Landlord in the Arctic

Her words had an immediate effect.

The other end of the line instantly descended into chaos.

First came a clatter of things falling.

This was followed by a woman’s panicked shriek, clearly terrified by Natasha’s words.

Finally, Maxim’s desperate, groveling pleas came through.

"No, no, Lady Natasha, I didn’t... I mean... please don’t end our partnership."

"But you refused Lengwan’s gesture of goodwill."

Natasha lifted her chin slightly, the graceful curve of her jaw radiating an unapproachable, cold arrogance.

Her eyes, deep and bottomless, were like a raging gale across the Tundra.

They glittered with a cold light, and a single glance was enough to plunge a person into an icy abyss.

Listening from his seat by the fire, Feng Mountain

finally, truly understood the meaning behind her title: the Queen.

He was used to Natasha’s usual haughtiness and willfulness,

but now he found that with her aura on full display, she was almost too intimidating to look at directly.

From the phone,

Maxim’s voice cracked with anxiety as he hurriedly yelled,

"No, no, I didn’t, Lady Natasha, I... I agree to sell the crabbing boats, it’s just the price..."

His sentence hung in the air, unfinished.

He was clearly racking his brain, trying to figure out how to continue his partnership with Lengwan without taking too much of a loss on the price of the boats.

Natasha turned her head slightly, her gaze falling on Feng Mountain.

Feng Mountain took the hint, leaning forward and quickly flashing an OK sign with his right hand.

His eyes met hers, conveying that the price was absolutely not an issue on his end.

’Inwardly, though, he was groaning at the thought of having to fork over such a large sum of money for four crabbing boats.’

’But things had already gone this far. He had to make it work, whether he could afford it or not.’

Receiving his confirmation, Natasha gave a slight, elegant nod and turned her attention back to the phone. She spoke into the receiver.

"I sense your sincerity, Mr. Maxim. We’ll proceed with the crabbing boats at the standard price. I will come to St. Petersburg myself in a few days to meet with you."

"Of course. It would be a great honor to meet with you in St. Petersburg. Goodbye, Lady Natasha."

Maxim’s voice instantly came through the phone, his words gushing out in a rush, filled with fawning respect.

He sounded afraid that one more word

might make Natasha change her mind.

The moment the call ended,

Natasha’s face broke into a confident, proud smile, like a general who had just won a decisive victory.

She leaned back comfortably into the rocking chair, her posture languid with the easy confidence of a victor as she spoke.

"The *River Beach* costs US$22 million, but if we go to Russia and pick up the boats directly, the price is closer to US$20 million. For four boats, that’s a saving of US$8 million. Are you satisfied with that result?"

Saving US$8 million was no small sum.

Of course, Feng Mountain was more than satisfied.

’As for the US$80 million to actually buy the boats... he’d figure something out.’

’He could always apply for another loan if it came down to it.’

However, the price of the boats wasn’t what he was focused on.

Feng Mountain was more curious about the threat Natasha had just made.

So, he couldn’t resist asking a gossipy question.

"If Maxim hadn’t agreed, would you have...?"

As he spoke, Feng Mountain raised a hand to his neck and made an exaggerated, theatrical slicing motion, as if guessing at what sort of extreme measures Natasha might have taken.

"Have you been watching too many gangster movies, buddy?" Natasha rolled her eyes at his gesture. "The Damen Engineering Company often transports certain... cargo through the Bering Sea. They need someone to guide them. The Bering Sea is vast; it’s easy to lose your way without a guide from Lengwan."

Though her tone was placid, the threat in her words was unmistakable.

After she finished, Natasha lifted her chin, a sharp glint in her eyes, as if showcasing the Queen’s methods.

’Getting lost in the Bering Sea?’

’In this age of advanced technology, fishing boats all have satellite navigation. It’s virtually impossible to get lost at sea.’

’Unless...’

Feng Mountain tapped his fingers lightly on his knee. He mulled it over for a moment before the true meaning of Natasha’s words clicked into place.

’It was just a veiled threat. It sounded like an explanation, but it revealed no crucial information at all.’

’As the old saying goes, snakes travel snake-paths, and rats travel rat-paths.’

’Everyone has their own way of surviving.’

’Knowing too much about certain things was like holding a hot potato; it did him no good whatsoever.’

’You never know when you might get burned.’

As Feng Mountain was lost in thought, Natasha suddenly sat up straight in the rocking chair.

Her languid expression instantly sharpened, her gaze fixed on Feng Mountain.

Her lips parted. Her voice was quiet,

but every word carried an undeniable authority, like a majestic queen issuing a command that permitted no defiance.

"However, I’ve changed my mind. You’ll need to agree to three conditions."

"What do you mean?" Feng Mountain’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively narrowed his eyes, the relaxed corners instantly tightening. His gaze filled with wary suspicion.

Natasha, however, paid his question no mind, acting as if he hadn’t spoken.

"I’m not going to ask you to do anything difficult. The first condition is that you merge a crabbing boat fleet with Lengwan. As for the second condition... let me think..."

A moment later.

Natasha looked as though she had finally made a momentous decision. The corners of her mouth lifted into a smug, triumphant smile.

"Hmm, I want one of the Siberian Tigers from your camp. What do you say?"

’That’s it?’

Feng Mountain’s eyes went wide. He was so stunned that for a moment, he was utterly speechless.

The tension that had seized his heart instantly vanished.

’He had thought she was going to play some ruthless card, forcing him to do something illegal.’