Chapter 43
Later, the Watsons intervened, causing the order to be canceled. Today, however, the Watsons’ eldest son arrived at the Lewis family’s estate, followed closely by the CEO of Drake Group.
Hera’s mind quickly connected Ms. Olivia’s arrival with Kai. Her excitement quickly turned to unease as she lowered her head, feeling a sense of gloom settle over her. With the Watsons involved, Helena’s family was about to rise to the top.
“Darling, you’re amazing. You even managed to invite Ms. Olivia!” Helena exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement. She grabbed Kai’s arm, disregarding the others around them, and stood on tiptoe to leave a lipstick mark on his cheek.
Kai, his hands casually in his pockets, smiled faintly. “I just asked a classmate of mine to reach out to Drake Group. I didn’t expect him to bring Olivia here. Prepare yourself. Drake Group will sign a cooperation agreement with Rococo soon.”
Kai had indeed reached out to people at Drake Group, but it was with the intent to help Helena sever the cooperation between them and Baroque.
Upon hearing his words, Hubert and his wife were so excited that tears welled in their eyes. To secure a collaboration with Drake Group meant that Rococo’s future would shine bright.
Rooney, with her usual pompous demeanor, smiled widely. Her chubby face puffed up as she eyed Lauren, whose grace and composure outshone her by miles. Feigning surprise, she walked over. “Lauren, I heard you shamelessly used the Mares’ connections to secure a deal with Drake Group. Ms. Olivia must be here to sign the contract and collaborate with you, right?”
Hubert, overhearing his wife’s sharp words, couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Her strategy of mockery was proving effective. Lauren, though well-read and composed, had been under constant pressure from her family, and Hubert was eager to see her reaction when Rococo, with their newfound connection to Drake Group, triumphed.
Hera, her gaze fixed on Rooney, felt disgust bubble up within her but dared not speak out.
Lauren, with a slight lift of her chin, replied coolly, “You must be joking, dear Rooney. I don’t have the ability to invite Ms. Olivia here. You, with all your knowledge, must have been the one to bring her, right?”
Her words were a subtle dig. Lauren was pointing out that while Rooney claimed vast knowledge, she had failed to see through the sarcasm in Lauren’s remarks. It was a clever jab at Rooney’s ignorance.
Hera detected her mother’s meaning and smiled faintly. It was the first time she’d seen Lauren speak with such subtlety, and she couldn’t help but admire her.
Rooney, oblivious to the sarcasm, grinned, her chubby face quivering. “Good to know you’re self-aware, Lauren. Don’t worry. If your company goes bankrupt, I’ll make sure to leave you a position… cleaning toilets.”
Soon, everyone returned to their seats in the living room. Olivia’s sharp gaze swept across the room before landing on Kai and Helena, who were seated together.
The sight made the Lewis family members even more certain that Olivia had come for their sake.
Kai raised his glass with a smile, his tone warm. “Ms. Olivia, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to give you a toast.”
Olivia, her smile modest, quickly picked up her glass. “I should be giving you a toast instead…”
The fact that only Kai was seated at the Lewis household with her indicated that his status and position were extraordinary. Olivia, remembering what her husband had said about Nash, surmised that this must be him. Her politeness toward him only made Kai feel more confident, even leading him to wonder if Olivia and Nash shared a deeper connection than he realized.
After they finished their glasses of wine, Kai politely asked, “Ms. Olivia, did you come to the Lewis household today to collaborate with the Lewises?”
Olivia, thinking that Theo was merely offering secret support to Nash, smiled gently. “Yes, our marketing department recently decided to export a batch of mobile phones to Stygian Nation… So…”
Helena, eager to assert herself, interrupted. “Ms. Olivia, Stygian is poor and underdeveloped. It’ll be difficult to capture the high-end digital product market there.”
The labor and resources in Stygian were cheap, making it feasible to set up a production line. But selling phones there would be risky, and even recovering costs could be a challenge.
Olivia, momentarily puzzled by Helena’s concern, smiled but didn’t dwell on it. She assumed it was just a young woman worrying about potential losses.
“We can sell at a small profit but in large quantities. Stygian has a population comparable to ours, and we already have multiple distribution channels in place. We can ensure sales of over 200,000 units per day,” Olivia explained.