Chapter 260
“You should get Michael to ask the other villagers about it, and I’ll call James over,” Stephen said to George.
a
Stephen could not help but feel relieved. Having a partner to work with made things whole lot easier. If it had just been hi
he would have not thought of such a clever solution.
While Ethan might have been able to outsmart him before, he had George working with him now. Even if Ethan were to step in, he would have to leave in defeat!
Soon, James arrived.
Stephen asked sternly, “I just received complaints from the villagers saying that the compensation you gave them was too low, only 6,000 dollars per square meter of housing and 30 thousand dollars per 666 square meters of land. Is that true?
James immediately refuted, “Who said that? Such accusations! I gave them 10 thousand dollars per square meter of property and 50 thousand dollars per 666 square meters of Hand.”
Stephen narrowed his eyes as he asked, “Is that so?”
“I swear it’s true!” James answered.
Stephen continued, “Even per square meter of
I you gave them 10 thousand dollars housing, it’s still not enough to buy a house in the city. Housing prices now are at least 15 thousand dollars per square meter.”
James smiled and replied, “You might not know it, but these villagers are the most difficult to work with. A few years ago, they were involved in some pretty shady business.
“Although I only gave them 10 thousand dollars per square meter of housing, their houses are huge.
“What villages have the most are land, so their houses are at least 200 to 300 square meters each, while the houses in the city are mostly around 100 square meters.
“I thought of only giving them 8,000 dollars per square meter of housing, but they kept haggling, so I
no choice but to bump it to 10 thousand dollars. And even after all that, they’re still not satisfied.”
Stephen asked in surprise, “Is that what happened? Did I really misjudge you?”
“You definitely did,” James explained. “If you don’t believe me, you can check with the finance department or send someone to ask the villagers.”
James prepared ahead of them, ensuring that the people Stephen sent would only uncover the fake data he provided.
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+25 BONUS
Chapter 200
Hearing that, Stephen was already quite convinced.
“Well, that’s all. You may leave now,” Stephen said, dismissing James.
Before long, Michael returned and told Stephen “James originally planned on giving the villagers 8,000 dollars per square meter of housing, but most villages refused and even threatened their lives over it. That was why he raised it to 10 thousand dollars.”
The finance verification team also returned, and their findings were exactly what James had claimed.
“It seems like what he said is true.”
Stephen muttered coldly, “These villagers are despicable. How dare they try to deceive me!
George asked, “So, how do you plan on handling this matter?”
“Now that the truth is out, what James gave was more than fair. These villagers were involved with the criminal groups in Seaside City before, so they’re in the wrong. Give them a warning for now, and we’ll ignore any more of their complaints,” Stephen replied.
Michael nodded and left.
After leaving, James knew he did not have much time left. He called the South Regent for advice.
“Your Highness, I don’t think I’ll be able to cover this up for long.”
The South Regent answered, “I’ll get someone to replace you. Come back.”
Two days passed, and the villagers still had not received a reply. Hence, they went to Stephen again.
Michael stopped them at the door. “We’ve investigated it. James gave you 10 thousand dollars per square meter of housing, but you lied and said it was 6,000.
“On top of that, you were involved in criminal activity in Riveria three years ago. According to the records, your village was found with illegal weapons and homemade firearms. We’ll let it go this time, but don’t you come back here again!”
Lucas was stunned. When did James offer them 10 thousand dollars per square meter of housing? Moreover, the villagers were involved in criminal activity? That was ridiculous!
Three years ago, their village did not commit any crimes. In fact, the young man in the village had rallied to Ethan’s call to defend the region by fighting against foreign and local criminal forces.
They were not guilty of wrongdoing. Instead, they were heroes, Lucas had even lost three sons in battle.
