As Ben thought about it more, the feeling of suspicion grew stronger within him. It seed that Adam was like a morning mist, sothing you couldn't see through. He was full of mysteries and didn't even attempt to reveal himself to the world. If it weren't for the fact that Adam wasn't afraid to show himself, hardly anyone would have guessed that he controlled everything.
This horrified and made Ben treat him cautiously, even though his twin brother, Ken, seed to enjoy interacting with the young man. Ken couldn't help but tremble when he realized that he, too, was gradually developing a liking for this guy. Adam had charisma, very strong charisma that left people in awe.
Ryan shared the sa opinion. "Adam... is a very enigmatic person. He has never once answered my direct questions and hints, only skillfully diverting from the topic, and I noticed it only ten minutes later," he thought, taking another bite of his pastry. "Damn, it tastes amazing!"
However, Ryan quickly gave in on this matter and decided to confide in his new friend, who seed so kind and attentive. Their conversation took a serious turn. Sitting up straight, Adam clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the three n. When he noticed their gazes were on him, he smiled and, tapping the armrest, summoned a hologram in front of them. It displayed a diagram and statistics.
"What's this?" Ryan asked with amazent.
"These are the statistics of all my brands. Please, take a look at them," Adam answered the man's question and smiled with a friendly business smile. "I hope these numbers will help you understand that investing in my business will bring substantial profits upfront."
The trio exchanged glances and began examining the diagram provided by Adam. They read it with utmost attention, and one couldn't help but notice the expressions of shock, amazent, and greed on their faces. That was because Adam's weekly profit was...
15,000 Platinum DS (Dragon Stones).
It was an abnormal inco, but considering that all these funds were in an endless cycle, he couldn't use the whole sum. However, even the remnants of this could allow him to live a lavish life and even build new cities. That was the power of money, the power of marketing, and impeccable sales. And considering that Adam planned to establish the hegemony of his products...
"I'll be swimming in these crystals," he thought with a smirk, observing the expressions on the trio's faces. "They can't even dream of such a circulation of money. Not because they can't do it themselves, but because their pride will be their downfall."
The pride of a businessman. The pride of a family. The pride of heritage. They were different kinds of pride, but they were alike in so ways. Without changing the way of doing business, which was already profitable, they stayed put, not sensing the danger. After all, there wasn't much competition in Avalonia's market, and most of the buying and selling was among the rich. Commoners were left aside.
"But I'll change that. Who said you can't squeeze money out of commoners?" Adam thought, smugly crossing his legs. "I surpass them. My knowledge goes much deeper, and I have many allies on my side. My main strength, which sets apart from them, is not money or power. It's connections."
Adam grinned cunningly and asked them, "So, are you ready to invest?"
***
Waving goodbye, Adam saw off his three new investors who had contributed 1000 Platinum Dragon Stones each. In exchange, Adam gifted them comfortable chairs that they loved. Overall, everyone left satisfied, but the most content of all was Adam.
With three thousand Platinum Dragon Stones at his disposal, he could use these funds to manufacture affordable furniture. Establishing the company was primarily done to expand the business and not fixate on just the premium segnt. Adam believed that focusing solely on expensive items would be foolish because it ant missing out on the market for affordable products.
Sitting in his chair, Adam closed his eyes and smiled. "It's not even about making money. I'm already rich, but what I need most is to earn respect and love from the common people. But my brand identities can't do that because they've always been premium," Adam thought, crossing his legs and waving his hand. A sweet maid approached him from behind, swallowing heavily, and with trembling hands, she started massaging his shoulders. Adam tried not to pay attention to her heavy breathing. "That's why I decided to rge the brands and then create a separate line of products, including both budget and premium items. At the sa ti, I preserved the existence of brands that beca even rarer."
The nobles' logic was very simple, sothing even a child could understand. If you enthusiastically collect expensive things, you're ready to spend on limited-edition items. Owning sothing others don't have is a matter of honor and prestige. And Adam fully exploited this.
