Dana and Celine were cut from the same cloth, but the difference here was that Celine was simply playing pretend; when it was time to actually step up to the plate, she was useless. After all, her husband kept his eyes on her. On the other hand, Dana was the real deal. Regardless of male or female, both were acceptable to herâshe even had countless sugar babies under her wing. Not only that, Dana had angered several fiances into leaving her. It even enraged the Grand Elder himself to the point where white, long hairs made their way into his beard.
As the elevator door opened, Sarah dashed out with the documents in her hand as she scurried away.
Meanwhile, Dana followed behind languidly as she put her sunglasses on. In an instant, her aura became cold once more. With a determined smile on her lips, she strode gracefully and made her way over to the meeting room with her spectacular aura.
She wanted to see what kind of trouble Sarah could stir up, wet behind the ears like she was.
Dana would certainly win those rights this time!
Meanwhile, the meeting had already begun inside. Dana sat down nonchalantly among the directors, having already taken her sunglasses off. A sinister smile hung on her lips as she steepled her fingers together in anticipation of Sarahâs performance.
Sarah cleared her throat, getting ready to present her findings. However, she was interrupted by a director before she could even speak. âAfter deciding through a majority vote, we will compete for the rights to endorse the Michel Groupâs Dragon Eye cell phones. I do not think there is any need for you to speak anymore.â
The other directors chimed in as well and said, âYes, yes. Thereâs no need for that, so you shouldnât waste your breath.â
Sarah felt uncomfortable after being shot down like that, but she steeled herself and steadied her trembling voice, lowering her pitch in a bid to not make herself seem cute.
âPlease quiet down and listen to me first. I am not opposed to the partnership between the Winstons and the Michels, but I think that we can certainly gain a project that is even more beneficial to us!â
The directors were skeptical. In their eyes, the directorâs wife was simply here for show. What kind of project could she get, and a better one at that?
Dana had a laugh waiting to bubble up.
Sarah glanced at the directors present. As she played her presentation slides, she spoke. âAs you all know, other than its illegal businesses, the Winston Group mainly deals with legal territory. While there have been successes when we marketed major international brands on their behalf, our most successful project to date is actually in luxury furnitureâour furniture line is ranked third in the world. Locally, our market shares canât go any higher. Of the wealthy families in Bayside City, two-thirds of them own furniture manufactured by us. Many international organizations and councils recognize the Winston Groupâs furniture, and we have thousands of official stores in over thirty countries around the world.â
That was right. Other than its illegal businesses, the Winstons also had their fingers in the luxury furniture industry; Sophia had even pre-ordered a full set of luxury furniture from the Winstrons while her house was being remodeled. The Winstons began dabbling in the luxury furniture business generations ago, and its 200-year long history spanned across several generations altogether. Their furniture sold well internationally because of its unique charm and craftsmanship.
âOur strength lies in furniture. Should we wish to partner up with such a prestigious company like the Michel Group, I strongly believe that we should negotiate with our greatest strength instead of our weaknessâwe should humbly request for a partnership by offering them advantages that they donât have!â
Danaâs calmness evaporated the moment those words left Sarahâs mouth. With anger flashing through her eyes, she knew that Sarah was talking about her; she had negotiated for the managing rights with Alice using her background in the Winston Groupâs shady dealings and her vast network. On top of that, she even offered a few extra crumbs.
Sarahâs words successfully drew the attention of the board of directors.
Sarah continued. âMeanwhile, the Michel Groupâs primary businesses include military arms, jewelry, and the tech industry. If we want to partner up with them, weâd have to make it a strong partnership by combining our strengths with the Michels. That is the only way we can create more benefit for ourselves, and our partners would take our requests more seriously. Annette, please give each director a copy of my proposal.â
Annette the assistant hastily gave out Sarahâs proposal. The directors and other higher-ups took the document and looked at it. The proposalâs title was as clear as dayâProposal Regarding the Partnership With the Michel Group and Smart Furniture.
Smart furniture?
The directors exchanged glances as it dawned upon them.
âThe Winstonsâ main advantage is our luxury furniture business, and the Michelsâ strength lies in the tech industry. Partnering up for a smart furniture deal is the correct way to handle this collaboration with them.
Iâve written down a comprehensive plan; please take a look at it and raise any questions you have. Also, Iâve already begun to negotiate the contract with Mr. Linus, who is the lead of the Michel Groupâs technology business. If my calculations are done right, this will be our largest project of the year. If we do this well, it will be a new development for both traditional craftsmanship and technology, and the Winston Groupâs furniture will be sure to make another leap forward. Hence, that is why I donât agree with the plan to manage Dragon Eye cell phones. This is not our strength, and it will also divide our attention and manpower. I hope that the Winston Group will do their best to make this project a success. This will be a long-term and reliable partnership.â
Sarah was brimming with confidence as she broke down the data and listed out the statistics of markets she had studied. She even went into detail for their short-term and long-term plans, how the Winstons should go about the partnership, the division of the profits, and so on. Evidently, she had a clear direction of her plans.
Sarah had been preparing for this project for a long time. Incidentally, Linus was thinking along the same lines as her. He had the best smart technology in the world, while the Winstons had the best furniture in the world. Why not form a partnership then?!
Of course, Sarah certainly couldnât neglect her own companyâshe would fight for their benefits, and smart furniture was the way to go for the Winston Group. Even though they could insist on landing the management deal for Dragon Eye phones, Sophia was truly in need of those management rights so that she could begin taking over her duties in the Michel Group. Hence, Sarah was fine with Sophia having those rights instead.
If this partnership deal went through, the Winstons would have ties with the Michel GroupâHarry and his family would receive the most benefits.
In the end, the plan was approved through a majority vote; Danaâs proposal to manage the Dragon Eye phones was promptly discarded. Dana left the meeting room fuming, while Sarah received praise from the directors.
By the time she walked out of the company building, Sarah reeked of sweat. Her hands continued to tremble from nerves as she sat inside the car on her way back.
Harry patted her shoulder. âCalm down. Here, hold him for a bit and gather your thoughts.â
He placed Sour Face in her arms, and Sarah rubbed her face against the boy as if she was cuddling a doll. Eventually, she calmed down.
Meanwhile, Sour Face remained silent through all this.
Youâre really treating me like a prop, arenât you?!
âMy proposal got accepted, Old Wolf!â Sarah still couldnât believe it.
Harry patted her on the shoulder and praised her. âThatâs right. You managed to convince the board of directors. Amazing work thereâyouâre even more impressive than I imagined!â
The family of three drove away in the car, but Harry still couldnât forget Danaâs slap inside the elevator earlier.
One of these days, he would chop Danaâs offensive hands off!
Meanwhile, Sophia finally found Ianâs weakness after circling round the Edwardsâ building all day.
Later on, Sophia invited him out for a one-on-one meeting.
The moment he saw her, Ian said coldly, âIf youâre here to tell me to give up, Iâm just going to tell you this âimpossible! I will win those management rights!â
Unbothered by his prattle, Sophia whipped out a stack of photos with Ian in the nude; they were all high-
definition pictures. âHere are pictures of you and the fake Lucile. I also have six videos of you with your d*ck out in all of them. Think about it; once we step out of this place, I cannot guarantee that the videos and photos wonât turn up somewhere else.â
Ian was speechless.