I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 237 Individual Moves and Betrayal

After the Mass ended, the believers were visibly shocked and still felt a sense of lingering satisfaction.

Many people never experience this kind of Mass in their lives, and some even develop a strong faith in Catholicism because of this Mass.

Calvin and Sawyer could clearly sense the changes in the young woman and felt even greater awe for Debbie; after all, Debbie was favored by God.

Debbie turned to leave, but was stopped by Sawyer as soon as she reached Richard's side.

Sawyer said respectfully, "Saint-Debbie, there is a very important person waiting for you there."

"Important figures?" Debbie frowned and looked over, only to see two people standing in the corner.

There was an elderly man in front of me.

The old man was wearing a dark suit without any logos, a typical old-money outfit, with a strange little badge pinned to his collar.

Behind him followed a young man, dressed in a suit and tie, with his hair neatly styled and wearing gold-rimmed glasses; he was clearly a top business elite.

Who is it?

"Grantmont-Gomery, the head of Catholic investment on Wall Street, controls trillions of dollars in assets," Sawyer said with awe.

This is reverence for wealth.

Even if he is God's shepherd, he would feel inferior in front of a big shot of this caliber.

Debbie didn't care at all; she didn't want to see people like that: "Wall Street? What does that have to do with me?"

She turned to leave, but Richard said softly, "Go see him and see what he has to say."

Richard was very curious to know what that person wanted from Debbie.

Debbie, who never refused Richard's requests, said dejectedly, "Okay, let's go take a look."

Sawyer could only manage a wry smile; Richard's influence on Debbie was simply too great.

When Grant saw Debbie approaching, he made the sign of the cross on his chest and nodded slightly, saying, "Your Highness, thank you very much for staying to meet me."

Although Debbie's canonization case hasn't even gone through the first step, she's already considered a saint by conservatives.

Anyone who dares to stop Debbie from being canonized is their enemy.

Debbie completely ignored the polite formality and asked simply and directly, "What do you need me for, Mr. Montgomery?"

Sawyer's face stiffened; few people dared to speak to Grant Montgomery like that anymore.

Grant remained unchanged, smiling as he said, "I've noticed you haven't participated in any of the Church's public events lately, which has worried me greatly. I understand your concerns and the reasons you previously declined certain arrangements. From now on, the new council is willing to support you and your mother, and is also willing to accept Richard as your guardian knight. We hope Your Highness understands that we are not trying to control you; we are simply looking for a safer and more sustainable way of cooperating. You are a saint."

After saying that, Grant glanced at Richard.

Richard calmly looked him straight in the eye, thinking to himself, "So this guy wants a truce. At least he's sincere; such a big shot actually came to see Debbie in person, and he didn't put on airs."

Richard probably understood that Grant-Montgomery really had no other choice.

Debbie was a saint who continuously performed miracles and was of great value to Catholic conservatives.

She was also a vibrant saint who could attract young people and stand firm in the secular world, which was more important than anyone in the Catholic Church.

If the Catholic Church continues to refuse to compromise with Debbie, it will be a loss for the Catholic Church, and Richard doesn't care whether he takes Debbie to Protestantism or some other denomination.

What he wanted was influence in America, not the title of saint of a particular denomination.

It didn't matter to Richard; it didn't matter what sect he belonged to.

Grant couldn't help but glance at Richard again.

Given his status, few people would dare to look him in the eye so fearlessly.

He could tell that Richard was not just forcing himself to be calm, but was genuinely calm.

This completely baffled him: how could Li Weihong's small business family have raised such an outstanding young man?

With Grant Montgomery's abilities, investigating Richard's family background would be a piece of cake.

Catholic conservatives have already thoroughly investigated Richard's family background:

This is a boy from an ordinary small business family in Dongguan. His parents were divorced, and his father, Li Weihong, had a younger son whom he raised.

To put it bluntly, Richard is the kind of offspring who has been abandoned by his family, which is quite common in wealthy families.

Moreover, Richard was already Debbie's classmate before Debbie performed her miracle.

Therefore, Richard was definitely not a plot planted by Tokyo University to influence the Saintess; he simply appeared by Debbie's side by chance.

But did Debbie really meet such an outstanding young man so easily?

Perhaps he was truly inspired by the saintess and became a devout guardian knight?

Although Debbie was not good at negotiation and could not understand the intricacies of the negotiations, she could still tell that the other party was compromising.

In Debbie's view, all that nonsense she was spouting was just her way of saving face.

People always need to find reasons for their failures, right?

Just like when she beat some clueless bitches in the cheerleading squad, those bitches would usually say to her when they bowed down, "I've always thought you were a nice guy. The previous conflict was just a misunderstanding. From now on, we're good friends."

