Chapter 420 Sterling's Difficulties
"Ms. Smith, Sterling from the Medical Association chapter just rolles up," Brenda blurted out, barging into the boardroom all flustered.
"Sterling?" Mary repeated, eyebrows shooting up. She jumped up to greet him.
"Ms. Smith, you're a real trooper, burning the midnight oil. Hope I'm not crashing the party?" Sterling's voice boomed as he strolled in with Cassius and his sidekick.
"Mr. Hargreaves, it's really kind of you to say that. I was just about to swing by your place," Mary said with a quick smile. She hustled over to shake his hand and then offered him a seat, even whipping up some tea for him.
Sterling was momentarily floored by her looks as he scoped out the room. No wonder the grapevine was buzzing about Mary. She was something else. Sterling had known Mary for a while, but today he really saw her in a new light.
Cassius gave Mary a once-over, a sly grin spreading across his face. Mary was totally his type, even though he'd heard she was pregnant. But hey, pregnant women had their own kind of allure.
Sterling took a sip of the tea Mary made and cut to the chase. "Ms. Smith, since I'm here, let's not dance around it. What's your game plan for dealing with the revocation of your company's business license?"
He wanted to catch Mary off guard and seize the upper hand.
While making tea, Mary smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Hargreaves, this is a bit out of the blue. We've always played by the Medical Association's rules. Can you clue me in on what we messed up? We'll fix it ASAP and hope for some slack."
She kept her tone soft, knowing Sterling's visit wasn't just a casual drop-in. She had to bring her A-game.
Sterling smirked and said, "Ms. Smith, are you really in the dark or just playing dumb?"
He stared at Mary's face for a few moments, realizing she seemed genuinely puzzled.
"Please, enlighten me," Mary said, settling onto the sofa with a gentle smile.
Sterling nodded and laid it out straight. "This order came down from the president of the Medical Association in Sunshine Bay City, straight from Celestia. Ms. Smith, did you tick someone off?"
He tossed the ball back in Mary's court.
Mary thought hard and shook her head slightly. "Mr. Hargreaves, I honestly don't get it. I haven't had any run-ins with your president. How could I have ticked them off?"
She was genuinely stumped. According to Sterling, she had somehow offended someone at the top, leading to BK Pharmaceuticals' license getting revoked.
"Looks like you really don't know. Maybe someone in your circle ticked off the president," Sterling suggested.
"Who's this president? Can you hook me up with an intro?" Mary smiled faintly.
Business was always negotiable. If she had stepped on someone's toes, she'd make it right. Nobody says no to money.
Sterling frowned slightly, staring at her pretty face for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned. "Leander, Ms. Smith, ring any bells?"
Mary frowned. She didn't know him, but the name sounded kinda familiar.
"His wife's named Maya. Ms. Smith, seriously, you don't know her?" Sterling added.
Before showing up, Sterling got a call from Maya. The message was clear: use Leander's clout to crush BK Pharmaceuticals and boot Mary out of the biz. So, Sterling did some digging. Turns out, they were old classmates.
Hearing Maya's name, Mary was momentarily stunned, then it clicked.
So, Maya was the one stirring the pot!
Mary was seriously ticked off. She hadn't expected Maya to hold such a grudge, using her hubby's connections to revoke BK Pharmaceuticals' business license for some petty revenge.
What a snake! Maya was definitely out for blood!
"I know her," Mary said, her face clouded with worry.
Sterling didn't stick around. He immediately stood up and said, "Take care, Ms. Smith. My hands are tied. I'll be holding a press conference tomorrow to officially announce the revocation of BK Pharmaceuticals' business license. Starting at 9 AM tomorrow, your company's operations are done."
With that, he turned to leave.
Mary quickly stopped him, smiling. "Can't you give us a few more days? I'll find a way to contact Leander."
Sterling looked at his watch, tapped his fingers, and said, "Alright, Ms. Smith. You got twelve hours to reach Leander. But heads up, Leander has this thing where he turns off his phone at 9 PM and doesn't turn it back on until 10 AM the next day. So..."
Sterling didn't finish and then led the way out.
As Cassius passed by Mary, he gave her a provocative look and sneered, "Ms. Smith, if you got time, swing by my company. Maybe I can help you out."
With that, they bounced.
After they left, Brenda angrily grumbled, "Ms. Smith, did you see that? They came to rub it in our faces! Especially Sterling, what a snake, using his position for personal gain! He's definitely trying to tank our company to boost his brother's!"
Mary crossed her arms, her face grim. She knew exactly who was pulling the strings.
"Do whatever it takes to get in touch with the Medical Association in Sunshine Bay City. No matter the cost, try to delay the revocation of our business license," Mary ordered coldly, her eyes full of determination. She wasn't about to go down without a fight!
"Also, if our company's business license gets revoked and can't produce, kick in the emergency plan. Shift all operations to newly established companies. As for the distributors, smooth things over if you can; if not, compensate them at market price."
Mary rattled off several orders in a row. The boardroom staff nodded and quickly scattered.
BK Pharmaceuticals was buzzing that night.
Meanwhile, a group of thugs charged at William.
William, however, stayed cool, his eyes cold, a slight smile on his face. "Idiots!"
With that, he gathered his strength and threw a punch.
His fist landed square on one thug's face.
The thug screamed in pain, his teeth shattered by William's punch, and he staggered back several steps, knocking down a few others behind him.
William's powerful strike left everyone in shock.
Amidst the thugs' horrified stares, William stepped forward towards the leader, Caspian.
He stood right in front of Caspian, who was holding a baseball bat, his expression cold. "Caius is nothing to me. Does he have a death wish?"
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