The Day My Name Bankrupted a City

042

Lucius and Konnor walked shoulder to shoulder, walking at a similar pace toward the CEO's office. On the way there, they met Lynn who had just exited the office. The three of them put on smiles, and with a perfunctory nod, they brushed past each other.

"Look who came out of the CEO's office. This bitch can't wait to suck up to our new CEO." Lucius curled his lips and snorted. Konnor only gave a humorous smile, raised his hand, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." My fingers rapped on the table, my gaze fixed on Lucius and Konnor as they walked in. I gave them a friendly nod. "Have a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor." They sat on the opposite side from me. They began to present their reports after we exchanged greetings.

Of course, Azure Company was still in its infancy. There was nothing noteworthy to report about. The reason why I gave them such a task was to test them. It was for the purpose of judging their attitudes. Lynn had taken the effort to express her want to become further acquainted with me. Konnor and Lucius were not bad either. At the very least, they treated me with enough respect.

As they handed me their reports, I observed their body language and facial reactions. Konnor kept a rigid, severe expression on his face, his demeanor concealing his thoughts beneath his punctual smile. Lucius, on the other hand, had a radiant smile on his face. It was as if the whole "establishing dominance" charade he had perpetrated on me earlier had never occurred.

"Hmm, not bad." I nodded. "The company is still under development," I acknowledged as they wrapped up their reports. "There are numerous issues that need to be straightened out. I hope we can work together and get our company on the right track."

"Of course, I am confident that Azure Company will grow and prosper under Mr. Taylor's leadership." Konnor rose to his feet, a sincere expression on his face.

Lucius smiled sloppily. "Don't worry, Mr. Taylor, the importance of discipline in the departments under my command cannot be overstated. They will pay attention and do their jobs to the best of their abilities."

Would they listen to me or to you? I was sharp enough to pick up on Lucius's ambiguous language, but I did not bother to call him out on it. I merely nodded and smiled. "All right, let's get back to work."

After Lucius and Konnor had left my office, I began casually flipping through the files, learning about Azure Company's primary commercial projects and roadmap. As the CEO, I had to do my homework. However, as previously stated, this was a newly formed corporation, and Violet had already made all of the necessary arrangements. As such, there was really nothing much for me to look at.

The clock showed nine in the morning. The day had barely started, and I was already free. I still had the afternoon ahead of me. "What should I do?" I mused, swirling on my chair. Out of habit, I lit a cigarette for myself. After some deliberation, I reached a decision.

I figured I might as well go and buy a car since I had nothing else to do. I received my driver's license in the summer of my sophomore year, but I never got the chance to drive. Hah, man, who did not like cars?

The Rolls-Royce Violet that had been prepared for me drew far too much attention. I was also not particularly fond of driving a Rolls-Royce by myself. That type of vehicle was only appropriate when accompanied by a chauffeur. The same went for the Vulcanus.

One needed to have a car that was suitable to drive by oneself. After making up my mind, I left the company, and drove toward Gold Crane, a place around the eastern part of Razor City, home to numerous well-known luxury car dealerships. One would be able to find any car you wanted here.

Only a few minutes after arriving in the Gold Crane, I encountered some difficulties. Since I came here at the spur of the moment, I had no idea what car I was going to buy.

When I had no money to spare, the only thing on my mind was survival. Every day, I had to make sure that I ate enough food. I did not know a thing about cars. That is to say, I was a complete noob when it came to cars. Brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, in my limited opinion, were pretty good. Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and supercars like Lamborghinis and Ferraris were a step up.

Despite being able to recognize the company's logo, I was unable to determine which brand best fit my needs, much alone enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of each model. My phone vibrated while I walked around, deep in thought. It was from a F******k group chat of my classmates from high school. I clicked on the notification.

[Hello, everyone! I work at a Mercedes-Benz dealership near Gold Crane as a car saleswoman. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing a vehicle. All of the models are available. Come on, my classmates from high school, I guarantee I'll offer you a decent deal.]

Naomi Alba was the sender of the message. She was the prettiest girl at my high school. I had a deep impression of her. Needless to say, her face lived up to her reputation as the most beautiful girl at my high school. Her figure was even more impressive. She was 5'9, with slim and fair legs and a well-endowed chest when she was in high school. People moved to make room for her. The number of male students that were on a desperate quest to pursue her was endless.

