The Supreme Soldier in the City-Chapter 569 - 581: Unexpected

Jack Dan, the head of P Region Mechanical Company, is currently fifty-two years old. He started his business at thirty and turned a small mechanical factory on the brink of bankruptcy into a major company with an annual sales of three billion and assets over one billion. He is definitely a very capable figure.

Although the annual turnover reaches three billion, this particular order from John Brown and Sarah Utah still receives great attention from Jack Dan. After all, an order of around fifty million is rare to encounter even a few times a year.

At noon, everyone was having a meal together. Seeing how young John Brown and Sarah were, Jack Dan couldn’t help but look down on them a bit, thinking how could these two young folks compare to a seasoned veteran like him. So, during the meal, he inevitably showed off his seniority.

John Brown and Sarah didn’t take offense. They were just managers in the company, while Jack Dan was a CEO. The difference in their positions was quite significant, and it’s perfectly normal for the other party to speak to them condescendingly.

During lunch, they didn’t discuss collaboration matters. In the afternoon, Jack Dan arranged for William Connors to take John Brown and Sarah out for some fun. Though Sarah didn’t want to waste such time, John hinted to her not to rush into contract talks, as that would only put them in a passive position.

Sarah indeed worked diligently, but was less smooth than John. Therefore, she could only follow John’s lead. Having an opportunity to be with John without Gina Lopez present was also rare for Sarah, so she enjoyed the afternoon with John immensely.

The next day, negotiations officially began. Both Sarah and John highly recognized the capability of this mechanical factory. The main issue remained the price difference. P Region was holding firm at fifty-five million, while John and Sarah refused to offer such a high price and only were willing to give forty-five million.

The two sides had a million apart and neither was willing to budge, causing the negotiation to be at a standstill.

Even though the negotiations didn’t immediately succeed, that evening John and his team were still warmly entertained. When John and Sarah returned to the hotel, William Connors paid them a visit.

"Let’s be straight with you both. The fifty-five million price is absolutely justifiable under normal circumstances. If you agree to this price, our CEO said you can receive a five percent kickback."

Sarah’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Five percent of fifty-five million is two hundred seventy-five thousand. That means if they agreed to this price, she and John could get two hundred seventy-five thousand for free.

Her annual salary and bonus combined wouldn’t exceed ten thousand. This more than two hundred thousand was truly shocking.

Seeing Sarah’s astonished expression, William Connors smiled, knowing that such an amount of money would definitely stun the two. John Brown and Sarah, being so young, definitely hadn’t seen big money like this. Offering them such a kickback, he didn’t believe they would refuse.

John Brown chuckled and said, "That’s quite a sum, indeed. Two hundred seventy-five thousand. We couldn’t earn that in twenty years." Then he glanced at Sarah.

Sarah shook her head and hurriedly said, "No, no, we can’t take this money."

William Connors immediately replied, "Manager Michael, taking such a kickback is completely normal. You need not have any qualms about it. Think about it, two hundred thousand, each of you would get over a hundred thousand in an instant, and you’ll be millionaires. Buying a car or house will be easy. If you rely on your salary, saving such an amount wouldn’t be easy."

Sarah continued shaking her head and said, "Deputy General Manager Smith, we work for the company, and we cannot harm the company’s interests for our own gains. We absolutely cannot agree to such a thing."

William Connors laughed heartily and said, "Manager Michael, we work to consider the company’s interests, but in situations where there’s no harm, why not care for your own interests too?"

Sarah’s expression grew more stern as she said, "Deputy General Manager Smith, thank you for your kindness. For some people, taking a kickback might be normal, but for me, taking this money is equivalent to stealing from the company, and I would be completely uneasy, so I adamantly cannot take it. If you really could give us a kickback, you might as well give us a discount on the price."

William Connors frowned slightly, completely unexpected by Sarah’s resolute response, and said, "Manager Michael, you must consider carefully. If we don’t close this deal, your company might send someone else for negotiations, and he would get the benefits then."

