Lucian was not ignorant. The fact that Roxanne had never mentioned her parents had not gone unnoticed by him. With that in mind, he even asked Archie and Benny about their grandparents, but both had no impression of ever meeting them. All that pointed to the fact that Roxanne was deliberately avoiding her family..
A thought flashed through his mind that reminded him of something from years ago. It seems like my first marriage with Roxanne directly resulted from her father and stepmother’s greed for money.
“Dad, Mom, I need you guys to back off regarding this. There’s more to Roxanne’s family than meets the eye, and I don’t think it is a must for them to show up at our wedding!” Lucian thought maybe Roxanne didn’t have at deep relationship with her family. Hence, it wasn’t a good idea to track down Roxanne’s father and stepmother now.
Elias and Sonya immediately exchanged knowing glances with each other. They seemed to recall some matters from the past as realization struck them.
“Oh, yeah. I remember her father, Grant Jarvis, owned a medium-sized factory in Horington. He sold Roxanne to us when his factory ran into money trouble.” Elias nodded.
“Yes! Yes. I recalled that as well. I’ve met Roxanne’s stepmother once. Her name is Winnie Chardon. She was in her forties then, dressed skimpily. I know she didn’t like Roxanne.”
When Roxanne married Lucian, Winnie repeatedly tried to get on Sonya’s good side. Nevertheless, she failed because Sonya was averse to Roxanne then, not treating her marriage to Lucian seriously. To her, the wedding was just a tool to bring luck so that Ethan Farwell, Lucian’s grandfather, would have a speedy recovery.
“Now, both of you know why Roxanne doesn’t talk to them anymore. I think she will be frustrated if we ask them to show up abruptly,” Lucian said sternly.
Sonya and Elias shivered. Luckily we did not accidentally make a mistake. If Roxanne had been here just now, she would have felt so uncomfortable because of the topic..
“Then, what should we do now? Should we really skip the part about informing Roxanne’s parents? We don’t know where they are now, though. It’s unusual for Grant and Winnie not to show up when Roxanne returned to the country with great accomplishment,” Sonya questioned. She was just as confused as Lucian.
“I think I might have some information about their whereabouts. Grant is no longer in Horington because after Roxanne and Lucian divorced, many of Grant’s creditors knew he had lost his guarantor, so they urged him to repay his loans. Due to his debt issue, he became an untrustworthy and dishonest judgment debtor. In the end, he ran away from Horington,” Elias explained, shedding light on the situation.
“With a dad like Grant and a stepmother like Winnie who cared only about money, there’s really no need to invite them to the wedding. Why don’t you ask for Roxanne’s opinion? We’re okay with her decision if that’s what she wants.” Sonya spoke.
Elias nodded, agreeing with Sonya. After that, Elias and Sonya chatted further on this matter before they left the mansion.
Roxanne came back downstairs after she got changed. She noticed Elias and Sonya were gone, so she asked, “Honey, were Dad and Mom here just now? I heard their voices. Where did they go?”
“Yeah. They showed up to inform us that they’d chosen a date for our wedding. It’s going to happen soon!” Lucian looked thrilled.
“Really? Then… Let’s do this.” Roxanne smiled happily.
It was nine in the morning. The biggest flagship. store under Flora Verba Group, founded by Roxanne, was about to open its doors on the first floor of Magnificent Mall, Horington, to hundreds of people queuing outside. The crowd was so massive that it blocked the other tenants’ entrances on the same level.
As Flora Verba Group’s flagship store neighbored a few overseas high-end brands, the staff in those shops looked on with jealousy and envy at Roxanne’s shop’s popularity. They couldn’t help but think about the rumor they heard about Flora Verba Group wanting to open more franchises in Horington soon, with many wanting to switch jobs.
Meanwhile, Elektra arrived early at the flagship store to handle the massive crowd. She was currently in the storage room, counting the stocks. They could only produce four to five. thousand sets of products, which wasn’t enough to meet the crowd’s demand.
