CHAPTER 166: OVERNIGHT MILLIONAIRE

Jake went to go check on Constantine in the kitchen. He was amazed by the way the young man worked and had the other two kitchen workers helping like they had been working together for years. This was going to be his—he had found his home.

Jake stepped out of the kitchen area and called for old George to sit down for a second in the corner so that they could speak. "George, name your price. Get ready to retire—I know you’re tired and I want to buy you out lock, stock and barrel. What all do you own?"

Jake was surprised to understand that he owned the Plaza, which consisted of Sonja’s shop, the soda shop, three more empty buildings, the 65-unit motor lodge, and the travel Plaza across the road where all of the buses stopped. "George, write me a number on a paper, fold it up and let me see it. I want it all."

George looked at this man who sat talking to him and he scribbled out on a piece of paper an amount that he figured no one would ever think about paying because honestly it needed too much work. George handed it to Jake and he opened it.

"Are you sure this is what you want for this place, George? All it takes is one phone call to my lawyers and they’ll have your check here within 24 hours."

George sat down. "That’s too much money for this place. Are you for sure?"

"George, I don’t back down from a deal," Jake replied. "Constantine needs a place to practice his art because that’s what his cooking is—it is an art. I know the place needs a lot of work, but hey, that’s what Malcolm out there is for. He needs the work as well as several others that he’ll have to hire to do it. So if this is what you want and you are sure, a courier will bring you a check tomorrow morning for the price that you have on this piece of paper plus 20%."

Old George almost fell off the chair. He couldn’t believe that the outrageous price had just been raised by 20% and within 24 hours he would no longer own this place. He would no longer have to be dragged down by the soda shop or anything else—he’d be a free man. Free to move to the city even. George thought about it. "Jake—I don’t know your last name—you got yourself a deal and a monster of a headache."

"George, let me tell you one thing," Jake said. "This is not a headache—this is an opportunity. For what is coming to this area, we’re going to grow around here, and if we’re going to grow, we’re going to have someplace here to shop and to sell merchandise from the ranches locally. Come back in six months and you won’t know it. The check will be here by noon tomorrow, no later, or I’ll owe you 10% more."

Jake picked up his phone and told his banker the figure of the sale price and the location of the property that was to be purchased and who it was to be purchased from. But the property was to be put in the name of Constantine Freeman Traylor as the new owner. All expenses would be paid for by The Traylor Corp. There would be a lot of renovation going on and there was to be a new contractor that would be handling it, and he would be an employee of the Traylor Corp. His name was Malcolm Stirling from the company by his own name.

Jake bid George goodbye and wished him luck tomorrow at noon when he got his check, and that he had an appropriate amount of time—15-20 days—to clear out everything that he owned such as personal possessions. But the sale included lock, stock and barrel all contents of every location, inventory and all.

"Great, I’ll have the keys ready for you tomorrow at noon," George said.

"Okay, Constantine and I will be back at that time for you to sign the sales contract."

Jake went back to the table to have a seat with Sonja and Malcolm. "Sonja, let me ask you—problems you got with your location. I understand that you had a few issues with some pipes and maybe a couple of electrical shorts."

"A couple shorts? Some plumbing issues? You name it and I’ve got it," Sonja replied. "I got outlets, I’ve got lights, I’ve got switches, I’ve got faucets, I’ve got a toilet that hasn’t worked in six months. I’m looking for a new place since George didn’t do anything."

"Malcolm, you’re working for me now. You’re my general contractor," Jake announced. "Find out what Sonja needs in her place and fix it to the point where it’s operational because I want to rewire the entire Plaza. I want all of hers rewired and replumbed, new high-index lighting, all new solar panels for the roof for all the businesses. We’re going to take the three empty buildings—one’s going to be an office front, the other two are going to be rental space for a store and market so that the township here can have something and the Z1 ranch can market their supplies. Just to let you know, tomorrow at noon we have a new owner in town."

"Jake, did you buy this place? Baby, I hope not because this place needs a lot," Sonja remarked.

"No, Sonja, I didn’t buy it—I didn’t buy just this place," Jake corrected. "I didn’t buy your place. I bought the whole Plaza here, I bought the 65-unit motor lodge which has got to be renovated, and the travel Plaza across the road. So Malcolm, besides starting on my home that I’m going to build, you gotta get this place in shipshape. We need a complete crew out here, and tell them not to worry about their paychecks because the Traylor Corp. will be their master employer. And yes, you can close your mouth now, Malcolm—the days of you starving are over. You now work for the Traylor Corp. You are my contractor for all my crazy little ideas that I have. And just to let both of you know, the owner of this place is back there in the kitchen cooking his heart out. He doesn’t know it yet, but he has just become a very wealthy young man."

Malcolm looked at Jake with very wide eyes. "Am I speaking to Jake Traylor, the sole owner of Traylor Corp.—multi-trillion-dollar corporation, third richest person on the planet?"

"I’m guilty as charged—I’m guilty, I’m the one," Jake grinned. "So young man, can you handle it, or do I need to go to the city and find some yahoo up there that doesn’t know anybody or anything around here and he’ll bring all of his own people in here and you’ll still be starving?"

"No sir, I’ll gladly accept the job and the opportunity to prove myself," Malcolm replied quickly. "And you don’t have to worry about anything. I will have more than enough people in the morning ready to go at 7 AM. Just tell us where to meet."

"Two doors down there’s the third building on the end. Need to get that place cleaned up first thing—you do the painting, we need a sign on the front: Traylor Corp. We need to set it up as an office and a base of operations for you and your crew. We need something with class but not uppity. You need to come out to the Z1, and any of the Genmen that are willing to work for you and Zack lets them work for you will have transport right here. You can have all of the people that you need—if you need 100 people, we’ve got them just sitting around down there building on that museum and everything else he’s got going on. Plus we’re going to have to have the other two buildings renovated into a storefront for a market and grocery. Then the travel Plaza has to be completely renovated—it’s called simple luxury: luxurious surroundings for everyone, for the rich, for the famous, and for the everyday person to feel comfortable, and no one will be turned away. Constantine’s gonna need this place here gutted—all the ceiling has to come out, only lighting and ceiling fixtures, chill air system, solar panels. The kitchen’s gotta be done, the soda fountain—everything is going to be brand-new in here. This can be done with class, nostalgic class. But there’s one thing that you have to let your crew know: we are all equal—human, hybrid and Genmen—and we will all work together as a family looking out for each other. Because you don’t know when you’re going to step on the wrong spot and that man standing by you that you just made a snide remark about will save your life."