Shadow Empire

Chapter 446 Head-on confrontation

The last incident alarmed the entire board of directors at the company headquarters. In addition to losing a huge amount of profit, they also fired some people from the evaluation department.

This is obviously caused by the staff's insufficient observation of future agricultural product price trends, inaccurate assessment, and insufficient boldness in inference!
If they had known from the beginning that the price of grapes was going to skyrocket, would they have encountered so much trouble?

Do not!
They won't have any trouble, don't need to sue anyone, and they can make more money with their accurate grasp of the market!
The general manager's words reminded the vice president of the high multiple of liquidated damages. "I remember the board of directors discussed that contracts with excessively high liquidated damages were not allowed."

He was suggesting whether the contract violated the decision of the board of directors.

If so, they will hold the manager who signed the contract accountable.

Many people would think that... an employee of a company, although called a manager, is essentially still just an employee.

Even if she is held responsible, how much loss can be compensated?
If we only look at it from the perspective of compensating for losses, it is true that not much loss can be compensated, but capitalists never want to "compensate for losses."

They don't expect to get back things that have already been found.

The purpose of holding someone accountable is to create a tragic individual case that serves as an example to other employees in the company.

You see, someone disobeyed and caused huge losses to the company, and now she can't even afford to wear pants.

If this person can be forced to commit suicide, that would be even better and would have a greater effect!

Capital is always cold and inhuman. It is unbearable for people to reap the dividends brought by death by dipping their hands in human blood.

Then putting the corpse directly into the mouth is the lowest limit for the enterprise.

The general manager quickly explained, "Everything in this contract complies with the company's rules and regulations." If there was a problem with this contract, he would also bear joint liability, and he did not want to bear joint liability.

The vice president was silent for a while. "Send me the information of that person or company, and I'll have someone check it out."

Soon the names of Lance White and Luther Buffin caught the vice president's attention. After hanging up the phone, he contacted a friend of his in Jingang City.

A monopolistic channel operator like Liji Group has friends everywhere.

As long as there are supermarkets and people living in the area, and as long as they need agricultural products, they will maintain a good relationship with them even if they do not order goods from the Liji Group.

Capital management has never been an easy task.

The person on the other end of the phone quickly answered the call, and after a brief greeting, the vice president turned the topic to his purpose.

"There is something related to Jingang City. I don't know much about the situation there. Perhaps you can give me some help?"

His friend also knew that this was the real issue, and he said cautiously, "I'll do my best to help you."

He picked up the paper with the names written on it. "There are two people here. One is called Lance White and the other is called Luther Wood."

“I want to know who they are and what’s so special about them?”

"Lance White?"

The vice president caught some surprise from the other party's tone, "You know him?"

His friend hesitated for a moment and said, "In Jingang City, I only know a man named Lance White, the leader of the 'Lance Family'."

The vice president asked cautiously, "This family you are talking about...isn't it a gang?"

In the Federation and even in the world, "family" is a very broad concept.

Gangs can also be called families, capital groups also have families, political interest groups also have families, and even fucking country farmers have families!
So he had to first figure out what kind of family this "Lance Family" was?
His friend agreed, "Yes, a gang. They are based in the Empire District and the Port District. You can consider them a large and successful gang."

"And this Lance is very young. He has strong wrists. Everyone says he is a powerful character."

He also mentioned one or two facts related to Lance to prove his point that Lance was a character.

But the vice president suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

A...gang leader?
Well, although the underground order in many cities is indeed controlled and run by gangs, from the perspective of the upper echelons of this country, the gangs seem to be a little bit underwhelming.

"As for the Luther Wood you mentioned, I don't know this person, so I can't provide any information."

The vice president's mood had changed a lot at this time. "Thank you for your help. I think I know what to do."

"I'm planning to buy a yacht recently, and I can put it at Jingang Wharf. If you need it, you can take it."

The two chatted about usual topics for a while and then hung up the phone.

For the vice president, the most well-known gangs in Jingang City are the five major families. If Lance and the Lance family are just one gang, then calling the police is obviously not as effective as calling the gang!

He knew the Koda family, Bandy, Gowrie, and Bandy's son Fleming.

Fleming graduated from Golden State University. The headquarters of the Ligi Group is in Golden State, and the children and family members of most of the board members are also students of Golden State University.

Golden State University belongs to the Elite University Alliance. The concept of "Elite University Alliance" was proposed by a senator and was previously called the "Human Elite Alliance."

Later, because some people thought that this name might cause misunderstanding and was associated with some sensitive positions of people, the word "human" was removed.

