Chapter 283 How Much Do You Want?
There were a lot of strong, burly men following Hugo Jensen.
They were supposedly there to pay their respects to Dominic.
No one expected they’d end up being useful for something else, like coming here to demand benefits.
“What would a girl like you even know?” one of them jeered. “Your family barely owns any land here. You’re not going to get much. You’re just kissing up to some outside boss. Are you trying to sell out the whole town?”
Emma was shaking with anger. “Nothing has even been negotiated yet. Why are you stirring things up?”
Hugo burst out laughing. “Why are you so nervous? I’m just asking.”
Then he turned to Alice. “So, big boss, how much are you willing to pay?”
People behind him joined in.
“Yeah, we want it now!”
“If you won’t pay, then get lost!”
The noise grew louder. The mourning place for Dominic was nearby, and more curious onlookers wandered over.
Alice looked at Hugo, then scanned the crowd. No one seemed suspicious.
Still, for some reason, she felt like someone was watching her.
It made her uneasy, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.
She slowly withdrew her gaze. “How much do you want?”
Hugo smirked. “Good question. Look, land in the city is priced by the square foot. Same for us. We’re not greedy. In Mapleford, it goes over 100,000 per square foot. We’ll just ask for 10,000. How about that?”
Emma was about to explode. “Why don’t you just rob us instead?!”
If land payouts were that high, how could any company make money? Without money, who would invest or develop?
No rebuilding meant the whole hill town would stay poor. That screwed everyone.
But Hugo didn’t care about any of that. All he saw was money.
After he spoke, the men around him raised their tools, like shovels, rakes, and wooden sticks.
It looked less like negotiating and more like a ransom demand.
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Chapter 283 How Much Do You Want?
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“You’re a female boss,” Hugo said smugly. “We don’t really want to bully a woman. But if you don’t pay, we won’t hesitate to act like troublemakers!”
He looked fearless, as if the police guarding the mountain didn’t exist.
Alice stayed calin. “If it’s 10,000 per square foot, how much would your family get?”
Hugo immediately looked at her warily. “What are you getting at?”
“Just asking. Or are you scared to answer?” Alice kept her face neutral.
“Not much! Maybe a million or so!” Hugo barked.
Alice snorted. “Only that much? I heard you breed snakes in the hills. That area is set for key development. The price should be even higher.”
Hugo’s face changed instantly. Everyone around him noticed his reaction.
They immediately became unhappy.
“I knew there was something off about you. So this was your plan all along.”
“How are you breeding snakes?”
“You can’t even farm properly, but you breed snakes? That’s shady.”
Seeing the situation turning against him, Hugo panicked and shouted, “Are you crazy? Why target me? We’re all here for money! Don’t let her manipulate you!”
Thinking about it, everyone felt he had a point. So they turned back and started pressuring Alice again.
Alice chuckled. “Why don’t you all look behind you?”
No one understood at first, but they instinctively turned.
Several police officers were standing right behind them.
Right in front of everyone, they pinned Hugo down.
The crowd was dumbfounded.
Wait–now even asking for money comes with this much risk?
Getting caught just like that?
They had been acting fierce just now, but in front of the police, fear took over.
One by one, they shrank back, not daring to say anything.
“Hugo, you’re suspected of illegally occupying land and organizing a disturbance. You’re coming with us!”
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Chapter 283 How Much Do You Want?
Everyone was stunned.
After taking Hugo away, the police warned the townspeople as well.
First, it was normal to protect their own interests, but the project hadn’t even started yet, and compensation wasn’t Alice’s decision.
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Second, whether Alice shortchanged anyone or not, blocking her and disrupting her work was illegal.
Third, if they had complaints, they could file petitions or go through proper channels to protect their rights.
Then the police told everyone to disperse.
The townspeople had worked outside before, but they’d never been scolded so sharply by the police.
Now, no one dared to argue. They scattered in an instant.
Alice thanked the officers. They didn’t say much, only reminding her to call if anything happened again.
They also asked a few questions about Dominic.
Since Alice hadn’t been living in the town, she didn’t know many details and couldn’t answer much.
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