I smiled faintly. "You're right, Mr. Ricky. The information you provided was limited. But Eleanor has brought me the latest data, and she’s meticulously explained it to me.
"Eleanor has been very thoughtful. After all, when promoting your brand, you need to speak with your strongest offerings, don't you agree, Mr. Ricky? You have to show me your best! Otherwise, how can I figure out if I should work with you or not? If the product has no selling points, why should I collaborate?"
My tone was assertive.
I noticed that Vernon's expression soured a bit, but his displeasure seemed directed at their marketing manager.
Rumor had it that this marketing manager was a relative of Andrea’s.
Vernon asked Ricky, "Why didn't you bring all the latest information?"
Then he looked at Eleanor. "Did you get the latest information?"
Eleanor immediately responded, "I got it from Johnson, the marketing manager at Ardora. It should all be up to date."
Andrea quickly spoke up to defend Ricky. "We can’t risk our new products being leaked. After all, we’ve experienced situations where certain people resold our products under our name. I think Mr. Ricky was right."
Andrea's words hit the nail on the head, and I was left speechless.
After all, Matthew's actions were well-known within the industry.
I forced a smile.
"Ah, I've heard about things like that. But we’re different. We’re aiming to produce high-end products and won't produce knockoffs. We can’t make a decision without seeing the best of what you have to offer.”
"We have high expectations for Surface Solutions's products in our secondary project, Ms. Chloe. The cost-effectiveness is still relatively high," Eleanor finally spoke up to support Surface Solutions.
"I don't deny this, but as you know, our secondary project is about to be complete." I rejected Eleanor's suggestion.
At that moment, the waiter started bringing in the food.
Eleanor quickly changed the topic.
"The food is here. Let's eat and talk. Ms. Chloe, if there are quality issues, I can provide some suggestions. Mr. Vernon, you'll need to work hard on the new products."
Andrea seemed a bit uneasy.
"Avalon Hills has been signed to Liora. They said they would use Surface Solutions's ceramic tiles."
I remained silent, and Eleanor did not speak either.
When Andrea saw that neither of us had any intention of cooperating with her narrative, she became displeased. She shifted her frustrations onto Eleanor.
"Eleanor, they say that you shouldn’t forget the hand that feeds you. You worked at Surface Solutions for so many years. Don't you have any professional ethics? Now that you have a new boss, you shouldn't cause trouble for the old one!"
She continued disdainfully, "Do you really think all those unsavory traces have been wiped away just because you left your old place?"
Andrea's words made everyone in the room feel awkward, especially me.
Vernon suddenly turned to Andrea. "What are you doing? Is this the right time to make those baseless remarks?"
I looked at Eleanor, and she remained silent, looking at Andrea indifferently.
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