Chapter 121
"Mr. Johnson, what do you think about Heartstrings Jewelry's star collection?" the reporter asked.
Michael smirked, "The moon is the star of the show. Stars are just supporting characters—nothing but attention-seeking gimmicks. They'll be out of fashion soon enough."
"So you're very confident in your moon collection?"
"Of course. It's highly competitive even across the entire industry."
I closed my laptop, not wanting to watch anymore. Michael was always staging these performances to promote his products. The industry is huge—I have no idea what makes him think he can talk so big.
I've never been one for conflict. I just want to make my own products. I put my whole heart into bringing people what I believe is good. I don't put others down.
Michael was clearly belittling Heartstrings Jewelry. By openly calling "stars" supporting characters, he was no doubt making users of the "star" collection angry.
Including me. I already looked down on him in my heart.
Even if you want to compete, we can compete fairly and properly. Always provoking with these tactics—should I just keep silent?
If I don't respond, he'll probably keep spouting nonsense without restraint. But once I respond, our two companies will inevitably go to war.
I'm not afraid of going head-to-head. I just don't want to waste time with someone like Michael.
A knock at the door.
"Come in."
"Blair, you saw that, right? He's way too arrogant. What do you want to do?"
Nola was angry, too. She's always believed in fighting fire with fire.
"We hold steady."
I rubbed my temples. "New Year's is coming up. We don't need to pay attention to him. We just stick to our own rhythm."
"Sales are a bit down this week. Are they all buying his stuff?"
"Consumers have freedom of choice. We have no right to interfere with that. We just do our own thing well and strictly control product quality. We need to keep a close eye on the factory."
Nola frowned. "You're worried someone might sabotage things? Don't worry, we've worked with them for years. Quality is solid."
"Still hard to guard against troublemakers."
"Okay, I'll send another person over there."
I was worried too. Our sales were indeed at a level below Michael's company.
"New Year's is coming. We still need to maintain price control. Also, we can do some promotions, but nothing too extreme, and don't even think about getting into a price war."
I understood my product's value. I couldn't lose my rhythm just because of Michael's provocations.
"Got it."
I saw her phone screen light up. "Did you put it on silent?"
Nola looked down and smiled awkwardly. "He keeps bothering me. I need to focus on work."
"Hello?"
"Ms. Skye, can you talk to the sales department about controlling the order volume? The factory can't keep up. We'll have to switch to pre-order mode."
Nola was shocked. "What's going on?"
"Go ask the sales department what's happening. The factory's been blowing up my phone."
Nola hung up and grinned. "Blair, we might be about to make a fortune."
"Hm?"
Right away, she called the sales director. "What's going on? Did we get a big order?"
"Yes, Ms. Skye. A buyer just placed a huge order. He said he'll take however much inventory we have. He's taking some of the current stock and has paid in full for the rest of the order, too."
"Full payment?"
Nola glanced at me. "The factory is under so much pressure—why didn't you just take a deposit?"
"He said he trusts our company. If he pays in full, doesn't that help our cash flow? Of course, we agreed to such a good deal."
"Did he leave any information?"
"No, he said he's just doing this for his boss. He's only in charge of purchasing. He left a delivery address—it's a big warehouse."
"Okay, got it."
Nola hung up, thrilled. She'd had it on speaker, so I heard everything.
But who was this mysterious buyer?
Why would he trust Heartstrings Jewelry so much?
Why would he suddenly buy up all our inventory and place a big order when sales weren't doing well?
"Blair, we're really going to make a fortune! You're not going to suspect it's some kind of trap again, are you?" Nola was so happy she was practically bouncing.
I shook my head. "Not really. We run a legitimate business. All our procedures are legal and compliant. I'm just wondering why this mysterious person would support us."
"He appreciates your designs! Either way, I think he's our benefactor. Coming through when Michael is being so arrogant—it's a huge blessing."
Nola counted on her fingers. "Oh my, I'm going to have a very nice income this year. I need to let my dad know I'm making honest money."
"Oh, right—do you want to make an appearance at tonight's year-end party? I think it would be perfect to announce that you're actually the company president."
"No, no, no..."
I didn't want everyone to know yet. I didn't want to steal the spotlight at the year-end party either. The company landed such a big order today—everyone must be so happy.
At this moment, I wanted Nola to enjoy this glory. She'd put more effort into the company than I had. She deserved it.
"Blair, can't you give me a break? Your kid is already six years old, and I..."
I smiled. "You want to get married too? Want to be a housewife? Don't want freedom anymore?"
Nola often said marriage is a tomb—she didn't want to die. She said I put too much focus on home, so I was always exhausted and had no space for myself.
"Oh, I'm not talking to you about this. I'm going to do my makeup. Tonight I'm going to get everyone hyped up!"
Seeing her so excited made me happy too.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and looked at me with her head tilted.
"I heard he passed away. Jessa is a public figure, so when he died, some gossip sites wrote about it."
Nola carefully brought up Chase's death. The fact that I was his daughter couldn't be changed. She was just worried about me, not gossiping.
"It has nothing to do with me anymore. He left a will saying he wanted me to help handle his funeral arrangements. I refused."
"That's right. He never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father. He caused your mother's death. He should have..."
Nola didn't finish, but I understood what she meant. All these years, she'd been my only good friend, always standing up for me when I was in trouble.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Ms. Skye. Go get ready. You're the face of Heartstrings Jewelry."
"Oh my, how embarrassing! Haha, I'm going to get ready."
The office grew quiet. I couldn't figure out who the mysterious buyer was. I thought of Elliot, but he could already profit without doing anything—there was no need for him to step in.
Still, now I could welcome the New Year with peace of mind.