Chapter 60: Unexpected Proposal
The following morning began with another full schedule.
By eight-thirty, Phoenix Auto Trading was already receiving customers. A family from Bulacan inspected a white Lexus RX500h while one of Richard’s sales consultants prepared a Land Cruiser for a test drive. Near the reception area, the coffee machine worked almost continuously as visitors arrived with mechanics, relatives, and enough questions to keep everyone busy.
Richard spent the first part of the morning inside his office, reviewing the latest appointment list and inventory report.
Six vehicles had been reserved during the previous week.
Three more were scheduled for final inspection.
The remaining inventory was still enough to keep the showroom attractive, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. The recently reconstructed vehicles had given him breathing room, yet Phoenix Auto Trading’s sales pace continued improving faster than he could replenish stock.
That was a good problem.
Still a problem.
Richard closed the report and looked through the glass wall overlooking the showroom below.
A customer stood beside one of the BMW X5s while taking a video call. Another examined the interior of a Mercedes-Benz GLE with his wife. The reception staff moved smoothly between visitors while the sales consultants handled questions without needing Richard’s involvement.
Everything worked.
The systems he had built were finally doing their job.
A soft knock came from the office door.
"Come in."
Mia, the receptionist, entered carrying a tablet.
"Sir, there’s someone downstairs asking to speak with you."
"Does he have an appointment?"
"No, sir."
Richard looked back toward the schedule.
His morning was already full.
"What vehicle is he interested in?"
"That’s the strange part."
Mia hesitated.
"He said he isn’t here to buy a personal vehicle."
Richard raised an eyebrow.
"Did he explain what he wants?"
"Only that he has a business proposal."
That caught his attention.
Richard leaned back.
"Name?"
"Eduardo Villanueva."
The name sounded familiar, though Richard couldn’t immediately place it.
Mia continued.
"He gave me his card."
She handed it over.
Richard read the details.
Eduardo Villanueva
President and Chief Executive Officer
Villanueva Integrated Holdings
Below the company name appeared several subsidiaries covering logistics, construction, warehousing, equipment leasing, and commercial property development.
Richard stared at the card for another second.
Now he remembered.
Villanueva Integrated Holdings wasn’t one of the country’s largest corporations, but it was far from small. Their trucks regularly appeared on highways carrying construction materials, heavy equipment, and industrial cargo. Richard had also seen the company’s name attached to several warehouse projects outside Metro Manila.
A serious businessman.
Not someone who walked into dealerships without purpose.
"Where is he?"
"Private consultation room two."
Richard stood.
"Serve him coffee. I’ll be there shortly."
Mia nodded and left.
Richard adjusted his jacket before looking toward the showroom again.
Business proposal.
The phrase could mean anything.
Investment.
Partnership.
Fleet supply.
Or something less interesting disguised behind expensive words.
He closed his laptop and headed downstairs.
The private consultation rooms occupied one side of the showroom, separated from the customer lounge by tinted glass. They had been designed for buyers who wanted privacy while discussing expensive transactions. Richard rarely used them for anything beyond vehicle negotiations.
Today felt different.
The man waiting inside stood the moment Richard entered.
Eduardo Villanueva appeared to be in his early fifties, broad-shouldered, with neatly combed gray hair and the calm expression of someone accustomed to controlling large meetings. He wore a simple dark polo and slacks rather than a suit, but nothing about him looked casual. A leather folder sat on the table beside his coffee.
Richard extended his hand.
"Mr. Villanueva. I’m Richard Apostol."
Eduardo accepted the handshake.
"I know who you are."
Richard smiled slightly.
"Hopefully for good reasons."
"Mostly."
The answer earned a quiet laugh from both men.
They sat across from each other.
Richard gestured toward the showroom beyond the tinted glass.
"My receptionist said you weren’t here for a personal vehicle."
"Not today."
Richard folded his hands.
"What can Phoenix Auto Trading do for you?"
