Chapter 384: Defanging Faye Sterling (8)

Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Defanging Faye Sterling (8)

Seraphina Sterling watched Taylor Sutton’s face drain of color. Her voice, though soft as a breeze, struck him like a razor-sharp sword. ’You just can’t get away with doing bad things,’ he thought. ’I never imagined karma would be this quick!’ He had believed that leaving Aethelgard University to join the Sutton Group was a new beginning for him. But he never expected that a single sentence from Seraphina would plunge him right back into the abyss. ’You really can’t afford to make mistakes in life!’

Franklin Sutton was at a loss for words. First, he and his son had angered Seraphina Sterling, and now his own relative had done the same. Their entire family had offended her completely. ’This partnership... even if we manage to discuss it, it will be pointless!’ he realized. ’Seraphina Sterling is no child. She’s not that easy to fool!’

"President Sutton, that’s the situation. You can’t blame me for being uncompromising. It seems we’re just not fated to work together. This partnership is off the table for today. Please, enjoy your meal. I’ll be taking my leave." Before Franklin Sutton could even think of a new approach, Seraphina had rejected him utterly and completely.

"And President Sutton, don’t blame Taylor for this. If you must blame someone, blame that ’wonderful’ son you raised—the one who’d do anything for a woman. I was just lucky the dean stepped in to help me this time. If he hadn’t, I might have been expelled! What Taylor did was wrong, but the root of the problem is Kellan. Without his orders, Taylor would never have done it! It’s not easy to get into Aethelgard University, you know. And for that, I will never forgive him."

After speaking her piece, Seraphina left the private room without a single glance at the two men’s expressions. It wasn’t that she was being kind; it was just that Taylor didn’t need to pay such a steep price. ’Everyone makes mistakes,’ she thought. Most importantly, Kellan was the true mastermind behind it all.

"Since the partnership is off, I’ll be taking my leave as well. Please, enjoy your meal." With that, Joel Xavier also departed, leaving only the three men of the Sutton Family in the room. Just then, a waiter entered with their dishes. Seeing the tense atmosphere, he hesitated, unsure if he should proceed.

"Serve the food!" Franklin Sutton’s expression was thunderous. Kellan and Taylor didn’t dare utter a sound.

The waiter laid out all the dishes with lightning speed and made a hasty retreat. Franklin Sutton’s expression was just too terrifying. The very air in the room felt heavy and menacing.

Kellan had just picked up his chopsticks, but before they could even touch a plate, Franklin yanked the tablecloth. With a sudden WHOOSH, the entire spread of dishes went flying onto the floor. CRASH! Food and porcelain shards splattered all over Kellan and Taylor.

"Kellan! Starting tomorrow, you are forbidden from seeing Faye Sterling ever again! What’s so great about that sickly girl? If you want a woman, there are plenty out there! But not Faye Sterling! She’s the one who offended Mr. Quinn! Are you trying to drag the entire Sutton Family down with you?" Franklin Sutton’s enraged voice was loud enough to be heard in the hallway.

"Dad, I only love Faye! No matter what you say, my feelings for her will not change! I can agree to anything else, but not this! Never! I’ve chosen Faye! I don’t want anyone but her!" Kellan stormed out of the room.

What should have been a pleasant dinner ended in discord, and Franklin Sutton had failed to achieve his goal. The Sutton Group’s crisis remained unresolved. The path through Ancient Charm Porcelain Ornaments was now closed, forcing Franklin to seek other solutions. He had thought that, given its current profits, the Sutton Group could hold on for a while. He never imagined that the very next day, Jade Pavilion would launch a massive sale. In the jewelry world, this was a monumental event.

Jade Pavilion had never held any kind of promotional sale in its entire history. Not even during its most difficult periods. This was an unprecedented first. Immediately, customers who loved jade jewelry flocked to Jade Pavilion. Even those who had no intention of buying went over just to join the excitement. That day, Jade Pavilion’s sales soared to a new all-time high.

Meanwhile, the Sutton Jewelry stores were practically empty.

Felix Gallagher aggressively publicized Jade Pavilion’s record-breaking performance. The immediate result was that several other major jewelry companies in Aethelgard scrambled overnight to create their own sales strategies. Under the guise of "giving back to our loyal customers," they all launched promotions, with prices dropping to historic lows. A fierce price war had begun. Sutton Jewelry already had few customers, and now with the price war, their sales took another massive hit. Left with no other choice, the Sutton Group was forced to join the fray.

The other companies could afford a price war. Even with discounts, they could still turn a profit as long as they hit a certain sales volume. Besides, they had the financial strength to sustain it. But Sutton Jewelry was in a different boat. The Sutton Group was already in a precarious position; internally, the company was on the verge of collapse. It simply lacked the capital to fight a price war. In this industry-wide sales event, Sutton Jewelry was the one taking the biggest loss.

Franklin Sutton knew this would be the outcome, but he had no choice. If Sutton Jewelry’s sales dried up completely, the company truly wouldn’t survive.

And the biggest beneficiary of this price war was none other than Seraphina Sterling. One could say that from the moment Jade Pavilion launched its sale, it was all a trap she had set for every jeweler in Aethelgard. As long as they grew jealous of Jade Pavilion’s success and launched their own sales in response, it meant the entire jewelry industry would be helping her bring down Sutton Jewelry.

Without her needing to lift another finger, the Sutton Group would march to its own doom.

The fifteen-day vacation flew by in an instant. Seraphina had planned to return to school quietly, but an unexpected phone call from the old master summoned her home.