Release That Succubus

Chapter 446

Such hatred couldn't be without reason. It fueled his curiosity, urging him to delve into the enigmatic past that seemed to connect him and the slave merchant in such a complex web of resentment. Despite wracking his brain, Zach struggled to pinpoint any familiarity with the man standing before him. No recollection surfaced, and there seemed to be no trace of a person resembling the slave merchant in his memory. The lack of recognition left him perplexed; his mind devoid of any link between them. Zach found it odd as the kind of grudge the man held against him was probably quite deep. Such a hatred was mostly rooted in blood, but Zach didn't know what he might have done to the man to antagonize him that badly. "So, you know me, huh?" questioned Zach while letting out a heavy sigh. He had no choice but to ask the man directly since he couldn't seem to remember anything about the merchant. The merchant nodded frantically as if he had been waiting for Zach to catch on to his game. Now that Zach knew that the merchant had a problem with him and not with selling the girl itself, he felt that he could probably come up with some sort of agreement with the merchant to change his mind. "I don't think that we have that kind of hatred between us, or I would have at least recognized you from somewhere. Why not take this chance to put it all behind us and strike a beneficial deal for the both of us?" Hoping to mend whatever perceived grievances existed, Zach proposed a mutually beneficial deal, aiming to dissolve any lingering resentment between them. Zach tried to show his goodwill. He hoped that there wasn't some unresolvable hatred between the merchant and him that couldn't be removed by greasing his palm a little bit. After all, his current status didn't allow him to enter into a pointless argument with the merchant or it could be seen as bullying by the masses. His troubles wouldn't end once that happened. However, Zach had underestimated the hatred that merchant held for him. Zach had taken his livelihood from him which was as good as throwing him off into the streets with nothing in hand. In fact, the merchant used to be an influential business manager belonging to the Davis family. There were hundreds of employees he used to lord over. The merchant's ascent to greatness began in the humblest of origins, a lowborn individual with an innate talent for business. Starting from the bottom rung, he meticulously honed his skills, navigating the intricate world of commerce with shrewdness and determination. Through years of hard work, he collaborated with numerous families, each partnership adding to his experience and expertise. His journey, marked by relentless effort, eventually led him to the high table of the city's elite when he secured a position working for the prestigious Davis family. This move catapulted him into the echelons of power and influence, where his acumen for business became a valuable asset to one of the city's top families. Everywhere he went, businesses churned money like water from a spring, every stone he touched turned into gold for the Davis family. It was the highest point in his life. He was cashing out all that hard work and sweat he had put into his work. The Davis family had promised him a lot of benefits provided that he was able to expand their businesses without the risk of loss. Confident of being able to pull it off, the merchant had agreed to their terms which dictated that he would share in the profits and loss of the family. He had never expected that the Davis family, one of the top giants of the city, would end up suffering any kind of loss. An established business falling to the bottom was in no way a normal thing in the business world. But all the hard work he had put in was destroyed by Zach in a single go. Zach's Smith family not only competed against the Davis and Brown family but also beat them so thoroughly that the head of the Davis family fired all his business managers for not being able to anticipate the trend of the market before taking up production. The merchant blamed Princess Candice and Zach for his current situation. He hated them with a passion that was akin to immortal phoenix fire that would keep burning until the end of time. After being fired from the top, there was nowhere he could go. No business was willing to hire him after his reputation got tarnished as the one who sank the Davis family to the bottom even though he hadn't been the one at fault. With no means of livelihood, he had to resort to establishing a business for himself. In the end, the most lucrative business with easy and fast returns turned out to be the slavery business. A twist of fate had brought his worst enemy, Zach, in front of him. Being in a stronger position, the merchant was feeling a perverse pleasure in denying Zach's requests even though he would be profiting quite a bit by selling the little girl to Zach. However, the pleasure of denying a Viscount was too addicting for the merchant and he continued to ignore the various gestures of goodwill from Zach, even when the latter offered to pay even more than his previous offers. "No matter what you offer me, I have no intention of selling anything to you. Being the seller, it is my right to decide who to sell my product to. You can't force me or do anything to change my mind in this regard just because you are a Viscount." Zach wanted to punch the man in his smug face, but he had his reputation to uphold in the public. Being a figure of authority, he couldn't act so tyrannically in public, or he would not hear the end of it from Bruce who was always urging him to keep a low profile when it came to such incidents. While the merchant was thanking all the gods that he worshipped for giving him the opportunity to frustrate Zach so much, not everyone felt that way. After all, when one party in a conflict found happiness and satisfaction, the other was bound to pay the price for it. Therefore, it wasn't only Zach who was disappointed by the constant rejection of his offers. There were two people who were even more affected by the merchant's heartlessness. One was the little girl whose fate was being decided based on the whim of the merchant who happened to get his hands on her with some dumb stroke of luck. She lowered her head towards the ground as if intent on sticking her head into the ground in disappointment. She kept on glancing in Brittany's direction from time to time with a pitiful look in her eyes. Brittany couldn't bring herself to ignore the little girl who would probably have to suffer a lot if Zach couldn't save her from the merchant. The way the little girl begged with her watery eyes, Brittany couldn't bring herself to ignore her desperate pleas for help. "Let's not bring our personal problems into business matters. As a businessman, you want to earn money and I am offering more than anyone else would offer for all the stock you have in your possession currently. Don't be a fool and consider my offer before letting your ego and foolish pride waste an opportunity like this." Zach tried one last time to move the merchant with his words that were as tempting as a viable business proposal to an investor. But the merchant laughed out loud in his face, spewing his saliva with each burst of laughter, disgusting Zach with his shitty personality even more. "I won't sell anything to you even if you beg me on your knees. As for your offers, I couldn't care less. I will give this girl away for free if I have to, but I will never sell it to you. Not even a world full of profits can move me into changing my decision." the merchant declared loudly in between his evil and disgusting laugh. Zach gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. His hands curled into fists and his nails dug into his palms as he forced himself to calm down thinking that the merchant was trying to rile him up. His goal was to get a reaction out of Zach in front of the masses so as to destroy his image and hurt the goodwill he had earned among the general public. "Oh~ I just came up with a better idea that YOU will definitely like." Pointing at Zach's face, the merchant turned towards the crowd and announced loudly. The audience had already been intrigued by the conflict between the merchant and Zach. Some of them had already recognized Zach and had spread the news among the others in a whispering tone. As a result, almost everyone in the audience knew that Zach was the Viscount who was helping the economy of Byzantium city recover. Making use of the situation, the merchant intended to use the audience as his assistance to annoy Zach even further, essentially forcing him to do something that would incriminate him in the eyes of the public. Despite goading Zach into saying something foolish, the merchant didn't get anything worthwhile even after calling him out in front of the audience. As such, he had no choice but to go a step further.  Nôv(el)B\\jnn