Chapter 706: Chapter 702: Is Mr. Dunn in Big Trouble?

Ethan Sean’s face suddenly changed, and the bit of fake smile he had could no longer be maintained.

“Mr. Dunn, is this really necessary?”

Richelle Dunn glanced at him coldly, “Oh? Mr. Sean, do you think it would be better for me to sign the agreement without hesitation?”

Richelle’s voice was not loud, but her tone carried great authority.

Ethan hesitated for a moment, realizing that he might have underestimated the abilities of the newly appointed Richelle Dunn.

However, he still believed he had a chance of winning.

“Mr. Dunn, when we submitted our proposal last week, it was your staff who informed us that we could come to negotiate. We’ve been busy all week preparing for today’s negotiation, coming up with a new proposal. I brought ten of my company’s best employees here, in the hope of having a sincere discussion with you. But after a few minutes of reviewing our proposal, you dismissed all our hard work.”

“Mr. Dunn, if word of your approach gets out, I’m afraid it won’t look good.”

Ethan’s last sentence was a blatant threat.

But when facing opponents, Richelle Dunn only believed in himself and was impervious to pressure from either side.

“Mr. Sean, I have my own way of doing things, and no matter what I do, I can never please everyone. Therefore, I always judge each case on its merits.”

“The data displayed in your proposal indicates that your company does not meet the qualifications required to collaborate with us. If I were to force myself to negotiate with you out of fear of people’s disapproval, it would be a waste of both our time. Do you think it’s necessary?”

Seeing that a tough approach wasn’t working, Ethan tried a softer one.

“Mr. Dunn, when you say we don’t have the qualifications to collaborate, can you explain why? At least then we could die with our eyes open.”

Richelle shook his head, “Sorry, but since we have no intention of working with your company, I don’t want to comment on your terms and data. Otherwise, I would become a person who oppresses the weak with my power in the eyes of others.”

Richelle firmly refused to reveal the reason or cooperate.

Ethan and his team were disgruntled, but they couldn’t deny the huge gap in power and resources between Lodiva Group and Lewis Group.

Moreover, they were on someone else’s territory, and even if the new president seemed easy to bully, he still held more power and influence than they did.

In the end, Ethan and his team had no choice but to accept reality. They came in high spirits and left in defeat.

After Ethan left, the two directors asked Richelle with puzzled expressions.

“Mr. Dunn, their company’s terms and data seem quite impressive among industry peers. Why did you say they don’t qualify to collaborate with us?”

Richelle smiled.

“Of course, if the terms and data were true, they would be worth cooperating with. But what if they were false?”

Mr. Kingston stared in shock, “That’s impossible! Lodiva Group is a listed company; these data can’t be false!”

Richelle shrugged, “I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but from the perspective of Lewis Group’s interests, as long as there’s doubt, I won’t take the risk.”

As the president, Richelle didn’t have to explain these details to the two directors.

However, since taking over as acting president, Richelle had maintained an approachable image in the eyes of his subordinates.

That was why the two directors dared to voice their concerns.

And as for Richelle’s assertion about false data, the two directors didn’t question it further.

After all, though he had only been appointed recently, Richelle already led teams through several major projects on his own, and his extraordinary abilities were evident to all.

“Sorry, our initial evaluation was wrong, and we had you go through the trouble.”

Richelle waved his hand, “It’s not your fault. I just happened to review some files from last year and found that they had sought to collaborate with us before, but Mr. Lewis rejected them. That’s why I became suspicious and decided to investigate further, discovering the hidden issue.”

Both directors felt as if they had narrowly escaped a crisis.

“Anyway, we’re fortunate to have Mr. Dunn reviewing this case, otherwise we would have wasted even more time on this matter.”

Richelle gave them a reassuring smile, “Alright, you two can go back to work now. This wasn’t your responsibility, so don’t worry about it.”

The news of Richelle Dunn’s single-handed rejection of a promising acquisition deal quickly reached the ears of major board members.

That night, the board members called the old man to complain.

Although the old man had stepped down from his position of power within Lewis Group, he still served as a stabilizing force for the company over the years.

Whenever a major issue arose, board members often sought his opinion.

The old man hadn’t heard about the acquisition deal from either Roy Lewis or Richelle Dunn.

After all, both Roy and Richelle, aside from being outstanding managers, were also considerate juniors.

They seldom discussed company matters in front of the old man, not wanting him to worry about business affairs at his advanced age.

“Since the board members have objections, let’s have a board meeting, and let Richelle explain to everyone why he rejected the collaboration.”

The old man said this to the director responsible for communication.

It seemed to be exactly what the board members wanted.

“Alright, let’s do it tomorrow afternoon!”