Chapter 459 The Game (4) Cecilia's Strategy
Pierce scrunched up his face.
After a long pause, he finally said, "It's tough to say. Honestly, I think it all hinges on how tomorrow's talks go."
Cecilia nodded, looking pretty pleased with Pierce's careful approach.
"Alright," she said, "let's stick to our game plan. Didn't you whip up a marketing strategy for the Pearl E-commerce Platform revamp? Tweak it a bit, pull an all-nighter if you have to, and we need to hash out the partnership at ten tomorrow morning."
"Got it." Pierce nodded.
"Think you can wrap it up tonight?" Cecilia asked.
"Maybe."
"I'll burn the midnight oil with you," Cecilia said. "Get the whole e-commerce crew on board to fine-tune it."
"Okay," Pierce nodded again.
"Let's huddle in the small conference room in twenty," Cecilia said.
"Sure thing."
After laying down the law, Cecilia signed off on some pending stuff and then joined Pierce and the team in the conference room to hammer out the international e-commerce marketing plan.
The plan was a beast, with tons of moving parts that ate up a lot of time.
They slogged through from afternoon till the crack of dawn.
By 5 AM, they finally had a finished draft.
Everyone was dead tired and crashed on the conference room table.
Cecilia was wiped out too.
But she couldn't just conk out on the table, so she got up and decided to crash in her office.
She quietly slipped out of the conference room and headed to the coffee room for a drink instead of going straight to her office.
Just as she finished making her drink, Pierce's voice came from behind, "Ms. Lockhart, aren't you gonna catch some Z's?"
Cecilia turned around, "Aren't you?"
"I was beat a minute ago, but now I'm wired," Pierce grinned. "Guess I'm pumped. Didn't think we'd nail such a killer plan in one night. I've always heard you're a rockstar, Ms. Lockhart, and now I see it. Not just your skills, but your quick thinking. From chaos to a solid plan under your lead. I'm stoked I came back to build my career here; it's been a game-changer for me."
"Oh, you're too kind," Cecilia said casually. "I've just been around the block a few times, so I know the e-commerce ropes."
Pierce didn't quite get what Cecilia meant.
Cecilia didn't bother explaining. "I'm heading back. You should get some rest too; we've got a big meeting at ten."
"Okay," Pierce nodded.
With that, Cecilia left the coffee room.
She wasn't sure if she had spilled some water, but she didn't notice and slipped in her high heels.
Pierce quickly caught her, and she ended up in his arms.
She was a bit rattled.
"You alright?" Pierce asked, concerned.
Cecilia quickly stepped out of his arms, stood up straight, and said, "I'm fine, thanks."
Pierce reminded her, "Watch your step, Ms. Lockhart."
Cecilia nodded and carefully walked away.
She was still a bit shaken.
If she had really fallen, it would've been super embarrassing.
Luckily, Pierce caught her.
She couldn't help but notice how fast Pierce reacted.
And they weren't even standing that close.
If he had been a bit slower, she would've hit the floor.
Ultimately, Cecilia didn't dwell on it too much.
But Pierce, still in the coffee room, had a different reaction. His expression shifted slightly, and his fingers tightened a bit. The feeling at his fingertips was intense!
Cecilia rolled into the office a little after nine in the morning. She had managed to catch three hours of sleep at home before heading back.
Once she got to the office, she grabbed Pierce and Rose, and they headed to Bill's hotel. The team that pulled the all-nighter was sent home to crash.
They got to the hotel at 9:50 AM.
Cecilia took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
The door swung open.
Bill's assistant greeted them with a warm smile, "Welcome, Ms. Lockhart. Mr. Tackett is waiting for you in the lounge."
He led them to the private lounge of the suite.
Bill was chilling with a glass of red wine, soaking up the sunshine of Serenovia City through the floor-to-ceiling window, looking pretty relaxed.
"Have a seat," he said as they walked in.
Cecilia nodded and sat down not far from Bill.
A waiter poured her a glass of red wine.
Bill said, "I had it flown in from overseas. Give it a try, Ms. Lockhart."
Cecilia took a sip and savored it. "Fragrant and rich, smooth and balanced, with a long finish."
Bill smiled. "Once we get the international e-commerce platform up and running, folks in the Yakurosean Empire will be able to enjoy such fine wine easily."
"So the international e-commerce platform is a win for the Yakurosean Empire," Cecilia agreed.
"Ms. Lockhart, I've been thinking a lot about what you said at the banquet the other day. I also checked out Pearl E-commerce Platform like you suggested. From what I've seen, it does have great potential," Bill got straight to the point, "but..."
Cecilia listened closely.
Bill continued, "The scale is too small. Even if the Lockhart Group goes all out to build the e-commerce platform quickly, with the scale we want, you can't hit it in a short time. We need a big user base and mature operations fast. If this were three months ago, I would've picked you without a second thought. But now, I can only say I'm sorry."
Cecilia stayed cool.
She had a hunch things wouldn't be that easy.
But she didn't think their all-nighter was a waste.
She kept her composure, saying, "In that case, we won't take up any more of your time, Mr. Tackett. Thanks for meeting with us and explaining why you won't be working with us. I hope we get a chance to collaborate in the future."
With that, Cecilia stood up and extended her hand.
Bill looked at her, a bit surprised by how calm she was.
Most people would've shown some emotion, but Cecilia stayed poised.
It made him see her in a new light.
Bill shook her hand. "I hope we can work together next time."
Cecilia nodded.
She left with Pierce and Rose.
Rose was fuming.
Yesterday, Bill's one sentence made them pull an all-nighter.
Today, another one-liner from him brushed them off and sent them packing.
She wanted to speak up several times but held back.
As they walked out, Cecilia paused.
She suddenly turned back, "Mr. Tackett, I have a request."
"Go ahead."
"Mr. Tackett, we drafted a plan for the e-commerce platform. The Lockhart Group will keep pushing in this area, and we'd like to ask for your guidance on our plan."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
