“Sophia!”
Sophia looked up to see a petite girl approaching. She had large eyes, a high nose bridge, a lean, taut face, and her hair was styled in a yellow bun, giving her the look of a social media influencer you might see on popular shopping sites.
Sophia wasn’t entirely sure and asked, “Miss Maggie?”
“It’s me.”
Sophia looked at her for a moment, then smiled. “You look prettier.”
“Really? Thanks.” Miss Maggie pursed her lips and walked away.
After she left, Chloe came over, smiling. “Women, huh? They really go all out on themselves! Look at Miss Maggie. She spent so much money on cosmetic surgery. I wonder if it’ll help her land that golden fish!”
Sophia was startled. “She actually went through with it?”
“Of course! Although she didn’t come to our medical beauty center, she’s been coming in lately for intense moisturizing facials, likely because she’s undergone a few procedures.”
Sophia watched Miss Maggie’s figure as she walked away.
Miss Maggie had never been unattractive, but in a circle filled with beautiful socialites, she hadn’t particularly stood out. After the enhancements, her face looked about a third smaller, her features more refined, and her skin smooth and flawless—almost artificial. Beautiful as it was, Sophia couldn’t fully appreciate it. It wasn’t that she was against minor adjustments, but she didn’t approve of erasing one’s unique features.
Chloe chuckled.
“I wonder if that golden fish will take the bait this time!”
Sophia laughed as well. Whether Scott Livinus would take the bait, she didn’t know, but she was pretty sure that if Miss Maggie tried to outwit him, she might find herself outmatched.
—
Chloe placed Sophia’s beauty cream on display at her beauty salon, packaging it in an elegant box that cost over a hundred dollars. With the cream inside, it looked much more luxurious.
“Chloe, are you really planning to sell it at that price?”
Chloe laughed, “Sophia, let me ask you—are a few thousand dollars for a skincare set considered expensive?”
Sophia didn’t respond; to her, it wasn’t particularly high.
“Right now, luxury brands from other countries are selling their skincare sets for over ten thousand, and even then, they’re hard to find. What do you think the production cost of those products is? Let’s not even go there. Just imagine—your medical skills are top-notch, and these are your family’s secret formulas. How much do you think a company would pay to license these?”
True, the production costs might not be high, but these were secret recipes passed down by the Smith family from her previous life. The Smith family had invested decades perfecting formulas for the nobility, and Sophia herself had updated the formulas to create the beauty cream.
Sophia laughed. “I understand your point. It’s just that, as a doctor, I’m not used to charging so much.”
“Sophia, let’s divide our products. For anything related to medicine, we’ll keep it affordable for the public. But as for skincare products, we should go for a premium price! The real profit isn’t in the items that sell tens of thousands daily; it’s in the high-priced products that sell a few daily.”
Sophia nodded. Since it was a partnership, mutual trust was essential. Chloe knew the beauty market well, so Sophia had no reason to worry. If she sold everything at low prices, the public might not even recognize their value and would go for imported brands instead.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you!”
So, the premium version of Sophia’s specially formulated beauty cream was priced at $2,999, while the regular version sold for $999.
Why two versions? Chloe had explained that the wealthy customers visiting her salon would actually be more inclined to buy the premium version after hearing the different prices.
Chloe was skilled at sales, and her beauty salon had a stable clientele. That night, she told Sophia that she had already sold over a dozen bottles of the cream, with many people placing orders. Sophia replied:
“I’m a bit busy lately. How about we hold off on delivering more and create some scarcity?”
“Exactly what I was thinking! We need to keep them waiting. It’s the same strategy high-end brands use with their global shortages.”
Sophia laughed, feeling relieved. She really was busy preparing for the school year.
—
The next morning, on the top floor of the Scott Group.
Joanna, with her fiery red lips and professional outfit, was organizing files when Scott Livinus entered, looking sharp in a suit.
“Good morning, CEO!”
“Good morning.”
“CEO, there’s a guest waiting inside. It’s the representative from Bamboo Grove Trading.”
“Alright,” Scott replied coolly.
The Scott Group originally focused on pharmaceuticals and fragrances. However, under Scott Livinus’s leadership, it expanded its operations into dozens of industries. Bamboo Grove was a local trading company with a small collaboration with Scott Group, including items like automotive products and herbal sleep pillows. Felix had informed him that Bamboo Grove’s representative would be coming today to meet with him.
Just as he was about to head inside, Joanna added, “CEO, the guest is someone you’ve met before—Miss Maggie, who has been here twice before. Her father holds shares in Bamboo Grove.”
Scott nodded without any change in expression.
Once he went inside, a few junior assistants gathered around Joanna, gossiping.
“Joanna, what do you think the CEO really thinks of Miss Maggie? I heard she had some cosmetic work done. Do you think she’s determined to win over the CEO?”
Joanna snorted with laughter.
“Who wouldn’t want to win over the CEO? He’s rich, sure, but more than that, he’s got money and keeps to himself. Someone like him, with his refined tastes and discerning nature, not to mention being a Scorpio, either doesn’t love or loves deeply. If he falls in love, he won’t let go, so my guess is Miss Maggie’s efforts are probably in vain.”
Felix happened to walk by and exchanged a look with Joanna, both sharing a knowing smile.
Joanna shrugged. “What can I say? It’s like I’m in sync with the CEO’s every thought!”
Everyone laughed.
—
In the CEO’s office, the desk was immaculately clean, with all files neatly arranged, and the first document needing attention already laid out on the desk.
