Chapter 131 The Karen at the Airport and the Negotiation
Arlan already sent a team to inspect their plane before their scheduled flight. The owner of the airlines was an acquaintance of the De Guzman Family and Rex only spoke a word to him to give Arlan this preferential treatment. Rex even jokingly told Arlan to buy his own private jet, but Arlan merely smiled at his words.
When they arrived in Milan, Italy, the airport personnel inspected their visa because Arlan's group looked incredibly suspicious. To be precise, Khalon and the soldiers he brought intimidated the people in the airport and someone reported them to the management.
This was soon resolved after they showed their documents and the airport personnel apologized to them for delaying their matters. The airport also sanctioned the person who reported to Arlan's group.
"There are Karens wherever we go..." Krizia muttered while recording the person who reported them. It was a chubby middle-aged woman with blonde hair.
"Hey! Why are you guys capturing me?! Those people looked like criminals! You should capture them too!" Shouted the woman as she struggled to break free from the airport security personnel.
"Karen? What does that mean?" Arlan stared at Krizia in confusion.
Krizia gave him a judging look. "Mr. Roa, do you live in a cave? How could you not know what a 'Karen' is?" She then proceeded to explain it to him.
Arlan revealed a look of realization after hearing her explanation. "People like them exist for the sake of our enjoyment. Just let them be." He chuckled.
Krizia could not hold back her laughter after hearing his words. "You're so mean, Mr. Roa."
This little episode gave them a slight inconvenience, but the airport generously gave them a 50% discount for their next flight as compensation for their bad experience.
"Where are they?" Arlan asked Ben in a calm voice.
"They said that they are waiting for us outside the airport." Ben Hidalgo replied while looking at his phone.
The group exited the airport and they saw several Maybachs waiting for them.
"Welcome back, my friend!" A Caucasian man with blonde hair and blue eyes laughed heartily as he walked towards Ben Hidalgo.
"Paolo, it's nice to see you again!" Ben smacked the Caucasian man's back while laughing loudly.
Arlan stared at this person with narrowed eyes.
Paolo De Luca was the heir of the De Luca Family. According to Winter's intel, this guy was responsible for the family's illegal arms trade. He was a crafty man who hides a devil behind his friendly exterior.
"Paolo, this is my boss, Mr. Arlan Dominic Roa." Ben introduced Arlan.
Paolo's expression turned serious for a brief moment after hearing this, but he quickly smiled as he greeted him. "Greetings, Mr. Roa! I've heard a lot about you from Ben. I don't know how you made this stubborn fox bend the knee, but you have my respect." He extended his hand while saying these words.
Arlan chuckled as he grabbed his hand. "I've also heard a lot about your exploits, Mr. De Luca. It's an honor to meet you in person."
Paolo laughed lightly at his words. "Let's skip the pleasantries for now. We'll take you somewhere to have a nice chat." He escorted Arlan and Krizia to an SUV.
Khalon gave a signal to his men as he followed Arlan. The soldiers split into different groups as they entered the Maybachs.
Paolo De Luca brought them to one of the De Luca Family's 5-star hotels. Upon their arrival, he brought them to the hotel's private area.
Paolo De Luca brought five of his bodyguards inside the room, while Arlan only brought Ben, Khalon, Krizia, and Conrad. He told the other soldiers to stand by outside the room.
"I've already heard about your matter from Ben, but I'm curious... what do you need all those weapons for? From the volume of your order, it could equip thousands of soldiers. Even our De Luca Family would have to use a bit of effort to deliver your items." Paolo muttered while holding a glass of wine. He was surprised when he first received the purchase detail from Ben. He wondered what Arlan was plotting for him to order so many weapons.
"Do I have to answer your question, Mr. De Luca?" Arlan chuckled while looking straight at Paolo. There was a slight tension in the atmosphere after their gazes met.
"Haha! Of course not! If you don't want to say it, then please forget that I asked." Paolo laughed heartily. He shifted to another topic to defuse the tense atmosphere.
Ben nervously stared at the two. He hoped that no accidents will happen during the negotiations. 'Please god almighty, don't let anything happen today! I beg you!' He couldn't imagine the consequences if the two sides clashed.
"Mr. De Luca, can your family handle this trade?" Arlan calmly asked as he crossed his legs.
Paolo's face turned serious as he nodded. "Although your purchase is rather unexpected, our De Luca Family can still handle it. You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Roa. As for the payment..."
"I brought someone to negotiate the price for me. Your people can speak with her." Arlan pointed at Krizia who was seated beside him.
Paolo turned his head at her and looked at her in surprise. He thought that this woman was merely Arlan's escort. "Alright." He muttered as he gave a signal to his subordinates.
"Relax. You can do this." Arlan whispered to Krizia when he noticed her shaking hands.
Krizia took a deep breath as she nodded. "I'll try my best, Mr. Roa."
The negotiations finally started. The De Luca Family sent a middle-aged Caucasian to negotiate on their behalf.
Throughout the discussion, Krizia managed to maintain a calm demeanor despite her nervousness. In the end, she came up with the upper hand. She landed a favorable deal for Arlan.
"I didn't expect that you actually brought such a skilled negotiator with you, Mr. Roa. I'll just take it as my loss..." Paolo muttered while staring curiously at Krizia.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