Chapter 62: On The Verge Of Bankruptcy
Chapter 62: On The Verge Of Bankruptcy
Peter's POV:
That afternoon, we heard Anita talk about what happened to Nelson in the dining hall.Anabel had gotten into a car chase with Ted right after he attacked her.
I should have seen it coming after he escaped from prison.Fortunately, Anabel survived the fall and was recovering now.
I made sure to send more people out to find Ted.
"Alpha, Luna, we have a situation.There is some bad news about our company.Our stock price has plummeted."
David rushed into the dining hall.
"What? That's impossible..." I was at a disbelief.
Just then, my phone rang.
"Alpha Peter, your company owes us money.When will you be able to pay us back? I heard that your company is about to fall into bankruptcy.I'll give you one week to pay up.Otherwise, we will have to take legal action."
It was the CEO of one of our partner companies.
As soon as he hung up the call, several partners also started calling in, asking us to pay back their money as soon as possible.
I headed back to my office to find out how we got into this mess.
My heart sank when I realized that the entire pack had been too busy saving me, so much so that there was no one experienced enough to keep the company afloat.
Someone had also leaked to the press that I had been kidnapped.
Because of my absence, our potential investors had held back their money, therefore creating a large gap in our capital chain.
Now, we wouldn't be able to pay our debts and the company was on the verge of going bankrupt.
"I'm sorry, Peter.What are we going to do now?"
Guilt was written all over David’s face.
It was David who was left in charge of the company affairs while Alvin and I were away.
"Stay calm, David.First, we need to do our best in reassuring our investors and partners that I am fine.We will ask them to give us more time.Meanwhile, I will try to get us a loan."
I spent the rest of the afternoon at the bank.
The company needed a lot of capital to stabilize the situation first.
However, the bank found out that my company's stock price had plummeted, and they rejected the loan request.
To clear the air, I held a press conference, proving to everyone that I was safe now.
But it seemed that the reporters were only focused on proving whether I did get kidnapped before.
"What if we sell some of our assets, Peter?" my father suggested.
"I don't think we should.Even if we do sell some, the money would still not be enough to balance out the deficit.Not to mention the panic it will cause amongst our partners when they see we are selling our assets.It will only worsen our situation."
Serena then entered the office with a guilty expression on her face.
"Peter...It's all my fault.I already read the report yesterday and felt that something was wrong, but I didn't take it seriously..."
"Honey, it's not your fault.I had been gone for a long time, and it would be unreasonable to expect you to manage an entire company without any experience.As for our plummeting stock price, I suspect that someone is behind this."
"Well, how much money do we need right now?"
"Around 600 million dollars.As long as we buy ourselves some time from the investors and partners, we'll be fine."
Serena frowned and seemed to be deep in thought.
"Honey, can I ask you to take my parents out first? They should get some rest for now.Things might not be as bad as they look.I will take care of this.I promise."
Serena nodded meekly and assisted my parents out of my office.
Where was I going to get 600 million dollars in such a short amount of time? It was difficult for me, but I had no choice but to swallow my pride and make some calls.
My acquaintances were surprised to hear that I needed to borrow tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
They were hesitant to help.
In the end, some had promised to lend me a few million dollars in total.
But compared to the amount I really needed, it was just a drop in the bucket for me.
When I was finally about to admit that I was at a loss, I had received another phone call.
It was from Camille.
Why would Camille call me at this time? After letting it ring a few more times in my hesitation, I decided to answer it anyway.
"Peter, I saw the news about your company..."
"Yes, it's true.We are in a bit of a situation right now.We're having problems with our capital flow and are in danger of losing investors and partners."
"I can ask my dad and grandpa for help, if you want."
"That would be amazing, Camille.Thank you so much."
The Aquitaine family was one of France's most powerful noble families.
They were undoubtedly rich.
If they would offer to help our company at this time, we would definitely get ourselves out of danger.
I gathered my father and the elders to tell them about this matter.
"Help from the Aquitaine family will absolutely bring us out of this crisis." Steve was overjoyed at this news.
"Well, then, you should pay a visit to the Aquitaine family and see if they are willing to invest in our company, Peter, " my father suggested enthusiastically. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
"I agree.Alvin and I will leave for France immediately."
"Peter, let me come with you.I think having both the Alpha and Luna visit them would show our deep sincerity in this matter," Serena said.
"Good idea, honey.It's settled.The three of us will fly to France as soon as possible."
Serena's POV:
I couldn't believe that the company would face a huge setback in such a short time.
When Peter mentioned that the company needed 600 million dollars to stay afloat, my heart almost dropped to the ground.
The first thing that had come to my mind was the trust fund that my parents had left me.
Both my parents came from powerful families and had a lot of money.
