"In the end, there''s really no point in negotiating with them. I''d rather not waste my time and energy on people like that."
Joshua nodded, clearly approving of Ste''s approach.
"You''re absolutely right. Whether it''s the Williams family or anyone else, we don''t owe them any favors."
Ste picked up her phone, about to call Aicken, when suddenly the office door knocked sharply.
Aicken stepped inside. "Ms. Cameron, there''s someone outside who''d like to see you."
Ste nced up. "Who is it?"
Aicken frowned. "He didn''t say, only mentioned he wants to invest in ourpany and hopes to meet with you in person."
No one in their right mind would turn away a potential investor. Knowing this, Aicken hadn''t dared dy-he came straight to Ste for instructions.
Ste had been short on working capital recently. She didn''t know how much this mystery investor had in mind, but figured it couldn''t hurt to listen.<fn1e9e> Content originallyes from F?ndNovel</fn1e9e>
"Show him in."
"Yes, ma''am."
A few momentster, Aicken returned with the visitor.
He was a young man, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six, with strikingly handsome features and a warm, easy smile. When he saw Joshua standing beside Ste, he paused for a moment, then turned to Ste and introduced himself with a polite nod.
"Ms. Cameron, good afternoon. My name is Jake. I''m here on behalf of my employer to discuss a potential investment with you.
I''ve heard you''re the Williams family heiress and currently control some of the world''s leading tech firms.
My employer is very interested in the businesses you oversee and would like to invest. I was wondering if you might be open to discussing this opportunity?"
Since returning to the Williams
family, Ste had met her share of supposed "investors"-people who imed to want to support her. ventures, but in reality were just hoping to grab a share of hepanies. Most werent truly looking to invest; they simply assumed she was new to the game and tried to take advantage. s
Ste offered a polite smile. "Thank you, but I''m afraid that while I can participate inpany decisions, don''t have the authority to change our equity structure. If you''re interested in investing you''ll need to speak with thepany''s CEO directly." s
Jake quickly shook his head. "Oh, Ms. Cameron, I think there''s been a misunderstanding. My employer isn''t looking to buy into thosepanies. He wants to invest in you."
Ste raised an eyebrow. "Invest in me?"
Jake rified, "He''s prepared to put a significant sum at your disposal-no strings attached. You can use the funds however you see fit. All he asks is that you share ten percent of any profits you generate with that money. Nothing more."
A ten percent cut of the profits wasn''t exactly a small ask, but for a newpany,
it wasn''t outrageous either. In fact, it was surprisingly reasonable.
The group Ste controlled was already running smoothly and hardly needed any outside investment. As for the Williams Group, there was no way they''d agree to part with ten percent of their profits for a single investment.
That meant Ste would only be able to use this money to invest in new ventures. The upside there was limited and if she made the wrong call, she could lose everything. Yet, ake was saying she could spend however she liked. Didn''t they worry she might fudge the numbers? s
Ste looked at him carefully. "How much are you talking about?"
Jake held up five fingers.
Ste''s brows drew together in thought.
Now she understood why Jake had sounded so rxed. Clearly, this was just a casual offer—not a serious investment.
After a pause, she said, "Mr. Jake, with fifty million, it''s hard to see significant returns. If there are any profits, they''d be minimal—or it might take years just to break even."
Jake smiled and shook his head gently. "Ms. Cameron, I think you misunderstood. Fifty million isn''t what I''d call an investment."
Ste''s expression grew serious. "You mean... five hundred million?"
Jake''s smile never faltered. "No, Ms. Cameron. We want to invest... fifty billion."