�Hey, don�t get too agitated. You�re so angry that you�re messing up your pretty face now. Come on, take a sip of the wine and calm down��

Haze then calmly picked up a tall wine glass and poured Renee a glass of wine before handing it to her. He smiled and continued, �I�m not planning to take it for free. You know that my family is so rich that we don�t know what to do with our money, and Azure Group just happens to be short of money�

So if you agree, I�ll gladly pay a price five times higher than the current market value to acquire the twenty percent. I�ll never force you into something that will make you lose money.�

�Oh,� Renee�s expression softened slightly once she heard what Haze had just said. �So you�re not just taking it for free! Why didn�t you tell me that earlier? I thought you wanted the twenty percent shares in exchange for the rights to the land!�

�Do I look like such a greedy pig to you?�

�Absolutely!� Renee replied without hesitation.

At the very least, she knew that Haze�s family, the Baldwins, had amassed their immense wealth by force and extortion from the beginning, so as the sole heir to the family, it would not be a surprise that Haze would inherit their penchant for that kind of brutality. Haze was speechless. He coughed gently and said,

�Really, madam. You wound me. Don�t you have any trust in me at all?�

�So,� he continued, pressing Renee for an answer. �Do you accept these terms? Are you willing to let me be the second largest shareholder of Azure Group?�

�It sounds like the Baldwin family is indeed very generous,� Renee replied lucidly as she took a sip of qbthe wine, �and I can�t think of a reason to refuse the offer, except� I know there�s no free lunch in this world. I feel like I�m biting off much more than I can chew here, so I�ll have to pass!�

Haze�s captivating eyes darkened a little as they flashed with a complex mix of emotions. He quickly returned to his look of cynicism as he joked, �What are you afraid of? I�m offering you a prime cut of meat on a platter! It�s right in front of you now, so why not just be bold and take a huge bite? If you can�t chew it all today, then leave it for tomorrow! If you still can�t chew it all tomorrow, then leave it for the day after that! I�m sure you�ll manage to chew everything eventually! Besides, isn�t that better than refusing it and starving to death?�

�I don�t like the way you put it. Azure Group has been developing steadily. Who told you it is starving to death?�

�You know better than anyone else whether or not it�s starving to death. Your best buddy Liam Osborne almost dragged his family into the mess just so he could get enough money to help Azure Group stay afloat. Azure Group is nothing but an old broken car that wouldn�t even start. Without any outside help, there�s no hope that it would ever take you anywhere��

�But that�s only temporary!� Renee interrupted. She wished she could retort Haze and teach him a lesson but found that she had completely no confidence. She could only add, �You� You don�t know anything!�

Azure Group�s current financial situation was indeed bleak. Although she believed that its future was boundless, it was now just as Haze had said�nothing more than an old car that would not start�doubtful that it would even get them anywhere!

�Look into my eyes, Renee��

Haze displayed a rare sign of seriousness as he slowly assured her, �You may distrust everyone else in the world, but you must trust me. My grandfather ordered me to help you rebuild the wealth and power of the Everheart family!�

�Grandpa Baldwin wanted you to do that?� Renee asked, surprised.

�Why else do you think I�m here?� Haze raised his eyebrows, then helplessly sighed. �You must know that I�m not the kind to dabble in business. If it were up to me, what I�d love to do most would be hiding in a small dark room, writing codes. If Grandpa hadn�t ordered me to do this and told me that the Everheart family was in trouble, that you were in trouble, and then commanded me to help you through this hurdle, I would�ve never bothered myself with any of this. Don�t you think that I�d make better use of my time cracking codes and hacking programs?�

�Don�t you know how many people had their greedy eyes on the land where Everheart Residence is?� he asked. �Grandpa said Everheart Residence holds great significance to the Everheart family, and he ordered me to get a hold of the land and keep it for you. If Rubio Pascal hadn�t been afraid of the Baldwin family�s power and influence, do you think he would ever let go of it?� JrNovels.com