'I Do' For Revenge-Chapter 75: The Contract War

I met Henry the next afternoon at a quiet café with exposed brick walls and the smell of fresh espresso in the air. He was already there, nursing a black coffee, looking more composed than in our last encounter.

He stood as I approached, offering a handshake that I accepted briefly.

"Thank you for coming," he greeted. "I know our previous meetings haven’t been ideal, and I sincerely apologise for that."

"Tell me why I’m even here, listening to what you have to say when I remember vividly you telling me I should forget about it," I said, crossing my arms.

"That’s because we would agree on one thing," Henry replied, meeting my gaze steadily.

"What’s that?"

"Me being a complete jerk."

Despite myself, I chuckled. "Well, at least you’re self-aware."

"I truly want to make amends and discuss potential business synergies," he continued. "I was hoping we could start fresh."

"You said this the previous time," I said as I slid into the seat across from him, signalling the waitress for a latte.

"Trust me, I’ll be a fool to mess things up a second time."

"That remains to be seen. Now, strictly business, as I said. So tell me, what did you have in mind?"

Henry leaned forward, pulling out a tablet. "I’m proposing a strategic alliance between Porter Ascend Group and O’Brien Enterprises. We could collaborate on supply chain optimisations and joint ventures in emerging markets."

"Supply chain optimisations?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Rumours have been flying around about some expansions in your company. My company has extensive logistics expertise. We’ve streamlined operations for dozens of Fortune 500 companies. We could complement Axel’s operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency."

"And what’s in it for you?"

"Access to O’Brien’s market reach and established client base. It’s mutually beneficial."

I listened carefully, studying his presentation. "Tell me about your past dealings. Any conflicts of interest I should know about?"

Henry hesitated. "I’ll be honest, I’ve had old ties with Watson Holdings."

That immediately raised a red flag in my head. "How old? And what kind of ties?"

"About three years ago, we handled some of their logistics contracts. But I swear those ties are completely severed now."

"Why should I believe that?"

"I can provide references, documentation, anything you need to prove the clean break. Charles Watson and I... let’s just say we had fundamental disagreements about business ethics."

I watched as he spoke, finding his words a bit hard to believe. "What kind of disagreements?"

"He wanted me to cut corners, compromise safety standards to reduce costs. I refused, and we parted ways."

’Sounds like my father from the things I recently know of him.’

"Interesting. And now you want to work with his daughter?" I asked, leaning back slightly.

"I want to work with his daughter’s husband, actually. Axel’s reputation speaks for itself."

I was still wary, but I saw potential value in his networks, especially for future expansions. "I’ll discuss it with my husband. Don’t expect a quick answer."

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

As I left, I mentally noted that I would ask Axel about bringing Henry onto the Eclipse Beauty project. Could this be an edge we needed?

—

A week plus flew by in a blur of activity, and I barely had time for anything personal, apart from work.

Since Axel and I had greenlit Phase Two, production for Eclipse Beauty had ramped up into full swing. Teams worked overtime in the labs, perfecting formulas with eco-friendly ingredients that promised to outshine competitors.

"The packaging samples look incredible," I said during our morning meeting, as we reviewed designs with the marketing team. "The minimalist aesthetic really pops."

"Should we proceed with the pre-launch event for next month?" asked Sarah from marketing.

"Yes, but let’s make it exclusive. Invite beauty influencers, industry professionals, select media."

"What about the budget for celebrity endorsements?"

"Let’s focus on authenticity over star power. Find influencers who align with our sustainability message."

Axel handled the financials from his end, securing investments that flowed in steadily. For the first time in months, things felt like we were gaining real momentum against the Watsons.

Then Helena knocked on my office door, looking troubled.

"Mrs. O’Brien, we have a problem," she said, settling into the chair across from my desk.

"What kind of problem?"

"BioSource Extracts just called. They’re backing out of our contract."

My stomach dropped. "Backing out? We had a signed agreement."

"They said they can’t fulfil our order. Something about prior commitments."

I immediately called the supplier. "Mr. Rodriguez, this is Layla O’Brien. I’m told you’re cancelling our contract?"

"I’m sorry, Mrs. O’Brien," the supplier explained over the phone, sounding apologetic. "We’ve already committed our next shipment to Vix ’n’ Lux of Watson Holdings, and the contract was signed before yours. I can’t risk breaching it."

"Seriously? You didn’t know about that before you signed a new one with us?"

"They... they made some adjustments to an existing framework agreement. Technically, their claim takes precedence."

My jaw clenched. Vix ’n’ Lux was Cassandra’s flagship cosmetics brand. This wasn’t a coincidence.

"Mr. Rodriguez, surely we can work something out. What would it take to prioritise our order?"

"I’m sorry, but my hands are tied. The contract is iron-clad."

I hung up and immediately went to find Axel.

"We have a problem," I said, bursting into his office. "BioSource just cancelled our contract."

He looked up from his computer, frowning. "Cancelled? Why?"

"Cassandra’s company swooped in with a prior claim. Somehow, they knew exactly which supplier we were using."

Axel cursed under his breath. "We can’t let this delay production. The pre-launch timeline is tight."

"This has Charles’s or Cass’s fingerprints all over it," I said. "Somehow word got out about Eclipse Beauty."

"How could they have known? We’ve been careful about confidentiality agreements."

"Not careful enough, apparently."

"So what do we do? Find another supplier?"

"That could take weeks. And who’s to say they won’t sabotage that relationship too?"

Determined not to falter, I made a decision. "I’m going to handle this personally."

"What do you mean?"

"I’m driving to their facility tomorrow. I’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse."

"Layla, if your father or sister is behind this..."

"Then I’ll deal with them as planned. We’re not backing down from this fight."

The next day, Helena and I drove to BioSource’s facility, armed with a revised offer: higher payments, long-term exclusivity, and marketing partnerships that could boost the supplier’s visibility.

"Are you sure about this confrontational approach, ma’am?" Helena asked as we pulled into the warehouse parking lot.

"Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire."

"But what if they refuse again?"

"Then we’ll find another way. We always do."

As we stepped out of the car, I spotted a familiar vehicle in the lot: Cassandra’s black SUV.

"Well, well," I muttered. "Looks like my dear sister is already here."

"Should we wait for her to leave?" Helena suggested nervously.

"Absolutely not. She’s probably in there trying to lock down the deal even tighter."

"This could get messy."

"Then it gets messy. I’m done playing nice with people who want to undermine me and all the efforts I put into something."

We walked toward the warehouse entrance, my heels clicking confidently on the asphalt.

"Mrs. O’Brien," Helena said quietly, "what if she’s not alone in there?"

"Then we’ll deal with whoever she brought along."

At the entrance, I paused and straightened my blazer. "Ready for this?"

Helena nodded, though I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "As ready as I’ll ever be."

"Good. Because we’re not leaving here without that contract."