“Leo, are you really planning to lend Uncle Alex and them 500 thousand?”
“I promised your mom, so I have to lend it to them,” Leo replied.
Sophia let out a soft sigh, not saying anything more. The series of problems that had cropped up recently had left her exhausted. Since she had taken over the management of Sophia Cosmetics, she had never felt this weary.
Thankfully, she had Leo by her side; otherwise, she wasn’t sure how she would have endured it.
—
The Henley family mansion, parking lot.
Bruno rolled up his car windows, checked to ensure no one was around, and then called Patrick.
“Mr. Henley, calling me out of the blue like this, is there good news?” Patrick’s voice on the other end sounded expectant.
Bruno spoke in a hushed tone, “I just finished a family meeting over here. Guess what Leo did during the family meeting?”
“Stop keeping me in suspense, spill it.”
“Leo is planning to borrow a billion from the bank with twenty percent of Henley Group’s assets,” Bruno said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Patrick was momentarily stunned on the other end. He thought he had misheard and asked, “What did you say? He wants to borrow how much?”
“One billion,” Bruno replied.
Patrick burst into laughter, “Mr. Henley, you’re not joking with me, are you? With just twenty percent of your Henley Group’s assets, he thinks he can get a billion?”
“I’m not joking. Leo, that idiot, has agreed to it. Once he can’t secure a billion, Sophia Cosmetics will return to Henley Group, and Sophia will be kicked out of the management position,” Bruno said with a hint of anticipation.
Patrick fell silent on the phone.
“Mr. Gregory, what’s wrong?” Bruno asked in confusion.
Patrick’s tone suddenly turned serious, “Let’s not celebrate too soon. If Leo dared to promise to borrow a billion, there are only two possibilities. Either he’s an idiot, or he can really pull it off. You need to understand, he’s already bought the No. 9 villa on Cloud Dream Mountain!”
With Patrick’s words, Bruno also felt a chill creeping over him. “Mr. Gregory, I can’t figure out where Leo got the money to buy Cloud Dream Mountain’s villa. Could he truly raise a billion?”
Patrick pondered for a moment, a hint of confusion in his voice. “But that doesn’t make sense. If Leo could come up with a billion, he could simply spend that money to counter our stock acquisition. Why propose using Henley Group’s assets as collateral for a bank loan during the meeting? Isn’t that redundant?”
Bruno was equally puzzled by this question.
At the same time, Bruno suddenly felt a chill run down his spine because if Leo could indeed secure a billion, all their plans would go down the drain.
Patrick continued, “I think something is off with this Leo. Just think, he could buy the Cloud Dream Mountain villa. Why would he humiliate himself by marrying into the Henley family and bear such humiliation? Could it be only for Sophia’s beauty? I don’t believe it!”
Bruno felt even more uncertain after Patrick’s words. He hesitantly said, “Mr. Gregory, recently, I’ve noticed a significant change in Leo. It’s like he transformed from a loser into a big spender. You see, this guy used to be a complete pushover, allowing anyone to boss him around, insult him, and bully him. But now, he’s getting into physical fights at the drop of a hat.”
“Anyway, Leo, we can’t underestimate him anymore. It’s a pity you couldn’t secure control over Henley Group; otherwise, things would have been much easier,” Patrick sighed.
Bruno felt quite frustrated about this matter and couldn’t help but grumble, “We had it all planned out, but who would have thought Leo would show up out of the blue. Now I realize Leo is a total jinx. Every place he goes, there’s always trouble.”
“As long as we become strong enough, a waste like Leo can’t stir up much trouble,” Patrick continued, offering some psychological reinforcement. “I’ve already put everything on the line, Mr. Henley. You must be vigilant; otherwise, our grand scheme will be in jeopardy.”
“I know what to do!” Bruno said with gritted teeth and hung up the phone.
On the other side, Leo and Sophia had arrived at a bank.
Leo needed to withdraw 500 thousand. As per the bank’s rules, he would have to make an appointment a day in advance. However, after Leo showed his Five-Claw Golden Dragon Supreme Card, the bank manager personally facilitated his withdrawal.
The reason was straightforward: this bank was under the Azure Cloud Group, which was the same as Floral Bank under William Group, both being the largest joint-stock commercial banks in Langstel.
Once they had their money, they drove back home. As for the loan matter, Leo decided to call August later in the evening.
While they were on their way back, Sophia received a call from an unknown number.
It was Solomon Zacharias calling, his tone filled with accusations as he inquired if Leo had accepted the challenge, being extremely arrogant.
Leo pulled over, took the phone from Sophia, and gave Solomon Zacharias a piece of his mind. He told him to have Master Spencer set a time, and he would personally come to teach that old man a lesson.
After hanging up the phone, Sophia was angry. “Leo, these old men are getting way out of line. You must give them a stern lesson.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they see the world in a new light.”
When Leo and Sophia pushed open the mansion’s front door and entered the living room, Jessica immediately stood up from the couch.
Upon seeing the handbag Leo was carrying, Jessica’s face lit up. “Leo, Sophia, you’re back.”
Jessica hurried to Leo and her gaze fell on the bag. “Is there money in this bag?”
Leo felt repulsed by Jessica’s opportunistic attitude and handed the bag over coldly. “500 thousand.”
Without any hesitation, Jessica accepted the bag with both hands. Its weight reassured her. “That’s great, Leo. Thank you.”
For the first time in four years, Jessica had said “thank you” to Leo. However, Leo didn’t buy it because that “thank you” sounded insincere.
Leo knew very well that if he hadn’t brought back the money today, given Jessica’s personality, she would probably have insulted him without a second thought.
“Mum, this is the money. Before lending the money, make sure Uncle Alex and the others sign an IOU with their thumbprint. Got it?” Sophia couldn’t help but remind her, even though she didn’t hold much hope for Uncle Alex and the others repaying the debt.
“I know,” Jessica waved her hand, took the money bag, and went to a guest room. Upon entering, she made sure to lock the door.
After dinner, Jessica called Martin into the guest room to let her appreciate the 500 thousand in cash.