“Tell us how you plan to increase the shopping mall’s sales, Miss Smith. What’s your strategy?” One of the board members, Sean Anderson, questioned during a meeting on a Monday morning.
The news that Roxanne who had no experience in marketing was appointed as the marketing director of the shopping mall spread like wildfire. A lot were against the appointment, especially those who were on Miriam Hopper’s side. They quickly called for a board member’s meeting to find a way to get rid of Roxanne. Since she was appointed by Kenneth Smith, they couldn’t just send her away but if the majority of board members agreed, it would be easier.
Knowing she was going to be put under the microscope, Roxanne had prepared adequately for the meeting. With open confidence, she answered, “To increase sales, I suggest we implement strategies such as offering discounts, promotional codes and coupons. As much as we want to make money, we need to think about the customer too. If our goods and services are too expensive, we won’t have many people coming to our mall. However, when the majority of goods and services are being offered at a fair price, many customers will want to come to our mall to save money.”
Richard Johnson, a man in his fifties who was on Miriam’s side suddenly interrupted Roxanne.
With a harsh tone, he said, “Wait! All this means nothing if customers don’t actually visit the mall. Do you know how many malls have discounts and promotional codes? What makes RG special? We will just end up with a few customers and less revenue. The Ford’s shopping mall is still at number one as we speak. Give us something concrete that will convince us that you are cut out for the job, Miss Smith.”
Roxanne narrowed her eyes at the man but her face didn’t betray her emotions. Instead, she smiled and said, “I was just getting to that.”
“We can set ourselves apart by turning our shopping mall into an entertainment hub. If we put things like a children’s section, a movie theatre, a pub and grill for the...-”
“The Fords are already doing that. Have you been to a place called Black? Every weekend, it’s packed with VIPs who spend millions of dollars on beers and women. Tell us something new, Miss Smith. Or stop wasting our time,” Richard countered.
Roxanne pursed her lips into a thin line as she narrowed her eyes at Richard.
He was trying to intimidate her but Roxanne was undeterred. Just because she had been laying low doesn’t mean she can be bullied.
She looked at him and changed the page on the screen. “We are different because we will focus on family. Bringing a family together strengthens the love and bond they share. We can create events that would prompt customers to visit our mall. The image you’re seeing right now is of the famous artist, Yolanda Nicholson. She’s so good at influencing that whatever brand she endorses doubles in its income and customers. I’m going to make her RG shopping mall’s brand ambassador.”
A few of the board members nodded in approval seemingly liking her idea.
“Yolanda is difficult to contact. I heard she demands a hefty amount and is very difficult to convince. What’s your alternative plan if you fail to make her our brand ambassador?”
Roxanne hissed internally. She knew Richard was deliberately going against her but she wasn’t afraid. She glanced at him and forced a smile, saying, “Mr Johnson, don’t worry. I will hire Yolanda Nicholson to be our brand ambassador.”
She was confident in her negotiation skills. If it meant she had to travel overseas to personally bring the artist, she would.
“The presentation might be ok but Roxanne doesn’t have the proper qualifications to run a mall-”
“I’m sorry for interrupting, Sir. Here are my credentials. I have a degree in business and finance, also, I recently got a master's in marketing and sales. So, I am qualified for this job. I’ll show you through my achievements,” she declared while passing her certificates around.
As the board members looked at each other, Richard remarked, “You were not hired through the proper procedures but since you have shares in the mall, we shall vote to see whether you’re fit to be the managing director. Being Kenneth Smith's daughter doesn’t mean the position should be handed over to you on a silver platter. Besides, Kenneth has two daughters and he might decide to hand over the shopping mall to your sister. Anything can happen.”
Roxanne knew what he was implying. Her father could choose Maya as the sole heir of all his businesses. However, Richard's words didn't affect her. Her plan was to work hard and gain full control of her mother's shopping mall. She didn't care about anything else.
“We can give her a month and see how she performs. Then we can have another meeting to decide whether she will remain as the managing director or not,” Bridget suggested.
Kenneth who had been silent all this time cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. To be honest, he didn’t expect Roxanne to be so skilled. She often locked herself in her room, little did he know she was busy studying.
He glanced at everyone and added, “It’s settled then.”
Looking at Roxanne, he said, “Roxanne, the board is putting you in charge of the mall for a month. Prove to them that you are qualified for the job. We shall meet in a month to make a final decision.”
