Two days later.
After partying a bit too hard, Sabrina finally dragged herself out of vacation mode and tried to switch into work gear. But before diving into any new projects, she needed to handle one very important task first: handing over the Twinkle to Gracewell Skincare Group.
She had been having too much fun lately and totally forgot about it.
Staring at her inbox flooded with hundreds of unread emails, she skimmed through them. Gracewell had sent her at least ten follow-ups-it was obvious they were eager to meet.
Pama Conglomerate ran a close second, their emails were more polished and full of tempting offers. But just reading "Pama" made her stomach churn.
Sabrina sighed and lightly smacked her forehead. She had meant to respond to their first email ages ago, but then Lynne dragged her off to have fun and... it slipped her mind completely.
She clicked open one of Gracewell's emails and was about to type out a polite reply when her phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
She stared at the screen for a few seconds. No spam warning popping up. With a shrug, she picked it up and swiped to answer. Before she could even say hello, a steady, deep voice came through the speaker.
"Hello, madam, this is Cedric Strickland, Executive Director at Gracewell Skincare Group..."
Boom.
It was like a lightning storm exploded in her brain.
Cedric?!
How did he even get her number?!
Sabrina jumped up from the floor like she'd sat on a hot pan, bouncing and pacing nervously. But her mouth refused to form a single word.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" Cedric's voice sounded polite and calm on the other end.
Sabrina took two deep breaths. If air had shape, she was sure her nostrils were flaring like a angry bull's right now.
She opened her mouth, ready to say "Yes, I can hear you." But right before the words left her lips, a weird thought hit her-if she spoke in her real voice, Cedric might hang up on her on the spot.
Thinking back to that awkward, cold stand-off outside the restaurant... remembering how cold and distant he had been... Sabrina, just to be safe, grabbed a cushion from the sofa, pressed it to her face and replied in a small voice, "Hello."
"Hi. I was wondering if tomorrow works for you to meet? If not, we can reschedule. Totally up to you-I'll adjust to your timing."
Cedric's tone was calm, almost robotic.
But Sabrina knew how to read between the lines. A sentence like "I'll adjust to your timing" meant Gracewell was on the back foot. Otherwise, someone with Cedric's pride wouldn't say something that accommodating.
Sabrina actually felt a tiny twinge of pity for him. "Tomorrow's fine," she said.
"...Okay, see you then."
Cedric sounded like he wasn't sure he had just landed a meeting with the legendary beauty expert. He paused before confirming it.
Sabrina didn't say anything else and ended the call.
She collapsed back onto the couch, arms flopping out, and the cushion dropped to the floor. Staring blankly at the ceiling, the pity she'd briefly felt for Cedric quickly switched to feeling sorry for herself.
Seriously, it was his company asking for help-so why did she feel like she was the one begging to be helpful?
Groaning, she covered her face with her hands. Whatever, they were meeting tomorrow. Time to slap on a face mask and get herself looking perfect before she saw him again.
*****
Meanwhile...Gracewell Skincare Group CEO's office.
Even though the call had ended several seconds ago, Cedric was still holding his phone, staring at the screen like something was off and he couldn't put his finger on it.
His assistant Orion peeked at him cautiously, clearly freaking out inside. "Mr. Strickland? Did... did she agree to meet?" he asked carefully.
Right after asking, Orion gulped nervously, unsure whether to brace for disappointment or get excited. But judging by the way Cedric looked like his soul just left his body, it probably didn't go well. Maybe that famous beauty expert totally shut him down.
Orion sighed to himself, "Honestly, wouldn't be surprising if she turned you down. She's super mysterious. We barely know anything about her except that she's a woman. And she's so low-key! Every award she's ever won, no one's seen her show up to take it. Even with Twinkle-it's always someone else receiving on her behalf."
"Maybe Pama got to her already. I did hear they're offering her company shares to seal the deal. Makes sense, their best-selling product just got called out-turns out the ingredients are barely better than drugstore stuff, but they've been charging four grand a jar! Sales tanked, and now they need something solid to save the brand."
Orion spilled everything he knew in one breath.
Cedric processed his assistant's minor intel dump, and for the first time had a clearer picture of Pama's strategy. Business was tough across the board-it didn't matter the sector, competition was cutthroat everywhere.
Which only made him more determined not to let Pama win this round.
If he couldn't lead Gracewell to a breakthrough, he sure as hell wouldn't let someone else use him as a stepping stone to climb higher.
Standing beside him, Orion was visibly awestruck by the sudden intensity radiating off his boss. He looked up, eyes wide. "Wait, Mr. Strickland... you mean, she said yes?"
"She did. Tonight, prep the contract and all the relevant materials. And run an updated valuation on our shares. If it comes to it, we'll offer equity, too," Cedric said without hesitation.
