One billion.
Another loud, involuntary sound escaped Elizabeth's mouth, sharper and more startled than the first. This time, she didn't care at all about the dozens of curious eyes turning toward their table.
Her wide green eyes were intensely locked onto the bank book in her hands, as if the numbers might vanish if she blinked.
She had already suspected something when she saw Elric being personally escorted by Rick Johnson, the branch manager. She had guessed he must have come into some serious money maybe ten or twenty million.
But this? This was not ten million. This was one hundred times that amount. One billion dollars. The number looked so unreal that she felt like she had stepped into someone else's dream.
Dazed, she slowly placed the bank book back on the table, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Is this… real?" she asked subconsciously, her voice barely above a whisper.
Even after years of handling the company's finances, she had never seen ten million dollars together in one place, let alone a hundred million. And now she was holding proof of one billion in her hands. The sheer scale made her head spin.
Her next instinctive question was, "how did you get this? "
But she quickly caught herself. It wasn't polite, and with this kind of money, it was probably better not to ask too many questions.
"Sorry, sorry," she muttered, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have asked. One billion dollars… that's unimaginable money. The kind of fortune that's almost impossible for a normal person to earn in an entire lifetime."
"Nothing much," Elric replied casually, leaning back in his chair with a small shrug. "I just made some good investments."
Bullshit, Elizabeth thought immediately. You don't turn a normal life into a billion dollars with 'good investments.' But after thinking about it for a second, she wisely kept her mouth shut. Her mind was still floating in a pleasant daze.
"Ms. Elizabeth, how about it?" Elric asked, bringing her back to the topic.
"Oh— yes, right. Buying the company…" she said, snapping back to reality.
She didn't know whether it was guilt toward Elric because of how her daughter had treated him, or whether she simply didn't want to deceive him, but she decided to be completely honest.
"Elric, although I don't know how you got this money, and honestly, it doesn't matter right now… I still have to tell you the truth. Even if you want to buy a film studio, don't buy this one.
It would be like pouring gasoline on four hundred million dollars and lighting it on fire."
She leaned forward, her expression serious. "M&G Studio has only made small-budget movies until now. When we recently tried to step up and produce a big blockbuster, it flopped miserably.
We lost almost ninety million dollars in one go, nearly bankrupting the entire company. Right now we're barely holding on, desperately looking for loans anywhere we can get them, but with no success."
Elric leaned back comfortably in his chair, listening with calm interest. A small, almost amused smile played on his lips.
"No, Elizabeth," he said steadily. "I want you. I want the people who are working at that company."
He could buy any other studio, sure. But where else would he find an entire team that had already proven they could burn through four hundred million dollars so efficiently?
Elizabeth, who was in charge, looked like pure gold in his eyes right now. The more broken and desperate the company was, the better it suited his needs.
But Elizabeth didn't see it that way at all.
Hearing his words — I want you — her face suddenly flushed a deep shade of red. Her heart skipped several beats.
Need me… Need… me…? she stammered internally. Is this a confession? Is he confessing to me? Did he want to buy the entire company just… for me?
The possibility made her head spin even more than the billion-dollar bank book. Before she could find the words to respond, Elric stood up smoothly.
"Ms. Elizabeth, please think about it. I hope I can hear some good news from you soon."
Looking at her dazed, puppy-like expression, Elric assumed she wanted to discuss the offer properly with the company board or key people before giving him an answer. He didn't want to rush her too much.
Buying a company wasn't something that could be finalized in a single day, after all. Even though he was eager to start losing money fast, he still had enough patience to wait a little longer.
After stepping out of the upscale restaurant, a cool breeze suddenly hit his face, refreshing and crisp. It made him feel completely awake and alive.
A quiet chuckle escaped him as he walked toward his Lamborghini.
Everything really does feel fantastic after Lily left, he thought. It's like she was sucking out all my luck the entire time we were together.
He paused for a second, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
Well… she was always really good at sucking, that much was true.
The thought made him laugh softly to himself as he slid into the driver's seat of the roaring supercar, ready for whatever came next.