Good friends? No way!

Anyone who believes that is an idiot!

Debbie shrugged dismissively: "OK, so what do you want me to do from now on? What can I do?"

Grant-Montgomery chuckled, “Your Highness can do whatever you want. We just feel we can assist you with some small things. You can continue doing whatever you want now—cheerleading, making videos online, anything. We just hope you can be around young people as much as possible and encourage them to embrace Catholicism. You don’t have to pander to us or become what we want you to be. You are a saint; just maintain your influence. God will always cherish and watch over you.”

Grant calmly stated his request.

He initially thought Debbie wouldn't understand, but she immediately grasped the point: "Ha, I get it. You want me to continue being your front man, or you want me to do what you want me to do for free? What do I get in return?"

Sawyer's lips twitched.

Do you have to be so blunt?

Your Highness!

He's Grant Montgomery!

The young man behind Grant pursed his lips, his face turning grim.

Grant couldn't help but laugh.

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to speak to him in such a tone: "Your Highness, I understand your distrust, but please allow me to correct something. What we do need is your help to attract young people to Catholicism, but isn't that also what you, as a saint, would want to see?"

Grant certainly wouldn't promise Debbie anything.

Although he respected the saintess, given his status, he could not compromise with anyone.

Even just in words.

Debbie pursed her lips and calmly said, "Okay, that's settled then. If there's nothing else, I'm going home. Richard, let's go."

Back in the car, Debbie pouted and said, "That old man didn't tell me a single truth, and he didn't promise me anything in the end. He wanted to gain my influence without spending any money."

"It's just a scheme to get something for nothing," Richard chuckled. "But it doesn't matter. We've always been using each other. They need a saint to boost the conservatives' influence and expand their followers, and you need the Catholic Church's endorsement. Once your influence grows stronger, things will no longer be under their control, and sooner or later they'll have to pay the price they deserve."

Debbie nodded emphatically.

Even though she wasn't very bright, dealing with these old guys every day, plus Richard's guidance, helped her figure out a lot of things.

According to Richard, when dealing with this group of people, you don't need to listen to what they say; you just need to analyze it from a perspective of self-interest.

Who gained, who lost. It's that simple.

All other rhetoric is just smoke and mirrors.

Catherine stood coldly in the lab director's office, looking down at a group of people in dark uniforms with "New York City Department of Building and Environmental Compliance" badges pinned to their chests, who were scurrying around the newly established company's lab building.

This group of people arrived suddenly, without prior appointment or showing a search warrant. They simply flashed their badges and said it was a routine compliance inspection, then turned the experimental area upside down.

Interestingly, without waiting for anyone's guidance, Si Ping knew exactly where each experimental area in the laboratory was.

It's obvious someone leaked the information.

The new company was hiring like crazy, and naturally some people with ulterior motives managed to sneak in.

The entire inspection lasted noisily for two hours. These guys didn't seem to be deliberately difficult, but filling out the forms item by item kept the experts in the experimental area from working all morning.

They meticulously recorded all sorts of data: from exhaust emissions to medical waste storage, chemical reagent usage records, fire exit signs—everything, from the most ridiculous and absurd things, was dug up and carefully verified.

Before leaving, the inspectors signed the rectification handover form, neither saying there was a problem nor that there was one; they simply said to wait for further notice.

The lab director walked into Catherine's office with the notice in his hand, his expression grim: "They're deliberately making things difficult for us."

He handed the rectification handover form to Catherine.

Catherine glanced at it.

The form lists three notices of non-compliance during the initial inspection:

1. The reagent label is unclear.

2. The waste liquid storage area lacks leak-proof trays.

3. The laboratory ventilation system inspection report has not yet been filed.

It's all just trivial, petty stuff.

They explicitly demanded that the relevant city departments send specialists to review the case, but the review time was still uncertain. It was utterly disgusting.

Catherine put down the list and calmly said, "Make corrections based on the non-compliance points, cooperate with them, and I'll handle the rest."

The lab director could only shrug helplessly: "OK. I'm worried that other departments of the New York City government will also cause us trouble."

Catherine nodded.

She knew that someone was putting pressure on her; who else could it be?

It's nothing more than Maderson; only the famous Mayor of New York City could so easily use such administrative power to disgust himself.

On the surface, this pressure was meaningless; there were no penalties or shutdowns, it was just a small warning.

If the bidding process drags on, Harker will resort to all sorts of tactics.

In the past, there have even been cases where buyers were arrested for various strange reasons, detained for a short period of time, and only released after the bidding ended.

They'll do anything to make money.

