Chapter 898
Director Carter looked like he was about to burst into tears. “The budget for that p>
“I know exactly what you’re thinking. You don’t have to worry about the financing. I’m personally underwriting the entire overhaul,” Mira declared with an aura of absolute authority.
Carter’s face instantly shifted from despair to euphoric relief. “Thank you, Boss Mercer! I thank you on behalf of the entire faculty and student body p>
As long as the money was flowing, anything was possible. Without funds, even the greatest tactician was completely paralyzed. Running this underfunded department had been a nightmare.
Mira continued smoothly, “Moving forward, for every month there are zero security breaches on this campus, I will personally issue a performance bonus to your entire staff p>
Their base salaries were handled by the university, but this was pure incentive.
“That’s incredible! With bonuses on the line, those boys will guard this place like a military black site p>
Having unlimited funding instantly elevated his own authority within the department.
“Once the new surveillance grid is operational, managing the perimeter will be effortless p>
“We just need you to officially run this past the university president’s office,” Harvey interjected, keeping things grounded. “I assume they won’t put up a fight p>
“Are you kidding? They’d have to be insane to reject a massive, privately funded security upgrade. What president actually wants a scandal on their campus?” Carter laughed.
Administrators only dragged their feet when they were asked to open their own checkbooks.
“Just make sure you go through the proper administrative channels and file the correct paperwork,” Harvey warned. It was crucial not to let the university brass feel like they were being bypassed.
“Don’t you worry about the red tape, I’ve got it completely handled. It’ll be rubber- stamped by tomorrow p>
“There is a million dollars on this card,” Mira said, sliding the sleek black plastic across his desk. “Draw from this for now. If you need additional capital, message me on Emerald Messenger p>
“Understood. I’ll initiate the contracts immediately p>
Any competent director preferred the stress of a massive project over the slow death of bureaucratic stagnation. Action meant progress, and progress meant career advancement.
As they walked out of Director Carter’s office, Mira turned to Harvey. “How’s the e- commerce platform coming along p>
“We’re nearing launch. When we go live, we’ll run exclusively on Emerald Messenger for all payment processing,” Harvey replied confidently. Mira held a solid twenty percent equity in his new venture.
“No, do not restrict the checkout to
just our app. Integrate every major online payment gateway on the market. Just ensure Emerald Messenger is listed as the default, premier option. We can’t artificially bottleneck our customer base just to force app adoption When we
launch,
flood our ecosystem with
promo codes and cash drops.
Customers will naturally migrate to
us without being forced p>
Mira had fully expected her massive donation for the campus security grid to remain entirely classified.
She was proven wrong the moment classes let out.
A massive, blindingly obvious digital banner was blazing across the front gate’s
marquee: *The University Graciously Thanks Mira Mercer For Her $1 Million Donation To Overhaul Campus Security p>
Seriously p>
The card Mira had handed over was
an operating budget, meant to be
ет
drawn from and reconciled later. She hadn’t officially “donated” a flat million A total overhaul of the camera gris would realistically max out at maybe half a million dollars.
Director Carter had definitely overplayed his hand.
Whatever. The money was already out of her account. She’d just let them keep the surplus as an emergency tactical fund. There was no point in clawing it back now.
“Have a great evening, Miss Mercer!” the security guard beamed, offering a crisp salute as Mira approached the exit.
Startled from her thoughts, Mira realized she was already at the gates. She offered the guards a polite, acknowledging nod.
Neither of them anticipated that Luna Lance and Seraphina Quinn would be walking out right behind them.
As the two girls passed the security booth, the guards stared straight ahead, treating them like invisible ghosts.
“Are you purposely discriminating against us?” Luna snapped, unable to tolerate the slight. Seraphina remained aggressively silent.
“Discriminating? We treat every student equally,” the guard replied with glacial indifference.
“Then why did you just go out of your way to salute her?” Luna demanded, glaring at the two heavily built men.
“Miss Mercer just personally donated a million dollars to upgrade the safety of this entire campus. What exactly have you donated p>
The director had already briefed them: as long as the campus stayed locked down, Miss Mercer would be.
cutting them fat bonus checks at the
end of every month. They knew exactly where their loyalties lay.