Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 352: Hitting a Wall

"Mr. Townsend, given the qualifications of Nirvana and Metamorphosis, they are fully qualified to enter Lustra, and I believe the three-year brand exclusivity showcases our sincerity. I hope you will seriously consider it."

After sitting down, Ruby Sullivan made a simple courteous remark and handed the promotional pages of Nirvana and Metamorphosis to Tobias Townsend.

This was her first time negotiating a business collaboration, so she felt somewhat nervous. But considering that she got the meeting because of Mr. Sterling’s influence, sending Howard would have seemed insincere.

Tobias Townsend wore a light blue suit paired with white trousers, complemented by a pair of vintage English leather shoes with black and white spat detailing that caught the eye. Despite his striking appearance, his face was gloomy with long eyebrows, narrow eyes, thin lips, and an exquisite obsidian earring on his left ear, exuding a cold aura that made one feel tense and want to stay silent.

Ruby Sullivan was extremely anxious inside, but seeing his face, she couldn’t muster the courage to speak further. She felt that the more you say in such matters, the more mistakes you might make, yet an hour is quite precious.

She looked at Tobias Townsend earnestly, hoping he could perceive the eagerness in her eyes, but apparently, he didn’t.

After half an hour passed, Tobias Townsend finally closed the promotional pages and said indifferently, "Since you have such confidence in your brand, why not directly talk to the mall’s manager?"

"I did go..." Ruby Sullivan felt embarrassed to directly say that there seemed to be a mole among their employees.

Tobias Townsend raised an eyebrow, "So what does Mrs. Sterling want from me?"

"The shopping center’s rent is too high. I think there’s a limit even to being exorbitant."

Tobias Townsend appeared slightly startled, lost in thought, "Since Mrs. Sterling wants a lower rent, why not go to The Sovereign?" He glanced at his watch, "Sorry, I have other matters to attend to. I’ll have to leave now."

Ruby Sullivan was utterly shocked. She looked at the time, discouraged, "What was supposed to be an hour ended in forty-seven minutes..." Is seeing Ethan Sterling necessary after all?

Although she had mentally prepared herself beforehand, she didn’t expect this blunt rejection to hit her face so directly.

Back at the company, she told Howard about the day’s happenings, feeling quite disheartened, "I guess there’s no chance of scheduling another meeting. Plus, with Ethan Sterling’s reputation hanging in there, being persistent might also adversely affect him."

Howard thought for a moment, "I should go talk to the manager there. I’ve heard rumors the other shops are also reluctant to renew due to the high rent, so there might be a big conspiracy here."

"If it doesn’t work out, we could open an independent store directly, find a better location, and spending a bit more wouldn’t be an issue."

The thought of spending more money made Ruby Sullivan feel like spitting blood once again, but at this point, she had no other options. Only by taking broader steps could she hope for greater gains.

*

After dinner, Ethan Sterling turned down the TV volume with a smile and asked her, "Are you looking for a shop location?"

Ruby Sullivan didn’t expect him to know so quickly and let out a dry laugh, "How did you find out so soon?"

Ethan Sterling didn’t answer her question directly but smiled slightly, "The situation with the Townsend Family is a bit complicated. Why don’t you wait for news from Tobias Townsend first?"

With a bit of pondering, Ruby Sullivan realized something unpleasant, "Did Tobias Townsend contact you?" But Howard said they weren’t familiar.

Seeing her tense expression, Ethan Sterling smiled and stroked her hair, "Don’t worry, since you’ve given up on The Sovereign, I won’t interfere either. However, your offer to Tobias Townsend is so good that he has no reason to refuse."

Ruby Sullivan frowned, thinking over the details of today’s meeting. What details? That person’s features were even stiffer than Ethan Sterling’s, not moving at all. They exchanged less than five sentences, leaving little to dwell on. "Are you sure?"

"Here’s a little tip for you. It’s said the elder Mr. Townsend is critically ill."

"A family inheritance dispute?"

"Tobias Townsend’s position in his family is very awkward. Apparently, his mother was the elder Mr. Townsend’s true love, but she died young under suspicious circumstances. Although listed as an accident by the police, the truth remains unknown. Tobias was sent abroad then returned to the mainland, all arranged by the elder to keep him protected. It seems that his half-siblings do not want him showing up in Vespera, so they gave him some tricky matters to handle."

"So... Tobias Townsend isn’t unwilling to collaborate today, it’s just that he temporarily lacks the authority to agree?"

"You could say that." Ethan Sterling embraced Ruby Sullivan, "Why are you so smart?"

Ruby Sullivan gave him a sidelong glance, "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

Ethan Sterling gently kissed her puffy cheek, "Of course, it’s a compliment."

Not far away, Honey was about to run over but stopped and covered her eyes upon seeing this.

Seeing her daughter’s odd behavior, Ruby Sullivan chuckled lightly, "Honey, what are you doing?"

The couple, never shying away from being affectionate in front of their children, believed that growing up in love helps children become more loving and kind.

Yet Honey’s reaction suddenly made Ruby Sullivan feel as if she had done something wrong.

Honey peeked through her little fingers, "Brother said, don’t peek at unbecoming things."

Ethan Sterling frowned slightly, "Looks like I need to have a talk with our son."

"Yeah, I think so too," Ruby Sullivan agreed.

Recently, with both being busy at work, they overlooked some educational issues with their two little ones.

Honey ran towards them happily, "By the way, Thanksgiving will have a costume parade organized by our school, and they asked us to make pumpkin lanterns with parents. Dad, Mom, do you have time recently?"

Ruby Sullivan pinched Honey’s chubby cheeks, "Since it’s your school event, of course, we’ll make time."

"That’s great then." Honey, now much more independent, left in high spirits after talking to her parents.

"Seems like this is our first time participating in a parent-child event, isn’t it?"

"Didn’t you attend any when Seth was in kindergarten?"

Ethan Sterling shook his head.

Ruby Sullivan sighed deeply, shaking her head, "Let’s spare ten seconds of sympathy for Seth."

Ethan Sterling chuckled, not feeling that their son needed any pity; boys shouldn’t be too pampered, after all.

"Your father’s birthday is at the end of the month. Do you... want to go back to see him?"

"No," Rhonda Sullivan said firmly, then got up to stretch, "I’m quite tired today, I’ll take a bath and sleep early." In truth, she didn’t want to talk about family matters.

Since she relinquished her shares in The Sullivan Group, she had no more ties to that family. No, more than just severing ties, she intended to prove that Brandon Sullivan’s choice was utterly wrong!

How could Ethan Sterling not recognize her avoidance?

But some things cannot be ignored. Rhonda Sullivan’s high-profile reconciliation attempt, alongside Brandon Sullivan’s birthday, was too good an opportunity not to exploit.