Chapter 55 - 55: 55: Were You Deceived?
He picked up the phone from the nightstand, seeing it was Jack calling, and answered the call.
Jack’s voice was full of barely concealed excitement, “Dad, Surge Real Estate has given us the project.”
Ray was taken aback, asking for confirmation, “You’re not joking, are you?” “Is this a joke? ” Ray thought to himself.
Surge Real Estate had been so ambiguous about their intentions. Why would they suddenly decide on a collaboration?
Ray couldn’t believe it, thinking perhaps Jack was mistaking a dream for reality.
Jack clarified, “I’m not joking. It’s real.”
Ray frowned, “Were you deceived? Are you sure it was someone from Surge Real Estate who notified you?”
“We just had dinner together recently. There’s no way I could have mistaken them.”
Ray felt as though he was hearing things, “Wait, didn’t they say they were still evaluating and wouldn’t decide until next week?”
“I don’t know,” Jack replied, still reeling from the shock of landing such a massive project.
“They just suddenly decided on us.”
“Did they make any unreasonable demands?” Ray, suspecting there was more to it, asked with a suddenly serious tone, “Did you give in to any concessions?”
“No, we negotiated for what we could, and they agreed readily.”
Ray, still skeptical, asked out of the blue, “Do you have an inside contact at Surge Real Estate?”
Jack, taken aback, responded, “Dad, if I did, would we have had to wait this long?”
“True.” Ray was puzzled. It wasn’t that he was overthinking, but the executives from Surge Real Estate were known for their meticulous approach. If they said next week, then a sudden change of heart seemed unlikely.
Could there be some ulterior motive? What could they be plotting?
Ray looked solemn, “Regardless, be careful when you sign the contract with them. I am afraid that there’s a catch.’
Jack gave a wry smile, “Dad, you’re overthinking. Surge Real Estate is under the Fortune Law Group umbrella. They’re wealthier than us.”
Ray was momentarily speechless.
He felt a sting from that statement.
But Jack was aware of the gravity of the situation. The sudden collaboration proposal was indeed unexpected, and it was crucial to tread with caution. After hanging up, Sophia asked, “What’s going on? Why are you so thrilled?” Ray’s excitement was evident in his eyes as he relayed the news to Sophia.
After listening, Sophia genuinely rejoiced for Ray, “That’s great! Didn’t you say this project was significant?”
Ray nodded, then shared, “It’s just odd. Their initial inclination was toward another company. I wonder why they suddenly chose us.”
“Why does it matter? The important thing is they’ve chosen you now,” Sophia replied, thinking he was over-analyzing.
Ray seemed lost in thought.
Then he remembered that he had discussed the matter with Elizabeth earlier that day. That evening, the collaboration was confirmed.
“It was Elizabeth…”
Ray suddenly grasped Sophia’s hand, a grin spreading across his serious, handsome face, “She’s truly my lucky star.”
“Huh?” Sophia looked perplexed.
Ray explained, “I mentioned the project to Elizabeth at lunch today. By evening, the collaboration was in place. If she’s not my lucky star, then what is
Pausing, Ray then recalled Linda being there, a crease forming between his brows, “Linda was there too. She mentioned a classmate’s father who works as a project manager at Surge Real Estate and offered to ask her friend for help.” Sophia caught on, “I see. So Linda’s classmate might have had a hand in this?” In these times, connections could make a significant difference, so it wasn’t surprising she thought that way.
“It’s hard to say,” Ray mused, “I’ll ask around tomorrow.”
Sophia nodded, “If Linda’s classmate did help, we should express our gratitude. ”
“Of course.
The coincidence was uncanny, making Ray wonder if Linda’s classmate had indeed played a role..