“That’s fine by me,” Roxanne responded confidently with her head and chin raised high.
She wasn’t afraid of being challenged. All she wanted was a chance to prove that she could do it.
When the meeting was over and Roxanne had returned to her office, she received an order from Richard. He was the vice president of Starlight Inc. so he also oversaw the RG shopping mall.
“We need to have a partnership with an electronics company. They are supplying our electronics department stores with the latest smart TVs. Go and negotiate with Mr. David Miller. We need him to supply the goods to us at a cheaper price. You will find him at Black in one of the VIP rooms,” Richard instructed.
Roxanne was confused, “Shouldn’t a business negotiation be done at his company? Why should I go to Black?”
Black was a high-end pub and grill. It was a low-key strip club at night while it served as a restaurant during the day. Most people who went there went for pleasure and fun. It wasn’t ideal for business discussions.
Frowning, she declined, “Kindly change the location and appointment. I’ll meet him at his office.”
Richard’s eyes flashed with malice. Looking at her coldly, he said through gritted teeth, “Are you serious about keeping your position? Mr Miller never leaves Black. He does all his business deals there. I’m ordering you to go and meet him as your superior.”
Roxanne sighed. In the end, she had no choice but to go. She didn't want to upset Richard lest he persuaded the other board members not to vote for her.
After gathering the necessary documents, she proceeded to the Ford’s Paradise shopping plaza.
She went straight to Black and a waiter showed her to Mr. Miller’s private room.
Meanwhile, a man in a wheelchair on the second floor narrowed his eyes when he saw the petite figure entering David Miller’s room.
“Sir, isn’t that…” his assistant trailed after noticing that the air around them suddenly turned colder than ice.
The man clenched his jaws as he glared at the door, thinking, ‘What is she doing in David’s room? Doesn’t she know he’s a pervert?’
Thank you for reading. Your support is highly appreciated.
David Miller was known for luring women to his bed after drugging them. Of course, many women who went to negotiate deals with him often fell prey to his antics. Roxanne didn’t know any of this and innocently sat across from him in the private room. Glancing at him, she presented, “Mr Miller, I’m here to negotiate-” “Let’s talk about that later, baby. Tell me about yourself,” David muttered and his friends snickered. Roxanne’s stomach churned with disgust. David was in his sixties and he had a huge beer belly. She resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose and said, “I’m the marketing director of RG shopping mall. I’m here to discuss our pending partnership-” “Come on. I want to know about you, not work! What do you want to drink? A beer?” David interrupted her. “I’ll think you’re looking down on me if you refuse my offer to buy you a drink.” “I’ll have a soda. I don’t drink alcohol while working,” Roxanne responded calmly, trying to be patient. “Great! Let’s talk after that drin
Henry might have been in a wheelchair but he was as domineering as ever. David stepped back as his heart jumped out of his chest and flew away. His back was covered in cold sweat as he looked at Roxanne's state in horror. 'This woman is Henry Ford's fiancée?' At that moment, David internally cursed Richard for sending her to him. Was he trying to finish him? Henry was known for being merciless. He quickly went down on his knees and begged, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ford. I didn't know she was your fiancée. This will not happen again." "Of course, this won't happen again. I won't give you an opportunity to hurt any more women," Henry's voice was cold like a block of ice. Without addressing anyone in particular, he ordered, "Break his arms and castrate him." "What? You can't do this! I used to work with your father! This is illegal!" David screamed hysterically as Henry's bodyguards approached him. "Wasn't it illegal when you raped all those young women? Someone has to take justice f
The next day, someone was sent to deliver the electronic devices to the RG department store. When Richard heard the news, he was over the moon. He quickly rushed to the store so that the successful partnership could be credited to his lover, Crystal Anderson. The reason he wanted this partnership was to earn points for Crystal to become the new managing director of the shopping mall. He planned to kick Roxanne out. How dare she come from nowhere and claim a position she didn't work for? However, when he heard no news from David, he began to worry that it didn't work out. When he tried to call him, anxiety crept into him when he couldn't reach David Miller. All his phones were turned off and Roxanne didn't tell him anything either. Did the deal go through or not? David wasn't one to let a woman go without having a taste. Why didn't he call him back to give him feedback? To his surprise, Richard found Roxanne at the forefront talking to the supplier of the goods. His eyebrows furr
