Chapter 80
There was another Bloodroot inside, but it didn’t look exactly like the first one.
Kristina squinted at it. These two are a pair–one male, one female. They pack a bigger punch together, she thought.
But then she shook her head and let out a cold laugh. “Two Bloodroots for half my mountain, Mr. Lambert? What’s the real game here?”
Troy seemed determined about the deal, but Kristina knew he wasn’t after random plants. The mountain had plenty of herbs, but their value was still unknown, Bloodroot, however, was a known treasure worth a fortune.
Troy’s no–nonsense offer just made Kristina more wary. She had a feeling there was more to his game.
“If you want to cut a deal, you need to lay your cards on the table. I don’t like when people beat around the bush,” she said, her voice steady.
“Besides, my husband’s already on the mend. He doesn’t need Bloodroot–there are other herbs that’ll do the trick. Sometimes what seems like a big deal to you isn’t such a priority to others,” she added, giving him a pointed look.
Troy wasn’t a dummy. He’d been running the family business since he was young. He caught her drift right away. “Alright, Ms. Bentley, what does ‘lay my cards on the table‘ mean to you?” he asked.
“I want two percent of the Lambert Group’s shares, Kristina said, not wasting any time with small talk.
Troy shook his head. “Not a chance,” he said, his voice flat.
Kristina shrugged. “Too bad. Guess we’re done here.”
Troy leaned forward, his tone icy. “Ms. Bentley, it doesn’t seem like you’re serious about this. We need to start with a real proposal, not just throw ideas around. If you don’t have one, there’s no point in wasting time.”
He saw through Kristina’s intentions, and his expression turned harder. “If you’re just here to mess with me, it’s a waste of both our time. It just ticks me off.”
Kristina raised an eyebrow, tapping the box with the Bloodroot. “Who said I’m not serious? I made an offer, but you shut it down. Mr. Lambert, just think this through. It’s just 2% of the shares. It’s not like I’m asking for the moon.”
Troy hesitated for a moment, looking like he was weighing his options. After a few tense seconds, he clenched his teeth and nodded. “Alright, two Bloodroots and 2% of the shares–but that’s my final offer.”
“Mr. Lambert, you really know how to cut to the chase!” Kristina said with a smile, though she’d expected him to cave.
She had one more condition. “I’ll split it fifty–fifty, but I want the sunny side of the deal. You can take the shady part. If that works for you, we can sign the contract right here.”
Troy gritted his teeth, but after a moment, he relented. “Fine. Deal.”
Kristina and Troy quickly wrapped up the contract. Once the signing was done, she walked out of the room with a confident stride.
Troy and his assistant were the only ones left. Seeing his boss’s sour expression, the assistant finally spoke up. “Mr. Lambert, Ms. Bentley’s demands were pretty steep. Why did you agree if they didn’t make sense? Is that land really worth that much?”
Troy glared at his assistant. “What do you think you know? There’s a gold mine in that mountain. Now tell me, is that valuable or not?”
“Oh… yeah, that’s super valuable,” the assistant replied, looking stunned. He now realized why his boss was so eager to get his hands on that land. It sucked that someone else had beaten them to it.
Troy’s face twisted into a sly grin. “You see how Kristina doesn’t seem to know about the gold mine? She’s got something she cares about on that mountain, but it’s not the gold.”
“Huh?” The assistant was even more puzzled. “How could she not know? Mr. Lambert, how did you figure that out?”
Troy shook his head, looking disappointed at his subordinate. “You’ve been with me for years, and you still don’t get it?
“Didn’t we have someone scope it out earlier? The shady side is loaded with minerals, but she wanted the sunny side and gave me the one with more gold.
“No one gives up bigger profits unless they don’t know any better. That’s why I think Kristina had no idea there was a mine in the mountain.
His subordinate was even more stunned. “And she still had the nerve to ask for such a high price!”
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