Gerald immediately became anxious as he stared at Chief Judge Houston. “Houston, what do you mean by that?”
Everyone else in the room was also stunned.
Frozen, Alex looked at Kevin and Big Ken, who were also confused, before he looked at the smiling Chief Judge Houston. A possibility suddenly occurred to him, but he could not confirm it, so he stared at Chief Judge Houston again, eager for him to verify his guess.
Chief Judge Houston did not let them wait for long either and as if nothing had happened, he said to Gerald, “Shortly after the death of Isaac Litt, the industries under Chase Lucas’s name were completely shut down due to drug-related cases.
After his accident, all the crimes he had committed during his life also surfaced. Since that time, the status of all the assets and industries under his name has changed from shutdown to forfeiture, in which all of his assets were confiscated and additional fines were imposed.”
“So? Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!”
The more Gerald listened, the more anxious he became. It was as if his heart was stuck in his throat.
However, Chief Judge Houston cared not about Gerald’s feelings and he spoke leisurely, following his own pace. “From the beginning, we’ve intended to auction those properties under Chase Lucas’s name to pay off the fine, but halfway through, Mr. Cohen took out the IOU written by Chase Lucas.
Due to the huge amount which cannot be underestimated, we decided to give priority to using those industries to offset the debt and find another way to settle the fines. However, since you’ve paid the debt for Chase, now we can continue to auction those properties that are under his name.”
“Auction off? I already repaid the debt for Chase, but his properties are still going to be auctioned off. Doesn’t that mean that I spent my money in vain?”
“How can that be? Mr. Xavier, in view of your noble act of selflessness that was truly generous and touching, I will explain the situation and submit an application to the ‘Ten People Who Moved Quill City’ jury. Unless something unexpected happens, you will become one of the city’s top ten most heart-warming figures this year.”
“Hea… Heart-warming figure? Houston, are you taking me for a f*cking blockhead?”
“Mr. Xavier, please mind your words. If you dare to make more impertinent remarks, I have the right to cancel the application under the statement of your qualities being ‘too low and thus not worth to fit the criterion’. In that case, you won’t have the chance to become a candidate for ‘Top Ten Heart-Warming People’, and your 200 million dollars will really be spent in vain.”
When Gerald heard this, his heart was in turmoil. He did not even have the heart to fight Chief Judge Houston.
The plan was originally going so well. He thought that after he had paid off the debt for Chase, it would be logical to get those properties under his name. Even if an extra 10 million was given, this would still be a sure-fire deal. If he were not certain about this, with his status, he would not have done this personally.
Who would have thought that after spending the money and just as the outcome he had desired was about to be achieved, the situation would suddenly take a turn instead.
Gerald’s head was about to explode. So he stood up, walked outside, and called the Grand Express Corporation’s lawyer advisor to consult the situation. The first thing to do was to confirm whether what Chief Judge Houston had just said was legal. If it was not legal, they could sue and there would still be hope. However, if it was legal, they had to think of another countermeasure.
In short, he had to do all he could to get those industries that were under Chase’s name. His 200 million must not be spent in vain!
Otherwise, he would become an easy target that even he used to spit on.
He would definitely become a laughing stock if word got out.
Compared to money, he could not afford to lose his reputation…
Inside the room, Chief Judge Houston once again opened the folder and pushed a stack of files in front of Alex. “Mr. Cohen, if you’re willing, just sign on the back of this in triplicate agreement and you can buy all the properties under the name of Chase Lucas for 180 million.”
“Willing, I am definitely willing!”
Alex nodded in a daze as he hurriedly took the ballpen from Chief Judge Houston’s hand and with a swish, he signed his name on the designated place.
Chief Judge Houston immediately stamped the official seal, shook hands with Alex, and said with a smile, “The agreement is now effective. From now on, those properties that were formerly under Chase Lucas’s name are now yours. Our collection account number is written in the memo information at the back of the document. You can transfer the money in three days. By principle, we do not accept installments, so you need to pay in one lump sum.”
“No installment, no installment, I’m not short of this money…”
Alex shook his head dumbfoundedly.
