Chapter 301: Making Things Difficult

Joy Drake didn’t leave.

Leaning lazily against the back of her chair, she smiled at Vivian Lowell and said, “I really like your place, Mrs. Faulkner. I didn’t expect the view to be this good.

“That’s the main street outside, right? It’s so bustling. The night view must be pretty spectacular, isn’t it? It’s truly enviable that the Faulkner Group has an office building like this.

“Unfortunately, almost all the good real estate in Aethelburg has been bought up. There are some places available in the more remote areas, but the locations are just too poor. I don’t like them.

“Mrs. Faulkner, tell me… if I were to discuss this with President Faulkner, would he be willing to sell this building to serve as the future headquarters for the Drake family? How much do you think he would ask for?”

Joy wore an expression that practically screamed, “I’m rich.”

Vivian was momentarily rendered speechless. She began to suspect that Joy had spent so much time with Shelly Drake that she’d been influenced by her, and now her brain was starting to malfunction.

“Miss Drake,” Vivian interrupted Joy’s unrealistic fantasies. “The night view here is indeed very nice, and this building was bought by the Faulkner Group.

“As the office building for the Faulkner Group and its subsidiaries, basically every floor here is in use. Even the shopping mall downstairs is owned by the Faulkner Group.

“The annual revenue generated here reaches an astronomical figure. I imagine that even for the Drake family, swallowing it all in one bite wouldn’t be easy.

“Not to mention… Miss Drake, does Master Drake know about this idea of yours? If he doesn’t… I think it’d be best if you dropped the subject.

“Because it’s basically impossible to achieve. Relying solely on you, Miss Drake, to buy this place… well, I wonder if you’d even be able to afford it if you’d started saving money back in 221 BC when Qin Shi Huang unified the Six States?”

Joy was dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe Vivian was speaking to her like this!

The only reason she had brought it up was to flaunt the Drake family’s wealth in front of Vivian. Yet, Vivian had just told her that even if she worked hard for over two thousand years, she still wouldn’t necessarily be able to achieve her dream of buying this building!

Joy nearly lost her cool. It was only after she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms that she managed to calm down a fraction.

“Mrs. Faulkner.” Joy’s expression was stiff as she stared at Vivian. “It’s true that buying this place isn’t something I can do on my own. Since I have this idea, I will, of course, go back and ask Master Drake for instructions.

“As for you, Mrs. Faulkner… I think the question I just asked wasn’t wrong at all. If we want to buy this place, we have to ask President Faulkner, not you, Mrs. Faulkner!”

Joy wanted to emphasize one point! So what if Vivian had married into the Faulkner family? That didn’t mean she could control the Faulkner family’s assets! If the Drake family wanted to buy this building, they would negotiate with Julian Faulkner. What did it have to do with Vivian Lowell?!

Vivian fell silent for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. “Since returning to Veridia, Miss Drake, have you not brushed up on your knowledge of Veridian law?” she asked in a confused tone.

“Perhaps when you have some free time, you can go back and read Veridia’s new marriage law. Then you’ll realize that what you just said is actually quite laughable.

“As for the Faulkner Group’s building, if I don’t agree, Julian wouldn’t be able to sell it even if he wanted to. It’s just unrealistic. Anyway, I’ve said all I need to say. Miss Drake, it’s getting late.

“I still have things to do. I face many clients every day; having one more like you doesn’t make much of a difference, and losing one doesn’t matter either. Besides, the price of your order isn’t even that high.

“We also wrote it into the contract. Although we will help you revise the design until you’re satisfied, there are conditions. We cannot infinitely satisfy your unreasonable demands.

“We’ve noted your requests this time, but please have some boundaries. We won’t tolerate just any demand.

“Finn, please see the two Miss Drakes out.”

Vivian had always felt that her temper was quite good. Of course… when facing people she disliked, she really didn’t want to show too good of a temper, lest she be bullied.

“Yes!” Finn had let out a breath of frustration today and was highly satisfied. She happily went over and made a “please” gesture, determined to watch Joy and Shelly leave with her own eyes before she would be fully satisfied.

Finn only escorted Joy and Shelly to the company entrance before shutting the security door, not wanting to pay them any more attention.

Seeing this scene, Joy and Shelly were absolutely furious—especially Shelly!

She had come today with the intention of reclaiming her pride, but she had failed, and even Joy hadn’t succeeded! Were they here to reclaim their pride or to be treated like punching bags?!

“Joy!” Shelly practically wanted to stamp her feet. Grinding her back teeth, she said through clenched jaws, “She’s so arrogant! Why don’t we just stop cooperating with them altogether! The way she spoke, she—!”

“Enough!” Joy cut her off. Closing her eyes briefly, she said, “Stop cooperating? So you want me to terminate the contract? If they can’t draw what we want, we can make demands!

“If they feel we’re too much trouble and don’t want to serve us anymore, and they take the initiative to terminate the contract, then they are the ones breaking the agreement! They’ll be the ones paying compensation!

“But if we proactively propose to stop cooperating right now, then we become the breaching party. Do you know how much we’d have to pay in damages?

“Over a million! Right now, I can’t come up with that kind of money, so we still have to work with them this time! Don’t get so agitated, there will always be a way!”

After saying this, Joy’s shoulders trembled as she tried her best to suppress her anger.

Vivian seemed to have seen right through her.

This project was indeed extremely important to Joy. It was the first project Master Drake had entrusted to her—an opportunity to showcase her abilities. If the sales volume was good, she might even be able to get her hands on other future projects for the Drake family!

If she messed it up… Joy refused to entertain that possibility, because it wouldn’t happen.

Vivian also knew that Joy valued this project and couldn’t afford to lose it. Naturally, Joy wouldn’t choose to terminate the contract, pay a massive penalty, and then go looking for another design team!

Setting aside the question of another team’s capabilities, the compensation alone was more than Joy could bear. Furthermore, all the back-and-forth would drastically extend the timeline.

The new lipsticks being launched by the company primarily featured shades tailored for the autumn and winter seasons. Right now, autumn had basically already begun. If they didn’t hit the market soon, they would miss the best window of opportunity!

She couldn’t afford any delays.

Damn it!

Joy cursed Vivian a thousand times in her head and started to somewhat regret bringing Shelly here. She was completely useless.

“Let’s go back first!” Joy gritted her teeth and dragged Shelly away.