Sovereign Account. Master Liam Coop holds the absolute, exclusive veto power over every dollar allocated by your fund worldwide."

Mr. Harrison’s eyes flashed with absolute clarity. He turned back to glare at David Vance and Kevin with utter contempt. "Understood, General Manager Lee! We shall immediately file a formal commercial fraud report against Vance Trading with the District Prosecutor's Office!"

Liam stood quietly at the head of the suite entrance. He looked down at David Vance weeping on his knees, glanced at the paralyzed Kevin, and finally let his dark, calm eyes rest on Linda standing in the shadow of the curtains.

There was no anger in Liam's eyes. No satisfaction. No urge to mock or boast. There was only a vast, endless ocean of absolute, unshakeable indifference—the look of a man who had left these broken souls thousands of miles behind him.

"Reject the application, Daniel," Liam said softly, his voice clear, smooth, and carrying the absolute weight of a global monarch. "Clear the room."

"Understood, Master Liam," Daniel Lee replied with a deep bow.

Liam turned on his heel and walked calmly back out into the executive hallway, surrounded by bowing foreign directors and security escorts.

Behind him, inside the grand mahogany suite, David Vance collapsed face-down onto the carpet, weeping in total, irreversible ruin, while Linda stood in the corner, staring at the empty doorway through her tears, knowing that their last thread of hope had snapped forever.

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*What bitter emotion will consume Linda tomorrow evening when she spots Liam sitting inside a sleek Maybach during a heavy street downpour, while she walks home alone in the cold rain?*

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