Chapter 161: Janet Makes Trouble

Oscar had kept Hannah busy all night, attending to his every need. She became so attuned to his routine that she would sit up in bed automatically when he turned over, anticipating his next request. This continued until the morning alarm rang.

Hannah scrambled out of bed, feeling utterly exhausted. She hadn't slept a wink, it seemed. She had to go to work, yet Oscar, the man who had tormented her all night, slept soundly. A wave of anger washed over her; she yearned to strangle him, but couldn't bring herself to wake him as she reached for the blanket. He seemed demonic, utterly despicable, yet she was paralyzed, unable to harm him.

Hannah silently brushed her teeth, washed her face, applied makeup, dressed, and tiptoed out of the room, carefully closing the door behind her. Max had breakfast waiting downstairs.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wells," Max greeted respectfully.

"Morning, Max," Hannah replied with a strained smile.

She ate breakfast, scrolling through the news on her phone. An article caught her attention: Starlight Mall was entering the Kensbury market, developing a premium business district. Intrigued, Hannah clicked the link.

Starlight Group, a nationwide chain of supermarkets, was known for its mass-market appeal. This venture into high-end retail and business district development was unprecedented in its history. As far as Hannah knew—and her decade of experience confirmed—Starlight Group had never attempted such a project before. She recalled the CEO's name: Mr. Burke.

Hannah immediately Googled Starlight Group. The CEO was Carl Burke. His children… his second daughter was Janet Burke. A realization dawned on her.

She returned to the news article, scrutinizing the location of the new business district. It was next to the Light Building metro stop, giving Starlight Group a superior location. They had already launched a significant marketing campaign. Their established customer base gave them a massive advantage over the still-under-construction Light Building.

Hannah's face fell. Had Janet deliberately targeted her? While Hannah disliked the tactic, she admired Janet's open aggression; at least she didn't resort to underhanded methods. Perhaps Hannah had grown overconfident.

She quickly finished breakfast and rushed to the office. She needed to revise her strategy in light of this targeted competition.

Rose was waiting. "I've read the news about Starlight Group's business district near the Light Building," she reported. "Their publicity campaign is attracting investors. This will seriously impact us; they'll likely take all our investors and customers."

Hannah nodded, acutely aware of the threat. Janet's pre-construction publicity blitz aimed to preempt Light Building's investor outreach. Businessmen prioritized profit; a guaranteed return would outweigh other considerations. The upcoming competition would force investors to choose, creating a win-lose scenario. The close proximity and the potential for a flood of customers to one location over the other created significant risk.

Hannah also wondered if Janet knew about her bet with the company's executives. Whether Starlight Mall succeeded or not was secondary; the publicity alone hampered Light Building's investor attraction, potentially jeopardizing Hannah's position within three to six months.

Hannah smiled coldly. It was a clever strategy. "Regardless of Starlight's actions, tell Mila, Mann, and Wang to continue their work as planned," she instructed Rose.

"Understood, Ms. Hannah."

Rose left. Alone, Hannah felt less confident than she had let on. Time was running out; she couldn't afford a passive approach. She needed a proactive solution to attract investors away from Starlight Group.

That afternoon, Mila entered, her voice laced with anxiety.

"Ms. Hannah," she began.

"Yes?" Hannah responded.

"I submitted the advertising campaign proposal to the Advertising and Media Department yesterday. They rejected it," Mila said anxiously.

"Reason?" Hannah asked.

"They say advertising Light Building now is a waste of resources. Starlight Group's news overshadows our project. Investors will wait and see, making any current advertising ineffective, and we'll miss the ideal time to create publicity," Mila explained. "They advise waiting to assess the market before proceeding."

It sounded logical.

Hannah stood. "I'll speak to the Advertising and Media Department director personally," she said.

"Okay," Mila replied, following her.

Hannah left the office. Mary, observing Hannah's hasty departure, smirked, then contacted Roger. "Hannah's gone to the Advertising and Media Department. They rejected her advertising proposal."

Roger smiled. He had anticipated this outcome; he had orchestrated the rejection. He would make things difficult for Hannah.

"My priority is securing loyal supporters," Mary said.

"I'll handle the rest," Roger replied, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Your top priority now is to bribe and win some trusted followers. I'll take care of the other things."

"OK, Dad."

Roger hung up, satisfied. He was determined to prevent Hannah's success, yet remained wary of her unexpected strength and competence. Ironically, just as his confidence faltered, an unexpected opportunity for cooperation presented itself.