Chapter 339
"That's outrageous!" I exclaimed, slamming my hand on the table.
"Is there any room for negotiation?" I asked.
"They're pretty set on it. They're covering damages too. Since we're dealing with high-end stuff, they want a $20 million deposit, making it $50 million total!" Aria replied.
It was a blatant attempt to exploit our situation.
"What about other shipping companies?" I asked, my mind racing.
"They're all about the same..." She lowered her voice.
I thought, 'Man, these shipping fees are crazy high.'
'And we just started out, no clue if we can make that kind of dough.'
"Unless we negotiate directly with the logistics company, maybe we can get a better deal, but it'll take forever."
After Aria finished, the room went dead quiet. I looked around, "Anyone got a better idea?"
"Mr. Cena, how about we look for investors?" one of the executives spoke up.
I waved it off, thinking, 'VelocityMart isn't a hit yet.'
'Maybe someone will invest, but a few hundred million? Not enough.'
'Even if we need funding, it'll be after VelocityMart is online and making steady cash. Then I'll think about it.'
'By then, VelocityMart will be a hotshot, and I won't sell it cheap.'
"Think it over. Public testing starts next week. Once we're fully launched, there'll be transactions. It'll be too late to fix it then."
I drummed my fingers on the table. I thought, 'Luxury deliveries gotta be fast, reliable, and have top-notch service!'
"Mr. Cena, I have an idea, but..." Aria raised her hand, looking unsure.
"Good or bad, just spit it out."
Everyone turned to Aria.
Aria took a deep breath, stood up, "Mr. Cena, if we can't make it work, why not start our own logistics company?"
"Start our own?"
Everyone was stunned.
With so many logistics companies out there, starting our own would be tough.
"The domestic market's already packed. Jumping in now, we might struggle to get a piece," Mr. Williams said.
"Instead of shelling out tens of millions, we could buy our own trucks."
Aria went on, "We can start with a trial in Sevan City. One city at a time, starting with the big ones, then move to smaller ones, and eventually go national."
She laid it out, and it made sense to me.
"Ms. Evangeline's idea is solid. Let's switch gears and start with Sevan City. Put the full-scale promotion on hold. Let's test it in Sevan City first and see how it goes."
"Also, we need our own delivery service, hire our own people, rent our own warehouses. Early on, orders won't be high, so we need to offer fixed salaries."
Seeing my support, Aria got excited. But then she calmed down, "Thanks for backing me, Mr. Cena. But if we do this ourselves, we might need some funding help."
"Don't sweat the funding. I'll personally put up $20 million. We gotta make a name for ourselves in Sevan City."
"Plus, we can kick off promotions at universities. I know some university leaders."
I glanced at Aria, her eyes lit up. "Yeah, research shows college students have strong buying power, especially for affordable luxury. Buying new is too pricey for them. Our well-kept second-hand luxury goods, they'll totally go for it."
I thought, 'Young folks are the most open-minded, and lots of products get their start in universities!'
"Plus, at the start, we can get students to work part-time during summer break to promote, have them invite friends to sign up, and offer more discounts."
I thought, 'These tricks really work, using what little we have to get more buzz...'
I hung around the meeting room for a couple of hours, and my throat was parched.
Deep down, I was actually pretty pumped.
Just got the cash, and now I gotta drop $20 million. Man, making money is tough, but spending it? Easy peasy.
I swung by Skyliho Group, but Steven was still out on his business trip, and he hadn't hit me up lately, like he vanished or something.
Linda hadn't bugged me either, but she gave me the stink eye like I was her worst enemy.
Grace was nowhere to be found, and I hadn't heard from Katherine either. Everything seemed to have come to a standstill.
Then there was Jenny, who also went radio silent. Since that time, her profile pic hadn't changed.
I felt a bit bummed, but whatever. I'd protect her in my own way, making up for my screw-ups.
Lily had dropped by before, but with Amelia around, she didn't say much.
She looked really worn out, lost some weight, and the sparkle in her eyes was gone.
My heart ached, thinking she was just messing with me, but maybe she caught some feelings.
And then Paul, who came to me for help, but whatever Lucas did to him, he looked like a wreck.
He used to be all confident, but now he had white hair.
I didn't feel a bit sorry for him. If I wanted revenge, I could fire him. Heck, I could even throw him in jail for embezzling company cash.
I did think about the help he gave me before, so I let it slide.
"What’s on your mind?"
Amelia plopped on my lap, looking cuter by the minute.
After our fun, she had this special scent.
Amelia was super attractive, the more I looked, the more beautiful she seemed. Now, she had this hint of charm and allure.
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
She kissed my face, her hand sliding down, grabbing my junk.
I grabbed her hand, smiling wryly, "Can I get a break today?"
While others clocked in for work, I was busy getting it on.
If we didn’t do it, she got all moody.
Sometimes one round wasn’t enough, she wanted two!
She said noon was the best time to get pregnant, when energy was at its peak.
And at noon, she could nap, which was better for pregnancy.
No clue where she got these crazy ideas.
Even though I enjoyed it, I really wasn’t in the mood today.
"Tired?"
"Not physically, mentally."
"Is it about work?"
Amelia said, "You can talk to me, maybe I can help?"
"It’s nothing, just some small stuff, all sorted out."
I held her till the end of the workday.
When I headed to Mia’s place, my mom called, "John, has Aurora called you?"
Mom sounded kinda freaked out on the phone, and I felt something was off. "What’s up, Mom?"
"Aurora said she’s coming back to get something, she’ll look for you in Sevan City tomorrow, but I just tried calling her and couldn’t reach her."
"Don’t worry, I’ll go find Aurora. Ava, turn around and head to Evergreen University."
I kept calling Aurora on the way, the call went through, but no answer.
Soon, we pulled up at Evergreen University.
At the girls' dorm, the dorm lady blocked my way. I frowned. "I’m here to find someone!"
"Find someone?"
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