For some reason, she never accepted any of her pursuers' confessions, claiming that she wanted to concentrate on her studies, and was not in the dating mindset. I was aware of the real reason. She had yet to meet a man who fulfilled her high standards, which is why she never reciprocated anyone's affections, no matter how heartfelt they were.

Naomi was a woman who knew what she wanted, someone who would not settle for anything less than what she desired. Unlike the gold diggers, however, simply possessing money was not enough to impress her; one had to meet her other requirements as well. She would not even consider dating someone who was lacking in any way.

Although Naomi had incredibly high standards, she did not snub her poor classmates or those of lower status. She managed her friendships beautifully, and was always smiling, polite, and warmhearted. One would always feel better after talking with her.

With a godlike face, a devilish body, and an easy to approach personality it was no wonder she became the dream girl of every boy at my high school. Her one message prompted the once-dead high school group chat to suddenly become lively.

[If memory serves me right, Naomi is still a senior. She hasn't graduated yet. Why has she started working?]

[You don't know shit! The truly capable people start exploring the job market and take internships in their senior year. They gain practical experience for the future.]

[So that's how it is. I'm so small-minded...]

[Selling cars? Naomi, how did you find such a job?]

[??? What's wrong with that kind of work? She's selling Mercedes. Anyone who can afford cars like that are stacked. They'll make for great connections. She's expanding her network.]

[Oh, since she's selling luxury cars, not many people here can afford one, right?]

[Yep, even the cheapest Mercedes costs 30k! There's no way I can afford one! No freaking way!]

[I'm sorry Naomi, we're powerless.]

[Maybe our class president Frank can afford one, but he doesn't seem to be online right now. If he saw the message Naomi sent, he'd definitely respond and rush over there.]

Our class president in high school, Frank, was from a wealthy family. He was madly in love with Naomi and confessed to her. The end result was obvious to all, he was politely rejected by Naomi.

I went over the messages my high school classmates sent. My eyes lit up. What a coincidence. The moment I wanted to buy a car, one of my former classmates came with the news of selling them.

By asking around, I was able to determine the direction and proceeded straight to the Mercedes-Benz showroom. My actions were not because I lusted after Naomi's beauty. I had no intention of being her dog. It was because I truly did not know what car to buy. It also just so happened that Mercedes was one of the luxury car brands I had in mind.

Since one of my high school classmates became a car salesman, I might as well check it out. If I found a suitable car, I could purchase it directly, not having to worry about being cheated by the salesperson. After all, acquaintances were reliable.

When I arrived at the car showroom, I was greeted with a smile. The reception area was spotless and bright, exuding a high-end vibe. It was still ten o'clock in the morning, so it was not busy.

…

"You gotta be kidding, Naomi. You actually advertised that you were selling cars to your high school peers? Luckily, you have already told me about your high school mates. Otherwise, I might've actually believed that one of them could afford to buy a car here. If you ask me, you're just wasting your time." The person talking to Naomi was another sales woman named Elena. Naomi only gave a polite smile after hearing her words.

Elena said hurriedly, "Wait, don't speak. Let me guess what happened next. There were a few that looked down on you for being a saleswoman when you sent that message talking about selling luxurious cars."

Naomi was a little surprised. Elena's guess was spot on. Elena continued, "There were also probably a lot of wusses that said they couldn't afford it, right? So..." She sat in the chair, rubbing her temples, thinking. Her mouth twitched with smugness as she bit her finger. "They started acting all evasive. They probably brought up the richest person in the group chat, but the richest person remained silent, right?"

What Naomi did not know was that Frank, the class president, was actually there the entire time. Before he could hit the send button, he saw his high school classmates hyping him up. If he responded, he would have to show up and buy a car from his longtime crush. Otherwise, it would damage his rich kid image. He also worried that it would disappoint Naomi.

The problem was, although his family had a net worth in the millions, it was not all his. Spending over 50k for a Mercedes casually was something he could not afford. As such, he pretended to not see her message in the group chat, deleted everything he had typed, and left for a drink.

"Hehe, I'm experienced in this sort of thing." Elena grinned. "I don't really blame your classmates though. Most of them haven't even graduated from college. Where will they get the money to buy a luxury car?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Let me tell you, you're better off treating me to dinner, so that I can introduce you to some potential clients."

Seeing Naomi's blank stare, she sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking down on your classmates. It's just that they're still young. You need to at least wait a couple years before those high school classmates of yours can boost your sales."