CHAPTER 21: PRS 21

After waiting for almost an hour and consuming quite a bit of food, 22-year-old Isabella Clark finally saw Mr. Lodo, the director of Bank N, exit the room with a complicated and unreadable expression.

So did Alfred Scott, the owner of Royal Scott Bakery, who walked out with her, a troubled expression. Isabella suspected their negotiations had failed and resulted in no agreement.

Of course they had. Mr. Lodo couldn’t possibly take the risk after seeing MGS Group’s stock plummet to its lowest point. As a result, Alfred’s loan application was rejected outright.

Seeing Alfred re-enter his bakery with a dejected expression, Isabella, not wanting to waste any time—she had to meet with the CEO of Lulass Corporation that afternoon—immediately rose from her seat and blocked the path of the thirty-something man.

"Sorry to interrupt your time, Mr. Alfred. Could we talk business for a moment?" Isabella asked in a calm but authoritative voice.

Alfred glanced at her. "Excuse me, miss, I’m quite busy right now," he curtly declined.

Today he was truly frustrated and didn’t want to engage in small talk with anyone. Especially when a young woman stood before him, whom he initially thought was simply going to discuss a cake or bread order, like any other regular customer.

"Oh, what a shame. I was actually intending to provide a quick solution to resolve your company’s crisis. If you’ll excuse me," Isabella replied flatly, then walked out of Royal Scott Bakery, followed by her loyal bodyguard, Siva, behind her.

Hearing the beautiful girl’s words, Alfred was immediately shocked. He hadn’t expected news of his company’s near-bankruptcy to spread so quickly in City XX.

"What does she mean? She knows about this crisis?" Alfred muttered in panic. But seeing a faint opportunity that could save his business, Alfred immediately ran out of the shop and chased after Isabella as she headed for the parking lot.

"Wait, miss!" he shouted loudly.

Isabella turned, and inwardly cheered. Yes! My tactic worked! But her face remained impassive, suppressing the overflowing happiness within her.

He ignored the Phoenix System’s sarcastic remarks echoing in his head. He simply wanted to see how Alfred would react.

Alfred finally approached, his face full of regret. "Please forgive my rudeness earlier. Can we discuss business indoors?"

"Oh, you changed your mind?" Isabella replied in a fake tone, as if still annoyed.

"Can I have that opportunity?" Alfred looked at her pleadingly. He had even set aside his pride for the sake of his family’s business.

Isabella held back a smile. "Haa... okay. Show me the way!"

Inwardly, he cheered. I hope the Phoenix System will give me a big extra reward if I can complete this mission in just one day, ahead of the two-week limit.

Alfred was stunned. He had just realized that the girl in front of him wasn’t just beautiful and graceful, despite her modesty. She had a powerful aura about her—the level of a CEO of a major company.

They walked side by side to the meeting room Alfred had just used to lobby Mr. Lodo. Alfred’s assistant hurriedly cleared the table, while Isabella sat quietly.

"If I may ask, which lady am I speaking to?" Alfred asked curiously.

"Isabella Clark. Just call me Isabella," she replied curtly.

The name made Alfred think hard. Her face sounded familiar, but he couldn’t remember which conglomerate family she belonged to. However, he pushed his curiosity aside, choosing to focus on the company’s problems.

"If I may ask, Miss Isabella, what solution does she have for my company? And how did you know my company was in trouble?" he asked inquisitively.

Isabella stared at him sharply. "It doesn’t matter how I know. Regarding the solution, I just want to ask a few questions. What percentage of shares do you own in the MGS Group? How much loss has the company had to bear? And what is the current value of MGS Group shares?"

Siva, standing behind her, was almost stunned. He was amazed by Isabella’s decisiveness and intelligence. He whispered to himself, "So Jery was right, Isabella is extraordinary."

At first, Siva thought his job as a bodyguard for a wealthy woman would be very troublesome. But after a week on the job, he realized Isabella was no ordinary spoiled girl. He always used his time productively. Even when he daydreamed, the result was brilliant business ideas.

Alfred was taken aback, but he tried to answer professionally. "I own 55 percent of the shares. The rest is held by other shareholders. The company has suffered losses of around 1.8 trillion rupiah. MGS Group’s stock value this afternoon is only 15 percent of what it was before the plunge."

"In nominal terms, how much is the 45 percent of shares that aren’t yours worth?" Isabella pressed.

"Around 800 billion," Alfred replied.

Isabella nodded firmly. "I want to buy those 45 percent of shares. If you can convince the other shareholders to sell them to me, I’ll cover the 1.8 trillion rupiah loss. How about that?"

Alfred nearly fell off his chair. "Wh... what do you mean?!"

"Like I said," Isabella smiled faintly. "I’ll take over."

Alfred looked at her with sparkling eyes. This was like a windfall. "Okay! I’ll make sure you get those 45 percent of shares."

Fortunately, the shares belonged to his family and a few close friends. He was confident he could manage it.

"Good. Now, where’s your account number?" Isabella said lightly, opening the internet banking app on her phone.

"Account... number?" Alfred stuttered.

"Yes. For transferring funds to purchase shares," Isabella replied casually.

Trembling, Alfred provided his personal account number. The next second, his phone vibrated.

One trillion rupiah had been deposited.

Alfred was shocked. "This...? Really?"

"800 billion to buy shares, consider 200 billion a down payment to cover your company’s losses. I’ll transfer the remaining 1.6 trillion rupiah after the share transfer papers in my name are completed," Isabella explained firmly.

Alfred nearly lost his breath upon hearing that.

[DING!!!]

The Phoenix System’s voice echoed in Isabella’s ears:

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed the mission. Reward: 3,000 hectares of land + a software security technology company with a 30% stake.]

[Congratulations, Host! For spending 1 trillion rupiah, you received a 20x return: 10 trillion rupiah will be legally transferred.]

[Congratulations, Host! For completing the mission in just a few hours, you receive an additional reward of 20 points + a permanent Rose Milk body scent. Apply now?]

"Yes," Isabella replied quickly.

Her body was warm, the sweet scent of Rose milk wafting from her skin. She smiled broadly, silently exclaiming, "Wow... this is amazing!"

Siva and Alfred remained stunned, unable to believe how easily the young woman had transferred such a large sum of money, as if she were buying candy on the street.

Alfred finally looked at Isabella with a mixture of respect and curiosity. "Miss Isabella... who exactly are you?"

Isabella only smiled faintly, not answering.