He didn't completely get what made this Twinkle product so special, but if Pama was willing to give up shares over it, he wasn't about to play small.
Sometimes breaking into a new field isn't as hard as it seems. In business, what matters most... is profit.
Orion's eyes lit up, spine straightening. "Got it!"
*****
The next day.
Sabrina wore a simple white dress-less of her usual sass, more polish and poise. Her black leather handbag completed the look, borrowed from Monica. Word was, it cost a fortune and was oozing feminine charm.
The restaurant Cedric picked was no joke-Auburn Dining, an upscale spot with serious history. It's said even visiting officials dined there during field inspections.
Just before heading out, Sabrina felt a flicker of nerves. She had no clue how Cedric would react when he realized the beauty expert he'd been dying to meet was actually her. Judging by how warm and hopeful he'd seemed at first and how it shifted after they'd started interacting... yeah, the guy might hate her more than she thought.
Still, she figured he was a grown man now. Surely he wouldn't risk company interests just to hold a grudge... right? After all, they say when someone accepts your gift, they owe you a favor. And if he took what she brought him today, she doubted he'd still be able to act high and mighty around her later.
Thinking that, Sabrina smirked to herself, feeling confident again.
She didn't tell Monica or her mother-luckily, neither of them were home at that time. Sabrina quietly slipped out and arrived at the restaurant a solid thirty minutes before Cedric's set time.
She got the private room first-talking business always needed a bit of peace and quiet. Plus, if Cedric came alone, a guy and a girl chatting behind closed doors was a bit... well, dodgy. Just saying.
The room had this classy Eastern vibe going on-totally matched the restaurant's name. The huge, sweeping landscape paintings were seriously stunning. After settling in, Sabrina pulled out her phone and dropped Cedric a quick message with the room number.
He replied right away, said he'd just arrived downstairs, wanted to prep a bit early, but clearly, she beat him to it.
Sabrina kept it chill and texted back that she had the same idea.
Phone down, she took a deep breath, glanced at her long dress and smoothed it out one more time. Still not satisfied, she clicked over to the glass wall nearby and used the faint reflection to fix her hair. Once all that was sorted, she returned to her seat.
Fingers laced on the table, she took in every detail of the room's decor and couldn't help getting a bit emotional. Who would've thought she'd ever face Cedric like this, not fighting but possibly working together?
A few minutes later, a knock came at the door. Sabrina stood up instantly, eyes on the entrance.
Cedric came in, nodded politely to the server who opened the door. His assistant, Orion, was right behind, holding a sleek black binder under his arm-the kind filled with documents worth more than gold. If they managed to seal this deal, this skincare line would be Gracewell's crown jewel for years.
Cedric walked in steady and cool.
He wore a navy blue suit-less stiff than black, gave off a tidier, laid-back vibe. Sabrina once said when he wore black, he gave off serious "don't mess with me" energy. Since this was a first meeting, he probably didn't want to come on too strong.
But the moment he came around the divider and saw who was standing beside the table, he completely froze.
Orion didn't react fast enough and almost crashed into Cedric's back. He gasped inwardly, then quickly stepped back.
"You're here! Come on, have a seat." Sabrina put on her best host smile and brushed past Cedric's cold aura, pretending everything was fine.
Cedric stayed rooted where he was, eyes locked on Sabrina, scanning her like he was trying to figure out if it was really her-or maybe someone who just looked exactly the same. Was the legendary skincare expert... actually Sabrina?
Cedric didn't move, so of course Orion stood still too. The tension in the room was instantly off the charts.
The smile on Sabrina's face started to stiffen awkwardly. If Cedric kept standing there like that, she really had no idea how to play this.
It wouldn't be a big deal if it were just the two of them, but now that someone else was in the mix, she didn't want this blowing up into something dramatic.
Cedric finally broke eye contact, though his expression said it all. This was no mix-up. The skincare expert was indeed Sabrina.
And suddenly, it felt like someone had played a cruel joke on him.
Thinking back to all those emails Gracewell had sent begging for this partnership-emails that now felt like they'd slapped him square across the face-made his blood boil.
This brand was his grandma's lifework. And here he was, practically kowtowing to the one person he never wanted to bow to...
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
"Let's go," he said, then turned around and walked out. Just like that. No hesitation.
"Huh? Mr. Strickland?" Orion blinked, thinking he must've misheard.
People had been dying for a meeting with this skincare pro, and Cedric? One call, and she showed up? That alone was brag-worthy for a year. But now he'd leave before even saying a word?
"Cedric!" Sabrina panicked and bolted after him. He was walking, but she ran-and caught up in seconds. Grabbing the hem of his jacket on impulse, she shouted, "Why are you doing this?!"
