"Alright! Alright!" Leon quickly responded. As a high-level corporate employee, he had never encountered a business negotiation where the other party arrived with an armed convoy. This was pure, undisguised intimidation...
Moreover, Leon had already agreed on the negotiation terms with Mavi beforehand. Backing out now was out of the question—not only would it be dishonorable, but he also didn't have the courage to test Mavi's patience. Naturally, he had no choice but to stick to the agreement without trying to play any tricks.
"Good, then it's a deal," Mavi said with a slight smile. His strategy of playing the fool to catch the tiger had worked smoothly this time. Occasionally switching up negotiation tactics didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Yes! Yes! It's a deal!" Leon, feeling the piercing gazes of the surrounding bodyguards, was already sweating in his palms. He just wanted Mavi and his people to leave as soon as possible—his racing heartbeat was making him extremely uneasy.
Two minutes later, as Mavi got into his convoy of Hummers and drove away from the company building in grand fashion, Leon, standing at the entrance, finally let out a long sigh of relief...
Thinking back on the meeting, he still felt lingering fear. If he had underestimated Mavi and treated him with disrespect, or if his hospitality had been inadequate, he might have found himself walking alone at night in a few days—only to be suddenly ambushed and beaten inside a burlap sack.
Standing beside him, Mike Morhaime was also relieved that he hadn't made any mistakes. Otherwise, if Mavi successfully completed the acquisition, he would be the first one to suffer.
After two weeks of finalizing the details, Mavi successfully acquired Blizzard Entertainment from Vivendi for $12 million.
The reason the deal went through so quickly was that Vivendi wanted to sell while the market was still hot. If they had waited any longer, they feared they would have to sell at an even lower price.
After acquiring Blizzard, Mavi still had $288 million left in his bank account. However, he wasn't worried about his assets shrinking. With his knowledge from his previous life, he was confident that he could turn Blizzard into the most profitable gaming company in the world.
Even Tencent, the top-grossing gaming company from his past life, would have to call him "big bro" in this timeline.
"Mike, make arrangements for the company's developers to come to Russia next week," Mavi instructed as he launched his game development plan. The first game he planned to release was one that didn't yet exist in this world—Counter-Strike.
Blizzard's president, Mike Morhaime, asked Mavi what the trip to Russia was about, but Mavi remained secretive, only saying that he had everything arranged.
Although Mike was unsure about the details, as the CEO of a newly acquired company, he promptly followed orders and sent an email to the development team. The email instructed all employees to set aside time on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week for a business trip to Russia.
When Alan, the director of game development, received the email, he couldn't help but call Mike.
"Hello, President Mike, this is Alan from the development department. According to your email, our entire team is scheduled to go on a business trip to Russia starting next Tuesday? May I ask what the purpose of the trip is?"
Alan was aware that the company had recently changed ownership. However, like the rest of the employees, he had never seen their new boss. All he knew was that the new owner was a wealthy Russian.
"The specifics are unclear at the moment, but the new boss said he will take care of everything once we arrive," Mike replied, equally clueless.
His interactions with Mavi had been limited. He initially expected a formal sit-down discussion after the acquisition, but Mavi had yet to make an appearance, completely disregarding conventional business practices.
---
On Tuesday morning, President Mike, along with Development Director Alan and six or seven members of the development team, arrived at California Airport in a company car. They were greeted by a Gulfstream G200 private jet waiting for them.
"Wow, is this the new boss's private jet? It looks awesome!" one of the development team members, wearing glasses, exclaimed in a typical geeky tone.
"This is my first time on a private jet! I'm kind of excited! Is the new boss on board?" another male colleague asked, his face lighting up with excitement.
Just as he finished speaking, the captain and flight attendants stepped out of the G200 and welcomed them. "Please board the plane. Young Master Mavi is waiting for you in Russia."
Mavi had, of course, left the reception arrangements to his subordinates. His only job was to give orders while lounging at home, playing with his pet bear, and texting Jennifer from America. Of course, his personal maid, Anfiya, was also there, giving him a massage and shoulder rubs.
"When are you coming to America to see me?"
It had been nearly a month since Mavi last saw Jennifer, and the heiress of the Marriott family was feeling quite "neglected."
Back at the airport, she had made the first move and flirted with him. But since then, their relationship had remained stagnant, limited to text messages.
Mavi lightly pressed his foot against his baby polar bear, Winnie's belly, and replied, "When do you want me to come?"
Over the past month, Winnie had grown significantly, and her daily food intake had already surpassed that of an adult. Lying on her back with her four legs stretched out, she happily opened her mouth, clearly enjoying the pressure from Mavi's foot. A polar bear exposing its belly to someone was a sign of trust and affection.
Mavi glanced down at his adorable fluffy companion and suddenly wondered if he should buy a tiger to keep her company…
Just as he was entertaining the thought, Jennifer replied, "Next week?"
She wasn't the type of spoiled rich girl who would throw a tantrum demanding he fly over immediately.
"Alright, sounds good."
Mavi wasn't the kind of man who let women control him, but he wasn't arrogant either. Since a gorgeous heiress had made the effort to "plead" with him, ignoring her would be too cruel.
After chatting with Jennifer for a while, Mavi eventually dozed off under the gentle massage of his maid.
When he woke up, his butler, Ivan, spoke softly. "Young Master, the plane is about to land at the airport. The guests from America should arrive in about an hour."
"Alright, got it," Mavi replied as he got up from the couch. Only then did the waiting servants dare to step forward and brush off the white fur clinging to his pants—left there by the ever-affectionate Winnie.
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