Chapter 45
Another guy had fallen head over heels for her charms. Clara rolled her eyes internally. Quinn was truly indiscriminate and always flaunted her allure.
Despite the throbbing ache in her knee, Clara pressed on. “Let’s set aside my personal beef with Quinn for a sec. I want to talk about how you’re handling the risks here. South Ashford’s apples have always been a big deal. They go for six bucks a pound in city supermarkets. Usually, you guys sell directly to merchants. Now, you’re diving into online sales without filtering addresses. What happens when someone gets a batch of rotten apples and starts badmouthing South Ashford’s produce? That’s not a good look for the future. I’m genuinely here to help the farmers; this is my first gig with Ferguson Corporation. So, I’d advise you not to get caught up in short–term profits.”
The liaison smirked, almost amused. “No need for you to worry. Ms. Quinn has already worked out a preservation method.”
Clara couldn’t help but chuckle. “Quinn’s trip to South Ashford is all about her own short–term gains. She couldn’t care less about the reputation of South Ashford apples. It’s all about polishing the Bradford family name and snagging government perks for their upcoming tourism projects. Once her livestream ends, she won’t give a hoot about your future.”
“You’re just bad–mouthing Ms. Quinn! She’s incredibly kind,” the liaison shot back.
Clara’s lips twitched into a slight smile. “I’ve said my piece. It’s your call now.”
No sooner had she finished than several farmers stormed over, brooms in hand, their faces twisted with anger.
“Clara, we wanted you to sell at sixty cents a pound, but you insisted on ninety. Ms. Quinn’s right; you’re the one trying to tank the reputation of South Ashford apples!”
“Who do you think you are, bad–mouthing Ms. Quinn? She’s a million times better than you!”
Standing by her car, Clara saw the fury in their eyes. They acted as if she’d committed some terrible crime. Suddenly, the whole situation felt pointless. She opened her car door to leave, but one of the farmers grabbed her wrist.
“Clara, we just didn’t tell you the deal was off. Now you’ve got over twenty thousand orders you can’t fulfill. Let’s see you explain that to the customers! You wanted to jack up our apple prices to make your company look good. Dream on! Ms. Quinn was smart enough to drop the price by ten cents and go for volume. She even slipped us extra compensation on the side, like some kind of angel. You’re just a scheming witch!”
Addison overheard and was trembling with fury. She couldn’t believe these people. Clara, inflating prices? Not a penny went to Clara–it all went to the farmers. Yet here they were, blaming her!
Addison watched them all gang up on Clara after she’d stayed up all night and pushed through her injury just to keep the apples from rotting. It was downright unfair.