Eduardo studied him for several seconds before answering.
"I’ve been watching your dealership for nearly four months."
Richard kept his expression neutral.
That wasn’t the opening he expected.
Eduardo continued.
"At first, I thought Phoenix Auto Trading was just another luxury buy-and-sell operation. There are dozens of those around Metro Manila. Most disappear after a few years."
"That’s fair."
"But your inventory kept changing."
Richard said nothing.
"Land Cruisers. Lexus LMs. BMW X7s. Mercedes GLS units. Almost-new vehicles with clean papers, believable mileage, and immediate availability."
Eduardo leaned back slightly.
"That interested me."
Richard smiled faintly.
"You’re not the first person to ask about our sourcing."
"I’m sure."
"And like everyone else, I assume you understand that procurement channels are confidential."
"I do."
The older man didn’t appear offended.
If anything, he seemed to respect the answer.
He opened the leather folder.
"I didn’t come here to ask where you get the vehicles."
"Then what did you come here to ask?"
Eduardo slid several documents across the table.
Richard pulled them closer.
Fleet records.
Replacement schedules.
Vehicle categories.
Unit counts.
The numbers immediately changed the tone of the conversation.
Villanueva Integrated Holdings operated more than four hundred vehicles across its subsidiaries.
Delivery trucks.
Service vans.
Pickups.
Executive SUVs.
Employee shuttles.
Some belonged directly to the company.
Others were leased through separate providers.
The replacement schedule covered almost seventy vehicles during the next eighteen months.
Richard slowly looked up.
"You’re replacing this entire batch?"
"Gradually."
"Mostly commercial vehicles."
"Yes."
Richard studied the list again.
Toyota Hilux.
Ford Ranger.
Toyota Hiace.
Nissan Urvan.
Hyundai Staria.
Fortuner.
Montero Sport.
Several Land Cruisers assigned to senior executives and provincial managers.
It was a serious fleet.
More importantly, it was a type of business Phoenix Auto Trading had never entered.
The dealership focused on retail buyers.
Individual sales.
One vehicle at a time.
This was different.
Eduardo rested one arm against the table.
"Our current fleet suppliers are reliable, but slow."
"Authorized dealerships?"
"Mostly."
Richard nodded.
He could already see the problem.
Waiting periods.
Limited allocations.
Bulk orders treated as future promises rather than immediate supply.
Eduardo continued.
"We ordered twelve vehicles for one of our logistics subsidiaries last year. Delivery stretched across seven months."
"That’s difficult when you’re expanding operations."
"Exactly."
He tapped the documents.
"We have new warehouse facilities opening in Pampanga and Batangas. I need the vehicles before the sites begin full operations, not several months afterward."
Richard scanned the replacement schedule again.
"When do you need the first batch?"
"Within ten weeks."
"How many?"
"Twenty-four."
Richard looked up.
That was not a small request.
"What categories?"
"Eight pickups. Six passenger vans. Four executive vans. Four mid-size SUVs. Two flagship SUVs."
Richard leaned back and thought.
The request was possible.
At least in theory.
The system could reconstruct twenty vehicles each day. Capacity was not the issue. Acquiring enough salvage units was manageable through auctions and bulk disposals. Documents could be generated to support clean histories and legitimate ownership.
The real problem was exposure.
One customer purchasing a reconstructed vehicle attracted little attention.
A company buying twenty-four units in a single deal created records.
Audits.
Fleet inspections.
Insurance assessments.
Perhaps manufacturer questions.
Richard couldn’t approach this carelessly.
"What condition are you expecting?" he asked.
"Nearly new."
"Maximum mileage?"
"For the standard fleet, under ten thousand kilometers. For executive vehicles, preferably under two thousand."
That was easy.
"Color requirements?"
"Mostly white, silver, or black. Nothing too difficult."
"Warranty expectations?"
Eduardo smiled.
"That depends on what you’re offering."
