Chapter 583:
Several executives nodded, their expressions lighting with feigned approval. “Ms. Garrett’s advice is truly thoughtful.”
“Miss Owen, ‘Sweetberry’ is an excellent starting point. You’ll feel the satisfaction of building something solid.”
“Young people should advance steadily, step by step.”
Their smiles looked pleasant again, but a quiet arrogance lingered in their eyes. It was as if they could already picture her floundering with a small youth brand, forced to concede in the end.
The table’s focus settled squarely on Rylie, everyone watching for her to yield. She stayed still, her earlier anger ebbing away like water sliding back into the sea. Calmness took its place, giving nothing away.
She even slightly lowered her gaze, her lashes creating a delicate shadow under her eyes as if she were seriously “considering” this “kind” proposal.
Paola noticed the softened posture. A muted satisfaction began to stir inside her, as if victory were already in her grasp.
Surely, no matter how headstrong Rylie might be, she would have to accept. What real achievement could she claim from a brand as small as Sweetberry? And just as they were certain she would either bend quietly or snap back in defiance…
Rylie tilted her head, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile that carried more weight than warmth.
Not a shred of bitterness lingered in that expression — it was the look of someone who already understood the entire game.
“Laurel,” she called out, her tone as composed as still water. “You’ve clearly put great thought into this. ‘Sweetberry’ caters to a teenage audience — bright, energetic, full of life. I’ll admit, the challenge has its appeal.”
Her eyes moved between Laurel and Terrance, sharp and steady, as though she could read the silent arithmetic behind their polite expressions. Their shoulders stiffened under the weight of her scrutiny.
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“If you’ve gone to such trouble,” Rylie continued, her head dipping in the barest nod, grace woven into every movement, “It would be ungracious of me to refuse. I’ll take ‘Sweetberry’ under my management.”
The instant those words left her lips, relief washed over them both, and a faint gleam of victory flashed in their smiles.
To them, it was the perfect trap — banish her to a small, irrelevant brand, then engineer her failure so she’d be incapable in everyone’s eyes and could never touch Detour Inc.’s core operations again.
But that satisfaction cracked when she added, in the same calm tone, “However, if I’m stepping in officially, every piece of authority — ownership, operational control, staffing decisions, financial approvals — comes to me immediately. And that includes every account, contract, supplier record, and client list tied to ‘Sweetberry.’ Surely, we can all agree that’s standard business practice?”
Her gaze held theirs without so much as a blink, her words sounding less like a request and more like an established fact they had no choice but to accept.
Terrance felt a jolt in his chest, startled that Rylie could so effortlessly navigate the finer points of business control. That wasn’t what he had planned — he had only meant to hand her a hollow title, not genuine authority.
Still, the thought of Sweetberry circling the drain eased his reluctance. The brand was already limping toward bankruptcy after years of sloppy management, giving it to her felt like passing off a sinking ship.
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