Chapter 645: Ten Million Units

Marcus had expected Vivian to explode the moment he demanded a thirty percent commission. Instead, she and Zina merely watched him in silence, both women calm and composed as they waited for him to explain himself.

That was almost disappointing.

Marcus sighed and continued, shifting smoothly back to business. "CEO Sterling, once the new collection launches, what are your projected first-year sales?"

Vivian blinked at the sudden change in subject, but she didn’t try to hide the figures. "The new line is primarily women’s casual wear. We’re leveraging Mellory’s existing skincare brand recognition, and the designs and quality are both solid. With the right advertising campaign and distribution, we’re confident we can reach between three and five hundred thousand units in the first year."

"Mm."

Marcus nodded. That was close to what he had estimated himself. He picked up from where she had left off. "I haven’t seen the complete production plan yet, but if you’re positioning Mellory’s name behind the collection, then this is clearly going to be mid-to-high-end clothing. Let’s say the average price is at least five hundred dollars per piece. Production costs should be relatively low by comparison. At four hundred thousand units a year, you’re looking at a net profit of at least a hundred million dollars."

He met Vivian’s gaze without the slightest hesitation. "CEO Sterling, if I can double that and push annual sales beyond ten million units, then thirty percent doesn’t sound unreasonable, does it?"

"Ten million units?"

Vivian’s voice cracked slightly with disbelief.

Marcus simply nodded, as though he’d said nothing particularly outrageous. Vivian clearly couldn’t accept the number, and she immediately turned to Zina. The two women had already conducted an extensive market analysis before launching the collection. Based on the performance of competing brands, even with excellent advertising, strong distribution, and a successful launch, reaching five million units in the first year would already be an extraordinary result.

Yet Marcus was casually talking about ten million.

According to Mellory’s own projections, reaching that kind of annual sales volume would take at least five years.

Where did he get that confidence?

Zina was the first to challenge him. Her expression remained cool and detached as she asked, "And what happens if you don’t reach ten million?"

Marcus smiled. "Then I don’t get the thirty percent. Simple enough."

Both women were momentarily speechless. The way he said it made him sound as though he were simply trying to take a huge cut of their profits without putting anything on the line himself. Thirty percent was an enormous commission, especially when the company was taking all the risks.

But if he could actually push sales to ten million units...

That changed everything.

Zina still had her doubts, but Vivian was different. She had gone through Marcus’s file more times than she would ever admit, and although she couldn’t explain exactly why, she already believed there was at least an eighty percent chance that he wasn’t making empty promises.

"Marcus," she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her, "what kind of advertising campaign are you planning, and how much will it cost?"

There it was.

If Marcus was prepared to pour billions into advertising without caring about the immediate return, then perhaps ten million units wasn’t completely impossible. At the very least, the number would no longer sound quite as absurd.

Marcus grinned when he saw the change in their expressions. They were almost convinced. He raised one hand. "The advertising concept is a secret for now. As for the budget, I only need five million dollars."

"Five million?"

Vivian and Zina exchanged another look. Five million dollars was substantial, but compared with the scale of the sales Marcus was promising, it was hardly extravagant.

"And if five million dollars in advertising still can’t get us to ten million units?" Vivian asked.

Neither woman was willing to leave something this important vague.

Marcus shrugged. "Then I’ll cover the advertising costs myself. Once the collection reaches ten million units in sales, you reimburse me."

The room went quiet.

Vivian looked at him, and her heart began beating a little faster. Was he actually trying to help her?

She couldn’t stop herself from asking, "Marcus, you’re really that confident?"

He gave her an easy smile. "What do you think?"

"Deal."

Vivian couldn’t find a reason to refuse. More importantly, somewhere deep down, she trusted him.

"Then let’s go."

Marcus rose from his seat and looked toward her. "Beautiful, want to take a walk?"

Vivian frowned. "A walk?"

"Yeah. Let’s take a look at the production line and see the designs for ourselves. If the clothes are garbage, then everything we just discussed is meaningless."

"Oh."

Vivian suddenly remembered something she’d overlooked.

Since the planning and production of the collection had begun, Marcus had never once come to the office. He hadn’t reviewed the plans, examined the production process, or even properly looked at the finished products.

And yet he had just confidently thrown out a target of ten million units.

He knew practically nothing about the actual product or the market, but he had spoken about ten million units as casually as though they were already guaranteed. It was unbelievable.

Vivian stole another glance at him.

For some reason, every time she looked at him, her heart seemed to beat a little faster.

---

"Beautiful, this is good work."

Marcus nodded as he examined the latest designs. The styles were genuinely solid, and he could tell that a great deal of thought had gone into them. Vivian’s white casual outfit and Zina’s crimson dress were both part of the upcoming collection, and neither looked out of place beside the work of established brands.