Sarah still shook her head and said, "I can’t control others dealing but I’m here now and I absolutely will not agree. Although our company urgently needs these equipment, there are definitely other manufacturers in our country capable of producing them. If you do not agree, we can certainly look elsewhere for alternatives."

William Connors tested the waters, "We could also add two more points for you, increasing the total to four hundred thousand."

"Even if you gave us a kickback of a million, we wouldn’t agree. We only want a fair price. I hope Deputy General Manager Smith understands."

William Connors walked away dejectedly, realizing that to close this deal honestly, the negotiation had to happen at the table, as relying on such methods was definitely unlikely to work.

After William Connors left, John Brown sighed deeply and said, "Sarah Utah, you’ve let my two hundred thousand fly away."

Sarah blushed and said coyly, "Big Brother Brown, did you really want it?"

John Brown replied, "Of course I wanted it. Two hundred thousand, even Gina’s annual salary isn’t that much, and this was for free."

Sarah looked at John Brown in disbelief, then burst out laughing, "I don’t believe it. You’re not the type to be swayed by money, Big Brother Brown."

"Am I that noble?" John Brown touched his nose.

Sarah stood tall, proudly stating, "Of course you are. I absolutely believe that."

John Brown chuckled, "Alright, alright, just for your words, I can only be noble once."

In the subsequent two days, both sides bargained back and forth, and finally agreed on a price of forty-seven million. Sarah finally breathed a sigh of relief. The company’s bottom line was fifty million, saving three million for the company was something she could take pride in.

The contract was signed, and Sarah was naturally overjoyed. The five-day trip had an extra day left. Under the enthusiastic invitation from P Region, John Brown and Sarah spent another day playing in V Region, buying some souvenirs to bring back, since after all it was a business trip, they had to bring something for their colleagues.

This time William Connors’ secretary accompanied them, along with a driver. The driver’s job was merely to drive them to places while the secretary typically managed tickets, staying out of the way, seemingly afraid of obstructing the two.

Sarah was very happy playing today. The business went smoothly, as she called Gina Lopez, who was quite satisfied. Also having the chance to be alone with John Brown, although his gentlemanly gesture of holding her hand occasionally was brief, she felt very happy.

By three in the afternoon, John Brown and Sarah were returning by car. Sarah, feeling a bit tired, fell asleep in the car, while John dozed off as well.

"Screech!" A loud screech and a violent crash occurred, and both John Brown and Sarah felt their bodies jerk intensely, unable to control themselves as they fell onto the rear seats.

The accident came somewhat suddenly, catching John Brown completely off guard. Once the car stabilized, John surveyed the situation. Outside, a taxi had violently collided with the side of their vehicle. The taxi had only a driver, no passengers, which immediately relieved John Brown seeing it as just a regular car accident.

He quickly helped Sarah up. Her face had turned pale as she gripped John’s arm tightly, unaware of what had happened.

John Brown patted Sarah’s hand and said, "It’s okay, just a car crash. Are you alright, anywhere uncomfortable?"

"I... seem fine, but my ankle hurts." As soon as she mentioned the pain, beads of sweat formed on Sarah’s forehead, clearly in significant pain.

John Brown quickly supported Sarah’s lower leg, rolling up her long pants to reveal her lower leg. There were no external injuries on the leg, but lowering her sock exposed a slightly bruised ankle.

"Can you try moving it?" John Brown asked.

Sarah attempted to move it but immediately gasped painfully, saying, "It hurts."

John Brown couldn’t move her recklessly at this point, saying, "There are two possibilities. One, it’s a sprain; second, it’s a minor fracture. But don’t worry, we’ll go to the hospital for a check-up soon."

By then, the secretary and driver had also recovered. They were uninjured and quickly inquired about Sarah’s condition, swiftly arranging for the company to send another car to take Sarah to the hospital.

Sarah’s ankle had already swollen, unable to touch the ground. John Brown supported her out of the car, then turned around and said, "Come on, I’ll carry you."

This caught Sarah by surprise; she blushed but obediently climbed onto John’s back. John Brown held onto her thighs, feeling her leg muscles clump tightly in response.