Chapter 61: The Proposal
Richard spent the next two days preparing for a meeting that most people would have mistaken for an ordinary business presentation.
It wasn’t.
At least, not to him.
The contract Villanueva Integrated Holdings proposed represented something Phoenix Auto Trading had never attempted before. Selling luxury vehicles one customer at a time was one thing. Supplying an entire corporate fleet was something else entirely. It demanded consistency, planning, logistics, and the ability to deliver multiple units within a strict timetable.
For any ordinary dealership, fulfilling an order of that size would require calling manufacturers, waiting for allocations, and hoping production schedules cooperated.
Richard had a different advantage.
The challenge wasn’t building the inventory.
The challenge was building the confidence that he could deliver it.
Thursday morning arrived with clear skies over Valenzuela.
Richard stood in front of the mirror inside his office for a brief moment before adjusting the sleeves of his charcoal suit. He rarely wore formal business attire unless absolutely necessary. Most customers appreciated that he looked approachable rather than overly corporate.
Today was different.
Today he wasn’t meeting a customer.
He was meeting another businessman.
A businessman who operated companies worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
Richard picked up the leather folder resting on his desk before heading downstairs.
The receptionist immediately looked up.
"Good morning, sir."
"Morning."
"Mr. Villanueva called fifteen minutes ago. They’ll be arriving exactly at nine."
Richard nodded.
"Conference room’s ready?"
"Yes, sir."
"Coffee?"
"Already prepared."
Richard smiled.
Perfect.
Everything looked exactly the way it should.
At precisely nine o’clock, three black SUVs entered the dealership.
Richard watched from the showroom entrance as the convoy parked neatly beside the visitor spaces.
The first vehicle stopped.
Eduardo Villanueva stepped out.
This time he wasn’t alone.
Three executives accompanied him, each carrying laptops and document cases.
Procurement.
Finance.
Legal.
Richard immediately recognized the pattern.
They weren’t here for an informal discussion.
They were here to evaluate a supplier.
Richard walked forward.
"Good morning, Mr. Villanueva."
Eduardo smiled.
"Morning, Richard."
He gestured toward the people beside him.
"This is Melissa Cruz, our procurement director."
A woman in her forties extended her hand.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"And this is Victor Ramos from finance."
The older gentleman nodded politely.
"Our legal adviser, Attorney Benitez."
Richard greeted each of them before leading the group inside.
The executives glanced around the showroom as they walked.
Richard noticed the subtle observations.
Their eyes lingered on the lighting.
The reception area.
The consultation rooms.
The condition of every display vehicle.
Nothing escaped experienced businessmen.
Which was exactly why he had invested twenty million pesos into the renovation.
First impressions mattered.
They settled inside the main conference room overlooking the showroom.
Coffee was served.
No one touched it immediately.
Melissa opened her laptop first.
Victor arranged several folders.
Attorney Benitez quietly observed everyone without saying much.
Richard placed his proposal on the table.
"Thank you for coming."
Eduardo nodded.
"We’re interested in hearing what you’ve prepared."
Richard slid a copy of the proposal toward each of them.
"I’ve divided everything into five sections."
He pointed toward the contents.
"Vehicle specifications."
"Delivery schedule."
"Inspection procedures."
"Warranty coverage."
"And pricing."
Melissa immediately began reading.
Victor flipped toward the financial pages.
Attorney Benitez focused almost entirely on the contractual clauses.
Richard expected exactly that.
Different people looked for different risks.
The room remained quiet for several minutes.
Nobody interrupted.
Richard simply waited.
Eventually Melissa spoke first.
"You’ve grouped deliveries into three phases."
Richard nodded.
"Eight vehicles per phase."
"Why?"
"So your operations aren’t disrupted if one delivery encounters delays."
She looked interested.
"Continue."
"If I deliver all twenty-four simultaneously, your mechanics, registration staff, and deployment teams become overloaded."
She slowly nodded.
"Three separate deliveries allow each batch to be inspected, registered, and assigned before the next arrives."
Victor looked up from the pricing pages.
"That’s actually practical."
Richard smiled.
"I tried to think from your perspective."
Eduardo leaned back.
"I appreciate that."
The discussion gradually shifted toward warranty coverage.
Melissa looked toward Richard.
"You’ve included a one-year comprehensive dealership warranty."
"Correct."
"What exactly does that include?"
Richard answered without hesitation.
"Engine."
"Transmission."
"Major electrical systems."
"Air-conditioning."
"Suspension components outside normal wear."
"Electronic modules."
She continued taking notes.
"What doesn’t it include?"
"Tires."
"Brake pads."
"Routine maintenance."
"Driver negligence."
"Collision damage."
"Consumable items."
Attorney Benitez finally entered the conversation.
"Those exclusions are reasonable."
Richard nodded.
"I wanted something fair."
Victor adjusted his glasses.
"My concern is after-sales support."
Richard expected that question.
"We’ll assign one dedicated service coordinator for your fleet."
Victor looked surprised.
"One person?"
"Direct contact."
"No call center."
"No waiting queue."
"If your fleet manager encounters a problem, he calls one number."
"And?"
Richard smiled.
"He reaches someone who already knows which vehicle he’s talking about."
Eduardo quietly laughed.
"That’s refreshing."
