Chapter 285
“Mmm, it smells so good! Carol made all my favorites,” Aubree said as she walked over in a spaghetti-strap sundress.
Bowen said, “Carol knew you were coming today, so she went out at dawn to get the freshest ingredients for you.”
Bowen added, “There’s also some pre-cut fruit in the fridge. Let’s eat first, then have some after the meal.”
Aubree savored every bite of the meal. Compared to the bland cafeteria food at school, Carol’s cooking was simply out of the world. After finishing lunch, she flopped onto the sofa and called Birgitte.
Bowen took the fruit he’d chilled earlier from the fridge, settled beside Aubree, and began feeding her with a fork.
Aubree said, “Yeah, I’ve gone through all the reports you sent me. Not bad. Pretty much what I expected.”
To put it simply, GrabCheap’s business model was volume-driven. Right now, it was still in the early stages, just building market awareness and testing the waters. Operations were still small-scale, so expecting big profits now would be premature.
However, when Birgitte compared her project to Aubree’s previous investments—even those two game studios Aubree had casually thrown money at were already turning better profits than hers—she couldn’t help but feel discouraged and blame herself.
Birgitte asked hesitantly, “Ms. Miller, am I still falling short somewhere?”
Aubree smiled and said, “I gave you the project because I have full confidence in you. Don’t be so quick to doubt yourself. The profits will come later, and I’m sure it will grow into an e-commerce platform that can rival even the Turner Group.”
Bowen raised an eyebrow as he fed Aubree another piece of fruit. ‘Was she saying that right before me, the CEO of Turner Group?’ thought Bowen.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Aubree said. “I’ve reviewed everything. No issues. I’ll fly to Südlichen Strand during the National Day holidays.” With Turner Group’s support, GrabCheap was developing even faster than she’d anticipated. One month was enough for it to make its mark in the market.
Bowen asked, “So… You’re heading to Südlichen Strand during the National Day holidays?”
“Yes. If the project goes well, that’ll be the time to kick off the next phase. I’ll need to be there,” Aubree said, avoiding Bowen’s gaze with a pang of guilt. If she went to Südlichen Strand, it meant he’d have to spend the National Day holidays alone.
Aubree thought, ‘With school and company work eating up all my time, I barely have any left to actually be Bowen’s girlfriend. Honestly, it’s pathetic how little I can spare.’
Luckily, since Bowen is a boss himself, he totally understands me!
“Mm-hmm,” Bowen replied, saying nothing more.
Aubree flopped onto the sofa, cradling a bowl of fruit. Bowen gently pulled her legs onto his lap and began to massage her calves.
Aubree grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels. “Huh? Since when do they broadcast League of Legends matches on TV?”
Ever since Aubree acquired Apex Squad, she’d barely managed the club. After the SATs, Alvin retired from the team, making way for a new rookie to take his place.
Bowen explained, “After the Olympics, League of Legends tournaments will be broadcast on TV. It’s a form of indirect support for the growth of esports.”
So it was last night’s match.
Realizing it was her own club’s match, Aubree lingered a while longer to watch.
As Aubree kept watching, she sensed something was off. “Did Matilda just mess up the BP?”
Bowen didn’t understand the game’s intricacies, but he glanced up at the screen. While the match strategies eluded him, reading people was his forte. Even through the broadcast, he could tell Matilda’s expression was off.
“Bree,” Bowen asked, “has your friend Matilda been acting strangely lately?”
“Strange? Not really. She was there when we checked our SAT scores last time. Oh, right, she actually decided to skip the SAT entirely. But honestly, that’s not all that surprising for her. Matilda never has much talent for academics. She signed with the club ages ago and went straight to work with the team right after graduation.”
On screen, Apex Squad quickly lost ground.
Aubree frowned. “Apex Squad is going to lose this match.”
Alvin’s departure for college was anticipated well in advance, and his replacement had plenty of time to integrate with the team. Their in-game performance wasn’t an issue. The real problem was in the selection of personnel and BP.