At the same time, Richard read the message he received and quickly called Miriam. "Hello, Richie. Have you dealt with that bitch?" Miriam answered immediately. Her voice was laced with excitement. She had planted a few people around Kenneth Smith and she was using these people to make Roxanne's life hard in the company. "I'm trying my best but she's really tough. Didn't you say she knows nothing? She's very smart and knows her way around the business," Richard responded. "What?! You mean you didn't destroy her?" Miriam's sharp voice came through the phone. "No. I didn't. The board had agreed to give her a chance. If she manages to increase the sales, they will accept her as the managing director for RG shopping mall-" "Nonsense! I won't let that happen. That position can belong to anyone else but Roxanne. Richard, did I trust you too much? Are you able to deal with that bitch or not?" Miriam screamed. She thought she would receive good news about how Roxanne was kicked out
Barely a day had passed when Diego rushed towards Henry's office to deliver the shocking news that was circulating online. “Sir, there’s something you need to see-“ “Not now, Diego. I'm working on something very important,” Henry said dismissively without raising his head. He was a workaholic and once engrossed in work, it was difficult for him to do other things until he was done. “Sir, you told me to tell you if any news about Miss Smith came up,” Diego responded and Henry's hand that was signing documents froze. A flicker of inexplicable emotions flickered through his eyes. He glanced up at Diego and asked, “What news? Did something happen?” His voice sounded anxious. “Yes. Someone has released images of her entering Black and vicious rumours of how she sold her body to gain a partnership have spread all over the internet,” Diego gingerly answered. Henry slammed the side of his fist on the table. His jaws clenched as he said through gritted teeth, “How did she sell her
At the same time, Roxanne ignored all the whispers and continued with her job. That day, she was in a pastel pink suit, a jacket and a mini pencil skirt with a white top beneath the jacket. Her blonde hair was styled into deep curly waves and nude open strapped heels adorned her beautiful feet. Her outfit made her look all the more confident and professional. With her improved mood, she felt like she could fly to the moon. Henry's words kept replaying in her mind. "Roxanne Smith is my fiancée. That's not a rumour, it's a fact." "Anyone who goes against Roxanne Smith goes against me." Roxanne didn't know why but these words made her feel butterflies in her stomach and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. "Have you thanked Mr. Ford for what he said at the interview, Ma'am? His words took the heat off. I think he did it to help you out," Sarah commented as she followed her boss around. Roxanne bit her lower lip. Of course, she understood what Henry was doing but
A menacing deep voice of a man echoed around them and they all whipped around to face the entrance. Roxanne gasped when the man's wheelchair was pushed into the store by his assistant. She asked, "Henry? How did you know we are here?" Henry glanced at Roxanne and said, "How could I miss such an important occasion? I want to have the pleasure of helping you choose your dream wedding gown." The truth was, Diego was running an errand for Henry in the Ford's Paradise shopping plaza while Henry remained in the parking lot. He happened to see Roxanne enter the Sleek fashion store with Maya and Victor and his ears instantly perked up. 'What is the boss' lady doing in that store?' He silently asked. When he realised they were looking at wedding dresses, he rushed out of the mall to report to his boss who was waiting in the parking lot. "Boss! I've just seen Miss Smith. She's checking out wedding dresses with her sister and her Ex-fiancé!" Henry narrowed his eyes dangerously as a fl
"Great! No problem! I have some sample dresses which she can try on and then, I'll make a new one for her," Hailey responded in a cheerful voice. As she began to call her staff to remove the sample dresses, Henry remarked, "Wait. Since we are purchasing a customised wedding gown, how about we get some privacy? I don't want anyone to see my bride in her wedding dress." Hailey was happy to oblige. She glanced at Victor and Maya before asking them to leave and asked her staff to put a closed sign outside the door. Hearing those words, Maya panicked. She wanted to see the limited edition gowns. At least if she couldn't wear one, she wanted to have a look at them. Looking at Henry, she asked, "Can we stay? I want to see the limited edition gowns." Calmly, Henry glanced at Roxanne and presented, "Do you want her to stay?" Maya glanced at Roxanne with a yearning gaze but the latter did not pay attention to her. Roxanne shook her head and refused outright, "No. I want them to LEAVE.