He pointed out that "the correct movement of society requires the elites of human society to control the direction. The Federation should concentrate its efforts on cultivating a group of elites who can lead the Federation to glory and truly realize the federal dream of all the people of the Federation."

Under the leadership of this senator, some well-known universities in the federation have joined the Elite University Alliance to cultivate elites for society!
What’s interesting is that these elite university alliance schools do not solely look at students’ academic ability and grades when selecting them.

It depends more on the recommendation letters they have.

Perhaps for the ruling class, the so-called elites naturally refer to their children.

The vice president met Bandy twice during some activities organized by the school.

Bandy was very enthusiastic about Fleming's studies and would give Fleming a lot of money every year to organize various activities at school.

Although Fleming attended Golden State University, an elite institution, in the eyes of the real "elite", he was just a money bag and a lackey.

Because of this, the vice president got to know Bandy, who was handing out business cards everywhere, and learned about the Kodak family.

A wealthy, violent gang.

He always boasted that there was nothing they couldn't do in Likalai State and Jingang City, and he did know that some people had solved some problems through Bandi, so the vice president also believed that they could solve the problem this time.

He called the general manager directly and said, "Go and talk to those people. It would be best if we can reach an agreement. If not, don't be too polite to them."

"We do not accept any fraud or threats. If they want to sue, then go ahead!"

"Also find out why the wheat sprouted."

"I will take action when necessary."

Hearing what the vice president said, the general manager naturally had no other concerns, "I know how to deal with it, Mr. President."

After he ended the call, he called the dock and said, "Bring Mr. Luther here. I want to talk to him in person."

At this time, Luca was still standing on the dock very anxiously, holding the delivery note tightly in his hand and the contract in his briefcase.

Those people were obviously in a panic. He roughly knew what Lance had done, but he didn't know exactly how he did it, nor what the result was.

But now it seems to be successful.

This gave him more confidence. "It says I can load the goods before 2pm. I want to ask, can I see my goods?"

At this time, a staff member corrected him, "Mr. Luther, until you pay the balance, the wheat is not yours yet."

Luca seized a small loophole and asked, "Are you planning to breach the contract?"

The man stopped talking. There was no doubt that there was a high probability that they would breach the contract!
At this moment, one of them suddenly came over and said, "Mr. Luther, the general manager hopes to talk to you in person."

Luca hesitated for a moment, nodded and agreed, then got in the car arranged by their company and arrived at the office building of Liji Group.

The ground that could reflect people's shadows made him a little dazed. The moment he stepped into the hall, a beautiful blonde of the opposite sex appeared in front of him.

He looked to be about 27 or 28 years old, wearing a very professional suit and a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

This did not affect her appearance, but instead gave him an urge to desecrate her. She smiled and bowed slightly, "Mr. Luther, I'm the manager's secretary. The general manager has been waiting in the office for a long time. Please follow me." Luca was still very reserved and polite in front of the beautiful woman. He nodded slightly, straightened his clothes, and followed her to a separate elevator.

His attention was completely focused on the secretary's butt, which was round and full, but not exaggerated.

The aesthetic taste of the Federals has not evolved to the point where they need an exaggerated big butt. They appreciate natural beauty more!
The secretary could also vaguely feel the fiery gaze coming from behind her, the more this happened, the harder she twisted her butt.

"It's fucking hot."

Luca licked his lips. He could now fight two at a time, or three at most.

His eyes were fixed on the butt in front of him. When the butt stopped, he didn't even react immediately and almost bumped into it!
Feeling the oppression behind her, the secretary rolled her eyes and knocked on the door of the general manager's office. "Mr. Luther is here."

"Please come in..."

Luca entered the office and saw the general manager sitting behind the desk. He took a deep breath and walked over.

The general manager came out from behind the table, shook hands with him at the desk, and then asked his secretary to bring in two cups of coffee.

It's morning now, not afternoon, so there's no need for pastries.

Without waiting for the general manager to speak, Luca spoke first, "I just wanted to pick up the goods at the dock, but the people in your company kept talking about other things. Did something unexpected happen?"

The general manager had been observing Mr. Luther's expression. He suddenly said, "Don't you know what happened?"

Luca showed a very brief expression of surprise, hesitation, and doubt, but it was such a short change, perhaps just a split second, that was captured by the general manager.

He became even more certain that this Mr. Luther must be connected to Lance, or even that they were in the same group.

Thinking of this, he leaned back in his chair, his expression becoming more relaxed.

He looked at the guy in front of him carefully. He was sure that this man was not a gang member.

He doesn't have the street feel of a gangster, but instead gives people the feeling of a middle-class scumbag.

Luca shook his head cautiously, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The general manager tapped his fingers on the armrest. "Let's talk frankly. Was this Lance's idea?"

