Chapter 653
If he knew that, why would he introduce them in the first place? Was he trying to deliberately humiliate her?
Thank God she had a backup plan. Otherwise, the sheer frustration would have driven her insane.
Ann forced a smile. “I understand, Tammie. Thank you p>
“Alright, I’m heading out,” he said.
“Okay,” Ann nodded. “I actually have plans to go shopping with some friends today, too p>
Now that she had the design drafts, she had no intention of staying in the villa alone while Tammie was away.
The conference was crowded. Almost as soon as Tammie walked in, he ran into the head of The Banks Group, Torin Banks.
The Banks Group was CL’s biggest rival, so naturally, the relationship between Tammie and Torin was frosty at best. Torin had tried to sabotage CL both openly and covertly more times than Tammie could count. Of course, Tammie and Benedict were no pushovers, and Torin had never managed to gain a real advantage.
“Mr. Gonzales!” Torin spotted Tammie and approached with a broad smile. “It’s been too long p>
Tammie returned a polite, if cool, smile. “Mr. Banks p>
Torin continued, his tone dripping with false sincerity, “Mr. Gonzales, the jewelry competition is just around the corner. Allow me to congratulate you in advance on taking first place p>
“Thank you, Mr. Banks,” Tammie
said, his confidence in his own work unwavering: “I’ll gladly accept your well wishes. I don’t think The Banks Group stands much of a chance this year, but don’t be discouraged. There’s always next year.” His final words were laced with sarcasm.
Torin didn’t get angry. He simply chuckled. “It seems Mr. Gonzales is quite certain he’ll win this year’s award p>
Tammie glanced at him. “You could say that. As long as I’m in the game, the grand prize belongs to CL p>
It was an incredibly arrogant statement, but Tammie knew his own talent. Among the new generation of jewelry brands, almost no one could compete with him. The award was as good as theirs. The Banks Group could only hope to be crushed under their feet.
“Is that so?” Torin replied smoothly. “Mr. Gonzales, don’t you think you’re being a bit overconfident? Sometimes, that’s not a good thing.” Overconfidence was just another word for arrogance, and it was the very thing Torin despised about him.
Truth be told, Tammie and Benedict’s personalities
complemented each other perfectly. CL Jewels owed its success to their synergy. If Benedict had been in The Capital, Ann would never have. succeeded so easily. If they weren’t competitors, Torin would have genuinely admired the young duo. But alas.
Torin clapped a hand on Tammie’s shoulder and leaned in, his voice low. “A word
of advice, young man. A little humility goes a long way p>
Pride comes before a fall. Tammie had enjoyed too much success, too easily. He had never truly suffered a setback, which was why he was so brazen He didn’t seem to realize that the business world was battlefield where one misstep could lead to ruin.
With that, Torin turned and walked away.
Watching him go, Tammie scoffed.