Beyond the Divorce

Lauren continued, "That landlord saw Alejandra's business thriving and wanted to drive her away by raising the rent. Both parties didn't want to back down. Alejandra certainly didn't want to pay such a high price for rent, and the landlord wanted to force her out."

"That's downright unethical," I complained.

"Alejandra already had a steady stream of customers. If she moved, it would be a considerable loss. Alejandra was furious. When she rented the place, she paid two years worth of rent in advance. It would all be in vain if she left after building a loyal customer base.

"But the landlord didn't care about any of that. He doubled the rent and even threatened to take the place back if they couldn't reach an agreement quickly, claiming he couldn't delay his own leasing process. "Alejandra was infuriated and argued with them. When she first rented the place, the rent was already higher than usual. The landlord took advantage of the situation for personal gain," Lauren expressed disdain.

"And what happened next?" I couldn't wait to know how Lauren had stepped in to help.

"He said too much and ended up saying, 'Buy it from me if you can. I'll sell it to you cheap. It's worth 50 thousand dollars, but I'll give it to you for 40 thousand. Is that generous enough? How dare you say I'm not being fair? Buy it from me if you can afford it! Then no one will bother you about rent anymore. How about that?'

"When I heard that, I realized the place was worth 40 thousand dollars, and he had deliberately put it that way to provoke her," Lauren said, still angered by the memory.

"If Alejandra agreed to buy it for 40 thousand dollars, he would get rid of what he considered a hot potato, and if not, she would have to pay the rent. If she couldn't afford it, she would have to leave," Lauren explained while gesturing helplessly.

"A classic case of taking advantage of someone in trouble," I remarked.

"He was heartless. I was infuriated. It was obvious he was bullying poor Alejandra! I asked him, 'Do you mean what you say?""

"Did he actually agree to sell it?" I was surprised.

"He had nothing to lose, so of course he agreed. I immediately asked Alejandra if she wanted to buy this place."

Lauren chuckled. "Actually, I did something reckless."

I inquired, "What was it?"

Lauren looked at me and said, "Think about it. If Alejandra could afford to buy, why would she still be renting? Business might be booming, but 40 thousand dollars in two years is still quite a stretch. She has to support her family while running the shop too.

"I saw Alejandra in distress and I knew she couldn't come up with the money. At that moment, I kind of regretted getting involved," Lauren confessed, looking at me with a smile.

I laughed and said, "But that's just what you're like."

"The landlord sneered at me and

said, 'If you're meddling, at least know who you're dealing with. Does she have 40 thousand dollars?' In response, took out my card from

Ine

my bag, slapped it on the d

and

asked him, 'I asked if you meant what you said. She doesn't have 40 thousand dollars, but I do? Are you selling or not?""

Lauren scoffed as she talked about it. "Do you think I was intimidating? I thought I was. Anyway, the money wasn't a loss."Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

I smiled brightly at her. "You really are a sweetheart."

Lauren smiled and continued, "When

the landlord saw the card, he hesitated for a long time. He hadn't been able to sell the place for many years. There was supposed to be redevelopment in this location, but there were no actual signs of progress. But he was dumbfounded that someone was willing to pay immediately!"

"But this place will eventually be redeveloped. Look around. It's surrounded by old neighborhoods. Now that it's developing, it's expanding outward. This will

become the city center soon.net

later. It's just a matter of time." I

or

reassured Lauren, saying. Once our company has enough money, we'll start development!"

Lauren smiled. "That's what you say."

I laughed heartily, "Well, it's free to brag."

"And then? Did you really buy it?" I asked.

"The landlord struggled to say anything. Some customers even cheered for Alejandra, so he reluctantly agreed. I took him to the bank, withdrew 40 thousand dollars, and handed it to him. Once we completed the paperwork, this lot became mine," Lauren said confidently.

I looked at her, astonished, "Are you saying this place is yours now?"