She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 531: Do you really want it?

”Do you really want it, Alex?”

Victoria locked eyes with him and didn’t look away.

It wasn’t a simple question. It was a test. The kind she had learned to ask before anyone stepped into a fight they might not be able to leave.

”Think carefully,” she said. ”That building already has three serious buyers circling it, and more complications than a newcomer should walk into. You can still avoid all of that.”

She paused, watching him closely.

”But the moment you try to take it, those three won’t just stand aside,” Victoria said. ”They’ll join hands and do everything they can to stop you.” She looked him straight in the eyes, making sure the weight of her words settled.

”At that point, it won’t be about a useful building anymore. It becomes pride. Reputation. And if you still force the deal through... they won’t swallow the loss. They’ll come after the company. They’ll create problems for your people. They may even come after you directly.”

Her voice stayed calm, but every word carried weight.

”So tell me the truth. Why that place? Why not take something cleaner, something quieter, something that won’t put a target on Eclipse Holdings before it even opens its doors?”

Alex met her eyes without looking away. He knew she wasn’t asking him to give up. She only wanted the real reason.

”Because a clean place won’t give me what I need,” he said. ”A quiet first office only tells people I wanted to stay small. That building does the opposite.”

He leaned forward slightly.

”Those three have been fighting over it for months. Everyone in their circle already knows the property is poisoned. If an outsider walks in, takes it, and walks out with the deed while they still can’t stop him, the story writes itself. People don’t respect the man who buys what no one else wants. They respect the one who takes what everyone else failed to hold.”

Victoria’s eyes narrowed.

”And you think the cost is worth that story?”

”I think the cost is the point,” Alex answered. ”I’m not only building a holding company. I’m building a security company under it. If Eclipse Holdings seizes a contested asset in one move and still stands, the message is clear. The group is not afraid of pressure. That reputation alone will open doors for the security side. Clients don’t hire soft protection. They hire the ones who already proved they can stand in front of stronger people and not break.”

Victoria studied him for a long moment.

”You’re using their fight as a stage.”

”Yes.”

”You’re turning their deadlock into your entrance.”

”Yes.”

”And if they attack after the sale?”

”Then the security company gets its first real proof of value,” Alex said. ”I’m not walking in without a plan. I’m walking in because the fight itself is useful. If I succeed, Eclipse Holdings won’t start as another small name. It will start as the group that took something three established players couldn’t keep.”

He held her gaze a moment longer.

”Don’t worry, Victoria. I’ve already thought it through. Trust me... stay on the sidelines and watch. I’ll handle them.”

Victoria studied him in silence. The confidence in his voice was steady, not loud. The plan behind it was clear enough that she could already see the shape of the risk he was choosing.

After a moment, she nodded.

”Alright,” she said, a small smile touching her lips. ”Then try not to get me involved.”

With that, she reached for the intercom.

”Margaret. Come in.”

Victoria put the intercom down and turned back to Alex.

”That land has been a hot cake for some time now,” she said. ”And I already know a few things about the owner.”

She leaned back slightly.

”He’s a stubborn old man. That personality alone is why the place is still stuck. The three groups keep circling, but none of them can move him. If you want that building, you won’t get it by pressure alone. You’ll have to meet him personally and convince him to sell it to you.”

Her eyes stayed on him.

”If you can’t do that, you’ll end up exactly like the other three... watching from the outside while the papers go nowhere.”

Then her tone eased a little.

”Fortunately, I know his lawyer well enough. If you can get the old man to agree, the lawyer can help you push the acquisition through cleanly.”

The door opened.

Margaret stepped in, notepad ready.

Victoria didn’t waste time. She turned the screen toward Margaret and briefly listed the property details.

”Contact the external counsel and the lawyer handling this property for the seller. I want both available today. Also set a private appointment with the owner. Tell them Alex will meet him in person.”

Margaret listened, then simply nodded.

”Understood, ma’am. I’ll arrange it immediately.”

There was no surprise on her face. No tension or hesitation.

For people at their level, something like this was not extraordinary. If they truly decided to take it, acquiring a contested property was little more than routine work. There was almost nothing they could not own when they chose to move.

”One more thing,” Victoria said before Margaret could leave. ”Don’t bring us into the picture yet. I don’t want that old man knowing this came from our side.”

Margaret nodded once.

”Understood.”

She stepped aside, phone already in hand, and made the call in a low, efficient voice. The conversation was short.

When she returned, her expression was calm.

”He’s agreed to meet,” she said. ”This evening. Private room at the Grand Meridian.”

Alex looked from Victoria to Margaret, then back again.

For a second, the speed of it caught him off guard. One short call, and a meeting with the stubborn owner was already set for the evening. No delays. No excuses. Just done.

Victoria noticed the look on his face and smiled faintly.

”If you want something,” she said, ”don’t sit around waiting for the perfect moment. Move. Time only helps the people already standing in your way.”

Victoria opened a slim black folder and took out six cards. Each one carried the Blackwood seal... clean, formal, and impossible to fake at a glance.