Richard considered the answer carefully.
Phoenix Auto Trading already offered limited dealership-backed warranties on selected units. Expanding that to twenty-four vehicles would create risk, though the system made mechanical failure unlikely.
He could offer something competitive.
"One year comprehensive dealership warranty for major mechanical and electrical systems," Richard said. "Routine wear items excluded. Preventive maintenance assistance included for the first two service intervals."
Eduardo raised his eyebrows.
"That’s better than I expected."
"It also depends on the final vehicle list."
"Of course."
Richard continued reviewing the documents.
"What about payment?"
"Thirty percent upon contract signing. Forty percent once the units pass inspection. Remaining thirty percent after delivery."
Reasonable.
Actually, more than reasonable.
For ordinary dealerships, sourcing twenty-four nearly new vehicles inside ten weeks might have been a nightmare.
For Richard, it was a question of selecting templates.
Still, he did not rush.
"What made you come to us instead of a fleet supplier?"
Eduardo looked toward the tinted glass.
Beyond it, the white Lexus LX600 stood beneath the showroom lights.
"One of our directors bought a Land Cruiser here."
Richard waited.
"He had it inspected by two separate mechanics before completing the sale."
"Thorough."
"He is painfully thorough."
Richard smiled.
Eduardo continued.
"The vehicle passed everything. Diagnostics. Paint. underchassis. Records. Even the dealership service center he brought it to found nothing wrong."
That was good to hear.
Very good.
"He recommended you."
Another referral.
Richard thought about Victor Lim’s advice.
Don’t grow too quickly.
A fleet contract was exactly the kind of opportunity that could pull Phoenix Auto Trading into a larger scale before its systems were ready.
But it could also push the quota forward dramatically.
More than that, it opened a new market.
Corporate fleet supply.
Repeat orders.
Long-term contracts.
The possibility was enormous.
Richard looked back at the proposed schedule.
"What happens if the first batch performs well?"
Eduardo’s expression changed slightly.
That was clearly the question he had been waiting for.
"We discuss replacing the rest."
"All seventy?"
"Possibly more."
The room became quieter.
Richard glanced down at the documents.
Seventy vehicles.
Maybe more.
The revenue alone could exceed hundreds of millions, depending on the models selected.
Phoenix Auto Trading had been built around individual luxury buyers.
One successful fleet relationship could transform the company again.
He placed the documents on the table.
"I’ll need several days to prepare a formal proposal."
Eduardo nodded.
"I expected that."
"I also won’t commit until I’ve reviewed your specifications, delivery schedule, and inspection requirements."
"Good."
Richard looked at him.
"You sound pleased."
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because people who immediately say yes to large contracts usually haven’t calculated what they’re agreeing to."
Richard laughed quietly.
That was probably true.
Eduardo closed the folder but left the copies on the table.
"Prepare your proposal. Pricing, warranty, delivery sequence, inspection process, and penalties for delay."
"Penalties?"
"Standard procedure."
"I expected as much."
Eduardo stood.
Richard followed.
Before offering his hand, the older man looked through the glass once more.
"I have one question."
"Go ahead."
"Can you actually deliver twenty-four vehicles in ten weeks?"
Richard met his eyes.
The truthful answer was almost funny.
He could produce twenty-four vehicles in two days.
The procurement and documentation would take longer than the reconstruction itself.
But Eduardo didn’t need to know that.
"If we sign the right agreement," Richard said, "yes."
The older man smiled.
"That’s what I wanted to hear."
They shook hands.
Eduardo left shortly afterward, escorted through the showroom by Mia. Richard remained inside the consultation room with the documents spread across the table.
For several minutes, he didn’t move.
Outside, customers continued walking between vehicles.
The dealership operated normally.
Yet something had shifted.
Phoenix Auto Trading had just received its first opportunity to sell not one vehicle, but an entire fleet.
Richard returned to his office and placed the documents beside his laptop.