"Hacks..." Catherine sneered, silently repeating to herself.

The next morning, Catherine's car was parked downstairs at the Bello Group headquarters.

Guided by Bello staff, Catherine arrived at the floor where the high-level conference room was located.

President Power and Chairman Anton personally stood at the top of the stairs to greet Catherine as a sign of respect.

The three shook hands, exchanged glances, and then tacitly went to the conference room.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the discussions began.

Bauer pushed a proposal to the center of the table: "Ms. Catherine Dixon, thank you very much for taking the time to come today. I invited you here today to confirm something in person. Regarding the second round of offers, Bellow is evaluating all possibilities. Mr. Hax's LOTA offer has already..."

Very attractive. If you are willing to increase the value of L0T A in your overall offer to over 50 billion, Bellow can prioritize the overall proposal and directly suspend the bidding process.

In a small cubicle next to the conference room, Victor and two other directors listened carefully to the sounds coming from the conference room.

For them, the best outcome would be if they could get Catherine to agree to pay more before the bidding process even begins.

Unfortunately, what they didn't know was that both the chairman and the president had defected to the enemy.

Catherine played along with Bauer's act, and after watching it once, she said seriously, "Mr. Bauer, I have already made my offer: 120 billion. We will buy Lot A, Lot B, and Lot C together as a package. This offer will not change."

Bauer didn't back down and continued his act: "Okay, let's not talk about the shared costs, let's rephrase the question. Is it possible for you to raise the overall quote to 135?"

"A billion? If that's the case, Bello can immediately suspend the bidding and complete the transaction. It's only 15 billion more than your current offer; buying certainty for 15 billion is a very worthwhile deal. Otherwise, if Harkers offers a higher price, perhaps we'll just sell Lot A."

Catherine glanced down at the price list: "Mr. President, are you kidding me? What extras can I get for 135 billion?"

Bauer smiled and said, “Certainty and timing. You don’t need to compete with Harker in a second round, nor do you need to guess how high he’ll raise the price. You just need to add a small $15 billion and sign it off.”

"A paltry 15 billion?" Catherine scoffed, pushing the list back to the center of the table. "That's no small sum! I don't need to buy that certainty, Bauer. My certainty comes from my finance staff's assessment of all of Bellow's core assets. Regardless of whether Bellow Group chooses to sell off in parts, I will bid as a whole in the second round, according to our needs. If any of the three packages fails, I will withdraw; this is clearly stated on my offer."

In the next private room, the three directors looked grim.

Catherine insists on buying the whole thing but refuses to pay more. What should we do?

She's the only buyer right now!

Too passive...

Bauer paused for a moment, as if considering, then changed his approach: "OK, let's try a different way of cooperating. You don't raise the price, but I'll offer the purchase rights to eight flagship stores in LOT A, dividing them into Package D. Packages A, B, and C will still be 12 billion. These eight flagship stores are Mr. Hax's target. This way, the Bellow Group can get sufficient compensation from Hax."

Catherine scoffed, "The 12 billion price tag includes eight core flagship stores. Without those eight stores, Bello's assets will depreciate significantly, you must know that, right?"

The negotiations have reached a stalemate.

The two sides engaged in a heated exchange, but to no avail.

Anton spoke up, "Catherine, I've heard your opinion. Let me just tell you our assessment directly. The overall offer of 120 billion is still quite a distance from the Bellow board's expectations. I'll make the decision: 130 billion. Bellow Group can sell all its assets to you right now. That's it. As long as you're willing to raise it to 130 billion, I will fully support the overall plan at the board meeting. Let's end this endless bidding war!"

Catherine looked at Anton: "I understand your situation, Mr. Anton. But I won't buy it by raising the price. How about this, I also offer an alternative: still $120 billion to buy all the assets. However, after the Bellow Group sells its assets, I can help with the resettlement of these store employees. The new company will open a green priority recruitment channel, and all the employees of the sold stores can transfer their contracts to the new company, as long as they are willing. All their seniority, job level, salary level, and benefits will be perfectly inherited from the Bellow Group's configuration, meaning they will not experience unemployment or the stage of finding new jobs. In this way, you will not need to pay a large amount of severance pay, nor will you need to face the legal and public opinion consequences that may be caused by large-scale layoffs. This can save you about $3 million in severance pay and resettlement costs, as well as possible public opinion."

On risk.

Catherine was cunning; she disguised her desire to control everyone as a benefit for Bello.

"This..." Anton did not respond. He pretended to ponder for a moment, then said, "Ms. Catherine, this proposal is very valuable, but it is not enough to make up for the price difference."

