Chapter 162 - 160: The Buyer Is Me
Theodore Coleman lunged toward the young real estate agent, grabbing him by the collar. "It was you agents who spread the word that we’re desperate for money, wasn’t it?" he snapped. "Otherwise, how would these people dare to lowball us so shamelessly? I haven’t even settled the score with you, and you have the nerve to threaten my dad?"
"Theodore!"
Before the agent could beg for mercy, Bruce Coleman sternly stopped his son. "Let him go."
Theodore Coleman’s eyes blazed with anger. He released his grip, but his glare remained a clear warning.
The agent knew this was a martial arts school. He took two startled steps back, but the thought of his commission made him press on. "Master Coleman, please reconsider. Mr. Marshall has already said that if you agree, we can sign the contract today."
The stout man nodded eagerly, his tone growing serious, afraid that if they really got angry, they would beat him up. "8,800. I won’t haggle anymore. Let’s sign the contract at this price."
"I’m not selling to you. You can go," Bruce Coleman said, his imposing aura fading. His voice was softer, but the finality in his tone was even more pronounced.
’This guy is not a good person. I don’t want my family’s ancestral home to fall into the hands of someone like him.’
’The money Blair earned could tide them over for a while longer. If they just waited, another buyer would surely come along.’
But when the stout man heard that Bruce Coleman really wasn’t selling, he grew anxious.
"Master Coleman, let’s talk this over. How about 9,000? The price we discussed the time before last? I’ll give you a little leeway. Let’s be friends!"
Before the man could even finish, Blair’s voice suddenly cut in. "Pah! Someone like you thinks you’re worthy of being friends with my master?"
As she spoke, Blair strode in through the main gate, followed by Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman.
"Junior Sister, you’re back!"
Theodore Coleman’s expression changed instantly, a wide grin spreading across his face as he went to greet her.
Blair walked straight to Bruce Coleman and stopped. Before anyone could figure out what was happening, she announced, "Master, I’ve found a buyer for The Courtyard. Someone is willing to pay ten thousand!"
"What?"
Everyone present, except for the three young women, gasped in unison, their faces masks of shock.
Bruce Coleman’s eyes widened, as if he suspected he had misheard. "Ten thousand?"
That was five hundred more than his own listing price—practically the normal market value for The Courtyard.
The agent was incredulous. "How is that possible? The listing price is only 9,500. Who would be willing to pay ten thousand?"
’Are they some kind of sucker?’
Estelle Goodman shot the agent a smug look and scoffed, "Not everyone is a bloodsucker like you. There’s still such a thing as kindness in this world. The Courtyard is worth ten thousand, so of course someone’s willing to pay that."
The stout man eyed the young women, who clearly hadn’t even graduated from college yet, with suspicion. Beneath his sunglasses, his brows knitted together. "Don’t try to bluff. I already said 9,000. I’m being very sincere here. Don’t use these tricks to try and force me to raise my price."
"No one is forcing you. My master already said he’s not selling to you, so this has nothing to do with you. You can leave now!" Blair said, waving her hand impatiently, shooing him away as if he were a fly.
Bruce Coleman finally snapped out of it. "Blair, are you telling the truth?"
"Master Coleman." At that moment, Cecilia Sterling stepped forward and said to Bruce Coleman, "Blair isn’t lying to you. The buyer she mentioned is me. My name is Cecilia Sterling. I’m Blair’s classmate and her good friend."
The room fell silent, a silence that was deafening.
Everyone stared at Cecilia’s youthful face, momentarily forgetting how to react.
’She’s only about twenty, right?’
’She can afford such an expensive house?’
’Even if her family is rich, they wouldn’t spend money like this, would they?’
"Young... young lady..."
Bruce Coleman started to speak, but Cecilia offered a calm, gentle smile. "Master Coleman, we can sit down and discuss the details. My proposal is a bit different from a normal sale, and I’d like to explain it and talk it over with you properly. How does that sound?"
Hearing Cecilia’s words, Bruce Coleman saw no reason to refuse. He nodded and invited her into the main hall to talk.
As Estelle Goodman passed the agent and the stout man, she looked at them with a frown. "What are you still doing here? Don’t you get the picture? You’re out!"
With that, she followed Blair into the main hall, leaving the two men to stare at each other, seemingly unable to process what had just happened.
After they sat down, Bruce Coleman asked impatiently, "Young lady, is what Blair said true?"
Cecilia Sterling nodded and began to explain, "It is. Blair told me everything about your situation in detail, and I was very moved after hearing it."
"Besides, as Blair’s good friend, I, like you, Master Coleman, don’t want to see her earn money by fighting anymore. It’s just too dangerous."
"This courtyard is your ancestral home. If it weren’t for your wife’s grave illness, I imagine you wouldn’t be willing to sell it."
Bruce Coleman nodded repeatedly. Everything Cecilia said was true.
Cecilia sat up straight and got to the point. "So, my idea is this: I can buy The Courtyard at the normal market price of ten thousand. After the purchase, I would naturally become the owner. However, I have two other villas in Lorcain, so I don’t really have a use for this place. I’m only willing to step in and help for Blair’s sake."
"I also offered to lend Blair the money directly, but she refused. I understand her personality, and I respect that."
"After you sell The Courtyard to me, I will immediately rent it back to your martial arts school. The school can continue to operate normally, and you won’t have to move. You’ll simply go from being the owners to being tenants."
"The rent will be half the normal market rate—a friendship price since I’m Blair’s friend. Blair couldn’t win that argument with me, so she’s agreed to it."
"Finally, and most importantly, you will have the right to buy back The Courtyard at any time for the same price I paid. Once you’ve overcome your difficulties and saved up enough money, you can just let me know."
Cecilia’s words, both reasonable and compassionate, left Bruce Coleman and his son completely stunned.
After a moment, a confused Theodore Coleman asked, "But if you’re going to go to all this trouble, why not just lend us the money? We could pay you back with interest."
Blair shot her Senior Brother a look before explaining, "Cecilia suggested that, too, but I didn’t agree. If we just borrowed the money, Cecilia would have no guarantee. Even though I would definitely pay it back, it’s not fair to her. She has no reason to trust us unconditionally. This way, by selling The Courtyard to her, she at least gets the property, so she can’t lose out."
This was the second time Cecilia had heard Blair say this, and she still couldn’t help but smile.
’She really is stubborn. When it comes to matters of principle, she’s the type who absolutely refuses to compromise. Otherwise, it’s a deal-breaker.’
’That’s why I had no choice but to come up with such a roundabout plan.’
Bruce Coleman thought for a moment, then couldn’t help but say, "Young lady, in that case, aren’t you basically just helping us for free?"
Cecilia shook her head. "Not at all. I’ll still be earning rent from you, won’t I? For every month later you buy back The Courtyard, I get to earn another month’s rent."