Chapter 10 An Unexpected Breach Of Contract

Lyla and Mr. Bowen had spent the entire morning discussing the nitty-gritty of their collaboration and broke bread together at lunchtime. As the negotiation neared its conclusion, Mr. Bowen personally escorted Lyla and Melba to the elevator.

With a grin, Lyla proposed, "Assuming there are no further issues, I will instruct our legal department to draft and deliver the contract to this location."

"Very well," Mr. Bowen replied with alacrity.

"Then here's to a prosperous partnership."

Lyla extended her hand. "Here's to a fruitful collaboration,"

Mr. Bowen reciprocated with a smile, "Many thanks for proposing such an excellent idea. Without your help, I would have been at a loss. I am sorry for my previous impertinence."

Lyla responded, "You don't have to apologize, Mr. Bowen. Going forward, we are united partners."

She then turned on her heels and left with Melba.

Mumbling under her breath, Melba remarked, "Just look at the wide smile on his face."

"Of course, he's ecstatic. He has not only settled his debts with us but also resolved a significant predicament. How could he not be elated?"

Lyla's spirits were high since she had successfully accomplished her primary objective and received an unexpected windfall.

The assistant was still holding a grudge over the previous event and grumbled, "In my view, you should not have given him such a great idea. After all, he did bar us from entering his company."

With a sidelong glance, Lyla observed her secretary's impetuous nature and proceeded to smooth out her ponytail with a graceful gesture before declaring, "Assisting him is tantamount to assisting ourselves."

Otherwise, they would have been unable to secure the funds they needed.

The secretary let out a derisive snort, "I think he stands to benefit more than us. He must be thrilled and ready to sign the moment the contract arrives."

However, reality exceeded their expectations.

The legal department representatives arrived in Criminfield that night, and promptly contacted Alicko Corp the following day. Initially, they believed it would be a straightforward signing. But to their surprise, the Alicko Corp's legal department continued to nitpick at minor details in the contract, resulting in two additional days of modifications.

On the third day, a legal team member divulged to Lyla, "It appears that they are stalling for time."

Puzzled, Lyla inquired, "What do you mean?"

"At 8:00 in the morning, I sent the contract to them. They did not respond until 4:00 in the afternoon. Once I made the necessary modifications, I sent it back right away but they did not respond until the next day... And the issues they raised were actually inconsequential."

Nibbling on her nail in deep thought, Lyla eventually decided. "Take your computer. We're going to Alicko Corp together. If there are any problems, we'll resolve them on the spot. We must complete the contract signing today."

"Understood."

Upon arriving at Alicko Corp, they communicated their intention to Mr. Bowen. He assured them that he would summon the legal department staff and that both parties would proceed to the meeting room to finalize the contract.

However, half an hour later, Mr. Bowen's secretary informed them that the staff in charge of the case had requested a sick leave.

Mr. Bowen shrugged and stated, "What a shame! At my company, we assign only one person to oversee a case and no one else is permitted to intervene, to avoid any sudden changes and the shirking of responsibility."

"When will the staff member return to work?" Lyla inquired.

"I don't know but it won't be anytime soon," he replied.

It was clear even to a fool that he was deceiving them.

Lyla was fuming but she maintained a professional smile. "Mr. Bowen, we have already demonstrated our sincerity to cooperate, but don't you think you're going too far?"

Mr. Bowen's expression transformed. He abruptly stood up and interrogated, "What do you mean? Do you think you can boss me around just because you proposed an idea? Let me tell you, you are only a Deputy Director and you are not qualified to instruct me."

Lyla was taken aback. She didn't anticipate his sudden outburst. "Mr. Bowen, I didn't mean that..."

"Then what do you mean? If you don't wish to cooperate, then let's forget what we discussed before!" Mr. Bowen exclaimed. "We'll transfer the payment to your company's account right away."