And so, Elektra began to give orders for that. day’s task. Then, the dozens of staff smiled professionally, opening the doors and allowing the crowd to flood the store.
“Dear customers, please stay in line. We will. give out numbers now. Please don’t cut the queue or crowd around. Everyone is only allowed to get two sets. Anyone who manages to make a purchase, please don’t queue up again. Please ensure your safety!”
“Dear customers, we’ve prepared chairs and snacks here. Please follow the rules. We hope you will have a great shopping experience today!”
“Dear customers, five hundred numbers will be given out on the first round. Then, the numbers will be repeated. A total of four thousand sets. will be available for sale today and for the next seven days. So, please, do not congest the traffic!”
Despite the high marketability of the store, Elektra lacked the delight she had in the beginning. Maybe this shop won’t exist anymore in the third phase.
Elektra lamented the loss. With her keen business vision, this flagship store of Flora Verba Group was shaping up to be one big business that could be worth more than hundreds of billions. However, Elektra had no choice but to execute Christina’s plan.
After the plan, the business would probably suffer even if I gained control of Flora Verba Group. The best option then would be to work with a publicity team. We should hire a competent publicity team at a high price.
That conclusion formed in Elektra’s mind. She left the flagship store and headed toward the research institute. Half an hour later, she arrived at her destination. The woman put on an overjoyed expression before pushing open Roxanne’s office door. “Roxanne!
It’s a sellout this time around. With a production capacity of one hundred thousand sets, I estimate those products will be sold out in seven days. No, less than that. Maybe around three to four days. Is it possible to increase the production capacity?”
In contrast to Elektra’s radiant happiness, Roxanne was unruffled. She shook her head, rejecting Elektra’s suggestion. “The factory is already working at full production capacity, and working through the night makes it easier for accidents to happen. So, we can only wait for the new factory to open up. That’s my final decision in the second phase. Let’s wait until the third phase to make any changes.”
Elektra’s mood darkened, unhappiness rising within her. Roxanne’s management skills were vastly different from hers. She could predict that even if they were to work together peacefully for the foreseeable future, they would get embroiled in a huge conflict at the end of the journey.
Research and development are undeniably crucial to a business, but that doesn’t mean managing an entire brand can be done at the technical level. I’m the one who was there for this brand every step of the way, from the brand launching press conference to the training of the staff at the flagship store.
Elektra gave a flustered smile, replying, “All right. I’ll follow whatever you plan. I’ll do my best at sales.”
Roxanne nodded. She put on her lab coat and walked into the laboratory, leaving Elektra behind. Elektra was about to leave when she saw a red invitation card. Whose wedding is this?
She picked it up. Then, Elektra was wholly stumped. It was Roxanne and Lucian’s wedding invitation card, and the event was set twenty days later.
Frostiness gradually appeared in Elektra’s eyes. She cursed at her foolishness. I can’t even compare to Aubree. At least Aubree was once in an intimate relationship with Lucian, being his fiancée. What about me?
I’ve been his childhood friend for so many years and had many chances to make him mine, but I’ve lost all of them. I want to know what Lucian truly thinks of his feelings for Roxanne! Is it love? Or is it because she has improved so much in her capabilities?
Roxanne was worthless six years ago, so she got abandoned by Lucian. But now, she owns a research institute, hospital, company, and Flora Verba Group. Does that mean Lucian’s love for her was built on her improvement in becoming a successful person? Does that mean Lucian will look at me in a different light if I become a powerful woman and take over Flora Verba Group?
Elektra was overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions as different thoughts appeared in her mind. Lucian took it upon himself to do everything when the wedding preparations began. He chose the venue, the outfits, and the band and even came up with the list of guests. Moreover, the man even suggested inviting celebrities to their wedding. After all, many top stars in the entertainment industry were part of Lucian’s social circle.
Yet, Roxanne gave a firm no. She didn’t want their wedding to be headline-worthy news, if that happened, information about their three kids would be exposed to the public, causing them to be under public scrutiny.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.