It was past 4:00 pm when Zachary and y finally sat in a smoothie shop.
y went to order two fruit smoothies while Zachary pulled out a notebook and started jotting down notes.
Throughout the afternoon, Zachary gathered useful information from local vendors and passersby. The main obstacle to the development of the Economic Development Zone was a local gang controlling the area.
Most of the gang members, including the boss, were locals who had receivedpensation for relocation. To them, the Economic Development Zone was their turf. Any outsiders looking to invest had to "coborate" with them, which meant paying an annual protection fee.
As y set a fruit smoothie in front of Zachary, he asked out of concern, "Zachary, do you really think this project is worth pursuing?"
He had followed Zachary all afternoon, and from what he had heard, the area seemed too chaotic to be worth the risk. With local gangs, developing a market or building a factory here seemed more trouble than it was worth.
"The infrastructure and environment in this area are actually quite good, and the subway makes it convenient. There''s significant potential for growth here," Zachary replied with a smile.
From both the project data and his own observations today, he was confident in the zone''s future potential. However, establishing factories for items like stationery, apparel, or furniture would require dealing with the instability brought by the local gangs.
After they finished their smoothie, Zachary told y to call it a day.
As he was about to hail a cab back to the office, Anya called, "Where are you? I didn''t see you in the office all afternoon."
"I''ve been doing market research at the Economic Development Zone."
"Send me your location. I''lle pick you up."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Zachary sent Molly a message letting her know he wouldn''t be home for dinner.
About 20 minutester, Anya arrived.
She startedining when he got in the car, "Market research is something you could have assigned to the team. Do you need to do it yourself?"
"Honestly, I get a little stir-crazy sitting in the office all day. This was a nice break," he replied while smiling.
They chatted for a while, and when she heard that he had taken on the Economic Development Zone project, sheughed.
"You''re in luck! That friend from the livestreampany I mentioned has connections with the local crowd here. If you y your cards right tonight, this project could be a done deal soon."
Zachary was surprised.
Anya exined, "My friend''s dad actually runs the local underground forces.df she''s willing to help, the project will be as good as approved! Why else do you think I want to invest in a factory here?"
"Ah, that exins it!" He suddenly understood.
Before long, she took him to an upscale restaurant, where they met with her friend.
They walked over to a table by the window and saw a woman with long, wavy purple hair waving them over.
As soon as they got closer, the purple-haired woman shot Anya a feigned re.
"Anya! You little bitch, finally inviting
me out
the ster a whole month. What''s
the story? Are you in love? Did you get a man and forget all about your friends?"
Then, she turned her gaze to Zachary.
She was taken aback with one nce. With his height, looks, and refined demeanor, he practically had the air of a young nobleman.
Just as Zachary was about to greet her, the purple-haired woman eximed, "Damn it! Girl, you sure know how to pick!"
Caught off guard, he felt embarrassed while Anya stifled augh before pulling him down to sit. She introduced the two with a grin.
"Let me introduce you. This is my best friend, Cam Gaines. And this is my dear brother, Zachary!"
Before she finished, Cam rolled her eyes and snorted. "Oh,e on. ''Dear brother''? Do you have to be so mushy?"
Anya justughed it off.
Zachary smiled while nodding and offered his hand to Cam. "Nice to meet you."
Cam took his hand confidently, throwing him a yful wink. "Nice to meet you too, handsome."