Chapter 59 Fair Competition… Yeah Right
Sylvia understood why Ward was so insistent. His parents had died in a house collapse due to shoddy construction, so now that he was in charge, he’d never allow such a tragedy to happen again. Sylvia trusted him completely.
“I trust you to handle this, and I’m willing to give you this chance. Just don’t let me down,” Sylvia said with a smile. Ward let out a sigh of relief but then Sylvia posed another question.
“I heard you were approached by another new company yesterday morning. They’re not in construction, but tech–more aligned with what our company might be interested in for the future. If we were to enter tech development, who would you choose to partner with?”
Sylvia knew about this because Cyril’s company, notorious for their astuteness, was the one wanting to collaborate with Ward. Now she was curious – under these circumstances, who would Ward choose?
Ward caught the hidden meaning in Sylvia’s question – was there a hint of competition, even a whiff of hostility? In front of everyone, Ward knew he couldn’t be explicit, so he stayed vague.
“Even though we’re small, I believe in fair competition. If the Ivans can offer more, no one would refuse a partnership with them.”
But honestly, Ward thought, was there any real choice? There was no genuine competition – his loyalty was squarely with Sylvia.
Sylvia grinned, thrilled by Ward’s answer. “Good, I hope we have more chances to
collaborate. Don’t disappoint. A decision that could revive your company isn’t a bad one at
all.”
Relieved, Ward was glad Sylvia wasn’t fixating on the potential conflict of interest.
With that, Ward’s team left and Sylvia headed off with Juliet. Midway, Juliet received a call from an unfamiliar number–it was Cyril’s assistant.
“What’s this about?” Juliet asked.
“We’d like to discuss a partnership. Your company is moving into autonomous driving technology, and we have mature solutions in that domain. If we team up, both sides stand to gain,” the assistant proposed.
Juliet couldn’t help but laugh. Their company indeed planned to venture into autonomous driving, but who’s to say they needed Cyril’s team? Still, in business, direct refusal wasn’t always wise, so she kept her response open.
Chapter 59 Fair Competition… Yeah Right
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“I’ll pass
this on to my boss. If you’re serious about collaborating, I expect you’ll be prepared,” Juliet said before ending the call.
“What’s up?” Sylvia inquired.
“It’s Cyril’s lot. They want to partner on driverless tech, but I’m puzzled–didn’t Cyril’s company already start a project and secure a partner? Why suddenly propose collaboration with us?” Juliet wondered.
“Because their chosen partner was flagged for dishonesty, and their deal fell through. Now Cyril needs to find a replacement quickly and the Ivans are venturing into the same tech. Hence, the call to us. But something doesn’t feel right, I’ll have to check with my brother,” Sylvia explained, aware of the morning’s fresh news.
“Surely you don’t think your brother’s behind this?” Juliet expressed disbelief. Bruce always fought fair and square in business.
Sylvia chuckled. “If you don’t believe it, then you might not really know my brother. Behind his shiny facade lie maneuvers not meant for daylight. It’s likely his doing, so please check with him.”
Juliet shook her head, trusting Bruce wouldn’t stoop to such levels.
Sylvia almost laughed out loud at her naivety. “Okay, have it your way. But don’t come
crying to me when you find out you’ve been played by the big bad wolf!”