r18novel Page 179
Page 179
Words are like bullets fired from a gun, direct and seductive.
The air in the restaurant seemed to freeze. Ivana also stopped what she was doing, her gaze shifting subtly between her husband and Victor.
Victor was silent for a few seconds, then he placed the glass back on the table with a soft click.
He raised his eyes and looked directly into TLP's expectant eyes.
"Donald."
His voice remained steady, even calmer than before, "I am very grateful for your appreciation and invitation. This is undoubtedly a grand project, and only you have the courage to push it forward."
TLP's smile deepened, as if he was ready to accept the congratulations and agreement.
But Viktor changed the subject: "However, I must refuse."
TLP's smile froze instantly.
"reject···"
He repeated, his voice filled with disbelief, "Why? You need more details? We can negotiate! The return will be very high..."
"No, Donald, it's not a matter of conditions, just like last time."
Victor interrupted him, his tone polite but firm, “I believe in its potential. But this isn’t my direction. My roots are in the boxing ring, my business is in Chicago.”
I only do things I fully understand and have complete control over. Real estate, especially in New York, and particularly a project of this size, is beyond my control. I prefer... a safe and steady approach.
"Steady and secure?"
TLP's voice rose a few decibels, and the friendly mask on his face began to crack, revealing his displeasure and arrogance beneath:
“Victor, the word ‘steady’ doesn’t belong to New York! It belongs to… to those who dare not take risks! You have power, you have resources, are you content to spend your whole life fighting in the ring, or being a small businessman in a second-tier city like Chicago?”
His words were laced with obvious contempt and pressure.
Ivana took a soft breath, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't speak, only looking at Viktor with a complicated expression.
Viktor's expression remained calm and unmoved by TLP's pressure and contempt.
He straightened his back slightly, his instinctive defense and confidence as a boxer naturally radiating outwards.
"Donald, boxing is more than just fighting. It requires discipline, strategy, and a clear understanding of your own limits. The same goes for business."
I know where my limits are, I know what's 'safe' for me. New York is big, the Plaza Hotel is magnificent, but they're not in my strategy right now. I'm sorry to disappoint you.
Viktor's refusal was clear and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
TLP's face darkened completely.
He leaned back in his chair, picked up his wine glass, and took a big gulp, his eyes turning cold and sharp.
The warm and friendly atmosphere at the dinner table vanished, replaced by an awkward and tense silence.
He felt his authority and charisma were being challenged, and a sense of humiliation at being rejected by "inferior people" arose spontaneously.
And this is the second time.
But this time it was different—Victor extended an invitation to TLP:
"Donald, if you'd like, I can partner with you to build a Windy City Hotel in Chicago... How about that?"
TLP finally said thoughtfully, his voice devoid of any enthusiasm, "Everyone has their own ambitions. If you're content with Chicago..."
He almost squeezed out these words from between his teeth.
Ivana interjected at the opportune moment, trying to ease the tension: "Donald D, Victor has his own reasons. It's alright. The dessert looks good, want to try some?"
Her voice was gentle, trying to mend the rift.
But TLP just snorted and looked away from Victor—who in Chicago would be willing to gamble?
Is the city full of gangsters?
Dinner ended hastily in an extremely awkward atmosphere.
Victor politely excused himself and left the restaurant.
TLP and Ivana got up and saw him to the restaurant entrance.
“I’m sorry, Donald D., Ivana,”
Victor whispered in the doorway, "Damn it, if you want to ruin dinner, you should consider my suggestion. How can the Midwest let Las Vegas have a monopoly?"
Ivana looked up at him, her eyes appearing deep and unfathomable in the dim light of the corridor.
“I will consider it and provide a plan.”
Donald D is a businessman, and he is really considering it.
Suddenly, Ivana's fingers seemed to accidentally brush against Viktor's arm, then she quickly withdrew them.
Goodnight, Victor...
Good night, Mrs. TLP.
·······
Victor turned and walked toward the elevator, feeling the complex gaze following him from behind.
He returned to the high-floor room that TLP Group had arranged for him at the hotel—not the Plaza Hotel itself, but another luxury hotel nearby.
Outside the window lay the dazzling Manhattan skyline, a river of lights shimmering endlessly, yet his heart remained calm, even harboring a sliver of hope.
If TLP approves his plan and agrees to build a plaza hotel in Chicago, then Victor will be set for great things.