Luca shook his head. "I don't know what you are talking about. We are a company engaged in international trade..."

The general manager raised his hand to stop him from continuing, "You know what happened to the wheat better than I do. If you can't make the decision, let Lance talk to me. He is the one who can make the decision!"

Luca continued to play dumb, "I have no idea what you're talking about, what happened to the wheat?"

"Also, who is Lance?"

The general manager looked at Luca who was unwilling to admit it, and he spread his hands. "We can't ship the wheat, but we won't give you money either. If you want to sue, go ahead."

"This is clearly a business fraud. You used despicable means to get more liquidated damages, but I think you got the wrong idea!"

In fact, no matter whether this person is related to Lance or not, the final result is the same. Do you want to get the penalty for breach of contract?
Let’s go to court!

This is also the simplest and most effective way for capital groups to deal with such cases. The Liji Group faces so many lawsuits every year that they can be considered a "litigation gangster."

This word may not sound nice and may leave a bad impression on people, but it does not mean that they have a bad impression in the judicial department.

If they want to make an impossible lawsuit possible, or get the judge to rule in their favor, they have to find some unconventional ways.

Bribery is illegal, but public relations is not.

The difference between them is that -

You gave the money directly to the judge, and the judge announced the verdict in your favor. This is bribery and an official crime.

But you gave the money to the PR company, and the PR company passed the money to the judge through their means. The judge was convinced, accepted their reasons, and made a ruling in your favor. This is legal.

The Liji Group’s team of attorneys has reliable enough relationships in most states and can leverage these relationships to influence states with which they are not familiar.

The last time they failed, it was because the target of their lawsuit was a bigger “rogue”, the bank.

So they had no choice but to admit defeat.

But this time, they learned from their last lesson.

The company's legal team has sent letters to major banks to alert them to the possible existence of this new type of fraud, and is also strengthening legal issues.

And since they have already reported the case to the police, they don’t have to rush to face the bank until the case is fully processed.

Therefore, the general manager was not worried at all. Even if they mortgaged the contract to the bank again, it was still a question whether the bank would accept it. After the bank accepted it, if they wanted to collect things or money from them, they would have to wait until the investigation of the case was completed.

This will take a long time, what if the criminals are never caught?

Just keep dragging it out. Their wheat won't be delivered anyway, and they've also taken the 25 percent deposit, so they're making money.

As for whether the bank will sue Lance, that has nothing to do with them.

Luca looked at the general manager with a helpless look on his face and was at a loss for what to do for a moment.

Fortunately, Lance told him that as long as he finished what he was supposed to do, he wouldn't be needed for the rest.

Luca stood up at this time and looked at the general manager with a serious face, "We will sue you."

The secretary came in with coffee at this time, but saw that the conversation seemed to be over.

She was a little overwhelmed holding her coffee.

The general manager extended his hand to signal him that he could leave. "Please go ahead."

Luca turned and walked away, snorting when he saw the secretary.

The secretary stood at the door and looked at the general manager. The general manager motioned for her to put the coffee down and said, "I can finish it!"

After leaving the company, Luca went straight to Lance's office. He told Lance everything that happened at Liji Company, and then looked at Lance with some trepidation.

After all, they paid out 500,000 but got nothing in return, so Liji Company decided to default on its debt once again!
"Thank you for your hard work. I will take care of this matter. You can take a rest or go out for a walk."

"Leave the rest to me..."

After Luca left, Lance called Jonathan (Vice President of Parkway Bank Golden Harbor City) and said, "I have a contract..."

After listening to Lance's description, Jonathan gave an answer that he could not promise. "This matter is not easy to handle. After we won the last lawsuit, Liji Group sent us a lawyer's letter."

"And just now, the head office called me and discussed this contract."

"The bank issued a high-risk warning, so..."

"If the head office doesn't agree to this huge sum of money, I can't approve it for you, even though I'm willing to do so!"

If it does not involve high-risk warnings, he can get it approved with some effort.

But now that it involves high-risk warning, it is difficult to do so.

Although banks have a lot of bad debts every year, this should not be the case considering their cautious attitude.

All we can say is that where those bad debts went may always be a mystery!

Lance was not discouraged after hearing this. Instead, he comforted Jonathan, "It's okay, Joe, I just want to take a shortcut."

"Since they won't let me take shortcuts, I have no choice but to do something that no one wants to see."

Jonathan was a little worried after hearing this. "Liji Group is very powerful in the Federation. Maybe I can help you make an appointment with their board members?"

Lance refused directly, "They should ask me out, not me asking them out!"

(End of this chapter)