Marcus could see it clearly now. Vivian wasn’t simply relying on Mellory’s reputation. She had genuine ability, and she’d put real effort into this collection.

She was talented, capable, and, to put it bluntly, absolutely stunning.

Vivian had been waiting for an opportunity to ask, and now she finally couldn’t hold herself back. "Marcus, what exactly are you planning for the advertising?"

Marcus gave her a knowing smile. "Beautiful, I told you. It’s a secret."

Vivian didn’t even bother objecting to the nickname anymore. She had apparently accepted that trying to stop him was pointless.

Marcus continued, "Time is tight, though. Bring Emily and Tyler in to help me. They’ll handle the detailed planning."

He had already made his decision before coming here. Opening his own factory or establishing an entirely separate company wasn’t practical at the moment. Instead, he would use Vivian and Mellory to establish a real presence in the world outside the game.

His plan was to advertise Mellory Apparel throughout Dominion.

He already had several ideas. Product placement could be worked into popular scenes, while once Dragon’s Roar Town opened, they could put advertisements along the beaches and in the most prominent areas of the city. If they handled it properly, Mellory Apparel wouldn’t simply be another clothing brand. Its name would become familiar to practically everyone in Dominion.

As for the finer details, that was what Emily and Tyler were for. They understood fashion and advertising far better than he did.

Then Marcus remembered those golden beaches that would soon be packed with players wearing swimwear. And considering how little difference there was between swimwear and lingerie in terms of what could be marketed and displayed, a new thought immediately occurred to him.

He looked at Vivian. "Beautiful, if we’re going to make this big, we might as well go all the way. I think we should expand into men’s clothing and lingerie, too."

"Really?"

Vivian’s curiosity grew with every word.

Nothing about this conversation felt normal. Every time she thought she had finally understood what Marcus was planning, he came up with something else.

Marcus didn’t answer her question directly. Instead, he leaned closer, lowered his voice, and whispered near her ear, "Beautiful, you know, if I didn’t like you, I’d have asked for forty percent."

"You..."

Vivian’s heart hammered against her chest, and a faint blush spread across her beautiful face. She opened her mouth, clearly ready to fire back at him, but Marcus had already straightened and waved toward both women.

"Quitting time. I’m guessing neither of you is planning to invite me to dinner, so I’ll head out. Just have the contract ready tomorrow. I’d like to get started as soon as possible."

"Of course." Vivian looked at him. "And if you really want dinner, invite me after we reach the sales target."

Marcus smiled and walked out.

Zina watched him disappear through the doorway before finally breaking the silence. "What an arrogant guy."

She wasn’t wrong. No man had ever been quite so brazen in front of her, especially not after having the audacity to compare her to a lingerie model.

’That guy.’

Zina had a feeling Marcus wasn’t someone she would be forgetting anytime soon.

"Him?"

Vivian let out a small sigh. "He’s a shameless scoundrel."

"A shameless scoundrel?"

Zina looked at Vivian, and a trace of concern entered her expression. There was nothing left for them to do except hope that the scoundrel actually possessed the ability to back up all those outrageous claims and push Mellory Apparel’s sales beyond ten million units.

---

It was still early, with more than an hour remaining before dinner.

Lily and Amber were still in class, and Marcus remembered that Anya and Chloe didn’t have afternoon classes, so he headed straight to their place.

The moment he arrived, Anya looked up in surprise. "Marcus, what are you doing here? Chloe and I were just trying to message you. You were offline."

Marcus gave them the short version of what had happened that afternoon.

Anya listened quietly until he mentioned Zina.

"Zina Sinclair..."

Marcus looked at her. "Anya, you know her?"

Anya shook her head at first, then gave a small nod. "Not personally. The Sterling family, the Sinclair family, the Nance family, the Ashfords, the Lennoxes, the Strattons, the Westons, the Harringtons... those old families have always maintained close ties with one another. Our family is descended from the old martial sects, though. We were rivals with them in the past, so our relationship with those families is... neutral."

She paused before adding, "I’ve met Zina before. She’s impressive. We only exchanged a few words, but she left an impression."

Marcus nodded thoughtfully.

The circles of these elite families were more complicated than he’d expected, with old rivalries and connections running through generations. Still, if Jade and Crystal already knew Vivian and Zina, then it made sense.

When Marcus glanced toward Chloe, however, he immediately found himself facing another familiar expression.

She was glaring at him again.

’Of course.’

Two more beautiful women had appeared in his life, and now he was going into business with both of them. Chloe’s expression made her thoughts painfully obvious.

’Pervert.’

Marcus pretended not to notice.

In fact, he was far too pleased with himself to care. Tonight, he was finally going to deal with Chloe, the woman who had been driving him crazy for so long.

’Heh.’

Later, he’d show her exactly who her future master was.

And from that point onward, Marcus’s thoughts became considerably less professional.