Building The Strongest Family-Chapter 42: The Audacity Of Ambition

Arthur couldn't help but beam with pride as he surveyed the various leaders in the conference room, a smile spreading across his face. Inside, however, a sigh of relief escaped him.

Although he owned the land and had the power to do almost anything with it, he knew that government intervention could change everything.

His mission was clear: convince them of his grand plan to ensure they wouldn't interfere too much.

It seemed he had succeeded, almost everyone was on board, except for Harrison, whose twitching face indicated his discontent.

Arthur chose to ignore him; he sensed that Harrison's hostility wasn't entirely personal but rather instigated by someone else.

"Arthur, since you're planning to build a mega-scale commercial plaza, you must be aware that the capital required for this project is substantial," Bureau Head Derrick remarked, fixing his gaze on Arthur.

"Yes sir, I've already accounted for the capital needed; there's no need for concern," Arthur replied with an air of nonchalance.

"Oh?" Derrick raised an eyebrow in surprise at Arthur's calm demeanor. "Can you share the total amount you'll be injecting into this project?"

Arthur simply smiled and raised two fingers. Confusion washed over Derrick and the others in the room as they tried to decipher what Arthur meant by that gesture.

Harrison's eyes lit up mockingly as he seized the moment. "Mr. Arthur, do you realize that 200 million Unicreds wouldn't even cover the cost of building a road in your proposed commercial plaza?"

Gasps filled the room as everyone processed Harrison's words while staring at Arthur's two raised fingers.

"Are you really planning to inject only 200 million?" Derrick asked skeptically.

Arthur shook his head in disbelief at Harrison's smugness before turning back to Derrick. "Sir, what I actually meant is that I will be injecting 200 trillion Unicreds."

The revelation hung heavily in the air as silence enveloped the room; shock and astonishment flickered across every face, some even gaped open-mouthed at him.

Even Derrick appeared taken aback by such an enormous figure coming from Arthur.

It's not that they were totally shocked by the 200 Trillion Unicreds Arthur announced but that shocked is that this 200 Trillion Unicreds came out from the mouth of a just a single person not an institution or a giant corporate company but a single person.

And it's in cash too not in assets or properties but pure cash lying in the bank to be taken out any moment.

"Arthur, are you being serious?" Derrick finally managed to ask with a serious expression.

"Yes sir," Arthur affirmed earnestly. "I've done my calculations; 200 trillion Unicreds is more than sufficient for this commercial plaza."

"Mr. Arthur, don't take us for fools!" Harrison slammed his fist on the table, glaring at Arthur with contempt.

"Department Head Harrison," Arthur replied calmly, "why would I take all of you esteemed leaders for fools?"

Harrison leaned in, a sneer creeping onto his face. "If you're not fooling us, then what exactly are you doing? We all know your Osborn Family is practically bankrupt, the total value of your assets barely exceeds 100 million Unicreds! So where do you get the audacity to claim you have 200 million Unicreds in cash ready to invest in this project?"

The room fell silent as everyone turned their questioning gazes toward Arthur.

Some wore expressions of disbelief; even Bureau Head Derrick looked displeased, a hint of anger flickering in his eyes.

Harrison's expression was smug and disdainful as he thought to himself, *Let's see how you handle this now.*

Inside, Arthur felt like he was about to explode with rage.

If circumstances allowed it, he would gladly punch Harrison right in the face.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he addressed Derrick's displeased look: "Sir, while it's true that the Osborn Family has faced numerous setbacks and nearly went bankrupt recently, I assure you we have resolved those issues."

He paused for effect before continuing. "You might think I'm joking or trying to deceive you, but I genuinely have 200 trillion lying in my bank account right now, and I'm not afraid to explain how I got it."

As he scanned the room confidently, he elaborated: "A few months ago, when my family was on the brink of financial ruin, I used our remaining funds to short-sell Aurora Technology and made 200 million. After that success, I ventured into stock trading, sometimes winning big and sometimes losing, but remember that scandal involving 30 CEOs just days ago? Well, I short-sold them too and raked in substantial profits! I've also been speculating in international futures markets."

To prove his point further, Arthur pulled out his phone and connected it to the projector.

The screen lit up with a detailed history of his stock trades and international futures transactions, everything meticulously organized and clearly showing legitimate sources of income.

