The Unparalleled Ex-husband is Back!

Chapter 4

The slender middle-aged man had met with his other friends from high society who were also wealthy businessmen like himself, but they were all giving him excuses.

He clearly understood their worry. Even he wouldn't blindly invest in a crumbling company. They could lose a lot of money if they invested that much and it still falls. President Bill Hanks, from Rose Garden was his last hope. But, even that hope seemed gone now.

“I am truly sorry Chairman Warren, I wish I could be of help to you at your desperate time, but I am dry at the moment.” President Bill continued, “If only you had informed me about your predicament a bit sooner, then maybe I wouldn't have spent so much money purchasing the Greenland shares.”

“It's alright. You tried your best. I will keep looking. I believe that I will find someone who will help me save my company. If not, I will start selling my remaining properties and see if I can raise half the amount.” The slender middle-aged man with a few grey strands referred to as Chairman Paul Warren, said in a hoarse voice.

He suddenly stood up and added:

“Thanks for the meal. I best take my leave. I still have time to figure out how to save my company.”

“Okay. Okay, but if you need someone to buy your beautiful villa don't hesitate to give me a call. I have been eyeing that beauty for quite awhile.” President Bill said dismissively with a snicker.

Paul paused for a moment. He sighed and then responded with a slight forced smile:

“Better not. But I will hold you to your word.”

“Hahaha. Don't you trust me again? I am a man of my words.” President Bill replied to him with a dry laugh.

Paul Warren was already excusing himself from the luxurious private dining room. He left through the door, welcomed by a long corridor. He slowly advanced forward, navigating through the long corridor until he arrived in front of a balcony inside the hotel with a steep staircase beside it. He gradually descended the steep stairs with disturbing thoughts in mind.

‘You don't have money to help me but you have one to buy my Villa property? President Bill Hanks you're nothing but a hypocrite. After everything I did for you? You just wait and see, I am going to save my company.’ Paul thought with a determined look.

But when he thought about how he would pull that off, his face suddenly dropped. Despair clenched at him.

‘Is this really how my company is going to go down? A company that I built from scratch with nothing but my own sweat and blood. I won't allow it, I simply can't afford to see it crumble. I must figure out a way to save it.’ Paul pondered to himself.

Paul finally stepped into the hotel's spacious lobby. He was about to walk out of the building when he suddenly noticed a commotion in the restaurant area of the building. Curious, he walked closer to find out what was going on.

It was then that he eavesdropped on the conversation between some guests downstairs. He overheard them saying:

“How can somebody buy twenty of the most expensive dishes in the hotel's restaurant's menu? He must be a scam, right? Those exquisite meals cost tens of thousands of dollars. You'd think he's some second generation rich kid?”

“That's not what's bothering me. He can order the entire food on the hotel's restaurant's menu, for all I care. However, how is he able to eat so much?” Somebody said.

“He must have been homeless and very hungry. But he can't get away from stirring this much trouble. How's such a loser dressed so shabby and in rags, how's he going to afford to pay for all that expensive food?”

“I don't care. But I do want to see this through to the end.”

…

“T-twenty of the most expensive dishes in the hotel's restaurant menu?” Paul was dumbfounded, his eyes widened in shock when he overheard them say.

He hurriedly looked towards the direction of the young man's table. However, he was further shocked by what he saw.

“Almas cavlar? High-grade Wagyu beef? Fortress Stilt Fisherman? Grand lobster worth $50,000?...” Paul mumbled in a cold whisper. He could sense cold sweats forming on his temple and the back of his neck.

Paul didn't know this young man, but one thing he knew was that he wasn't ordinary. He could sense the extraordinary-ness in his aura.

‘This young man was born to dominate.’ He whispered to himself softly. ‘This is exactly the kind of person I've been looking for. The one that can help me save my company. Someone who isn't afraid to lose a few hundred millions. Someone with this kind of confidence and domineering aura.’

Someone who could become his business partner and spend millions to help save his crumbling company. Paul Warren had found the right person.

Now then…

How does he win him over to his side?

***

After devouring twenty of the hotel's restaurant's most expensive dishes, Nolan signalled for the waiter to provide him with the bill.

He stared at the staggering “$275,000” and smiled. His salary in five years wouldn't have been able to cover up for this bill. That was what he spent on just a night's meal. The life of the rich was really something else.

“What's he going to do now? What will happen to him if he is unable to pay for the meal he ate?” Someone suddenly asked.

However, Nolan's next action shut everyone's mouth and left them with deep gasps. Nolan retrieved a black Centurion bank card and handed it over to the waiter.

“Charge it.” Nolan said with so much confidence.

The waiter walked to the payment terminal and charged Nolan's credit card. A loud beep sound echoed all over the enormous lobby hall from the terminal.

The card was approved. The payment was a success.

The waiter returned to Nolan, he addressed Nolan with more respect this time.

“Sir, thank you for dining with us. Hope to see you next time. Here is your card, venerable sir.” The waiter said.

‘Venerable?’ Nolan smirked. That was new.

