"Ben Faulkner?" Wade repeated, his voice trembling with shock as he struggled to comprehend the presence of such a notorious criminal.
The atmosphere in the bar shifted palpably within seconds as no one from the Green Jade Merchant Group was smiling amiably anymore after hearing that name compared to their fake warm smiles when they entered.
Even Wade's initial confidence evaporated fast and was replaced by a cold sweat of anxiety as his carefully crafted plan to outmaneuver Shane and secure a deal with Leo suddenly felt in serious jeopardy with Ben around.
Leo, observing Wade's discomfort, couldn't help but find the situation amusing as the usually composed merchant was visibly unnerved in the presence of a notorious criminal.
While merchants were a class of people that were comfortable even around nobles and the ruling class, thugs and gangsters still caused merchants to pee their pants and Wade was no different.
When forced to look an assassin like Ben in the eyes, Wade lost his composure which was usually impossible to break.
"Nice to meet you, Mr.Ben" Wade said, pulling his hand away as his mind raced with anxiety.
The presence of Ben Faulkner, the infamous 'KingSlayer', alongside Leo, threw his negotiation strategy into chaos.
He wondered what the relationship between the two was, or whether Ben was Leo's henchman. However, without any information about their relationship, Wade did not dare make any wild assumptions.
He had planned to leverage his merchant clout to impress Leo, but now, all he felt was the looming threat of Ben's lethal reputation. 'What if he doesn't like my offer? What if Ben decides I'm a threat?' Wade thought, his heart pounding as his life flashed past his eyes.
He knew he couldn't back down now, but every instinct inside him screamed to flee. If this deal weren't extremely important for the future of his group, Wade would have undoubtedly walked away. However, circumstances forced him to stay, as he desperately wanted to make a deal with Leo, even with Ben Faulkner around.
*Inhale*
Taking in a deep breath, Wade tried to steady himself. "Mr. Skyshard, it's an honor," he began, his voice wavering slightly as he turned to Leo. "I came here hoping to discuss a potential business opportunity that could benefit us both." Wade said, slowly regaining his composure as he decided to ignore Ben and focus purely on Leo.
'Oh, ignoring me?' Ben thought playfully, as he felt like he had not had enough fun yet and decided to tease the merchant leader some more.
Leaning back in his chair with an air of casual menace, Ben picked up a butter knife and began slicing peanuts with it, as if slicing a throat.
Immediately, Wade's eyes flicked nervously between Ben and the knife, the poor merchant's discomfort growing with every deliberate slice.
By this point, Ben had already figured out that the merchant was scared witless of him and hence he decided to tease him further by performing casual knife tricks.
Naturally, Wade could not focus on his conversation with Leo with Ben performing knife tricks as he broke out in a cold sweat and began trembling visibly.
While Ben intimidated him only for the laughs, he did not understand just how effective it was in breaking Wade's psyche as by this point Wade had crossed his initial negotiations plan and turned into a brainless parrot.
'Is this what mob bosses feel like?' Leo wondered, as he saw Wade struggling to keep a straight face while his body wouldn't obey him as the poor merchant leader shivered uncontrollably.
"Please, Mr. Wade, go on. We're listening," Leo said, emphasizing the word 'We' to include Ben in the conversation.
Wade swallowed hard, feeling Ben's gaze bore into him. "I've heard of your innovative products, Mr. Skyshard and I believe the Green Jade Merchant Group can offer you a lucrative deal that surpasses any offer from the White Tiger Group," he said, as Leo raised an eyebrow.
"How did you come to know about our products? Are you and the White Tiger Group partners? I don't think I've given you a pitch…" Leo said, questioning how Wade got information on his products as Wade immediately confessed how he came across the news.
"I have a spy in the White Tiger Group, someone in the innermost circle, and he informed me about you.
The products you have shared have all passed the quality criteria set by the White Tiger Group, and most likely when you meet Shane tomorrow he will give you a lucrative offer.
However, just know that whatever Shane gives you, I'm ready to give you 1.5 times that amount, on any terms comfortable to you if you just sign the deal with the Green Jade Group instead," Wade said, forgetting how to negotiate like a merchant under Ben Faulkner's pressure and instead croaking like a parrot.
Directly opening his negotiations from the top-line offer and further improving it by offering a metaphorical blank check, Wade did not dare play any tricks on Leo with Ben around.
*Snap*
*Snap*
Wade snapped his fingers as his underlings politely piled dozens of expensive gifts beside Ben and Leo while Wade nervously smiled at the side.
"A token of my appreciation for you… it's nothing but a small gesture. I'm sure bigger gifts will follow if we seal the deal," he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, while not taking his eyes off Ben's knife even for a second.
'Huh? Why is he going so far to secure a deal with me?' Leo questioned, as he did not fully understand the value of his own products, but he did feel elated by Wade's offer to pay a premium over whatever price the White Tiger Group was offering.
'Cha Ching baby! I'm the best merchant in the world' Leo thought, smiling satisfyingly as he gave Ben a knowing wink.
Since he had not yet finalized his deal with the White Tiger Group, having more buyers interested in his product gave him leverage to set his own terms.
"Well Mr.Wade, I do appreciate your generosity and your offer.
I still haven't entered into a formal contract with Mr.Shane, so a deal between us is not out of the books. However, I'm a man of my word and the priority to sign a deal with me will always be with Mr.Shane, unless your offer is better.
If both of you give me the same price, I'll sign with him, however, in the end I'm a merchant too and if you give me more profit I'll go with you instead" Leo said, as he made his position on Wade's offer clear.
While he appreciated Wade's offer and was open to considering it, he did not wish to commit to it until he presented all the facts of the deal before Shane and gave him the option to match the Green Jade Group's price first.
If Shane did match the best price of the Green Jade Group, he was willing to go with Shane, however, if Shane could not meet that price, then he was open to signing a deal with Wade too.
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Join Link now added in book synopsis! ///