Chapter 216
Ice-Cold Ceo, Crazy Love
Upon seeing the trending topic, Isabella couldnât hide her joy. Excitedly, she said, âLeo, it looks like the public is wise after all. Even Ben canât suppress the truth.â
âThatâs right,â Leo said, his eyes shining as he looked at Isabella. âIsabella! How did you know Susan would copy your work?*
Isabella had her explanation ready and said with a smile, âI personally wrote the script for our game, a true masterpiece. I bribed someone on Susanâs team to submit the script to her. To my surprise, Susan took the bait immediately!â
Leo couldnât help but give her a thumbs up, âYou truly are a mastermind.â
Isabella chuckled, âDonât praise me just yet. We should think about how to use this situation to our greatest advantage.â
A dark glint flashed in Leoâs eyes as he coldly said, âStorm Group is a big company, and this game is currently very popular. Exposing their plagiarism now will not only tarnish their reputation, but I also want them to pay a huge penalty feelâ
Even if their own game wasnât making money, Leo felt confident that they could earn a fortune just from the penalty fee.
âThat makes sense,â Isabella said admiringly. âIâll leave it to you.â
*Rest assured,â Leo replied, puffing out his chest. âWe have the upper hand. Whatever we demand, theyâll have no choice but to comply.â
âRight, Isabella nodded, fully trusting In Leoâs plan, Leoâs pride was greatly satisfied.
He took out his phone to call Ben, but after three seconds, he looked bewildered.
He seemed to have been blocked by Ben..
âLeo, Whatâs wrong?â Isabella asked with concern.
Leo discreetly put away his phone. âI think we should meet Ben and Susan in person! I want to see their defeated expressions myselfâ.
âSounds good,â Isabella agreed with a smile.
She too was eager to see Susanâs face of despair.
A The couple decided to go to Storm Group to confront them..
Leo had been worried that Ben wouldnât see him, but to his surprise, as soon as he spoke to the receptionist, he was told that Ben had already arranged for them to meet at a café near the entrance.
âOh? Ben arranged this?â Leo raised an eyebrow.
âYes,â the receptionist confirmed with a smile.
Leo immediately smiled, âLooks like he knows heâs in trouble.â
He confidently took Isabellaâs hand. âLetâs go wait for them. This time, Iâm going to make sure he pays dearly.â
Isabella also thought Ben was coming to negotiate and smiled in agreement.
Leo and Isabella happily headed to the café to wait.
Soon, Ben and Susan arrived.
Eager to see their panicked faces, Leo turned to look at them.
But to his surprise, Ben and Susan seemed relaxed, chatting and laughing without a hint of worry.
Leo frowned, confused by their demeanor.
Isabella whispered, âThey must be pretending to be calm.â
Leo nodded, agreeing with her speculation.
âMr. and Mrs. Landor,â Leo said sarcastically, âIâm surprised such busy people like yourselves have time to meet us.â
âSit down, Susan,â Ben said, pulling a chair for Susan. He casually ordered two cappuccinos and a freshly baked soufflé from the waiter.
The waiter left to fulfill the order.
Throughout this, Ben hadnât given Leo a single glance, which darkened Leoâs mood.
In the past, Ben ignoring him would have been expected, given Benâs status.
But now?
Ben was the one in trouble, yet he still dared to treat him this way?
Leo couldnât help but scoff, âCappuccino? Thatâs not real coffee, is it? Just sugar and milk. Mr. Landor, I remember you only drank black coffee before. Has your taste been lowered so much since getting married?â
Finally, Ben looked at him. Leo straightened his back, appearing proud and aloof.
Ben raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, âWhat would you like to drink today? Itâs on me.â
Leo let out a cold laugh.
Leo thought that Ben was now trying to appease him, but it was too late for that.
Ben continued calmly, âAfter all, by the end of today, you might not even be able to afford coffee.â
Leo was shocked.
He was incredulous, staring at Ben.
Had he heard wrong?
Wasnât Ben supposed to be here to plead with him?
How could he still be so arrogant?
Unable to hold back, Isabella spoke up, âMr. Landor, youâve seen todayâs trending topic, havenât you?â
Ben nodded, âItâs quite interesting,â then turned to Susan, âWhat do you think, Susan?â
Susan just smiled, âIndeed, quite interesting.â
They both seemed completely unperturbed by the situation.
Arrogance to the extreme!
Leo was furious.
He slammed his hand on the table, âBen, stop pretending. Letâs get straight to the point. Your game plagiarized ours! Now, I demand compensation of twenty million dollars⦠no, sixty million dollars!
Otherwise, this matter wonât end here.â
Ben looked at Leo curiously, âWhat do you mean by âwonât end here?â
âIâll sue you, ruin your reputation!â Leoâs expression was sinister. âYou should know, a companyâs reputation is worth more than gold. If this goes to court, your losses, both overt and covert, might exceed sixty million dollars! Iâm only offering this discount because of our past brotherhood.â
âYou give me sixty million dollars, and I can help you resolve this plagiarism issue. Otherwiseâ¦â
Leo smirked coldly.
Ben remained calm, âYou should know that Susanâs game didnât actually plagiarize anything.â
A Leo just laughed, âI donât care whether you plagiarized or not. As long as everyone believes you did, youâre guilty.â
Ben gave Leo a meaningful look, âYouâre set on sixty million dollars, no less?â
âAbsolutely not a penny less,â Leo said firmly.
Sixty million dollars was nothing compared to Storm Groupâs reputation.
He was confident Ben would make the right decision.
Ben narrowed his eyes slightly and said, âI understand.â
He called the waiter, had the coffee and cake packed to take away, and said, âPut todayâs bill on my account.â
After that, he glanced at Leo, âGoodbye.â
Then, Ben and Susan left without looking back.
Leo was speechless.
Isabella was also speechless.
They were both completely baffled about Benâs intentions that day.
Isabella ventured, âLeo, maybe he was trying to appease us!â
Leo snorted coldly, âWhat good is that? Without the sixty million dollars, Iâm not letting this go.â
He spoke with absolute certainty and an air of triumph.
Isabella nodded, already calculating in her mind how they would spend the sixty million dollars.
On their way out, Susan looked up at Ben, âWhy did you insist on meeting them today?â
Ben gently ruffled her hair. âIt was an unnecessary gesture on my part.â
He hadnât needed to come today, but something compelled him to do so.
He simply wanted to see how far Leo would go.
Now he knew.
Leo had completely lost his mind.
In light of this, Ben knew there was no need to hold back in his counterattack.
It was just unfortunate that his grandfather would likely be distressed by the whole affair.