I! Cleaner!-Chapter 49 - 0038 Negotiation? Slaughter! (Part 2)_1

"I thought you were trying to kill me!"

Looking at the approving eyes of the other directors in the conference room, the chest of the middle-aged woman suddenly began to heave violently, as if all the blood in her body was rushing backward to her head. Her tightly clenched hands were as cold as a dead person's.

Directly bankrupting Charl Power Company could indeed avoid most of the compensation, which seemed like a good plan for all the directors—except for her own Charl Department Store—because the power company also bore the "Charl" name!

Once she actually agreed to these people's proposal and let the Charl Power Company go bankrupt, most of the resentment would fall on her own family. What would happen next was easy to imagine.

The angry populace couldn't attack the Department of Road Administration, nor could they boycott the three old noble families, but they could boycott the business of her other companies and assail the Charl Department Store branches spread throughout Capital City!

Even though her department store currently occupied more than seventy percent of the market share in Capital City, as soon as the influence of this matter spread, each store would immediately become deserted, subject to endless harassment and even theft and robbery!

"You... you wish!!!"

Seeing the other directors' expressions, a mixture of coldness and implicit mockery, the elegantly dressed middle-aged woman took several rapid breaths, then tightly clenched her fist and slammed it on the table,

"Don't forget we are the biggest investors! Moreover, you all signed an agreement at the start that our Charl Department Store has a veto power! As long as I disagree, none of your proposals can pass!"

"If this is the answer you're giving, then I can only express my regret."

After glancing at the hysterical appearance of the middle-aged woman, the middle-aged man from the Lionheart Family shook his head. With his fingers interlocked and leaning back on the sofa, he said calmly,

"Since you insist on giving unreasonable compensation and can't reach a consensus on business philosophy with everyone, the Ryan Family will just withdraw.

Also, according to the initial contract, we are going to conduct a round of voting next. If the vote passes, we can still take this year's dividends, but looking at your expression..."

After looking at the woman's bloodshot eyes, the middle-aged man from the Lionheart Family shook his head and said,

"Forget it, there's no need to waste time. The Ryan Family is giving up this year's dividends, and we wish all those who stay the best in managing the company."

"You... you're just being unreasonable!"

Seeing someone actually choose to flip the table at this time, the middle-aged woman couldn't help but say angrily,

"This year's dividends aren't even enough for half of the compensation! Besides! The water supply issue was obviously under your control, and now that something's happened, you actually have the nerve to walk away?"

"Ahem... Mrs. Charl, that's not correct."

The old man with a rose emblem embroidered on his chest cleared his throat and leisurely reminded,

"While your veto power can decide whether the proposal passes, it certainly can't decide others' participation, right?

Additionally, I'm sorry, I cannot accept your proposal, and likewise, the Massani Family is withdrawing. We wish you all the best in your endeavors."

"The York Family is withdrawing as well."

"You... you..."

Seeing the three old noble families collectively shirk their responsibilities, clearly having colluded in advance, the cornered middle-aged woman instinctively turned her gaze to the other two families.

"Sorry, this event is a natural disaster unrelated to our Department of Road Administration."

After looking sympathetically at the frantic middle-aged woman, the official from the River Bureau of the Department of Road Administration shook his head and said,

"Though the dam of our department was breached, the direct cause of the accident was still that the power company didn't operate according to procedures. Our Department of Road Administration will not allocate funds for compensation."

"Our Department of Agriculture is the same."

The official from the Water Resources Bureau of the Department of Agriculture also shook his head and said,

"Our Department of Agriculture is not involved in the water supply business. Even if I apply for funding from above, it won't be approved, so all we can do is report this year's power company's losses and relinquish dividends. As for the rest, I'm afraid I'm powerless."

"..."

*So... in the end, it's all dumped on me, isn't it?!*

"You can't leave!"

Seeing the people in the meeting room preparing to get up and leave, the middle-aged woman, burning with anxiety, couldn't help but grit her teeth and stomp hard,

"If you leave, it means abandoning other parts of the business besides water supply! Not only will there be no dividends in the future, but you also won't see a single penny of the money for the initial construction of the plant!"

"Since we've decided to withdraw, we're naturally prepared for these things."

Upon hearing these words, the middle-aged blond man raised his eyelids slightly, reminding calmly,

"Mrs. Charl, you seem to have forgotten that most of the business of the power company was brought in by us, and without anyone purchasing your 'products,' even the most robust production ability is meaningless.

After exiting the Charl Power Company, we can easily start up a new company with the same business, or even wait for the Charl Power Company to go bankrupt, then purchase its remains at less than a tenth of the original price."

"Oh, and also."

Seeing Mrs. Charl's face, which was turning pale as she subconsciously gritted her teeth, the blond middle-aged man's lips slightly curled up, showing the first hint of expression on his usually expressionless face.

"Apart from the power company, the three of us are also very interested in the department store business, and when the department store we are planning is completed, you and Mr. Charl are welcome to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony."

"…"

"You... you did this on purpose?!"

Looking at the smile on the blond middle-aged man's face, the woman's mind was electrified, and her entire body began to tremble.

*No wonder... no wonder such a low-level accident occurred! It turns out this whole thing was aimed at our family from the start!*

The money for starting the power company had locked down her family's funds, and now with the incident happening right before they broke even, the huge compensation combined with the utterly ruined reputation was enough to drive her department store into a corner, forcing it to relinquish its market share!

Moreover, rather than the three days of negotiations failing to reach an agreement on a compensation plan, it was more likely intended to delay her response time, allowing the whole matter to spread and ferment.

They even allowed those protesters to come near the power company and then had Security Department personnel beat them but without completely driving them away, also to escalate the situation quickly!

No! This isn't right! It goes beyond that!

Seeing those directors who used to respect her greatly but now had nothing but ridicule in their eyes, the middle-aged woman felt dizzy, and she suddenly stumbled.

Back then, they clearly didn't need her family's participation, and they could have established the power company without involving the Charl Department Store, which meant unnecessary free money for her family.

So, it was a setup from the beginning! From the moment they roped her into investing and branding the power company, their goal hadn't changed—it was always to swallow her department store!

*How could I be so stupid!!!*

"Mom? Mom!"

Seeing that something was wrong with the middle-aged woman, the young girl with a doll-like face who was behind her hurriedly stepped forward to support her.

And when she realized that her mother suddenly rolled her eyes and kept mumbling incoherently without uttering a clear word, the doll-faced girl's expression changed drastically, her voice suddenly tinged with tears.

"Someone! Please, someone come quickly!"