Thinking back to their conversation, Rosalyn thought about the man Chloe had mentioned. Was his name Cesare? Cesare Accardi? Why did it sound so familiar?
Rosalyn once again tried to remember where she had heard the man's name before.
What had Chloe said? He is thirty years old, the CEO of the Accardi group and has a child.
When thinking about the child, Rosalyn felt a deep pang straight in her gut. It was as if someone had punched all the air out of her.
She gasped for air as she clutched her head, the headache once again coming back.
She had never wanted a child, so why did the thought of this child hurt so much? And who was that man?
Feeling the headache slowly turn into a migraine, she decided to leave the questions for later.
Either way, she was going to see him this weekend at the banquet after all. Whether she knew him or not, she would find out when she saw him.
***
After freshening up, she quickly looked over her business proposal, before getting ready to go.
Remembering that she had left her car by the bar yesterday, she simply called a taxi and went outside to wait.
For her outfit today, she had decided to go with white pants and blouse, paired with a beige dress jacket. Her slim belt, purse and shoes were all black, giving her an office chic look.
After getting in the taxi and giving the driver the address, she called Elliott to make some last minutes preparations before the meeting.
After confirming the numbers they hoped for, as well as their bottom line, Elliott brought up the man Rosalyn would have the meeting with.
"I just heard, but they are sending this guy Clarence Smith. He can be a bit of a difficult guy..."
"Difficult how?"
"Well, some say he is really nice and easy to discuss with, but I have also heard the opposite. An acquaintance of mine had a meeting with him a few years back, and it was supposedly one of the worst meetings he ever had," Elliot sighed.
Rosalyn contemplated his words.
Elliott, knowing that Rosalyn would usually take a moment to gather her thoughts when she got new information, kept quiet while she pondered.
"Do you know why they had such different experiences? Does it depend on his mood, or is it more about who makes the proposal?"
Hearing her questions, Elliott took some time to think about it.
"Well… I can't say for certain… I really don't know those two closely enough that they would tell me if they were the ones to screw up… But I guess, just be cautious?" he ended with a small laugh.
"Okay, I'll update you after," Rosalyn responded then hung up the phone.
Looking through the window, she saw that she was just outside the meeting place. She paid the driver and then stepped out of the car.
Stepping up to the restaurant, Rosalyn greeted the hostess by the entrance and gave her name.
The hostess, looking briefly at her computer to find the name, looked up at her shortly after and gave a smile. "Oh, miss Bell, welcome. Mr. Smith has already arrived and is waiting in the private room you booked."
As she said this, she started leading Rosalyn too the room. Looking around at the restaurant, she saw the interior was designed with a modern look with lots of natural light coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. It gave the restaurant an open and welcoming atmosphere, as well as allowing it to stay sophisticated.
They soon arrived at the private room and the hostess gently knocked on the door before opening it.
Stepping inside the room, Rosalyn saw a middle-aged man with full-rimmed, sleek, square glasses resting comfortably on his nose. His skin was chocolate-coloured, his hair short and grey.
The man smiled and raised from his chair as Rosalyn came in, his smile lines obvious as he did. Rosalyn noticed that he looked quite kind and welcoming, reflecting this against what she had heard from Elliott.
Meeting him at the table, they shook hands and introduced themselves.
"Pleasure to meet you miss Bell, my name is Clarence Smith, and I will be representing 'True Foods' In this meeting."
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Smith. My name is Rosalyn Bell, and I am the CEO and part-owner of TODYEN." Rosalyn put on a professional smile as she gestured that they should sit.
"So, Mr. Smith, have you ordered yet or should I call the waiter in?" Rosalyn offered.
"That is very kind of you Miss Bell, but I have already taken the liberty of ordering for us. As it is still quite early, I have ordered an assortment of small refreshments and some coffee. Does this sound alright with you?"
"That sounds quite alright, thank you," she responded, appreciating his candour. She had never been a picky eater and appreciated that the food would arrive sooner rather than later. The official meeting would after all not begin before after they were done eating.
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before the food and drinks came in, and ate while discussing light topics, trying to scope each other out.
After the meal, they finally started discussing the new pricings.
Rosalyn, reading over the new proposal from 'True Foods' saw that the numbers they were presenting, was in line with what she had discussed with Elliott the day before.
Finishing reading the proposal, Rosalyn turned to the man across from her and said in a straight, calm voice, "I am sorry Mr. Smith, but these numbers are impossible for us."
At these words, the gentle smile slowly disappeared from Mr. Smith's face and as he was about to dispute her, Rosalyn held up her hand.
"Please hear me out, Mr. Smith. I am not saying that we want to stop working with you, but rather that I have another proposal for you to review."
Rosalyn showed a rare, genuine smile, as she reached for the folder in her purse. Handing it to Mr. Smith, she began her pitch.
"As you can see in this new proposal, Mr. Smith, TODYEN is offering to partner with 'True Foods' for our latest product line, which will be available in a few short months' time."
Rosalyn gave him a minute to read over the proposal, his forehead furrowed as he read.
"As you can see at the approximated earnings based on data collected from previous user reviews and trends, this product line is estimated to be our most successful yet."
At this point Mr. Smith looked up from the proposal and directly at Rosalyn, listening intently to hear her words.
It was as she said, based on the data collected in the proposal, this new product line would be an instant hit with high demand, earning a staggering amount for those involved.
Rosalyn continued explaining the pros of the proposal along with the other points she had prepared to win this deal. As she reached the end of her pitch, she could see that she had his full attention.
"So, Mr. Smith, our proposal is that in return for you slightly lowering the pricings we have had with your company before, we will exclusively work with you for this new project. Of course, with the pricings shown in the proposal," Rosalyn ended, pointing to the numbers on the open pages before him.
Mr. Smith once again looked at the numbers she was pointing to, barely holding himself back from swallowing.
He had been in many meetings in his career, but seldom did he encounter reversals like this, and especially from someone so young. And the Proposal! It was truly too good to turn down. If accepted, even if they lowered the prices they sold their products at, just the sheer amount they would sell would more than make up for it.
They might even need to prepare for early restocking, to make sure they didn't run out, being unable to deliver from their end!
HA! This was the sort of deal that could possibly give him a promotion if he landed it, and she had just handed it to him on a silver platter.
Containing his excitement, keeping a professional air around him, he looked back at this heaven-sent angel in front of him.
The more he looked at her, the better she looked to him now. Even her slightly cold demeanour looked extra pleasing after this proposal.
But, with these numbers he knew he couldn't make a decision of this scale by himself. Even if the prospects for earnings were great, it also came with a risk. After all, the new 'it' thing was always hard to predict.
But, with TODYEN's track record, and the data and predictions they had provided, it truly was too tempting to turn down.
"Please, excuse me for a minute Miss Bell, as I will have to discuss with my superior for a decision on this scale."
He gave a polite smile, and as Rosalyn nodded her agreement, he stepped out of the room to make a call.