The Starfield Farming Sovereign (Elizabeth Schofield) novel Chapter 202

Chapter 202 A Taste of Defeat

Finished

Mason slammed his hand down on the table with a heavy thud that made everyone in the room flinch.

“Disgrace! This is a complete and utter disgrace!” His voice rose sharply. “Seafarm Group has always stood for premium natural produce. We built that name on top–tier research, massive growing operations, strict quality control, and distribution channels that span the entire kingdom. We’re the ones who take business from others. Since when did it become someone else’s turn to steal food right out of our bowl? And on our own turf, no less. Centria Planet!”

His sharp gaze swept across every face in the room. “You all know exactly what this means. If headquarters finds out, if the board hears about this, then every last person at our Centria flagship store, from top to bottom, will be packing up and getting out. Seafarm Group doesn’t keep useless people around.”

The conference room went dead silent.

No one thought Mason was exaggerating. Competition inside the Seafarm Group was brutally intense, and performance was everything. An operational failure of this scale was more than enough to wipe out the entire management team.

Andrew Collins, the head of merchandise, wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke carefully. “Mr. Reid, we managed to get our hands on samples of the produce they’re selling.”

He motioned for his assistant to place several chilled containers on the table. Inside were the strawberries, potatoes, and sweet potatoes Elizabeth had been selling.

“Our tech department and tasting team have already done a preliminary analysis.” Andrew continued, his tone strained with disbelief and bitterness. “We have to admit that while their strawberries are smaller than our Crimson Sweet, and the potatoes and sweet potatoes look rougher too…”

He paused, as if trying to figure out how to say it, then forced the words out anyway. “The intensity of the flavor compounds, the layering of the texture, the abundance of juice, especially that hard–to–describe sense of freshness and the subtle feeling of mental clarity afterward, really do surpass our premium line across the board. And the gap isn’t small.”

The words hit the room like a boulder dropped into still water.

Their own products had been completely outclassed by a roadside stall. That was enough to shatter everything they thought they knew.

‘How is that possible? Our Crimson Sweet is the newest variety, developed with billions in research funding!”

“There has to be some mistake.”

“Seafarm Group has the most advanced cultivation technology in the kingdom. How could anyone possibly grow something better than we do?”

Voices of protest rose one after another through the room, full of the arrogance that came from long- standing faith in their own technology and capital.

They couldn’t accept it. They couldn’t believe that anything sold by a small–time street vendor could

Chapter 202 A Taste of Defeat

outperform the products born from their elite labs.

Finished

Mason looked at the directors who usually carried themselves like they were above everyone else, listened to their biased objections, and felt his temper flare all over again. But beneath the anger was something colder, clarity.

He knew that if they didn’t witness the difference for themselves, then any response they came up with would be nothing more than a castle built on sand.

“Enough!” Mason’s low bark cut through the noise. His gaze swept across the room, cold and hard, then he

ted at the samples on the table.

ubt the data? You question the tasting team? Fine. Then use your own tongues and find out for ves.”

gnaled for his assistant to hand out the strawberries, along with the simply steamed and sliced toes and sweet potatoes, to every executive present.

Mason ordered, and took the lead by picking up one of the small but vividly red strawberries.

glanced at one another, hesitant.

But with Mason already putting the strawberry into his mouth, they had no choice but to follow.

At first, most of them still wore doubtful expressions, some even tinged with disdain.

After all, the strawberry’s appearance really did fall short of the glossy, carefully cultivated perfection of their own Crimson Sweet.

But the moment their teeth broke through the flesh of that otherwise ordinary–looking berry, everything changed. In an instant, an incredibly pure, concentrated strawberry flavor burst across their mouths.

It was a natural sweetness infused with sunlight, rain, and the richness of the earth itself. The balance between tart and sweet was flawless, and the juice was so abundant it seemed to dance over the tongue.

After swallowing, an indescribable sense of refreshment washed through them, even brushing away some of the mental fatigue left behind by years of nonstop work.

Then someone tried the steamed potato.

Its texture was soft, fluffy, and dense all at once, carrying a simple, grain–like fragrance that struck straight at the soul. It was plain, but deeply satisfying, far more so than their own high–end potatoes, which chased size and appearance at the cost of flavor.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify