Chapter 250

Change of Plans I arrived at the company early the following day to sign the contract with Tobshampton Group.

Benjamin was pleased since he had been eyeing Tobshampton Group and Synergy Solutions. That was because they were easy to work with and offered good profits. Moreover, Tobshampton Group’s brand dominated Foswood’s market.

It was one of my primary demands in my discussion with Eleanor last night.

I agreed to a slight price increase, understanding that the costs of raw materials were rising. They offered us the goods at a cost price, and I wanted our sales to speak for themselves.

I had laid the foundation for many of our clients when I reclaimed Tanum Corporation, even though Matthew took away most of them. Several clients had already informed me before the celebrations that they would sign with us in the new year.

Of the 80% of clients Matthew had taken, 60% had returned. It was a significant show of support. The remaining 40% who hadn’t returned even assured me they would go with the new brands I signed. That effectively meant a 100% return rate.

I didn’t want to be like Matthew and take everything. In business, it was essential to maintain good relationships, and I didn’t want to bully others. The feud between Matthew and me was an issue between us and shouldn’t affect others.

I had everything prepared. However, by 10 a.m., Eleanor and her team hadn’t shown up. I asked Carol to call them in case of an issue, but they didn’t answer the call. I had a feeling that something had gone wrong.

Sure enough, Eleanor called me. She sounded uneasy and stammered for a while, saying her superiors. had decided to give the contract to another company. It turned out my gut feeling was correct.

I took the news gracefully and politely replied, “That’s okay. Don’t feel bad. In business, it’s all about fate. Maybe our fate in business just hasn’t aligned yet. We’ll have more opportunities to meet in the future. If you’re willing. I’d happily consider you a friend.”

“I have no problem with that. Still, I feel terrible about this, Ms. Chloe. I’ve been in this industry for years and have never faced such a situation. I genuinely liked and wanted to work with you, but I never expected our first attempt to fall so badly. It sucks!” Eleanor expressed her frustration over the phone.

“Don’t take it to heart. Even if we didn’t sign this time, I welcome you to visit our company whenever you have the time.‘ I replied sincerely.

Eleanor hesitated and asked, “You don’t want to ask…. who signed the contract… with us?”

“I won’t put you in a tough spot,” I said openly, “Whoever it is, there must be a reason.”

I had a vague sense of who it might be, but I couldn’t be sure.

Hearing my response, Eleanor sighed and laughed bitterly. I knew she felt conflicted.

“All right then, until we meet again,” Eleanor said before we hung up.

Carol stomped in frustration. “Damn it! We got played, didn’t we? Who conducts business like that? We didn’t want to sign the contract, but they insisted and then backed out. What kind of trick is this? Benny even said they were trustworthy!”

“There’s something wrong here. Get Grayson for me,” I said thoughtfully. I wasn’t angry because I didn’t sign the deal. It was more about someone interfering with my business, and I wanted to find out who they were.

I didn’t want to ask Eleanor directly because it could’ve put her in a tough spot. Still, I needed to know.