'I Do' For Revenge-Chapter 76: Short-lived Victory

As Helena and I walked up to the office door at BioSource Extracts, we heard Cassandra yelling loudly, followed by the unmistakable crash of glass breaking.

I exchanged a glance with Helena, who raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. Without hesitation, I knocked and pushed open the door, stepping into the tense scene.

Cassandra was standing across from Mr. Rodriguez, her face was red with fury, with pieces of what looked like a coffee mug scattered on the floor. Rodriguez looked rattled, his hands raised defensively.

"Cassandra," I said coolly, breaking the tension in the room. "Didn’t expect to see you here. Trouble with your charm offensive?"

Cassandra turned around and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here, Layla? This doesn’t concern you."

"Oh, it very much concerns me," I replied, stepping forward with Helena at my side. "You’re trying to sabotage my deal with BioSource."

Cassandra’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Your deal?" She turned to face Mr Rodriguez. "Wait... she’s the reason you’re trying to delay my supplies?" Then she looked back at me. "What do you even need the organic extracts for?"

"Business expansion."

"What kind of business expansion requires cosmetic-grade botanical extracts?" she pressed.

I smiled coolly. "You’re starting to catch on. Yes, Cassandra, I’m launching a cosmetic brand."

Her face went through a range of emotions: surprise, disbelief, then fury. "You’re starting a cosmetic brand? Are you out of your mind?"

"Completely sane, actually. O’Brien Enterprises is diversifying."

"This is my territory, Layla! You can’t just waltz in and..."

"And what? Compete with you?" I cut her off before she completed whatever it was she wanted to say. "Last I checked, you don’t own the entire beauty industry."

Rodriguez cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the family drama unfolding in his office. "Ladies, perhaps we could..."

"No," Cassandra snapped, whirling back to me. "You have no experience in cosmetics. You’ll crash and burn within six months."

"We’ll see about that. In the meantime, Mr. Rodriguez, let me show you what a real partnership looks like."

"Please," Rodriguez said, already sounding frustrated. "This is a professional setting..."

"Exactly," I interrupted in a steady tone. "So let’s talk business. Mr. Rodriguez, I understand Vix ’n’ Lux has a prior claim, but O’Brien Enterprises is prepared to make you a better offer. One you can’t afford to ignore."

Cassandra scoffed, crossing her arms. "Don’t waste his time, Layla. We’ve locked in the contract. You’re too late."

I ignored her, pulling out a manila folder from my bag and sliding it across the desk to Rodriguez. "Our revised proposal: a twenty per cent increase in payment per shipment, a three-year exclusivity deal, and a co-branded marketing campaign that’ll put BioSource’s name in front of every major beauty influencer. We’ll also cover logistics costs for the first six months. Can Vix ’n’ Lux match that?"

Rodriguez opened the folder, his eyes scanning the numbers. I could see Cassandra’s confidence faltering, her lips parting as she realised I wasn’t bluffing.

"You’re desperate," she spat. "Throwing money at problems won’t save your little project."

"Desperate?" I smiled, unfazed. "No, I’m just being strategic. Unlike you, I don’t rely on intimidation or your father’s name to close deals. I bring value."

Helena stepped forward, handing Rodriguez a tablet with projections. "These numbers show how partnering with O’Brien will boost your revenue by thirty per cent within a year. Vix ’n’ Lux is struggling; retailers are dropping them. We’re the safer bet."

Cassandra’s face reddened. "This is ridiculous! Mr. Rodriguez, we’ve been partners for years. You can’t seriously consider this."

Rodriguez hesitated, glancing between us. "Mrs Hart, your contract is valued, but O’Brien’s offer... it’s significantly more lucrative. I’d be remiss not to consider it."

Cassandra turned to face me directly, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I know what you’re trying to do, Layla. You think you can raise some competition against me? Cut off my supplies?"

"Are you scared you won’t be able to stand up to it?" I asked sweetly.

"Scared?" She laughed bitterly. "Please. You’ll just end up failing like you always do."

"You have a head start, Cass, but that doesn’t matter. Overtaking is allowed in business."

Her eyes flashed with rage. "We’ll see how far you can go before I bring you down."

She grabbed her purse and stormed toward the door. "You’ll regret this... both of you," she hissed over her shoulder before slamming the door so hard the frame rattled.

I kept my composure, focusing on Rodriguez. "I apologise for the drama. Let’s finalise this. Eclipse Beauty needs your extracts, and we’re committed to making this partnership work."

Rodriguez nodded, visibly relieved to deal with someone calm. "I’ll have my team review the contract today. If everything checks out, we’ll sign before the close of business. Within twenty-four to thirty-two hours, we can begin supply."

"Perfect. Thank you, Mr Rodriguez."

As Helena and I left the facility, I felt a sense of triumph. We’d poached the supplier right out from under Cassandra’s nose, and it felt good.

But about an hour later, as we were driving back to the office, Helena’s phone buzzed with a news alert.

"Mrs. Layla," she said in a tense voice, looking worried. "You need to see this."

She handed me her phone. The headline made my blood run cold: "LEAKED REPORT: Eclipse Beauty Pre-Launch Samples Allegedly Contaminated."

The accusation was anonymous, but I knew exactly who was behind it. My victory was short-lived as I realised Cassandra’s retaliation was already in motion.

"That vindictive little..." I started, then caught myself. "Check if Axel is in a meeting. Now."

I burst into his office five minutes later to find him already on his computer, reading the same report.

"This is a disaster," he said, looking up as I entered. "I was hoping we could keep things under the radar until the pre-launch event."

"This is Cassandra’s playbook," I said, pacing in front of his desk. "I just left her at BioSource. She was furious when we outbid her."

"What exactly happened?"

"I offered Rodriguez a better deal than Vix ’n’ Lux. Twenty per cent increase, three-year exclusivity, and co-branded marketing. Cassandra threw a tantrum and stormed out."

"And now she’s retaliating with this contamination story."

"Exactly. She works fast, I’ll give her that."

Axel rubbed his temples. "We need to counter this immediately. Lab tests, press releases, anything to kill the rumours before they spread."

"I agree. We should commission independent testing to prove our samples’ safety."

"I’ll handle the PR crisis. You focus on getting those test results."

I nodded, then paused. "Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I doing the right thing? I mean, I felt so good about an hour ago when I got Mr Rodriguez to accept our offer. But now, I don’t know."

He looked at me. "How are you holding up with all this?"

"I’m fine. Just..."

"Hey, listen. You secured the supplier today. That was a major victory. Don’t let Cassandra’s petty retaliation take that away from you."

I managed a small smile. "Thank you." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

After leaving his office, I went to mine and was just settling at my desk when my phone buzzed with a text from the unsaved number I recognised - the guard from Erica’s safe house.

Ma’am, she’s planning to see someone this evening. No idea who or where yet.

I exhaled slowly. Erica was meeting someone. But who?