Pop open a few bottles of champagne!
While making small talk, he kept an eye on the Lando Family’s seat, or more precisely, on the seat of Farak Murphy Mining.
He didn’t see Wayne, who looked as if his father had just died, but he did see the grumbling manager of the Murphy Mining and Nicholas, who kept his head down throughout.
Owen felt regret, he had prepared a comforting hug for Wayne, but with no one to give it to, he could only embrace his female secretary after dinner tonight.
It was then time for Murphy Mining to submit their bid contract.
The corporate manager had given up; due to the reckless actions of the profligate young master, they were doomed to be eliminated in the first round. Their presence at the bidding event was simply to save face for the organizers. Without Albert Steel Company, Luzelle had other steel companies—they couldn’t earn big money, but making a bit to get by was still possible.
After returning, they would cancel their status as a partner of the Lando Family, disinvest, and go wherever they should; never to cooperate with them again.
Nicholas endured the disdainful looks of their partners and stepped forward with the bid contract, placing it in front of the host.
"You must be Mr. Nicholas, it’s an honor to meet you, here’s my card, may I have the pleasure of buying you a drink tonight?"
The manager of Albert Steel Company handed over his business card, his smile blossoming in a second: "You might not be aware, but we Luzelle folks like to talk business over meals."
Below, everyone was confused.
What business was there to talk about, hadn’t the first round of bidding just started?
And why say this in front of everyone, if you want to drive down the price just say so, there’s no need for such pretense!
Owen felt a sudden anxiety, turned around, and began to discuss with several partners. Luzelle was unprincipled, bringing in a scapegoat to drive down the price; they had to be cautious with the second round of bids.
No one took Nicholas seriously, convinced that this was an attempt to lower the bids. Unless there was a fix, Murphy Mining had no chance of winning.
The manager of Murphy Mining thought so too, he got excited for two seconds, then deflated again.
They didn’t have the capacity to win, unless the other side went mad and insisted on throwing their money away.
Nicholas was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what was happening, returned his own card, and arranged the dinner for that evening with the manager of Albert Steel Company.
This was an opportunity; he believed he could persuade them with his eloquence. As long as they allowed him to get through the first three rounds of bids, he could band together several mining companies to put forward the resources and strength.
For this, Nicholas was willing to pay any price, even if the manager looked at him with a particularly suggestive gaze.
As a Windsor gentleman, Nicholas understood that look all too well.
A caress in the handshake, a purse of the lips while smiling; as long as he didn’t outright reject him on the spot, it was as good as accepting what was to come that night.
He thought this only happened in Windsor, but it seemed Luzelle was no different...
Nicholas did not refuse but nodded somberly.
That night, hosts and guests were merry, and Nicholas returned to the hotel unharmed, recounting the absurd events to Wayne.
"The people of Luzelle have gone mad; they want to give us money."
Wayne didn’t say much, just smiled faintly.
Two days later, the second round of bidding ended.
The manager of Murphy Mining and Nicholas hugged each other tightly, in contrast to the grim-faced Owen.
While Boswell Mining had also advanced to the third round, he sensed something was amiss, his gaze toward Nicholas filled with disbelief and confusion—it couldn’t be, he couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t understand it.
Owen wasn’t looking at Nicholas, a mere working dog; there was nothing noteworthy there. He was looking at Wayne, the dog’s owner.
"The Randao Family has great influence in Lundan, but this is Luzelle; their family doesn’t even operate in the coal mining industry, why would the people of Luzelle treat them differently?"
Owen couldn’t figure it out. He had someone investigate Wayne’s whereabouts in secret, wondering if he had bribed the Grand Duchess.
Another two days passed, and the third round of bidding ended, leading directly to the final bidding stage.
Albert Steel Company didn’t keep everyone waiting too long, soon announcing their partner for the next five years.
For the next five years, all the coal that Albert Steel Company needed would be provided by Murphy Mining.
As the word was spoken, everyone was stunned, except for the side of Murphy Mining, which cheered and waved their arms.
Nicholas was certain, the people of Luzelle had gone mad!
Owen was nearly mad too.
Looking around, his allies from two days prior, who had been like brothers, were now siding with Nicholas. Cards were exchanged, compliments were made; this was a big cake, too big for Murphy Mining to eat alone. Only through cooperation could there be profits for everyone.
The tables had turned, and now it was Nicholas’s turn to choose subcontractors.
Regarding this, Albert Steel Company didn’t give it a second glance; perhaps afraid to hear more, they left immediately after announcing the results.
As Nicholas selected his partners, he adhered to a principle of fairness. He didn’t refuse the friends from Frank and Prussia; cooperation and mutual profits were his goals.
As the partnership contracts were being finalized, he suddenly remembered something Wayne had said, stood frozen for a moment, disbelief written all over his face.
The boss seemed to know they could win!
"Impossible, all he does is eat and play..."
Nicholas shivered; perhaps he had underestimated his boss, and likewise, he had overlooked the bloodline of the big boss.
"Right, his heir couldn’t possibly be a waste who only knows how to play with women."
So, how exactly did they win?
One person’s joy isn’t shared by all; while laughter surrounded Nicholas, Owen found it unbearable, hesitated for a long time, and then managed to squeeze a bit of a smile onto his face as he forced himself to blend into the crowd and handed Nicholas a business card.