Chapter 204

Chapter 204 Vesta listened and said, “Oh, I see,” fixing her sharp gaze on Charlene. “In that case, Ms. Ross, why don’t you point out the issues you see with this proposal? That way, we can work on improving it based on your feedback.”

Charlene immediately recognized this as a challenge, a test to see if she was nitpicking without real cause.

With a slight smile, Charlene replied, “Ms. Hawkins, any issues with the proposal are really your responsibility to identify. If you can’t pinpoint them yourselves and instead ask us, do you think that’s appropriate? You need to understand that we’re not obligated to work with you. If you’re genuinely interested in collaborating with us but don’t even know what we need, then it only confirms that your proposal doesn’t meet our standards.”

Vesta had indeed planned to corner Charlene, suspecting that she was being intentionally difficult. Her strategy was to see if Charlene could clearly articulate any problems with the proposal, thereby setting a trap to counter any criticism she might offer.

To her surprise, Charlene deftly avoided the trap and turned the tables, creating an even bigger dilemma for Vesta.

Internally, Vesta was taken aback but maintained a calm exterior. “Ms. Ross, I think you misunderstood. What I meant is that collaboration should be mutually beneficial. If there are issues, shouldn’t we discuss them and improve together for the benefit of both parties?”

Charlene paused mid–sip, caught off guard by her stupid question. She asked, “Is this your first time negotiating a partnership, Ms. Hawkins?”

Vesta frowned, unsure why Charlene would ask that.

Without waiting for a response, Charlene continued with a warm smile, “The kind of mutual discussion and improvement you’re talking about is something you do at home or in school. In business, we team up for profit and split when it’s not working. If there’s a better deal out there, why wouldn’t we take it?”

Her tone was gentle, even friendly, but Vesta felt a chill run through her. She realized she had underestimated Charlene.

Charlene nudged a cup of coffee towards Vesta and smiled, “Ms. Hawkins, have some coffee.”

Vesta hesitated for a moment. In this setting, with Charlene’s gesture, not accepting wasn’t an option. She picked up the cup and said, “Thank you, Ms. Ross.”

“You’re welcome, Ms. Hawkins.”

Stewart had been watching their exchange closely, concerned that Charlene might get outplayed by Vesta again. Hearing how Charlene skillfully shut Vesta down left him pleasantly surprised.

After he finished reviewing the documents, chatted with Mr. Palmer, and saw them off, he gave Charlene a thumbs–up.

“Impressive.”

Charlene lowered her gaze with a modest smile. “Well, I did spend a few years as a secretary at The Henderson Group.”

While The Henderson Group had clients far above the level of ordinary secretaries, she’d still gathered plenty of experience over the years.

Stewart had almost forgotten about that. He asked, “So, does the Hawkins family’s proposal actually have issues?”

“Yes.”

Though it was well–crafted with technical details seemingly spot–on–likely thanks to Thorne’s involvement–it mehow fell short, missing a crucial element when it came to implementation.

09:34 A