Chatper 110


    Chapter 110


    Natalie took Nate from his arms without a word and disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Brian in


    solitude.


    After a brief retreat to freshen up and slip into herfy pajamas, Natalie emerged from the bathroom


    to find Nate already sprawled out on the pillow, deep in slumber.


    She tiptoed to his side and gently wiped his face with a damp cloth, the faint hum of conversation from


    the adjacent study trickling into her ears.


    *…if BrightPeak Energyunches before our international merger goes public, they’ll snatch up a


    whopping 8 percent of the market share. That’s a real punch in the gut for us. You’d better jet off to the


    headquarters overseas instantly,” Quinton’s worried voice filtered through theputer’s speakers.


    “When’s their grand opening?” Brian asked after a few seconds of silence.


    “Word has it that it’ll be just before Halloween, prime time for foot traffic, with all six branches swinging


    their doors open globally! They’ve ripped off our boutique hotel concept. If they beat us to the punch,


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    it’s gonna be a huge blow to our softunch next year!”


    “Do they have a concrete marketing strategy ready?” Brian queried, his eyes glued to the calendar


    disyed on hisputer screen, as he quietly crunched dates in his mind.


    “Nope. But my guy tells me their advertisement blitz is ready to hit next month. We need a ringer like


    FireWing on our side!”


    Brian’s right index finger began to tap a rhythm on the desktop as he weighed his options, lost in


    thought.


    Quinton, knowing better than to interrupt, held his peace.


    “Don’t sweat it. I’ve got a n B,” Brian finally murmured.


    Quinton had always had faith in Brian’s savvy because he hadn’t fumbled a marketing y yet. But the


    stakes felt higher this time.


    “Boss, we’ve sunk billions into this mid–range hotel venture over the years: It’s your main target and


    you can’t afford a single slip–up!” Quinton was creased with concern.


    He feared a repeat of the debacle from four years back. If there was any misstep, both Brian and the


    WL Group could face ruin.


    The hotel venture was a juggernaut, gobbling up nearly half of WL’s investments. A copse would


    mean financial disaster for Brian, all over again.


    In the next room, Natalie heard Quinton’s words crystal clear.


    In fact, while infiltrating the WL Group’s internal systems for BrightPeak Energy, she’d uncovered some


    inted figures rted to the hotel investments.


    Chapter 114


    To put it simply, Brian’s financial stake might not just be in acquiring international chains and


    developing resorts.


    But Natalie hadn’t had time to dig the details deep. It possibly tied into the so–called n B.


    Lying in bed, Natalie tossed and turned, wrestling with her thoughts. Finally, she logged onto


    “DealDynamics” and hit up her FireWing ount to contact her liaison at BrightPeak Energy.


    Made up your mind?] The message from BrightPeak Energy popped up the moment she appeared


    online.


    BrightPeak Energy had been circling Natalie for a while, aiming to keep her on the hook for pilfering WL


    Group’s secrets.


    She knew their game was dirty, but their offer was irresistible, a hundred million dors. It was an


    unprecedented sum in the industry. And Natalie, strapped for cash, found it hard to turn down.


    She had yet to give them a straight answer.


    Her gaze lingered on the chat box. After a long moment, she typed her response, [Sorry, your ask is


    out of my league.]


    With that, she deleted the contact of BrightPeak Energy.


    A secondter, regret nipped at her. The potential half–year bonus from Global Entertainment Group


    wouldn’t even crest eighty million.


    Had she gone mad, passing up this deal?


    But once words are out, they can’t be unsaid.