All the guests downstairs were dumbfounded. Those who had misjudged him deeply regretted their actions.

“I can't believe my eyes. So this young man is a big shot—” Someone said.

Another person added, “He cleared the bill worth more than $250,000 without as much as batting an eye. I must take note of this incident in case of the future, never judge a book by its cover—”

From this revelation, Paul Warren looked at Nolan with deep respect.

Nolan spared the middle-aged man that stood watching him so intently, with an assessing glare. He sighed and asked:

“What is it? What do you want?”

The middle-aged man was surprised by the question, he approached Nolan and stopped just a couple of steps away.

“Mind if I have a seat?” The man asked.

Nolan spared him a scrutinizing gaze, he had noticed something odd about this man. Unlike the other people who looked at him contemptuously—with disappointment, pity, regret, and shock—this man rather had a look of respect, admiration, and hopefulness.

At first, Nolan had thought that the man was someone sent by his sister or family to spy on him and keep tabs of what he did. But he figured that a spy wouldn't openly want to be found out. So he scratched out that possibility.

“Seat.” Nolan muttered nonchalantly.

The middle-aged man was rather taken aback by how the atmosphere surrounding Nolan had suddenly changed. The carefree young man who wasn't afraid to lavishly spend daddy's money was gone, replaced by a man with a rather mature temperament. He smiled slightly—he’d made the right choice. He knew his instincts would never fail him.

The middle-aged man, Paul Warren, pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Nolan.

“I must say, you're a very wealthy man with rich taste. I admired your way of life and decided to come say hi—” Paul Warren started off with a compliment.

Nolan stared at Paul with empty gazes, clearly unfazed by his words.

Paul, sensing that he couldn't thin the wall between them with sweet-talk, halted immediately. From the image that Nolan had painted in his head, he knew that Nolan wasn't the type to be moved by mere praises of his wealth. So, he decided to take another approach. He decided to be direct.

“From the way you spend your money on such an extravagant meal, I believe that you're a man who prioritize quality over quantity,” Paul spared Nolan a quick glance to see if he had caught his attention, confirming it, he continued in a hoarse and calm voice, “I have a business proposal to make, young brother.”

Nolan leaned forward, there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

“I'm delighted to make your acquaintance. My name is Paul Warren, and I'm the CEO of Origin Tech, a cutting-edge tech firm here in Aurora. I've been following the latest trends in the industry, and I'm excited about the potential for innovation and growth.

As we discuss potential opportunities, I'd like to introduce you to our unique value proposition. Our company focuses on developing sustainable solutions for urban development, and we've made significant strides in our research and development. We believe our technology can transform entire cities and improve the lives of millions.

Our team is passionate and dedicated, and we've already secured partnerships with several key players in the industry. However, to take our project to the next level, we require additional funding. I'm looking for a strategic investor who shares our vision and can help us achieve our goals.” Paul paused for a moment, to allow Nolan to digest the information he'd just poured out to him.

Then he added with a relaxed tone:

“Would you be open to discussing this further? I'd be happy to share more details about our company and the potential for growth and returns on investment.”

Nolan leaned back on his chair and pondered over what Paul had just said. To be honest, he had considered the thought of starting up a company of his a few hours ago. Who knew that such an opportunity would come knocking at his door.

What did they say about money being the key to opening all doors?

Nolan didn't want to provide a response that was a bit too eager and direct. He was rather cautious and skeptical. Showing a bit of reluctance.

"Mr. Warren, your pitch sounds ambitious, but I've seen many startups with promising ideas struggle to deliver. Can you walk me through your business model and show me some concrete numbers? What makes you think your technology can scale and provide the returns you're projecting? I'm not easily impressed, so you'll need to convince me this is worth my time and money." Nolan responded, his voice carrying the weight of his words. His tone, domineering.

Somehow, Nolan had begun to fit in in his role as a billionaire magnate. He began to think and speak like a wealthy tycoon, something he hadn't done in five years.

Nolan Wilton and Paul Warren discussed further on the proposal. Nolan was feeling a bit tipsy from sipping the glass of red wine on the table beside him, and he would lie if he said that he wasn't sleepy and tired. Today has been a very long day—one packed with outstanding surprises.

First, it had been the revelation of the divorce, that'd taken a huge toll on him. Then came the realization that he didn't need to hide his identity anymore.

Nolan yawned heavily and then called it a day.

Chairman Warren had promised to send a chauffeur to the hotel tomorrow to pick him up and bring him to his company so that he would show him around and introduce him to the company's many facilities.

Nolan had unknowingly agreed, he just wanted to end this conversation and climb on a bed sooner.

Nolan walked chairman Warren through the hotel's glass entrance door, and bid him farewell as he watched the slender middle-aged man with a few grey strands on his black hair, climb into a luxurious black limousine.

“Finally.” Nolan mumbled under his breath.

After seeing Chairman Warren off, Nolan located his hotel room number and unlocked the door with the room card in his possession.

He didn't even bother taking a view of the room, as he quickly climbed on his bed and dozed off.