The agreement was already in effect. Alex had fulfilled his wish for real, yet it felt a little surreal. In his plan, using that IOU to take those properties under the name of Chase Lucas was the best outcome. Yet earlier in the restaurant, when he learned that the valuation of those industries ranged between 180 to 200 million, he thought that paying 10 million for the price disparity would be fine.
Unexpectedly, Gerald Xavier appeared out of nowhere.
Due to a strange combination of circumstances, not only did he not have to pay the 10 million, but he had also earned 20 million for doing nothing!
Although 20 million did not mean much when compared to his current financial resources, no one would complain about having too much money.
It would be foolish not to earn money when given the opportunity, let alone grabbing money for free.
This result was so beyond expectation that he would not have even dreamt about this scenario before.
This surprise came too damn suddenly…
Outside the door, Gerald had just finished his phone call and learned from his most trusted lawyer that what Chief Judge Houston had done, although mixed with some subjective factors, did not violate any explicit provisions.
If they had to nitpick, they could find some minor problems, but they were all small. At most, Chief Judge Houston would be scolded by his leader, but he would not need to bear any legal responsibility.
Hence, there was absolutely no reason to implement such irrelevant counterattacks.
Gerald was very unwilling, but he had to accept the reality. Taking a deep breath, he went back inside and according to the lawyer’s instructions, he held back his temper as he said to Chief Judge Houston, “You said that you would continue auctioning those properties which are under Chase’s name. Tell me, how much is it? How will you auction them?”
Chief Judge Houston frowned. “The price is not expensive, it’s just 180 million. However… Mr. Xavier, I remember telling you clearly that it’s useless to talk to me. You have to discuss with Mr. Cohen instead.”
“If he wants to buy them, he would also need to bid and that would make me his competitor. Why would I discuss this with him? It’s just 180 million. I want it. I’ll buy it in full!”
“Mr. Xavier, if you had told me earlier, I would have followed the relevant regulations to start a bid, and the highest bidder would have won. Unfortunately, you were too late. Just now, the court has already sold those properties that were formally under Chase Lucas’s name to Mr. Cohen for 180 million.”
“What? The properties have been sold to him?”
“Yes, the agreement has been signed…”
While Chief Judge Houston spoke, he held up the agreement that Alex had just signed and shook it with a smile.
Alex craned his neck before he did a good stretch and smiled at Gerald. “Thank you very much, Gerald. Here I was, thinking that after getting those properties, I would still have to spend a lot of money on renovations and even have to dig into my savings. But this proves that there are still many good people in this world, such as you. In my time of need, you took the opportunity to support me with 200 million. Haha… whether or not you become a heart-warming figure, I will no doubt send you a trophy as a gift.”
“Gift, my *ss! You son of a b*tch, go to hell!”
Gerald was so furious that he lost his mind in anger. He picked up an ashtray and hurled it towards Alex.
Big Ken had sharp eyes and agile hands. Just as the ashtray was approximately less than ten centimeters away from Alex’s head, he blocked it and grabbed the ashtray with his right hand.
Playing with it in his hand, he said to Gerald coldly, “This is the first time, so I’ll forget it, but I hope that this is also your last one. If you dare try to hurt my Young Master again, I’ll break whichever hand that does it! Remember, this is not a threat but a warning!”
“Gerald Xavier, there’s a saying that cornered beasts will do something desperate. Is this referring to you?”
Alex was eager to share the good news with Zeke and Symore, so he dissed Gerald and chatted with Chief Judge Houston for a few minutes before getting up and taking his leave.
Gerald was in disarray for a long time, but he eventually stood up. He then went down to the parking lot, asked his bodyguard and Jared to wait outside as he got into the car alone, and closed the doors and windows. Taking out his cell phone, he mysteriously dialed a cell phone number that did not exist in his cell phone.
“Conrad, didn’t you propose to join hands with me to deal with Alex Cohen before? I am willing to accept your proposal. However, I have two conditions. First, make sure to kill him as soon as possible. Second, the court has a Chief Judge called Houston. He must also be eliminated too…”
