“He hasn’t arrived yet, don’t worry. Once he’s here, your funding problem will be resolved,” Elsie assured Sophia with confidence.
“Is he reliable?” Sophia still had some doubts.
“Trust me, you can relax. After all these years of being besties, would I lie to you?” Elsie reassured her.
Listening to their conversation, Boyce hesitated for a moment and asked, “Isn’t your company doing well? Why do you have funding issues?”
Sophia nodded but didn’t disclose the specific problem. Boyce didn’t press further and asked, “How much do you need?”
“What’s it got to do with you, Boyce? Why do you care about it so much?” Momo retorted.
“Yeah, your shabby little company has turned into a shell company, and your family properties are gone. How could you lend money to Sophia?” Elsie added.
Feeling slighted by their comments, Boyce replied with a smile, “Even if what you said is true, I can still help. My little shell company is worth something. If Sophia is in a rush, I can sell it and lend her the money!”
Boyce’s convincing words surprised Leo. He realized that Boyce was indeed a principled guy. Although he hadn’t succeeded in dating Sophia before, he was still willing to lend her a helping hand in her time of need.
“I appreciate your kind offer, Boyce. The reason I came here today is that Elsie wanted to introduce me to someone who can lend me money,” Sophia explained.
“Is it a loan shark?” Boyce muttered.
“Cut it out! If you don’t know, don’t talk,” Elsie snapped back.
“Sophia, didn’t you say you wouldn’t borrow money?” Leo, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
Sophia glanced at him, but Momo couldn’t resist making a snide remark, “It’s easy to say when you’re enjoying a cushy life. How can Sophia’s company grow without borrowing money? Besides, if it weren’t for your poverty, Sophia wouldn’t have to ask someone else for money!”
“Yeah, Sophia needs 80 million now, and I bet you won’t earn that much money in your entire lifetime,” Elsie added, joining in Momo’s taunting to deal Leo a merciless blow.
Hearing the amount of 80 million, Boyce couldn’t help but swallow nervously. It was such a huge sum that even selling his little shell company wouldn’t be nearly enough.
Leo wanted to slam his bank cards on the table but decided against it. He couldn’t be bothered to argue with these two materialistic girls.
“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom,” Leo said, feeling the urge to pee.
“You see, the moment money is mentioned, he runs away. What a man!” Momo taunted as Leo left.
“Boyce, why are you so quiet now? Are you scared off by the 80 million?” Elsie smiled at Boyce with a hint of mockery, making him feel somewhat embarrassed.
“Forget about them,” Sophia said, brushing off the topic. “Elsie, what’s the name of the wealthy man you want to introduce to me, and what does he do?”
Elsie replied, “His name is Barry William, the fourth young master of the William Group. He owns the largest food sales company in Langstel and monopolizes the logistics industry.”
Hearing Barry’s name, Boyce’s face showed astonishment. He couldn’t understand how Elsie and Momo, who came from ordinary backgrounds, managed to know the local tycoon, the fourth young master of the William Group.
Barry William had a terrible reputation in the circle of the wealthy, a prime example of moral corruption.
“I happened to meet Barry by chance. Let’s be warm to him later. Though he agreed to lend money to Sophia, we still need to discuss the interest,” Elsie said.
“Sophia, I don’t oppose you borrowing money from others, but this Barry guy is not someone you should approach for a loan,” Boyce said with a serious expression, glancing at Elsie knowingly. He knew that Elsie must have had some kind of involvement with Barry in the past.
“Why?” Sophia asked, puzzled.
“While I haven’t met Barry in person, I’ve heard about his various bad deeds. He likes lending money to people, especially women. If they can’t repay the debt, he resorts to all kinds of shady tactics. There are countless women fell victims,” Boyce explained.
Elsie got upset and retorted, “Boyce, you’re talking nonsense! There’s no way Barry is like that. Don’t spread baseless rumors!”
“Sophia, trust me, you absolutely shouldn’t borrow money from this scumbag. Although I can’t come up with 80 million, I can figure out a way to get you 10 or 20 million if needed. And if that’s not enough, I’ll try to arrange a loan from the bank.”
Sophia gently waved her hand, “Boyce, you don’t need to do this.”
“We were classmates for four years, and the person I’m most grateful to is you. If it wasn’t for that incident at school, you stepping forward to testify for me, I would have not only been expelled but probably ended up in jail for a few years,” Boyce said passionately, reminiscing about their shared past.
“Boyce, it’s impressive that you remember Sophia’s favor, but now you’re stopping her from borrowing money. Do you want her company to go under? Barry is a good person, don’t just believe everything you hear. With Elsie and me here, Barry will definitely lend her the money, and the interest will be much lower than what the bank offers!” Momo chimed in.
Boyce sighed inwardly, realizing that Momo was probably sexually involved with Barry too. These two women seemed determined to drag Sophia down.
Just as Boyce was about to continue persuading Sophia, the door of the private room was pushed open from the outside. Several men and women walked in, led by a guy dressed in a white suit with an earring in his left ear. He scanned the room with a disdainful gaze.
“Barry, you’re here!” Elsie exclaimed happily, rushing to greet the newcomer.
Barry nodded and seemed to favor the flamboyant Elsie. He was probably satisfied with their previous encounters in bed.
Elsie quickly brought Barry over to meet Sophia. “Barry, this is Sophia Henley, my good friend.”
Barry’s eyes lingered on Sophia’s face for a moment before turning to Boyce. “Who’s this guy? Get out of here.”
Knowing this was Barry, Boyce stood up from the sofa and moved aside.
Momo also stood up, greeting Barry with a smile, “Barry, you finally made it. We’ve been waiting for you.”
However, Barry ignored Momo and sat beside Sophia, observing her face and commented, “Not bad, not bad at all. You’re indeed naturally beautiful. You haven’t had any plastic surgery, have you?”
Sophia felt a bit uncomfortable with Barry’s forwardness. “You…”
“Ha-ha, just kidding. Miss Henley, I am Barry, the General Manager of the New Gourmet Food Company,” Barry said as he extended his hand to Sophia.
Even though Sophia had a somewhat negative first impression of Barry, she extended her hand to greet him politely, “Mr. William, nice to meet you. I’m Sophia.”