A Bumpy Road to Power

Chapter 716 716

"President Summers, do you think the same?"

Dirk Carter asked Javier Summers.

Javier Summers had always maintained a rather complimentary attitude.

But ever since John Houseman appeared, he had become indifferent.

Judging by his demeanor, he didn't want to appear too close to Dirk Carter in front of John Houseman.

He said, "Secretary General Carter, I, Javier Summers, of course, have to give you face, but as you can see, Mr. Houseman is not only a major client of our Sterling InterContinental Hotel in Rexton City, but also a major client nationwide. We certainly cannot afford to offend him, so on behalf of the Group, I can only offer you an apology."

As soon as he finished speaking.

John Houseman's face showed an even more complacent expression.

That smug look seemed to be telling Dirk Carter, "See? When compared to me, you're just not up to par."

"Is this your final decision?"

Dirk Carter asked.

Lilian Taylor snorted coldly and said, "Secretary General Carter, you are the City Government Secretary of Rexton, if you want to pressure us with your authority, we businessmen have no defense, but we reserve the right to appeal. This is the attitude of our hotel, and even if the senior management of the Group comes here today, we still believe our approach is not wrong."

Javier Summers deliberately turned his head away.

Pretending not to hear a word of it.

This indirectly confirmed that what Lilian Taylor said was his final stance.

Dirk Carter nodded.

He said, "Alright, since that's the case, I don't need to save face for your hotel anymore."

When he finished speaking.

In front of everyone, Dirk Carter took out his phone and directly dialed a number.

Once the call connected.

Dirk Carter said, "As we discussed earlier, go ahead and execute it."

The call was immediately cut off.

Dirk Carter folded his arms, sat down on the sofa in the lobby.

He said, "Mr. Houseman, President Summers, Manager Taylor, if you're not busy, sit with me for a while. As the saying goes, 'returning courtesy is necessary.' Since I've lost face, I should make up for it, right? Otherwise, everyone will think Dirk Carter is easy to bully, wouldn't they?"

John Houseman burst out laughing when he heard this.

He said, "Seems Secretary General Carter is a person who cares about face. Fine, I'm quite interested in seeing how Secretary General Carter regains face. President Summers, Manager Taylor, let's accompany him."

After saying that, John Houseman sat down openly across from Dirk Carter.

This was meant to convey to Javier Summers and Lilian Taylor that as long as he was present, it wouldn't be easy for Dirk Carter to regain his face.

With those words spoken.

Javier Summers and Lilian Taylor exchanged glances.

Lilian Taylor eagerly sat down next to John Houseman and said, "Mr. Houseman, I'll sit with you for a while."

This was intended to tell Dirk Carter.

The only reason she was staying was for John Houseman's sake, having nothing to do with Dirk Carter.

"President Summers, there's nothing illegal or unruly happening at your hotel, right? Otherwise, when Secretary General Carter's people arrive, you won't be able to step down gracefully, will you?"

John Houseman's meaning was all too obvious.

Dirk Carter's so-called regaining face was merely some bureaucratic maneuvering, beyond that, he had no other options.

Javier Summers chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Houseman, Sterling Hotel is a national chain, it's definitely up to any inspection. I'm just afraid if nothing turns up, Secretary General Carter won't know where to stash his face."

"Hahaha..."

John Houseman laughed once more.

Just as the conversation ended.

The phones at the reception desk started ringing almost simultaneously.

About two minutes passed.

A receptionist hurriedly came over to the sofa area, looking like they had something urgent to say to Javier Summers.

"What happened?"

Javier Summers asked.

The receptionist still looked troubled.

Javier Summers said, "Speak up if there's something, Mr. Houseman is here, what are you afraid of?"

The receptionist had no other choice.

They said, "President Summers, Apex Group called, they are terminating all commercial cooperation with our hotel from now on."

"What did you just say?"

Javier Summers shot to his feet upon hearing that.

The receptionist nodded again, saying, "I confirmed it, it's indeed a decision by Apex Group, and they just announced it on social media."

This piece of news hit like a bolt from the blue.

Apex Group's status in Rexton City is well-known.

The annual cooperation with Apex Group represents a major income, losing it would be a severe blow to Sterling Hotel.

"President Summers, President Summers, something's gone wrong."

At this moment.

Another receptionist ran over.

"What now?"

Javier Summers asked.

The receptionist swallowed a gulp and said, "The Rexton City Real Estate Association has just called to cancel all business collaborations with us."

"Real Estate Association? How is that possible?"

Once again, Javier Summers was dumbfounded.

It's known that the Real Estate Association is another major profit source for the hotel.

In less than a minute, two major clients canceled cooperation simultaneously.

A shiver ran down Javier Summers' spine.

He turned to look at Dirk Carter.

Could all this have been orchestrated by Dirk Carter?

Impossible!

How could he have such influence?

Even if the city party secretary intervened, it might not have such immediate results.

"President Summers, President Summers..."

At this moment.

A person dressed as a manager ran over, holding up a phone.

"President Summers, a call from the Board of Directors."

"Board of Directors?"

Javier Summers tensed up.

He picked up the phone, glanced at the number, and immediately said reverently, "President Ford, hello, this is Javier Summers."

"Javier Summers, what have you done? Are you out of your mind? Do you know how much trouble you've caused? More than a dozen large enterprises in Serenity State have canceled their cooperation with our hotel, there are at least a dozen more in Riverton State. Even our spokesperson Corrine Quance wants to cancel her brand partnership with us. When I asked them why, they all said it was because the Rexton City hotel lacked contractual spirit and they no longer trusted our brand. So tell me, what on earth happened over there in Rexton City?"

The speaker was Aurelius Ford, the Vice Chairman of Sterling Group.

Javier Summers glanced fearfully at Dirk Carter, who sat leisurely on the sofa.

He roughly grasped what was happening.

Nervously speaking, "President Ford, there must be some misunderstanding here, don't worry, I will... I will solve this problem immediately."

"Misunderstanding? Do you know how much loss you've caused to our Group? Javier Summers, I warn you, if you can't resolve this, you can forget about staying on as general manager. The Group's legal department will be in touch with you next, and you'll have to pay for all the losses."

Aurelius Ford shouted.

Javier Summers' heart was in his throat.

Timidly saying, "Yes, yes, President Ford, I'll definitely resolve it, I'll solve it immediately."