"Mr. De Guzman, I have another matter that I want to discuss with you." Arlan muttered in a serious tone.
Rex retracted his smile when he saw Arlan's expression. "What is it? You can tell me anything."
"Do you know about the islands east of Catanduanes?" Arlan asked.
Rex furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
Arlan grabbed a folded map of Maharlika from his pocket and placed it on the table. He then pointed to a location east of Catanduanes. There were small islands in the location that he pointed out. "This group of islands is called the Shark Reef Island. It is an obscure sanctuary island for sharks and because of past shark attacks, the islands are off-limits to the public. I bought the entire sanctuary from the government at a steep price."
Hearing this, Rex and Renz grinned.
"Those wolves would do anything just to get more money from businessmen like us. So what do you want to do with those islands?" Rex asked while swirling a glass of wine. His decades of experience told him that an opportunity was about to come.
Arlan smiled as he continued. "I plan to build a city on the biggest island..." He handed a blueprint to them. It was the construction blueprint of the island city he had in mind.
The city was surrounded by tall walls that were made from materials that wouldn't easily be eroded by seawater. There were houses and other establishments on the island. There was also a shipyard and a landing area for aircraft. The small islands had a lighthouse that looked like a watchtower.
From his first impression of the blueprint, Rex thought that it was an island fortress. It didn't look like a city at all. He couldn't help but stare at Arlan with narrowed eyes. 'Just what is this guy planning to do with these islands?'
"Can the De Guzman Family handle this project? I'm willing to spend 10 billion dollars to fund this project and if you manage to complete the project in two months, I'm willing to pay 2.5 billion dollars. You should know that I'm making a loss here." Arlan muttered with a smile. He had to build this island fortress within two months and his only choice was to seek help from the best real estate mogul in the country, the De Guzman Family.
Both Rex and Renz were stunned by the amount he stated. They almost couldn't believe their ears. There was actually someone willing to pay 12.5 billion dollars for such an insane project!
Rex put the blueprint on the table and glanced at Arlan. "Mr. Roa, can you tell us why you want to build this island fortress... I mean city?"
Arlan didn't answer immediately. He took a sip of wine and then put the glass on the table before he replied. "I plan to sell the houses on the island. I want to make the island an exclusive city for the rich. With proper advertising and marketing, I believe that rich people all over the world will flock towards it."
Rex's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Mr. Roa, you must be pretty confident about your marketing strategy." He muttered. This kind of project needed a lot of funding. Even their De Guzman Family which was known as the richest family in Maharlika wouldn't dare take the risk in doing this kind of project.
"I'm quite confident about it. Mr. De Guzman, are you willing to do this project with me?" Arlan stared at Rex with a look of anticipation.
Suddenly, Rex laughed heartily. "I never thought that there is actually someone in my son's generation that would make my heart pump like this. Your courage is out of this world, Mr. Roa... I, Rex De Guzman, formally accept your offer." He grabbed his wine glass and raised it.
Arlan chuckled upon seeing this. He also grabbed his wine glass and clinked glasses with Rex. "To a happy cooperation."
"To a happy cooperation." Rex smiled.
"Mr. De Guzman, please keep this project a secret for now. I will reveal it to the world when the time comes." Arlan didn't want anyone to know about the project since it involved some of his secrets.
Rex was perplexed by his words. Normally, one would advertise their project to the public even if it is still in the construction phase. He didn't know what Arlan was planning, but since he already told him to keep it under wraps, he nodded his head. "Alright. You have my word."
Renz was forgotten in the background. He could only smile bitterly while looking at them. He thought that Arlan would be intimidated by his father's reputation. However, the guy actually managed to stand his ground in his father's presence and it even seemed like he had the upper hand throughout the whole conversation.
And just like that, Arlan managed to sign a project with the De Guzman Family. He didn't even feel hurt by how much money he would have to spend on the project.
****
After his deal with the De Guzman Family, Arlan informed Terrence and Luke that the De Guzman Family bought their abandoned construction site. With this, their losses from shifting to another construction site were offsetted.
"Buddy, how did you make those guys pay so much for an unfinished property?" Terrence's voice over the phone was filled with surprise. He knew how stubborn the De Guzman Family was so he couldn't make heads or tails as to how Arlan negotiated the price with them. Even his father would have to eat some losses against them.
"The De Guzman Family is now our friend so I hope that you won't treat them the same way you did before." Arlan was already informed about the conflict between the Montefalco Family and the De Guzman Family. He didn't want his allies to fight amongst themselves so he had to act as a peacemaker for them.
"Fine. Fine. If you say so."
Arlan disconnected the call.
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