The boys chimed in, “We know what we did wrong, Mommy! We promise we won’t pull pranks anymore and will continue to learn from Daddy!”
Roxanne nodded gladly. “I’m glad you all do! I believe one day you’ll all improve so much that you’ll become the world’s greatest hackers!”
At the side, Lucian concurred, “They do have the talent.”
After breakfast, Lucian sent the three children to kindergarten while Roxanne went to the research institute. “Dr. Jarvis, any news from Damaris Group?” Linda had been waiting for her in front of her office early in the morning.
Roxanne halted in his tracks when she heard the name Damaris Group. She recollected herself and replied, “We still need more time. What’s wrong? Is there any problem with the factory?”
Linda looked helpless. “We used up the last batch of medicinal herbs yesterday afternoon, so now the factory is at a standstill. The person in charge contacted me last night, and we talked all night about the issue of stoppage pay for the workers.”
As a result of that, Linda did not sleep well all night. Roxanne knitted her brows. She knew she had to tackle the problem, as it had worsened.
“All right. How much do they want? Proceed with the payment first. I’ll solve this problem as soon as possible.” As soon as she finished speaking, she picked up her pace and entered the office.
She glanced at the call log on her phone and noticed Jack’s number was second on the list. She gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and called him back. However, he hung up directly.
A few moments later, Roxanne received a text message: Ms. Jarvis, don’t contact me if you haven’t figured out the pricing issue. Call me only when you’ve figured it out.
Upon reading the message, Roxanne felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. She put her phone down and picked up a directory, searching for medicinal herb suppliers she had not contacted before.
As she flipped through the pages, she was overwhelmed with emotions. Never in a million years did she expect Jack, who was once an elegant and refined young gentleman, to be a profit-driven businessman.
Now that their motive for this medicine was completely at odds with each other, they would most likely not cooperate again.
Realization hit Roxanne like a ton of bricks, and she immediately grabbed the phone to call the suppliers she missed yesterday. However, she failed to find a supplier she was satisfied with.
Just then, she heard Linda’s voice from outside the door. “Dr. Jarvis, the factory is requesting an additional one million for the stoppage fee…”
Despite the painful sting in her heart, Roxanne had to accept it for the moment. She hung up the phone, strode out of the office, and said to Linda, “Gather all the research team leaders in the conference room.”
Linda nodded and called the team leaders over. Ten minutes later, all the leaders appeared in the conference room.
“As you all know, our research institute is in a difficult situation,” Roxanne began in a friendly yet authoritative tone. “Do any of you have any suggestions on finding a new medicinal herb supplier?”
The leaders exchanged glances before one of them spoke up. “Dr. Jarvis, I’m confused. We have a good relationship with Damaris Group, so why did they stop supplying us with medicinal herbs?”
Another leader chimed in, “We know Damaris Group has the best medicinal herbs. Is there really no way to persuade them to continue supplying us?”
Faced with the employees’ skeptical looks, Roxanne felt uncomfortable but ultimately decided to come clean. “Our original plan with Damaris Group didn’t pan out, and we’re now in need of a new supplier for medicinal herbs.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, silence fell over the room as everyone exchanged uncertain glances.
“As far as I know, Mr. Damaris’ vision for this project was to give patients a fighting chance. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.” Despite her efforts to explain, some team leaders continued to whisper among themselves, casting suspicious looks in her direction.
The conference room was so quiet that she could hear one of the leaders whisper. “If anyone has any concerns, please don’t hesitate to voice them. I’m here to listen,” Roxanne said courteously while looking at the team leader.
The team leader turned around and met her gaze. After a few seconds of silence, he expressed his doubts. “Ms. Jarvis, you were the only one who negotiated with Damaris Group, and we had been kept in the dark throughout the negotiation.”
Roxanne lowered her gaze slightly and responded softly, “I’ll explain everything if you wish to know what transpired.”
She felt a little uneasy as she looked at the faces before her. Undoubtedly, she had acted unilaterally and set the price without consulting her team.
After witnessing the change in Jack’s behavior, Roxanne realized she could not tolerate how apathetic medical practitioners were toward patients.
Everyone fixed their gazes on her, waiting for her to explain. Roxanne gathered her courage and said, “I proposed a price of a hundred twenty for the medicine, but Mr. Damaris insisted on three hundred.”
A heavy silence settled in the room after she uttered those words. Roxanne could see how serious they were, and it seemed they began to understand the picture. “Sorry, but I want to know why you set that price. A team leader finally voiced out his doubt.
Roxanne tried to stay composed and explained, “I want patients to be able to afford the medicine. Doing so might incur losses in the short term, but the long-term benefits are worth it. By doing so, we’ll also improve the reputation of the research institute.”
In other words, she put the interests of patients and the research institute before her, while Jack only prioritized Damaris Group.
After explaining the situation, Roxanne smiled at everyone. “That’s my two cents. If my idea doesn’t sit well with you, and you want to bail, I won’t hold it against you. But I hope we can all keep the technology used to produce the medicine a secret.”
Once again, the room fell silent, causing Roxanne to clench her hand on the table. She could not shake off the unease in her.
“I agree with you.” Someone spoke up and threw his weight behind her. Roxanne’s eyes lit up with delight.
The leader continued, “I appreciate your support. We’ve been putting our heart and soul into this research institute for so long, and what Dr. Jarvis did is also in the best interests of the organization. I hope her decision can take us to the next level.”
“I agree that Mr. Damaris’ pricing is a little steep, another team leader said. Everyone else then chimed in with their support for Roxanne. Roxanne was pleasantly surprised. “Thank you for backing me up.”
Roxanne had thought they would side with Jack, considering how close they were to him. All the team leaders had somber expressions on their faces. “Dr. Jarvis, we believe in your vision. We want the institute to succeed.”
Roxanne let out a sigh of relief and redirected the conversation back to the matter at hand. “So, does anyone have any leads on the medicinal herb suppliers we can reach out to?”
As it turned out, everyone present had been working at the research institute for many years and had some connections in the pharmaceutical industry.
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.