First, he introduced the luxury clothing brand Nymph's Radiance, and thanks to Ricky's reputation, they started paving their way. Later, he took ideas from his previous life and adapted them to current traditions and trends. It got to the point where clothing from Nymph's Radiance beca a manifestation of elegance and refined taste. Plus, almost every ball and event featured dresses from NYR. Among the custors of this atelier, mutual understanding and respect grew. It even reached a point where those who wore dresses from other brands or different designers were automatically considered of a lower caste.
It was similar to the situation with the owners of a half-eaten apple. There was a war between the owners of this apple and the owners of the robot, with many argunts. It got to the point where Ipple's custors themselves began defending the honor of their favorite brand, thus popularizing it. This is called free advertising, or "User-Generated Content," as you prefer.
Adam used this tactic, believing that he could boost the clothing brand to new heights given the current state of the world. However, after that...
"Even the most expensive brands fail to progress by staying in one place. Although it's a risky move, we need to raise prices and change the product, moving the brand from the regular premium segnt to limited edition territory," Adam thought, smiling. He praised the maid for the massage and asked her to continue, then resud his thoughts. "The first step for this is to shorten production and spread rumors. Then the flow of custors will be ten tis larger, and everyone will rush to buy the last items."
It was basic psychology, rooted in human greed and the desire to acquire everything first. If soone finds out that their favorite brand is turning into a brand with exclusively limited edition products, panic ensues.
"What if this is the last batch? I'm sure it'll be hard to compete for a limited edition in the future," an ordinary custor would think.
Of course, everything might differ from what happens in reality. This is just an approximate assessnt of the situation, but Adam prefers to believe that his thoughts are true and it will end as he planned. Ti will tell.
***
Two days later, Adam and four rchants – Ricky, Avalon, Marina, and Sabrina – gathered in the theater building in the city of Sedyon. Here, a private business conference regarding the rumors about the rger of the brands, which would take place in these days, was planned. They were in the waiting room.
Clap-clap! The sound of applause rang out, and all four rchants turned their attention to Adam, who smoothly rose from his seat. It looked as if he had sat down, but it was mounted and played backward.
"Ladies and gentlen, today is D-Day when our destinies officially rge into one. I hope that together we will pave the way to market hegemony. In three days, I managed to find over a hundred investors who invested from 1000 Platinum Dragon Stones to 10,000 Platinum Dragon Stones!" he announced, and applause resounded. Adam smiled and continued, "Thank you, thank you. So, on this day, we must be sure that we will achieve the best results. The risks are great, there's a chance of losing everything, but I believe in our victory and success!"
"Long live Veridia!" the rchants exclaid in unison.
Adam affectionately smiled and waved his hand, beckoning them to follow him.
In the audience...
Juliet, with a sour expression, gazed at the stage. Amarantha sat next to her. She had been abruptly pulled from her workplace and forced to attend this business eting, the reason being that Amarantha had no one else to accompany her.
"Stop frowning, you'll get wrinkles," Amarantha joked, patting Juliet on the shoulder. "Co on, be more active. My husband is about to give a speech. Aren't you excited?"
"Why on earth should I be excited, damn it?" Juliet retorted, crossing her arms. "I hate these events. Who even has ti to attend this when the world is in chaos? It's insane."
Amarantha rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue, expressing her annoyance at Juliet's ignorance. She explained clearly, pointing her index finger at Juliet's cheek. "In the business world, Adam and his colleagues held an important place. Although they weren't market leaders, they were still major manufacturers. And a few days ago, they suddenly announced that all these brands would be rged into a single company. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand, damn it! Stop poking in the face, you idiot!"
"Hehehe."
Chik! Suddenly, the lights dimd, and all conversations ceased. All the illumination was focused on the stage, and barriers were placed around the audience area to muffle the sound. Personal items resembling microphones were in the front row.
Then, the sound of footsteps echoed. The audience turned their attention to the stage and found today's stars.
"It's Mr. Adam..."
"The Mayor of Sedyon? And on either side of him, Marina and Sabrina... beauties!"
"Avalon and Ricky. These five are the most famous businessn of the year!"
The conference began!
To be continued...
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