The proposed first batch included:
Eight pickup trucks.
Six passenger vans.
Four executive vans.
Four SUVs.
Two flagship vehicles.
He opened a blank spreadsheet and began working through the numbers.
Potential acquisition costs.
Auction fees.
Towing expenses.
Registration.
Insurance.
Warranty reserves.
Delivery logistics.
The margins remained excellent even after conservative assumptions.
Almost too excellent.
That was the system’s advantage again.
Other fleet suppliers purchased clean units at commercial rates and survived on narrow margins. Richard purchased damaged vehicles at salvage values and reconstructed them into nearly new inventory.
The difference could reach millions on a single batch.
He leaned back and looked through the glass wall.
The dealership had earned its reputation selling to individuals.
Now that reputation was attracting companies.
His phone vibrated.
A familiar blue screen appeared.
[Current Profit Quota:]
[₱149,860,000 / ₱200,000,000]
Richard studied it.
Fifty million pesos remained.
Depending on the final models and pricing, the Villanueva contract could potentially close most of that gap by itself.
He dismissed the screen.
That alone wasn’t enough reason to accept.
The contract had to make sense for the company, not merely for the system.
If Phoenix Auto Trading failed to deliver, the reputation he had spent months building could collapse quickly. Individual buyers shared recommendations among friends. Corporate clients shared failures among entire industries.
Higher reward.
Higher risk.
Richard opened the proposed vehicle specifications once again.
Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger for field teams.
Hiace and Urvan units for operations.
Staria or Alphard units for executive transport.
Fortuner and Montero units for managers.
Land Cruiser or Lexus LX for senior leadership.
A slow smile appeared.
He already knew which salvage vehicles to target.
Flood-damaged Fortuners and Monteros for the SUVs.
Damaged Hilux and Ranger units for pickups.
Hiaces, Urvans, and Grandias for vans.
As long as the dimensions fit, the original vehicle barely mattered.
The auction houses would see another bulk buyer collecting unwanted salvage.
Villanueva Integrated Holdings would see a reliable supplier delivering a clean, uniform fleet.
Only Richard would know the connection between the two.
He created a new project folder.
Villanueva Fleet Proposal.
For the next several hours, Richard worked without interruption.
He prepared pricing tiers.
Delivery schedules.
Inspection procedures.
Warranty coverage.
Replacement policies.
He considered every question a corporate procurement department might ask and wrote an answer before they had the opportunity.
By early evening, the initial proposal had taken shape.
Not finished.
But serious.
Richard stood and walked toward the window overlooking the showroom.
The final customer of the day had just left. Employees began organizing the consultation areas while a cleaner polished the floor near the entrance. Outside, evening traffic moved beyond the glass façade.
Phoenix Auto Trading had started with a single reconstructed BMW.
One customer.
One cash sale.
Now a company operating hundreds of vehicles wanted Richard to become one of its suppliers.
The scale of the opportunity should have surprised him.
Instead, it felt like the next logical step.
He glanced toward the folder on his desk.
If the deal succeeded, Phoenix Auto Trading would no longer be known only as a luxury dealership.
It would become a fleet provider.
A corporate supplier.
A company capable of serving individuals and businesses at the same time.
Richard smiled faintly.
Victor Lim had warned him not to grow too quickly.
The warning remained important.
But careful growth was still growth.
And opportunities like this did not arrive every day.
Richard switched off the office lights and looked once more at the Villanueva documents resting on his desk.
Tomorrow, he would review the numbers again.
After that, he would contact the auction houses.
He would secure the salvage units.
He would prepare the fleet.
And if everything went according to plan, twenty-four vehicles would leave Phoenix Auto Trading together.
Not as individual sales.
As the beginning of a partnership.
The thought followed him downstairs.
Outside the showroom, the Phoenix Auto Trading logo glowed above the entrance.
For months, that name had been associated with trust, quality, and immediate availability.
Now it was about to carry something else.
Scale.