TLP will help Victor break through the capital suppression in Chicago—the capital behind TLP will suppress several of Chicago's major powerhouses;
TLP needs Victor's help to truly establish itself; otherwise, TLP wouldn't even be able to find construction workers.
Once TLP reaches a period of decline in 90, Victor will ruthlessly seize the legacy of the first phase of TLP!
He took off his overcoat and suit jacket, loosened his tie, poured himself a small glass of whiskey, and stood by the window, recalling what had just happened.
TLP's anger was expected; that enormous ego could not tolerate rejection.
And Ivana... her gaze and that final, gentle touch seemed to hint at some unusual message.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought—the old business was out of the question, and he would never do it again, even if he jumped off this cliff!
Just as he was about to rest, there was an extremely faint knock on the door, almost like an illusion.
Viktor frowned, picked up his pistol, and cautiously walked behind the door.
A low female voice came from outside the door, and he immediately recognized it—it was Ivana TLP, whom he had just seen three hours earlier.
He opened the door in surprise.
Ivana stood outside the door, wrapped in an expensive mink coat, but underneath she seemed to be wearing the same dress she wore to dinner, her blonde hair loosely hanging over her shoulders.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes no longer held the social perfection of dinner, but were filled with a certain eagerness and boldness.
"May I come in?"
She asked in a low voice, and without waiting for an answer, she slipped past him into the room like a fish.
Victor closed the door, turned around, and looked at her incredulously: "Mrs. TLP? What does this mean? Mr. TLP, he..."
"He went to Atlantic City. He called the restaurant and said there was an emergency there that he had to handle personally. After finishing his dessert, he took a helicopter directly there."
Ivana interrupted him, turning to face him, her coat belt loosened, revealing a smooth black dress underneath:
"What's this, little brother Victor? You called me Miss Ivana when we were in Chicago, but now you're calling me Mrs. TLP?"
Her tone carried a subtle hint of sarcasm and a sense of liberation.
She took a step forward, getting closer to Victor, and the scent of expensive perfume mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted over him.
"My husband isn't here,"
Her fingers traced lightly across Viktor's firm chest: "Perhaps we can talk about the old business."
Victor grabbed her wrist abruptly, his eyes sharpening: "He sent you?"
Ivana laughed, her laughter low and seductive: "No, he's a megalomaniac, but not a psychopath. He's in Atlantic City now, and I'm here."
She pulled her hand away from his, instead pressing closer to him, looking up at him with a naked desire and rebellion burning in her blue eyes. "He wants your money and your fame to embellish his projects. But he can't see anything else... he can't see your own strength... this..."
Her hands boldly explored, "...the primal allure...oh, the dimension is even bigger now, he only knows how to trade, he's forgotten even the most essential meaning."
Her words and her touch were like sparks splashed into an oil drum.
Victor was not a saint; he was a hot-blooded man, and before him stood an extremely beautiful, proactive woman who was currently experiencing a surge of emotions.
More importantly, her words struck a chord with his subconscious dissatisfaction with TLP's utilitarianism and his desire for recognition of his own power.
The subtle pleasure of rejecting TLP is intertwined with the dangerous temptation that Ivana represents at this moment.
The dam of reason crumbled instantly under the impact of burning desire and a certain vengeful impulse. Victor let out a low growl and suddenly pulled her into his arms.
Ivana glared at him passionately, her hands tugging eagerly at his shirt.
The mink coat slipped onto the carpet and went unnoticed.
The two grappled as if in a fight, moving from the doorway to the living room, their clothes falling to the ground.
Outside the window lies a cold and orderly urban jungle, while inside, a primal and fierce storm rages.
This is Yu Wang's catharsis, a secret rebellion against authority, and a collision of two powerful individuals who lost control at a specific moment.
·······
After an unknown amount of time, the storm gradually subsided.
The room was filled with a primitive atmosphere and a mess.
Ivana lay on the messy bed, her blonde hair spread across the pillow, watching the sound of water coming from the direction of the bathroom.
Her face wore a mixture of pleasure and complexity; as the passion subsided, a shadow of reality quietly returned.
Victor emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, his body still damp.
His expression returned to its usual calm, but there was a subtle, unfathomable tremor in the depths of his eyes.
He walked to the bedside, picked up the coat from the floor, and handed it to Ivana.
"You need to help me convince TLP to build the Plaza Hotel in Chicago."
His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was very practical.