Richard shrugged.
"I’ve spent enough time as a customer to know what I dislike."
Melissa eventually closed her laptop.
"I only have one remaining concern."
Richard waited.
"Can Phoenix Auto Trading realistically source this many vehicles repeatedly?"
There it was.
The real question.
Not price.
Not warranty.
Supply.
Richard already knew revealing the truth wasn’t an option.
Instead, he answered with what was technically true.
"We’ve spent considerable time building procurement relationships."
"Insurance auctions."
"Fleet disposal programs."
"Asset recovery firms."
"Several long-term suppliers."
Melissa nodded slowly.
"So acquisition isn’t the bottleneck."
"No."
"What is?"
"Transportation."
"Documentation."
"Inspection."
"Those consume more time than finding vehicles."
Technically true again.
Just not the entire truth.
Eduardo folded his hands.
"I’d like to ask something directly."
Richard nodded.
"You advertise nearly-new vehicles."
"Correct."
"You consistently have inventory while authorized dealers struggle."
"Yes."
"Your paperwork always checks out."
"Yes."
Eduardo smiled.
"I’ve been trying to figure out your secret."
Richard laughed softly.
"I’m afraid that’s one part of the business plan I can’t share."
The older businessman laughed as well.
"I expected that answer."
Coffee was finally poured.
The atmosphere noticeably relaxed.
The conversation shifted away from contracts and toward business philosophy.
Eduardo looked around the showroom through the conference room’s glass wall.
"Do you know why I came here personally instead of sending procurement?"
Richard shook his head.
"Because businesses reflect their owners."
Richard remained quiet.
"I wanted to know whether Phoenix Auto Trading’s reputation came from marketing..."
He looked directly at Richard.
"...or leadership."
The words surprised him slightly.
Eduardo continued.
"I’ve built companies for almost thirty years."
"I’ve learned something."
"You can copy buildings."
"You can copy systems."
"You can even copy pricing."
He pointed subtly toward Richard.
"You cannot easily copy culture."
Richard appreciated that.
Maybe because he understood exactly what the older man meant.
Phoenix Auto Trading wasn’t successful because of marble floors.
Or glass walls.
Or expensive coffee.
Customers trusted the dealership because Richard never allowed shortcuts.
That reputation had become the company’s greatest asset.
The meeting continued for another hour.
Delivery logistics.
Insurance requirements.
Fleet branding.
Inspection standards.
Every topic received careful attention.
Neither side rushed.
By noon, nearly every issue had been addressed.
Only one remained.
Price.
Victor looked toward Eduardo.
The older businessman nodded.
Victor opened the final page.
"We’ve reviewed your quotation."
Richard waited.
"It isn’t the cheapest."
"I know."
"It also isn’t the most expensive."
"I know."
Victor smiled slightly.
"So I’d like to understand something."
Richard folded his hands.
"Go ahead."
"You deliberately left profit on the table."
Richard raised an eyebrow.
"What makes you say that?"
Victor tapped the proposal.
"We requested twenty-four vehicles."
"You gave us volume pricing."
"Most suppliers would have increased margins."
Richard answered honestly.
"I’m more interested in a long-term relationship than maximizing one transaction."
The finance director slowly nodded.
That answer clearly mattered.
Eduardo looked around the room.
Melissa nodded.
Victor nodded.
Attorney Benitez nodded.
The older businessman finally looked back at Richard.
"I believe we’ve heard enough."
Richard remained composed.
Eduardo extended his hand across the table.
"We’d like to move forward."
Richard accepted the handshake.
"Excellent."
Melissa smiled.
"Our legal department will coordinate the final contract."
Victor closed his folder.
"We’ll transfer the initial thirty percent once everything is signed."
Richard nodded.
"We’ll begin preparations immediately afterward."
Eduardo stood.
"I look forward to working together."
"So do I."
After escorting the group to the showroom entrance, Richard watched the three SUVs leave the property.
Only after they disappeared beyond the main road did he finally allow himself to exhale.
The contract wasn’t signed yet.
But it would be.
Everything after today was paperwork.
He slowly returned upstairs.
The conference room remained exactly as they had left it.
Coffee cups.
Presentation folders.
Several handwritten notes.
Richard gathered everything before returning to his office.
The moment he closed the door behind him...
The familiar blue holographic screen appeared.
[Ding!]
[Major Business Opportunity Confirmed.]
[Corporate Fleet Contract Recognized.]
Richard smiled.
Even the system understood the importance of what had just happened.
Another notification followed immediately.
[Estimated Profit Contribution Upon Completion:]
₱31,400,000
Richard stared at the figure.
Thirty-one million.
From one contract.
His current quota suddenly appeared.
[Current Progress]
₱149,860,000 / ₱200,000,000
Only a little over fifty million remained.
If the corporate contract proceeded smoothly...
Level 4 wasn’t months away anymore.
It might only be weeks.
Richard dismissed the holographic screen and leaned back in his chair.
Outside his office, customers continued walking through the showroom, unaware that one meeting upstairs had quietly changed the future of Phoenix Auto Trading.
The dealership had spent the past year proving it could sell luxury vehicles.
Today, it had proven something much bigger.
Companies were beginning to trust it too.
And Richard had a feeling this would only be the first of many corporate clients to come.