NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Convincing Power
"Mrs. Scott, what are you doing?" Liam walked into the study, his gaze narrowing, seeing Aurora standing in front of the tall bookshelf.
Aurora quickly turned to meet his suspicious gaze, completely masking her shock. She felt so lucky to have closed the secret path before he walked in.
"I came to get Xander's laptop," she answered, letting out a soft sigh.
Immediately, Liam's gaze moved to the laptop in her hands, but then, he didn't trust her motives seeing as she stood before the sculpted object. And as if she knew what he was thinking, she quickly faced the bookshelf and pointed towards a medical textbook.
"Your boss seems to be into a lot of things. He even has a medical textbook on his shelf. Does he read them or are they all for decorations?"
Liam released a deep sigh as his gaze landed on the textbook she was pointing at. "Mr. Scott has a deep quest for knowledge and is highly inquisitive. He likes to read a lot of things, therefore, the reason he knows a bit of everything."
"I see…" Aurora drawled, nodding like she understood the point. Suddenly, she whipped her head back to him. "Apart from the servant's quarters, is there another building in this residence?"
Something shifted in Liam's eyes. He had a feeling that Aurora's question wasn't a random one and that she might have found out something. And with her staring at him closely, he quickly got a hold of himself, trying not to give out any complicated emotion.
"Mr. Scott does have a workstation where he loves to put two or three together. As you know, he is a tech guru who is into developing a lot of gadgets," he revealed.
The corners of Aurora's lips stretched into a smile, her gaze, glinting with interest. "Can I see his workstation?"
"Unfortunately, Mr. Scott is very busy with an important project and will need some time to make up for the four-day break he took. Until then, you can't take a tour," Liam explained politely.
Aurora nodded in understanding. "I will patiently wait then."
"Let me assist you with that." Liam took the laptop from her and led the way out.
When Aurora got back to the master bedroom, she passed the laptop to Xander and asked, "Your assistant is no fun. Why is he so uptight?"
"He is doing his job." Xander chuckled heartily and touched the tip of her nose. "Also, note that I am the only man you should find fun."
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TUESDAY.
Xander discreetly dropped Aurora off at work and departed. Confidently, she strode into the meeting room for her presentation.
Adam scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Aurora and Olivia. "Who's presenting first?" he inquired.
Olivia glanced at Aurora whose brow furrowed in concentration and smirked. "I'll go first," she declared, rising smoothly to her feet.
Olivia connected her laptop to the projector with unwavering confidence and began her presentation. Her slideshow unfolded, showcasing vibrant images and videos of champagne bottles popping and splashing at lavish parties.
"Today, I introduce 'Spraying Champagne,' made from soured and unripe leftover grapes from our shipment that compromises the quality standards of our premium champagnes. This eco-friendly alternative meets the demand for champagne spraying at parties, without waste."
Olivia elaborated on her concept before concluding.
"Aren't you concerned labelling an expensive champagne 'Not for Drinking' might offend consumers?" one of the boards of directors present in the meeting asked.
"Isn't the fun in wasting drinkable, expensive champagne lost with a non-drinkable alternative?" another added.
Olivia countered, her gaze intense, "Why would they object to a tailored alternative? I'm confident my product will disrupt the market. If you're unsure, sit back and observe its success."
Murmurs erupted in the room as Olivia returned to her seat. A good number of the people present thought she was exhibiting arrogance and not confidence. Unfortunately, she didn't give a fuck about their opinions.
Aurora presented next, showcasing her slides. "My research revealed people over 60 often avoid champagne due to high alcohol content, missing out on social fun. I've created a solution."
She explained her product, 'Fruit Punch Champagne' which has 50% champagne, 30% fresh fruit juice, and 20% sparkling water.
Samples were distributed, immediately earning instant approval – except for Olivia, seething in discontent.
'I bet she definitely bought this idea for a hefty sum,' she thought, balling her fists under the table. She desperately wanted to believe Aurora had paid people to come up with that idea just like she had done with the 'Spraying Champagne' bottle.
A director asked, "Isn't evenly diluted champagne better canned than bottled?"
Aurora countered, pointing to the big screen. "This product targets elderly wealthy individuals seeking low-alcohol options for private and public gatherings, and bottling maintains luxury appeal."
As Adam chaired the meeting, he beamed with pride at Aurora and Olivia's creativity. His strategic decision to pit them against each other yielded impressive results.
Although he knew that no one would understand the reason for his actions, he was satisfied with the results.
After some deliberations, Adam, and the two board of directors had the same agreement and reached a decision.
A few minutes later, Aurora and Olivia were both thrilled as they got the approval to commence with the next step of their ideas, which entails production and product design. They immediately called their team members for briefing.
Aurora noticed that two people from her seven team members were missing and inquired about them. "Are they on a leave?"
The five people remaining in her team exchanged glances before one of them mustered the courage to reveal their whereabouts.
"They have moved to another camp."
Aurora's brows furrowed. She was genuinely confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"In your absence, Director Olivia talked to us to join her team and managed to convince those two."
Instantly, Aurora's jaw tightened, her fists, clenching by her sides. "It looks like Olivia has lost her mind!" she spat and stormed out of her office for Olivia's.