âReach out to them again!â Olga thought of a person suddenly popping into her mind. âThe guy who bought the house and shop from us last time should go check with the agent. See if they still have his contact info; ask if heâs still interested in buying, even if we have to knock down the price a bit.â
As long as the other party could cough up five million to bail them out, theyâd have to grit their teeth and take it!
Attlee also felt a flicker of hope. Last time, the guy wired him six million in no time.
This meant this guy was loaded, probably on par with him Not a regular Joe!
âWhat are you still doing standing there? Make the call!â As Olga said this, she anxiously checked the timeâonly 26 minutes left!
Attlee called the agent, who said he would have to check with the guy, so all Attlee could do was wait.
âWith only seven minutes left, why was there still no word from the agent? The guy didnât fall asleep, did he?â Olga remembered that last time it was around this hour, the guy was about to hit the sack.
Just then, Attleeâs phone rang. He quickly answered, âWhatâs the word?â
âI told the gentleman the location and price of your eight downtown shops. He said if he can get them for five million, heâll wire the money right away.â
âWha-? Five million?â Although Attlee was prepared for the guy to haggle, he didnât expect the guy to cut the price even deeper than last time. Eight shops, totaling sixteen million dollars, and the guy wanted to snatch them up for just five million?
âAgree to it; agree to it quickly. Although Olga didnât know how much the guy was offering, at this point, she couldnât care more about that. Their daughterâs reputation was at stake, and she cared a lot about saving face; she didnât want to be the laughingstock.
Attlee was in agony, still hesitating. Last time, fourteen shops and four luxury houses, with a total value of eighteen million, ended up selling for only six million. Now, if he sells the eight shops for just five million.
That meant heâd be down a total of twentyâthree million!
âPlease.â Olga was desperate, pleading quietly, âWe can always make more money, but reputationâ
once itâs damaged, itâs hard to regain!â
In the end, Attlee bit the bullet and agreed.
In the last minute, he received a notification of a fiveâmillionâdollar transfer on his phone.
Olga broke into a smile amidst her tears and quickly transferred the money to Fiona. After making the transfer, she tried to reach out to Fiona to let her know the money was sent, but she had already been blocked.
âThe Murphy familyâs empire is going down because of me.â Attlee was heartbroken, covering his face and looking like he had aged ten years overnight.
âDad, Iâm sorry.â This was the second time Yolanda saw her dad so despondent!
The first time was when they had to pay Melody six million. That night, Attlee was in a world of pain.
To him, money was as important as his life.
âDad, I know I messed up. Iâll work hard and bring more honor to our family! I promise.
Attlee said quietly, âIâm afraid we donât have that much time left.â
âWhy?â
Attlee sighed, then said, âNo oneâs buying our clothes; weâre not getting any new partnerships; and our old partners are thinking about terminating contracts. Weâre almost out of properties and shops to sell!
Everythingâs going down the drain.â
âDonât scare yourself!â Olga pondered for a bit, then decided, âLetâs go to the hospital tomorrow! I heard that the old lady wakes up sometimes lately, even though itâs brief. As long as sheâs conscious, thatâs good!â