Chapter 243 - 241: A Sure-Fire Deal

Wesley Yates looked up at Winston Marshall, his expression unreadable behind his sunglasses.

Winston Marshall quickly rubbed his hands together and took the lead. "It’s like this, Jeb. You must know Aetherium, right? The high-end business club at The International Trade Center, one of the best in the country."

Aetherium was a landmark in Lorcain. It was a joint venture built in ’12, with foreign investment from Meridia’s MO Group and the domestic Pace Group. The entire building was 31 stories tall, renowned nationwide for its unique architecture and luxurious decor. It was one of the most famous business clubs in Cathay.

Wesley Yates was a frequent visitor and even a Black Gold Member there, so he was certainly no stranger to Aetherium.

The club had also undergone a massive, expensive renovation in ’20, taking the interior decor to a whole new level and making it even more magnificent than before.

Wesley Yates nodded, gesturing for Winston Marshall to continue.

Winston Marshall’s gaze subconsciously darted between Cecilia Sterling and Wesley Yates for a moment before he continued, "I’ve received reliable intel that the club is preparing to sell after the New Year, but the news isn’t out yet. I know you’ve always liked investing in large-scale physical assets, Jeb. With Aetherium’s reputation and fame, if you could take over this club, it would be a guaranteed profitable venture!"

As Winston Marshall spoke, he seemed to be getting excited by his own words.

But after hearing him out, Wesley Yates’s brow furrowed. He asked softly, "If it’s such a surefire moneymaker, why don’t you take it over yourself?"

"You must be joking, Jeb. How could I possibly handle a club this big on my own?"

That much was true. Aetherium’s total area was nearly 30,000 square meters, with a conservative market value of at least two billion. Even if Winston Marshall emptied out his company’s coffers, he probably couldn’t come up with that much capital.

Wesley Yates sneered. "So you can’t handle it, but you think I can?"

"Besides, is your information even reliable? Back in ’19, that foreign group already swallowed up Pace’s shares. Aetherium is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise now. That’s why they renovated it again in ’20. Business is good, so why would they sell?"

"Jeb, you might not know this, but the foreign group’s core industry is in deep trouble. Besides Cathay, they have a lot of physical investments in other countries. They’ve been implicated and are already facing several lawsuits in international courts. Lawyer Quincy is in the industry; he’s surely heard something. Right now, all of the group’s trusts in Cathay have been wiped out. Aetherium is their most valuable asset, and what they need most right now is a massive injection of cash."

Wesley Yates subconsciously glanced at Yves Quincy.

Yves Quincy nodded slightly, confirming Winston Marshall’s words.

Seeing this, Winston Marshall smiled obsequiously. "I just think this is a rare opportunity. If you’re interested, Jeb, I can help connect you. My company had some business dealings with them years ago, and I’m fairly familiar with their person-in-charge in Cathay."

To his surprise, Wesley Yates shook his head. "My appetite isn’t that big. To swallow Aetherium, you’d need two, maybe even three billion, right? I can’t come up with that much money."

He wasn’t one for bluster, and he certainly wouldn’t pretend to be richer than he was just for show. No matter how good the opportunity, it wasn’t something an ordinary person could just decide to take on.

No one could just cough up two or three billion to take over Aetherium on a whim. If there were risks or unexpected problems, it would be almost impossible to recover.

"Jeb, I’m not suggesting you foot the bill alone," Winston Marshall said hurriedly. "You’re a big shot in Lorcain’s investment circle. You must have some trustworthy friends. If everyone is interested, we could form a joint venture to take this cake. That would minimize everyone’s personal risk."

The moment he said this, Wesley Yates instinctively turned to look at Cecilia Sterling beside him.

Cecilia Sterling was in the middle of enjoying her meal, but she had heard every word of their conversation. Seeing Jeb look at her, she couldn’t help but smile faintly. "If you’re interested, big brother, I can join you!"

"You’re quick to agree. Aren’t you afraid it’s a trap?" Wesley Yates said.

Cecilia Sterling raised an eyebrow slightly. "As long as you’re not afraid, big brother, then I’m not either. If we’re jumping into a trap, let’s jump together!"

Regardless of whether Cecilia Sterling was serious or not, Wesley Yates was happy to hear it. He mulled it over for a moment, then looked back at Winston Marshall and asked, "How much time do we have?"

"A week at most. This news won’t stay secret for long. Those guys have their asses on fire right now. Once word gets out that Aetherium is for sale, there will definitely be others who are greedy for it. The faster, the better, Jeb."

At this point, Winston Marshall added cautiously, "Jeb, if you decide to go for it... could you bring me along?"

Everyone at the table looked up at him in unison. A faint smile touched Cecilia Sterling’s lips. ’After that whole long-winded speech, this is what Winston Marshall was waiting for.’

’If Jeb brought Winston Marshall aboard for this, it would be the equivalent of him entering Jeb’s inner circle. After all, having partnered on such a massive deal, it would be impossible to draw a clear line between them in the future.’

His intentions were plain as day, but no one called him out on it. Wesley Yates simply asked, "How much can you invest?"

The man had clearly already done the math, and he blurted out, "I’ll just take the smallest share! Sixty million!"

Sixty million was a significant amount of cash flow, whether for a company or an individual.

But for an acquisition project like Aetherium, it was a mere drop in the bucket.

Wesley Yates scoffed at this, and Winston Marshall laughed awkwardly. "Don’t laugh, Jeb. My company needs to keep some funds in reserve for emergencies. Sixty million is really the best I can do. I’m not greedy. I just want to follow you and get a little taste."

"I’ll think it over. If it works out, I’ll owe you one," Wesley Yates said slowly. "As for your sixty million... if we really do this, we won’t be short sixty million. Whether or not we can bring you in depends on what the others think. Those are the rules."

"I understand. I’ll be content as long as I was able to help you, Jeb."

In Winston Marshall’s mind, this meant Jeb now owed him a favor.

The rest of the meal went smoothly. Winston Marshall escorted Wesley Yates all the way to the underground garage, even rushing ahead of a subordinate in a suit to open the car door for him, acting exceptionally attentive.

"Take care, Jeb. Let me know when you have news, and I’ll contact their people immediately."

Wesley Yates nodded, but after getting in the car, he said to Cecilia Sterling, "Cecilia, get in. I need to talk to you for a second."

Cecilia Sterling walked around to the other side and got in. After the door closed, Wesley Yates asked directly, "This Aetherium deal... what are your thoughts?"

"Big brother, didn’t I already say? If you’re interested, I’ll go in on it with you."

If he thought Cecilia was joking at the dinner table, it was clear now that she was serious.

Wesley Yates pondered this and muttered, "Just the two of us... I’m afraid that won’t be enough..."