Living in the forest was something we had to do to stay under the radar.
Because we lived such a simple life, they were able to save a lot of money for my future.
The only condition they had set was that I should get married to my mate before I could claim my inheritance.
Peter and I had already held our Mate Ceremony.
By this time, I should be able to claim that money now.
However, I had no idea how much exactly my parents had left me, which was why I couldn't promise help to the company just yet.
I penned an authorization letter and handed it to the pack’'s resident lawyer, asking him to get some more information on my trust fund.
Later that evening, we flew to Marseilles by plane.
Right when we arrived, Camille's family had already sent someone to welcome us at the runway.
"Welcome to Marseilles.Mr.Aquitaine and Miss Aquitaine have been waiting for you at the manor."
The Aquitaine family was from the Silver Moon Pack.
Their estate was larger than the entire territory of the Red Maple Pack itself, consisting of many castles in the compound.
According to Alvin, Camille's family engaged in several industries, but their main sources of income came from their wineries, real estate, and other luxury businesses.
The Aquitaine family descended from a man who had been the Home Secretary of the Bourbon Dynasty.
In his time, he grew to be a powerful and influential official.
I couldn't help but recall what Camille told me before.
Whenever an Alpha would choose a Luna, it was common knowledge that he should marry a woman from a family of equal social status.
The Luna's family should be just as rich as that of the Alpha.
Sounded like complete and utter bullshit to me! No one could choose what kind of family they were born in.
Not being born into a noble family did not mean I was an inferior choice for Peter.
Besides, I was Peter's mate.
It was the arrangement of the Moon Goddess herself.
The Moon Goddess was the ultimate authority in assigning mates.
Soon, our car had stopped and we got off the car.
We stood before the tallest and grandest castle in the property.
"Alpha Peter, a rare visitor, indeed.Welcome."
A middle-aged man, about the same age as James, came over with a calm smile on his face.
I could immediately tell that he was the head of the Aquitaine family, Albert.
Beside him stood a gentle and dignified woman that I was already familiar with, Camille.
She also came up to welcome us.
They led us into their extravagant reception area.
There, Camille's mother and grandfather were also waiting for us.
When Peter started talking about a possible investment relationship, Albert insisted that they take the conversation to his study upstairs.
Camille then invited me to stay in her room.
Her room was huge.
She technically had an entire suite just to herself.
Aside from the bedroom, her room had its own study and tea room.
There was no doubt that they were from a noble family.
Camille and I talked about the company’s situation and what happened to Peter recently.
After a while, a servant entered, telling Camille that she was needed in the study.
I was left alone and bored, so I went to the balcony to appreciate the scenery of the manor.
Werewolves naturally had great hearing.
But perhaps my hybrid blood had enhanced my hearing ability even more.
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on them, but I vaguely heard the conversation between Peter and Albert in the next room.
"Mr.Aquitaine, if you can invest in our company and help us get through this crisis, we will be eternally grateful for your kindness."
It was Peter's voice.
He was so polite and formal.
After all, he was here to ask for help from Albert.
"Peter, our families have been friends for generations.Ever since my grandfather's generation, our families have been deeply connected to each other.You might think that six hundred million dollars is a great amount of money, but for my family, it's not a big deal at all.We are willing to help you."
"Mr.Aquitaine, thank you so much.We are forever indebted to you.Whatever condition you may have, I will do my best to fulfill it."
"Hmm, is that so? Say, aren't you and Camille around the same age? You know, I've always hoped that you two could end up together.This way, your union will greatly benefit our packs.Together, we can be the most powerful alliance in all of Europe and North America."
"But Mr.Aquitaine, as you already know, I am married to Serena.She is my mate.The Moon Goddess herself has arranged this.Camille and I...We have already tried in the past, but we are just not meant to be together.Your daughter is an excellent lady.I'm sure whoever the Moon Goddess will pair her with is a much better partner than I will ever be."
"Oh, Peter, you are still young.You don't know what love is yet.You might think Serena is your mate now, but what if you just followed a sudden impulse? What if it was a decision that lacked careful consideration? You are the Alpha.You need to think of what is best for your pack.Think about it.If you and Camille got married earlier and our two families got united together, then this problem of yours might have never happened in the first place.600 million dollars or 6 billion dollars, that amount is just a piece of cake for us,"
Albert's voice was calm with the smallest hint of arrogance.
I immediately felt that something was not right, and that I wasn't welcome here.
Suddenly, my phone rang.
It was our lawyer.
"Luna, is this a good time to talk to you right now?"
"Yes, please, go ahead."
"We were able to access the trust fund that your parents had left you.According to the bank, you are eligible to claim 5 billion dollars."
"What? Did you just say 5 billion dollars?"