Chapter 454 Business Banquet (2)
Bill grinned.
Cecilia's opening words shifted his viewpoint.
She wasn't just a pretty face; she was sharp as a tack too.
Bill wasn't thrilled with the Kingsley Group's e-commerce setup. It was a fresh industry, but they were stuck in old-school sales methods, still chained to brick-and-mortar retail. If the Yakurosean Empire had any big players in e-commerce, he wouldn't even be thinking about teaming up with Kingsley.
But to crack the Yakurosean market, he needed local muscle.
He gave Cecilia a once-over and said, "From what I know about the Yakurosean Empire, besides Kingsley, there ain't any big e-commerce players. Ms. Lockhart, you say you're interested, but where's the real proof of your sincerity?"
"Pearl E-commerce Platform. If you've got the time, Mr. Tackett, check it out. It's a local platform we just scooped up at Lockhart Group. Sure, it's small potatoes right now, worth about five million bucks, nowhere near Kingsley's league. But our edge is that it's a fresh slate, and we can mold it into something that fits your vision, unlike Kingsley's old-school ways. Plus, Lockhart Group's got the cash to back it up. In just a week, we've jumped from 200,000 followers to 2 million, showing some serious potential," Cecilia said, cool as a cucumber.
She flashed a confident smile. "As for Kingsley, they're already knee-deep in financial commitments. Dig a little deeper, Mr. Tackett, and you'll see what I mean. But I won't bore you with the details. I trust you can do your own homework."
Bill kept his mouth shut.
In the business game, everyone's a sly fox.
No one shows their cards until the deal's done.
Cecilia knew that blabbing too much at the first meet would make her look desperate. She gave a slight nod and said, "I've got some friends to catch up with, so I'll leave you to it, Mr. Tackett."
"Alright," Bill nodded.
Cecilia walked off with Pierce.
Dominic had been lurking in the background, watching the whole thing.
His face was like a thundercloud.
He knew Cecilia was gunning for the same project.
Did she really think snagging a tiny e-commerce platform would let her go toe-to-toe with him?
He straightened his suit and made a beeline for Bill.
No way was he letting Cecilia win this one!
In the swanky hall, glasses clinked and mingled.
All the big shots of Yakurosean high society were at the business shindig.
Showing up at these things was a status symbol; only the real players got invites. Plus, it was prime networking territory. When it came to cutting deals, familiar faces always had the upper hand.
So, at these business bashes, anyone who could show up, did.
Cecilia weaved through the crowd with Pierce, introducing him to all the bigwigs.
Pierce was all smiles and manners, chatting them up like a pro.
The whole place was buzzing.
Seraphina was stuck in a corner, bored out of her mind.
How did Cecilia manage to handle these stiff suits so smoothly?
If it were her, she'd be out of there in two minutes flat.
She glanced over at Sebastian, who used to be a wallflower but now was working the room like a champ.
But Sebastian knew she'd get bored, so he told her to hang tight in the corner and promised to come find her later.
Seraphina sighed.
It felt like everyone was leveling up, except her. She felt like dead weight.
She buried her head in her phone, itching to leave.
But she didn't want to ditch Sebastian.
She always thought Sebastian was a lonely guy who needed some warmth.
"Seraphina," a familiar voice cut through her thoughts.
She frowned.
Great, it was Penelope.
She never got how a guy like Dominic could have a sister like Penelope.
Now she got it—birds of a feather.
"What do you want?" Seraphina snapped, not even trying to be polite.
"I'm just saying, since you and Dashiell are done, stop hanging around him!" Penelope shot back.
"That's crap!" Seraphina almost yelled.
"I'm his girlfriend. I don't want you near him," Penelope declared.
Seraphina was pissed.
But she couldn't really argue.
As Dashiell's girlfriend, Penelope had a right to be possessive.
Seraphina's eyes darted around; she really didn't want to deal with Penelope. She glanced at Sebastian and said, "When have I ever clung to him?"
"That night, why were you at Dashiell's place?" Penelope demanded.
"I was getting my stuff, duh. Did I interrupt your fun?" Seraphina shot back, dripping with sarcasm.
The memory of that night flashed in her mind, making her cringe.
"I don't want to see you at Dashiell's place again," Penelope insisted.
"Don't worry, I won't. I find places you've been in gross," Seraphina retorted.
"Seraphina!" Penelope's face turned beet red.
"Chill out, don't blow your cover," Seraphina said with a smirk. "You've been faking it for years; don't ruin it because of me."
"I'm done talking to you," Penelope sneered.
She brushed past Seraphina.
Clearly, she was there to throw her weight around and maybe show off a bit.
But Seraphina thought her boyfriend was a hundred times better than Dashiell.
Still, she felt a sudden wave of irritation.
No matter how hard she tried to chill, she was agitated.
She watched Sebastian working the room, thought for a second, and shot him a text: [I'm not feeling well. I'm heading back first.]
After sending the message, Seraphina slipped out of the hall.
She didn't know when it happened, but she seemed to have lost interest in a lot of things.
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