Classic. I had a similar thing happen a while ago. US based company - not named to protect the guilty - wanted me to move to the United States to do some pretty specific work for them. I'm not open to such offers but they went out of their way to make the invitation, offered to fly me out there and a whole pile of other buttering up bits and pieces. So I said if they wanted me that badly, could we do this remote?

You can guess where that ended. In case you can't: "Who did I think I was to refuse their offer to come to America to partake in this great opportunity?".

Interesting attitude change, turning on a dime they went from all smooth and friendly to outright hostile, and that on a track that they initiated. Very weird.