What?!
Victor Lang was floored.
That's not enough?!
Zoey was pushing it.
If she were anyone else, Victor would've shown her the door with a polite "see ya" from Secretary Carter.
But this was Zoey Parker, princess of Parker Capital, daughter of Mr. Parker.
So he swallowed his frustration, forcing a smile. "Zoey, that's our best offer."
"If you're not happy with it, I swear, compared to top-tier VR pod brands worldwide, VibeX1's landing fees and commissions are the lowest."
"Go check the market. Other companies charge hundreds of thousands. Tokyo-based Komera and CloudWave Tech are hitting $150,000."
Victor's heart grumbled. That's not how you negotiate, kid.
He'd laid it all bare, and she was still playing hardball?
But before he could finish, Zoey cut him off with a huff.
"Victor! You're totally missing the point!"
Her face turned stern. "You think I'm bargaining?!"
Victor froze. Huh?
As the saying goes, when I throw a question mark, it's not me who's got the issue—it's you.
Zoey's words made his brain short-circuit.
Not bargaining? Then what? You want to pay more?
He opened his mouth, bewildered. "So… what're you getting at?"
"I'm saying—you're a top-tier VR pod company! And you're charging peanuts for landing fees and commissions?!"
Zoey was fuming.
"Victor, I came here in good faith, and this is your attitude? $70,000 landing fee? With a 20% discount?!"
"Are you kidding me?"
"If Tokyo or CloudWave execs heard this, they'd think WindyPeak can't afford a real fee!"
She's demanding a price hike?!
Victor's jaw dropped.
He waved his hands frantically. "No, no, our pricing's always been like this!"
"Always like this?!" Zoey snapped, doubling down.
"A measly fee like that? How am I supposed to brag about it?"
"Match the big players! Charge me $150,000!"
"$150,000 a month!"
The office went dead silent.
Secretary Carter rubbed his eyes, blinking hard.
Am I hallucinating? She's glowing like a cash machine. Maybe I need a nap.
Victor's knees buckled. He nearly wanted to bow down.
Holy—! You should've led with that!
He'd misread her completely. Zoey wasn't naive—she was just obsessed with clout.
Carter and Victor's eyes sparkled, like they'd spotted the God of Wealth.
But Chloe Quinn, sitting beside Zoey, was losing it.
No way!
Victor didn't know WindyPeak's finances, but Chloe did.
Two million in liquid funds, and Mr. Parker wouldn't toss them a dime.
Zoey was throwing cash like it burned her hands—not just refusing a discount but jacking up the price to match international giants.
And a monthly fee?
You got too much money or what?!
Chloe couldn't hold back.
If this kept up, Zoey might sign over the whole company.
"Uh…" Chloe forced a laugh, glancing at Victor. "Zoey got confused about the landing fee. Thought it was monthly, haha…"
Zoey shot her a look. I know it's one-time, Chloe. I just wanna pay monthly.
She opened her mouth to argue, "But I—"
Chloe shoved the lollipop back in her mouth.
Zip it, boss.
"Oh, gotcha, haha," Victor said, waving it off. "No worries."
"Zoey's got a big heart and bigger pockets, but our fees are regulated by the market board. Even if you wanted to pay monthly, we couldn't take it!"
Both sides chuckled awkwardly.
Chloe saw her chance to claw back the $59,000 discount.
But Zoey yanked out her lollipop. "Fine! $150,000 it is!"
"And skip the commission discount. Take the full cut!"
"WindyPeak doesn't do cheap deals!"
Her words echoed like a battle cry. Chloe nearly passed out.
Can't stop her.
Victor roared with laughter. "That's the spirit! Zoey, you're a true Parker! Happy to work with you!"
He extended his hand, thrilled.
What a client.
If every boss was like Zoey, IndieVibe Tech would rule the gaming world.
They shook hands, sealing the absurd deal.
Victor offered to host a dinner, but Zoey declined, citing company business.
…
After seeing Zoey off, Victor was on cloud nine.
Back in his office, Carter hung up his jacket and whispered, "Boss, is Zoey… you know…"
He tapped his temple. Nice girl, but maybe not all there?
Victor frowned. "Hey, don't talk about partners like that."
Carter stuck out his tongue. "My bad, boss."
Victor waved it off. "Carter, anyone throwing cash like that isn't dumb. They might not get new tech, but they know money. Zoey's not running a charity with that $150,000."
"Some things you just get."
Carter's face lit up. "Got it!"
"She's banking on our platform's hype. Vampire Survivor's 43,775 single-day sales showed her what our promos can do."
"She's hinting—paying big for max exposure."
Victor grinned, raising an eyebrow.
Carter nodded. "Crank up the marketing! Make it worth her while!"