Confusion and awe began to fill the hearts of the five men, but that overwhelming, invisible, and irresistible pressure had disappeared. It was only at this moment that the five men felt they could finally breathe normally.
What had just happened?
The five men looked at each other, refraining from mocking or ridiculing Leo.
President Leacock adjusted his expression and spoke in a deep voice, “Mr. Bloomer, since you’re here, you must have seen the message we sent out. To participate in the villa auction, you need at least fifty million in your account. Are you sure you have that much money?”
Because of the intimidation they had just experienced from Leo, the man playing with a walnut in his hand felt a bit uncomfortable and added, “What gave the freeloading son-in-law of a second-rate family the courage to come here for qualification certification? If he can prove he has fifty million, I’ll voluntarily withdraw from the villa auction.”
Mr. Hudson, playing with the walnut, couldn’t believe that a freeloading son-in-law could possess fifty million, not even five million!
“Mr. Hudson, I share the same sentiment. If he has fifty million, I won’t participate in this villa auction,” added the bespectacled man.
These men were friends and usually moved together in such matters, so the balding man also voiced his opinion, “Mr. Hudson, Mr. Richards, and Mr. Evans, count me in too. If he has fifty million in his bank account, I won’t bid for this villa.”
These comments left President Leacock somewhat uneasy, and he hurriedly said, “Mr. Hudson, Mr. Richards, and Mr. Evans, don’t joke like this. It won’t be any fun if you don’t participate in next month’s villa auction.”
Mr. Hudson, playing with the walnut, looked at the man silently puffing a cigar and teased, “President Leacock, even if Mr. Richards, Mr. Evans, and I back out, we still have Mr. Church here. He’s Langstel’s financial titan, and a mere twitch of his leg could send Langstel’s economy trembling. Most of the No. 9 villa will likely end up in Mr. Church’s pocket.”
They began chatting among themselves, completely ignoring Leo.
Mr. Church took a deep drag on his cigar, exhaled a plume of smoke leisurely, and said, “You three seem to know your place. When I win No. 9 villa, I’ll be sure to invite you as guests.”
The balding man glanced at Leo with a sly tone, “Mr. Church, don’t celebrate too soon. The son-in-law of the Henley family just said he’s determined to win No. 9 villa. What if he has a few billion in his bank account? You might end up with a facepalm on auction day.”
Mr. Church chuckled and said to President Leacock, “President Leacock, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and conduct qualification certification for this Henley family son-in-law. I’m actually hoping he has fifty million. That way, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Richards, and Mr. Evans can only watch me move into Cloud Dream Mountain. Haha.”
Leo sneered at him and said coldly, “What are you even worth? Do you think you can compete with me for No. 9 villa?”
Silence enveloped the room.
Then, collective astonishment.
They had seen arrogance before, but never this level of audacity.
Could this son-in-law of the Henley family truly be sane? Or was the invisible pressure they had felt from him earlier just an illusion?
Mr. Church’s expression stiffened for a moment, then he burst into laughter, “Kid, don’t brag about yourself!”
The others, seeing that Leo seemed to be all talk, started feeling disdainful once again. Their previous attention to the interloping son-in-law had been purely a result of his overwhelming display of arrogance.
“Kid, everyone can put on a show. Stop wasting time and show us your money!” the bespectacled man urged impatiently. “President Leacock, what are you waiting for? Conduct his qualification certification.”
President Leacock reached for the telephone on his desk and dialed a number, saying, “Cherry, bring the qualification certification equipment to my office.”
The phone call ended, and within three minutes, a smartly dressed woman knocked on the door and entered the office.
Honestly, President Leacock’s secretary, Cherry Dryden, had an alluring figure. The gazes of Mr. Hudson and the others were immediately drawn to her.
Cherry held a device resembling a POS terminal in her hand and spoke respectfully to President Leacock, “President Leacock, may I know which of the gentlemen needs qualification certification?”
In truth, when Cherry had entered the room earlier, she had seen Leo, but she had simply dismissed him. In her eyes, this young man’s entire outfit probably didn’t cost more than thirty dollars, making it impossible for him to undergo qualification certification for the villa auction.
President Leacock pointed at Leo and said, “Him.”
Cherry turned toward Leo, her expression somewhat surprised. Simultaneously, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had made a mistake. Was this guy a low-key wealthy heir?
Leo, recalling his beaten-up Mercedes in the parking lot, addressed President Leacock, saying, “After the qualification certification, there’s something you must explain to me.”
An infuriated anger surged in President Leacock’s heart. He had already given this guy some face by sending his secretary for qualification certification. Yet, this freeloader dared to speak to him in such a tone.
If the qualification certification didn’t pass, he would definitely break this kid’s leg, making it clear that he couldn’t swagger around and act arrogant everywhere.
“Kid, stop wasting time. It’s useless. After the qualification certification, no matter what kind of tricks you have up your sleeve, they’ll all be exposed!” Mr. Church, holding the cigar, was becoming impatient.
Cherry, holding out her hand to Leo, said icily, “Sir, please take out your bank card and proceed with the qualification certification.”
“No hurry,” Leo waved his hand dismissively. “There’s something I need to clarify first.”
“Kid, why are you so talkative? Let it out if you’ve got something to say!” President Leacock snapped impatiently.
“I came here earlier, and in the parking lot, your security personnel vandalized my car. I need an explanation,” Leo declared, fixing President Leacock with an intense gaze.
Under Leo’s piercing scrutiny, President Leacock found himself unnerved. “Impossible! The security here is highly trained. How could they damage your car?”
President Leacock understood that regardless of Leo’s identity, if the security had indeed damaged his car, it would tarnish the company’s reputation if this incident got out. In this day and age, competition in all industries was fierce, particularly in real estate, where reputation and credibility were of utmost importance.
“Cherry, have Manager Arnold roll into my office!” President Leacock ordered.
Cherry hesitated for a moment and replied, “President Leacock, Manager Arnold suffered a severe injury to his right hand and is currently at the hospital.”
“Useless! Fetch the surveillance footage from the parking lot for me to review!” President Leacock demanded.
Cherry quickly left the room and returned about five to six minutes later with a tablet in hand.