Chapter 556
That evening, the top floor of the hotel booked by the Wilson Group was visited by an unexpected guest.
Alvin came alone, knocking on Carmenโs door as he asked, โWanna have a chat?โ
When Carmen opened the door and saw his face, her eyes were full of disbelief. She gasped, โAlvin?โ
Alvinโs face was blank, but the slight furrow of his brow made it clear he didnโt like the way Carmen addressed him. He shifted half a step to the side and said, โAubree is working with Uncle Bowen. Whether itโs you, Bryan, or me, none of us stands to gain much by going up against those two. Besidesโฆโ
He paused before continuing. โYou have to fight not just the outsiders, but Bryan too. So, what do you say about teaming up?โ
Carmen gripped the doorknob a little tighter before agreeing, โCome on in.โ
She poured Alvin a glass of water.
Knowing he was here to talk about teaming up, Carmen couldnโt help but feel a little flutter of excitement inside. โHe couldโve gone to Bryan, and wouldnโt that have made it easier for him to deal with Aubree? But he came to me instead. Did that mean I actually meant something to Alvin?โ she wondered.
She clasped her hands together and flashed what she thought was her most perfect smile at Alvin and replied, โOf course, Iโd never say no to teaming up with you.
โMy teamโs already crunched the numbers for this project. Acquiring the land will cost us approximately $66 million, and afterward, weโll require a substantial amount of manpower and resources for cleanup, rebuilding the foundation, and establishing artificial drainage.
โWe could keep some of the fruit trees as a special feature. The ones in the village now are nothing special, but later on, we could bring in some rare fruit saplings to really draw people in. Once the resort is finished and openโฆโ
Carmen excitedly explained her renovation plan to Alvin. This was a plan she and the team her uncle assigned had spent ages discussing and revising before finally settling on this version. When she handed it over for her dad to review, he even gave her a couple of compliments.
Carmen was sure Alvin would see her plan in a whole new light.
Alvin was genuinely surprised, as he hadnโt expected a conglomerate like the Wilson Group to actually pursue a resort project. He interrupted Carmen right away, โYou guys are planning to build a resort?โ
Carmen blinked in surprise as she asked, โIsnโt that what everyone else is planning?โ
Most companies would have agreed that building a resort was the obvious choice when they wanted to pursue a high-end project.
โThatโs stupid,โ Alvin said flatly. โDid none of you even think about the location or the surroundings?โ
He pondered, โDue to its location, Mistmere was not fully accessible to the public. Indeed, there were plans to transform the entire area into a special economic zone, but who could say for sure what would happen in the future?
โEven if that day ever comes, who knows how many years itโll take? Building a resort out in the middle of nowhere like this? Who in their right mind would come all the way out here unless they were some rich idiot with money to burn?
โSo whatโs the point? Is it because you canโt get this fruit anywhere else, or because itโs some so-called untouched paradise that hasnโt been spoiled by modern technology?
โYou canโt even use the bathroom without being swamped by insects.โ
Alvinโs real game was making Carmen his ally. Partnering with the Wilson Group was hands down the fastest and easiest way for him to take on Aubree and Bowen right now. And by working with Carmen specifically, he figured he could skim off even more of the profits for himself.
As for whatever cut the Wilson Group took, he could just dump all the blame on Uncle Bowen and let the shareholders give him a headache instead.
โA farm stay or a theme park would be better than building a resort,โ Alvin said.
Alvin didnโt plan to lecture Carmen any further. The truth was, Ridgehaven Town was aiming to become an economic zone, and the best way to boost the local economy was to build schools there.
Heโd heard some buzz that a few universities were planning to set up campuses in the area.