"To be honest, the board's expectation is over 130 billion. The employee severance package you offered will indeed save us some money, but that money isn't in cash. And 3 million in severance pay? Haha, you're overestimating it."

"If you cannot offer a sincere concession on the quoted figures, we will have to make a decision that is more in line with Bellow's interests, and may even abandon the sale of Lot B and Lot C altogether, and only sell Lot A to Harkers."

Catherine calmly closed the folder and pushed it back to the center of the table: "Anton, you and I both understand a clear reality now. So far, I'm the only buyer willing to take over all of Bellow Group's assets for sale. DiCano has withdrawn, and Ruttor has withdrawn too. Let's not talk about those smaller buyers anymore. Hax only wants Lot A. If you choose to split it up, that's fine, it's your asset. I just want to ask, Lot B..."

"No one's willing to buy Lot C, what are you planning to do?"

"I can tell you definitively that if I lose those eight flagship stores, I will never buy B and C again. The new company can still establish a sub-brand with Decano through ACER technology. I am not without alternatives. Anton."

Anton remained silent.

Bauer said coldly, "You're implying that you'll cooperate with our competitor, DiCano."

Catherine smiled. "I'm not implying anything, I'm stating a fact. If this deal falls through, I'll look for other business partners. What's wrong with that? It will be slower, and I might have to pay a premium, but it definitely won't exceed $120 billion. That's an astronomical figure! Well, add in the priority hiring process for your employees, and that's all I have to offer. If you think that's not enough, then proceed with your plan. I respect the outcome of the bidding."

After saying that, Catherine stood up, straightened the hem of her suit skirt, and calmly said, "A business deal must be based on a price that satisfies both parties, not just your one-sided idea."

After saying that, she turned and left, and a team of negotiators followed Catherine out of the room.

The negotiations ended in discord.

The people from the newly established company have left.

The door to the cubicle was pushed open, and Raymond, Victor, and Margaret came out.

The three of them looked unwell.

Raymond spoke first: "It seems Catherine is unwilling to raise the price."

Victor said, "That's confirmed. She might raise the price a little more during the bidding, but the overall offer won't reach 130 billion; it won't meet our expectations."

"What should we do then?"

"We've already decided that if the price is below 130 billion, we'll proceed with the split. Now, it's time to use Catherine to put pressure on Hax and get him to offer a sufficiently high price to compensate for our losses."

The three directors were unwilling, but they had no choice but to accept this approach now.

Anton and Bauer exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Split up? They would never tolerate being split up.

Hax finally received a call from Sterling of Mellon Bank.

He answered the call, and before he could even finish his enthusiastic greeting, Sterling had already finished speaking: "Mr. Harker, after internal evaluation, we have decided to reduce the loan amount to $35 billion, with a corresponding increase in the interest rate of 1.5%. This is Mellon Bank's final decision, and the disbursement date and specific terms have been sent to your email. As per our previous agreement, the funds will be disbursed within 10 minutes."

Harker's finger stopped, and his face darkened. "Sterling," he said, "we've already signed a letter of intent! We agreed on something other than 35 billion!"

Sterling said calmly, "Yes. However, the letter of intent also states that Mellon Bank can assess the value of existing assets, and the final loan amount will be based on Mellon Bank's assessment, which you have accepted."

Harker's breathing became heavy: "I accepted it too? You told me the day before the bidding that the quota had been reduced by $15 billion! If it was only a reduction of $1 million, $2 million..."

"I could accept 100 million, or even 300 or 400 million, but how could it be reduced by so much!"

Sterling didn't elaborate, but simply repeated, "These are the loan assessment committee's results, and I'm sorry. The new terms have been sent, and the funds will be disbursed within 10 minutes."

After saying that, he decisively hung up the phone.

FXXK! Hacks slammed his phone on the table, his heart pounding.

He was like a fast car traveling on a highway, when suddenly a cliff appeared in front of him without any warning.

FXXK! He cursed fiercely.

He didn't know exactly what had happened at Mellon Bank, but he knew that someone must have intervened.

Mellon Bank would never offend such a long-time customer without good reason.

Who convinced Mellon Bank?

Harker knew without a doubt who it was: Catherine, from New Life Corporation!

However, Harkers was not particularly annoyed with the new company; rather, he felt an uncontrollable rage towards Mellon Bank.

Catherine of the newly established company is his competitor.

Since they are competitors, they will naturally use their own methods and rely on their own abilities.

Catherine suppressed her own financial chain, and he also sought Manderson's help to suppress Catherine's company.

Everyone played fairly, there's nothing more to say.

However, Mellon Bank is different; the two are partners and have been working together for over 20 years.

FXXK! Hales felt a surge of betrayal and rage.