BXBX NOVEL Chapter 102 102 Bargaining
Chapter 102 Chapter 102 Bargaining
"Like it?" she gasped; "That was some journey-to-the-moon and back stuff. The process, the rush- I can't even begin to describe it."
He placed his right hand on the table; "Then don't try to describe it. Put a number on it. . ."
As if on cue, the sun outside broke through the clouds victoriously, once again raining down its golden-yellow rays, and filling the white conference room with the radiance of a mini sun.
"How much?" she asked flatly; "How much are you asking for?"
Nexus shook his head; "That's not how this works Miss Selina. You make an offer first, and if it sounds good, we can work with it. If not. . .well, I can always just take my business elsewhere."
"True. But who would you go? True Potion is the biggest pharmacy in Castra city."
Nexus raised his eyebrows with a smirk; "For now. . ."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Cut the shit Selina." he leaned forward with his clenched knuckles on the table; "We both know there's nothing like this elixir on your inventory- or in anyone's inventory for that matter. We both know what this is. Whoever has this new drug will control the market."
A hint of greed flickered momentarily in her stoic gaze;
"What I'm hearing mister Ni Yang, is that you're offering me sole distributorship of this product. Is that correct?"
Nexus leaned backwards. The bitch was good at this.
"That depends on the number. Make me an offer Selina."
There was a pregnant pause. The trotting horses, and carriages pulling along the streets, echoed somewhere in the background. The intermittent sounds of three o'clock bells tolled in the distance.
Finally, her lips curled.
Taking her time, she dragged out her next few words;
"Forty gold coins- per unit."
Nexus' brain fired on all cylinders- furiously doing the math as his eyes danced in their sockets.
"Forty what?" he asked in unbelief;.
She mistook his tone for sarcasm and countered with another offer;
"Fine, fifty gold coins." she raised up both her hands; "That's all I'm authorized to offer you at this moment. I maybe the owner, but I still have to answer to my shareholders. The board would go crazy if they hear that–"
But Nexus had stopped listening at the words 'fifty gold coins.'
Fuck!
The curtains in his brains rustled excitedly as he zoned the rest of her words! Fifty gold coins?! That was a damn goldmine!
Originally, Nexus envisaged that his suppliers would like to make at least a thousand percent profit, so he had pegged his own price at five gold coins per vial. After all, the raw material was practically free. Labor, and packaging was done by the system.
The only staff he needed to pay was his marketer- and that was himself!
". . .so, do we have a deal mister Ni Yang?"
His gaze hardened.
Without a single word, Nexus got up from his chair. The furniture creaked loudly as it backed up against the whitened concrete floor. He walked towards the window on his left, and lodged himself between the two pillars which arched over his head.
With his back to her, he gazed out into the city below with a faraway look in his eyes. Both his hand remained clasped behind him as he assumed a wordless visage.
Really, Nexus was just putting on a show. He didn't want to seem to eager. He wasn't a novice.
But again, Selina misinterpreted it as him playing hardball;
"The clock's ticking mister Ni Yang. So, I'm just going to save us a lot time with this whole back and forth. . ."
Nexus' jaws clenched anxiously.
". . .I'm prepared to up your price by twenty more gold coins per unit. But that would be after this first batch. As a business person, surely you can understand my position. Navigating a new drug in a new market can be tricky- especially within the first few months."
She paused as she too rose up;
"That's my final offer. I will leave you here for a moment to consider it. When you come to a conclusion, just let my–"
Nexus' voice boomed from the front; "FORTY GOLD COINS."
A shocking silence reigned momentarily. The folds between Selina's eyebrows took a dive as she furrowed them;
"Excuse me?"
"Forty gold coins Selina," Nexus echoed again as he shifted his weight to his dominant foot and spun around- meeting her questioning gaze and piercing eyes;
"For the purpose of this new partnership, I am willing to give you the deal at forty gold coins per unit."
Nexus' words hit the air like the cracking of thunder, and hung there. For the first time since taking this meeting, Selina was actually lost for words;
"Forty gold coins- per full vial?"
"Yes."
"Still at the same quality and quantity?"
"Yes."
She gulped; "I'm sorry am I missing something? What's the catch here?"
Nexus left the white pillars and walked over to the table;
"There's no catch," he sat on the chair once again;
"You know the thing with alchemy Selina?"
It was a rhetorical question.
"–you get to read, and study, and read, study, and in the end, you end up accumulating a shit ton of knowledge. But that's the thing, book knowledge doesn't always translate to street knowledge. Isn't that right?"
Another rhetorical question.
"I'm still new to this business of alchemy. I have mastered all the knowledge that pertains to the art, but quite frankly, I'm yet to fully grasp the concept of the business side. "
Another slight pause.
"–so, it is my hope to work with you for a long time, and imbibe every knowledge I can mop up in the process. Do you understand what I'm saying Selina?"
The silver haired woman stared at him.
From her elevated position, with suspicion dogging her eyes, her gaze burned through him. Finally, her tall voluptuous body moved sideways, and took her seat- right next to him.
"Mister Ni Yang, sincerity is the one thing every business person lacks, but claims to have. . ."
He smiled with his eyes;
"You think I'm lying?"
"No," she declared assertively; "I'm saying that is your first lesson mister Ni Yang."
It took Nexus (Ni Yang) a fraction of a second to get it. On the table, his fingers tapped nervously against the white acacia wood. The intrusive, slightly mischievous gaze of the phenomenal woman shredded the open space between them;
"Tell me- why did you pick me mister Ni Yang? Of all the other pharmacies in the city? Why did you come here?"
Nexus' bearded face hid the evidence of his face clenching.
She was testing him.
"I didn't pick you- Miss Selina," he made sure to purr the last two words, toning down the harshness of the sentence; "I picked True Potions. It is the largest and THE most brand in the city after all, isn't it?"
Her eyes twinkled. The curvy woman mouthed; "True. You conducted your own research, you scouted the other CEOs as well, and you made a solid business decision to approach me- with these two business proposals. . ."
She slanted her head slightly to the side, angling her perfect neck;
". . .tell me, is it because I am a woman?"