The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1342

The project manager of Tarsan Corporation was not one of the saints who viewed people only by their good virtues. The intention behind Shinning Company to come up with Plan A was obvious, but it brought no benefit to Tarsan Corporation. Even if the plan was agreed upon, the deal would be of little value or interest to Tarsan Corporation.

"I disagree with Plan A. Now that we've mutually decided to cooperate with each other, we should take both of our mutual interests into account. Plan A will take too much time and cost too much resources; it is far from being feasible for Tarsan Corporation. I suggest we move with Plan B, because it will do good not only to both of our companies, but also to our entrusting company."

Once the representatives from Shining Company heard those words, they rolled their eyes at once, indicating strong opposition. Shining Company would obtain nothing if they were to follow Plan B. On the surface, it looked as though Plan B aimed to profit both sides, but that was simply not true.

As a result, the meeting seemed to have run into a dead-end in the middle of the negotiation process. Without showing any intention of compromising, the project manager from both sides argued sharply against each other.

"Everybody please calm down! If we wish to come to an agreement, we must remain calm. Now, why don't we all take a break?" Holley decided to cut in and get involved. When she realized that the situation was about to get out of hand, she stood up and acted as an intermediary to settle everyone down. She declared a time-out, before the argument worsened. However, sitting still in his chair, composed, Charles seemed to have a card up his sleeve.

Soon, peaceful silence permeated the meeting room, as most of people walked out one by one leaving behind a few people still sitting in their chairs.

Holley went out to call her secretary in, and reminded her secretary to tell the project manager to prepare a PPT before the second-half meeting began.

Holley wanted to regulate every member from her company, in preparation of the battle during the next half of the meeting. After explaining the assignment to her secretary, she began to think of anything else that might help. As she kept thinking, she looked around the room; at last, her eyes stopped on Charles.

She walked over to him and said, almost in an imploring tone, "Mr. Lu, may I have a word with you in private about the joint project?"

She couldn't afford to make any mistakes. The project meant too much to her company. If today's meeting failed to come up with a unified goal, the project would have to be delayed. And that would be financially disastrous for Tarsan Corporation.

On behalf of Tarsan Corporation, this time Holley was picked to be the decision maker on the joint project. To earn the opportunity, she had made a play for this significant task. Although she was doubted by most of shareholders during the board meeting, she survived against the other candidates in the end.

It didn't take Charles too long to figure out what exactly Holley was going to discuss with him. Nonetheless, he was ready to disagree with any of her suggestions. But since he didn't want to be blatantly rude to her, he looked at her and nodded his head slightly.

"Of course," Charles replied. He gestured for her to lead the way and followed her out of the room. He walked casually, allowing nothing but a profound look on his face.

In truth, Charles was supposed to be just as worried and careful as Holley. After all, he knew for a fact that if the joint project was delayed even by one more day, it would add a little more damage to Shining Company. In spite of that, Charles also knew, that business was no different from gambling. Whoever could stay calm and composed in the face of trouble, would be the winner! He learnt such a principle by heart and always remained sober while dealing with business. In his view, no matter how big of a risk he was going to take, he had to be willing to stick to his decisions; even he would, on this occasion, pay the price for delaying the project for a very long time.

"Mr. Lu, as you can see from the elaborate discussions in the first-half of the meeting, both sides have failed to reach an agreement, divided by a difference in opinion. My hope is that we both can take a step back on the issue, and then perhaps we can find a middle ground. Don't you agree?" Holley turned and asked, once they got outside.

Charles didn't respond at once. He stayed silent and observed her. From her expression, he caught her anxiousness to solve the problem. Her discomposure was exactly what he was looking for. To Charles, the business field was no different from a duel. Failing to hide one's weakness was an unforgivable mistake. If he wanted a victory, he just needed to be patient and sense his competitor's weakness before striking with his sword. Holley was on her way to expose her weak point.