Derrick and others watched intently as they nodded along with what they saw on the screen. frёewebηovel.cѳm

"So don't worry, Head Bureau Derrick," Arthur said firmly as he locked eyes with him. "I absolutely have the capital needed for this project."

Derrick smiled back at him. "Well then, Arthur! You've certainly impressed me,you can go ahead and proceed with this project."

"Thank you so much!" Arthur beamed.

But Harrison was seething beneath the surface; his eyes turned red as he clenched his fists under the table.

"Bureau Head," Harrison interjected defiantly as he met Derrick's gaze head-on.

"Yes? Go ahead," Derrick replied with raised eyebrows.

Harrison leaned forward, his expression serious as he addressed the room. "Developing this massive project requires significant resources and manpower. While the Osborn Family has the capital, I'm concerned that we may not have enough manpower. I believe Mr. Arthur here could benefit from partnering with other companies to expedite development. This collaboration would lighten Mr. Arthur's workload and stimulate growth across various industries."

Head Bureau Derrick paused, considering Harrison's words before turning to Arthur. "Arthur, I think Harrison makes a valid point. However, it's ultimately your decision regarding collaborations since you hold the rights to the land."

Arthur remained unnervingly calm, his gaze fixed on Harrison with an intensity that was almost palpable.

If one looked closely, they'd notice his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white and a slight tremor ran through him, though it went unnoticed by everyone else in the room.

Internally, Arthur was seething with rage; thoughts of violence flickered through his mind.

Taking a deep breath to regain composure, Arthur slowly relaxed his fists and forced a polite yet unsettling smile at Harrison.

"Thank you for your input, Department Head Harrison, but my family can manage this project independently."

"But...."

"Department Head Harrison," Arthur interjected sharply, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Bureau Head Derrick has already stated that since I own the land, how I choose to proceed is entirely up to me."

Harrison's face flushed with anger as he glared at Arthur.

"Alright," Bureau Head Derrick said dismissively, waving his hand. "Since Arthur believes he can handle it alone, we can't force him otherwise."

"Arthur," Derrick continued with a nod of approval, "I trust you have full authority over the development of that land."

"Thank you, Bureau Head Derrick! I promise we will do well," Arthur replied with a courteous smile.

The atmosphere lightened as smiles spread across everyone's faces, except for Harrison's; he wore an expression twisted by frustration and fury directed at Arthur.

"Umm! Bureau Head Derrick!" Arthur called out softly.

"Yes?" Derrick responded cheerfully.

"I wanted to ask if the bidding for the government project has concluded?" Arthur inquired.

"Nope! The bidding hasn't started yet; why do you ask?" Derrick replied curiously.

Arthur's eyes lit up with excitement as he quickly said, "I was wondering if you could grant us, the Osborn Family, the exclusive rights to develop this project." His determination shone through as he locked eyes with Derrick.

"Huh!" Derrick gasped softly in surprise. The rest of the room echoed his shock; they stared at Arthur as if he had lost his mind.

"Arthur," Derrick regained composure and asked seriously, "are you fully aware of what you're proposing?"

"Humph! You haven't even broken ground on your so-called commercial plaza, and yet you're already eyeing this massive project? Talk about ambition, Mr. Arthur!" Harrison scoffed, his disdain evident as he shot a mocking glance at Arthur.

Arthur, however, remained unfazed. His gaze was fixed firmly on Derrick as he replied earnestly, "Yes, Sir. I understand your skepticism about my proposal. But if you grant the Osborn Family the full rights to develop this project, I assure you, we won't let you down!"

Derrick shook his head slowly. "This is not a decision I can make alone," he said with a hint of caution.

Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Sir, may I pose a question?"

"Of course," Derrick nodded in encouragement.

"How long does the government anticipate this project will take to complete?" Arthur inquired.

Derrick considered for a moment before responding, "Well, based on our estimates and various factors involved, we expect it to take around ten to fifteen years. Why do you ask?"

With a faint smile playing on his lips, Arthur leaned forward and said confidently, "What if I told you that the Osborn Family could finish this project in just one year? Would you believe me?"

A heavy silence enveloped the room. It was so quiet that one could hear if a pin dropped.

All eyes widened in disbelief; mouths hung open as everyone stared at Arthur in sheer shock and astonishment. They were utterly flabbergasted!