My Stingy Childhood Friend のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 9

I, Isaac Cameron, was munching on tortilla chips in a restaurant when I heard Shane Lawson’s voice before seeing him."Hey, Isaac! Dinner's on me tonight!"His voice was loud and booming. It sounded like he wanted everyone to hear him.I stopped eating. A tortilla chip dropped onto the table.I knew Shane far too well.We'd grown up in the same old apartment building. We were close childhood friends, and he was also the most calculating person I'd ever met.Back in school, Shane mooched off my meals every single day. Not once did he miss a free meal.He borrowed my bicycle, game console, wrenches, and screwdrivers. I never saw any of them again.Later, we partnered up on a few small construction projects. Whenever it was time to split the money, Shane always managed to calculate things so that his share somehow came out a little bigger.Once, I asked him to buy two cases of tiles for me. He charged me double the price and called the difference a delivery fee.Two years ago fo

Friday night came. It was the same restaurant and the same private room.The only difference was that Shane had brought someone with him this time.He was a stocky man in his fifties with a thick gold chain around his neck and a face mapped with smile lines.Shane quickly introduced him. "Bro, this is Mr. Warthorn. He's a major investor. He's interested in our project."Samuel narrowed his eyes as he looked me up and down before nodding. "Mr. Cameron, I've heard a lot about you. Shane has had nothing but good things to say. You're quite the man."I smiled and shook his hand without being overly deferential."You're too kind, Mr. Warthorn."After a few rounds of drinks and some small talk, Shane suddenly changed the subject. He pulled out a stack of papers from his bag and pushed them toward me. "Bro, there's only one reason I asked you here tonight."Let's work on this project together. I'll lead the project, you'll provide the manpower, and we'll split the equity fifty-fifty.

Shane's voice came clearly from my phone."Bud, I'll be honest with you. I really can't keep this company going anymore."Once you sign, you'll become the legal representative. The debt will all be yours, and it won't have anything to do with me anymore."I'll take the money and lie low somewhere for a while. Once things settle down, I'll come back and make it up to you."The moment the recording ended, the office filled with loud gasps.The foremen's eyes turned bloodshot."Shane, you monster! Did you plan to dump your own debt on Mr. Cameron and run?""We worked our butts off for a year! Where are our wages?"The creditors outside also stepped forward."Shane, pay us back! You're not leaving until you explain everything today!"Shane was trapped in the middle of the crowd. His face had gone completely pale.His lips trembled as his eyes darted around. He still tried to argue. "I-I was drunk. I didn't know what I was saying."I smiled. "Drunk? Did you buy that train ticket

Things were resolved much faster than I'd expected.The workers who had been denied their wages finally got their money back with the evidence I'd put together.One of the foremen even brought two cartons of cigarettes to thank me."Mr. Cameron, we really owe you one. If you hadn't seen through Shane and kept all that evidence, we would've worked for an entire year for nothing."I waved it off and didn't accept the cigarettes."You earned that money. You deserve to be paid for the work you did."That money never should've been siphoned away by Shane in the first place."The foreman left with tears in his eyes. He kept thanking me over and over. I felt a little lighter too.The trouble wasn't over yet.A few days later, a materials supplier came to see me. He'd done business with Shane before and still had some of the materials from the unfinished project sitting in his warehouse.He cautiously asked, "Mr. Cameron, what if you took over part of that unfinished project?"You'r

After everything that happened, my reputation soared throughout the industry.People started saying I knew how to protect myself while still standing by my friends, and that I'd helped the workers recover their hard-earned wages while keeping my accounts completely clean.The stories spread further and further.More and more people came looking to work with me. I took on quite a few new contracts. My company stabilized and gradually grew larger.The new employees even said privately that working for me gave them peace of mind.One longtime client signed a major contract with me for the first time. Right before signing, he even asked, "Mr. Cameron, there's no catch in this contract, is there?"I flipped open the contract and pointed out each clause. "It's all here. Take your time and read it. If you find anything questionable, I'll take responsibility for it."After reading it, he smiled and said, "I feel safe doing business with you."I smiled too.If I'd heard those words bef