Chapter 102: Chapter 102 Apollo Asking For Her Opinion

Only then did she finally glance up at Apollo.

"If the company agrees to give them a larger share while operating in an unstable area like that, there’s a high possibility they could later claim the goods were ’lost during transport.’" Her tone remained calm, almost speculative. "If that happens, the company could suffer heavy losses. Honestly... it sounds a little like a scam." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Ashley stopped there and left the rest unsaid, allowing Apollo to think through the implications himself.

To an outsider, it might have sounded as though she was merely making random assumptions after overhearing office gossip, something that could potentially interfere with an important new distribution partnership.

But in reality, Ashley knew exactly what she was talking about.

As far as she remembered, the same group had already pulled off a similar scheme before against a smaller company. The matter had simply been quietly buried because the victim lacked the influence and power to pursue it further.

And precisely because they had succeeded once without consequences, their greed had only grown larger over time.

And now, it seemed that the group had set their sights on Apollo’s company instead.

After all, compared to the smaller business they had targeted before, Apollo’s corporation operated on an entirely different scale. Larger supply chains meant larger product volumes, and larger product volumes meant far greater profits waiting to be swallowed.

If the cooperation truly pushed through, there were many ways the distributor could manipulate the situation to their advantage.

They could claim the products were mysteriously "lost during transport."

Or worse, they could secretly work together with the local gangs causing trouble within the city, staging hijackings before splitting the profits afterward. In that case, Apollo’s company would be the one taking all the losses while the distributor remained seemingly innocent.

And even if Apollo’s people or the authorities investigated later, the distributor could simply deny involvement and push all responsibility onto the gangs who supposedly intercepted and sold the goods through underground black markets.

By then, tracing the products back would become extremely troublesome.

In other words, if handled poorly, the partnership could become a massive hidden problem for Apollo’s company.

Of course, Ashley also understood that the distribution contract was still only in its negotiation stage. Nothing had been finalized yet, which was precisely why the employees responsible for reviewing the proposal had been discussing it so intensely earlier in the office.

And thanks to her unusually sensitive hearing, Ashley had caught nearly their entire conversation despite sitting some distance away.

From those fragmented discussions, combined with the little information she already knew, she managed to piece the situation together rather quickly.

And admittedly...

She was also intentionally using this opportunity to quietly show Apollo her capability.

Someone as intelligent as Apollo would naturally realize that within less than an hour, Ashley had already gathered scattered clues, analyzed them, identified possible risks, and connected the situation into a coherent conclusion.

As for where she supposedly gained such knowledge?

If Apollo questioned her later, she could easily pretend she had stumbled across similar cases through social media news and online discussions before.

And sure enough, the moment Ashley finished speaking, the laziness that had lingered in Apollo’s expression vanished completely.

His gaze locked onto her without blinking.

For the first time since she entered the office, Apollo was truly looking at her seriously.

The playful amusement from earlier faded into something far sharper and deeper as he quietly observed her, carefully assessing every detail, her composure, the logic behind her deductions, the confidence in her tone, and the calm way she analyzed the situation.

Under that intense scrutiny, Ashley could almost feel the pressure radiating from him.

A small part of her worried that she might have overstepped and exposed too much, that her act of suffering from memory loss might somehow be seen through.

After all, the level of observation and analysis she had just displayed was not something an ordinary sheltered eighteen-year-old girl could casually produce after sitting in an office for barely an hour.

But despite the nervousness creeping into her chest, Ashley still held her ground and met Apollo’s eyes steadily.

Because more than fear, what she wanted now was for Apollo to recognize her value... and see that she truly had the ability to stand within his world.

"Then if it were you," Apollo asked calmly, "what do you think would be the best way to penetrate that city’s market directly without exposing the company to unnecessary risk? Or if risks are unavoidable, what solution would you use to minimize them?"

As he spoke, Apollo completely discarded the playful demeanor he had been carrying earlier.

The lazy amusement in his eyes disappeared, replaced by sharp seriousness as he looked directly at Ashley. At that moment, he no longer resembled an older brother casually entertaining his younger sister’s whims.

Instead, he looked exactly like the head of a powerful corporation sitting across a negotiation table from a potential business partner or client.

The atmosphere inside the office subtly changed.

Even the pressure in the room became heavier.

Apollo’s gaze was steady, analytical, and probing, clearly testing her now, not merely out of curiosity, but with genuine interest in hearing her answer.

’Here it is!’

Ashley almost squealed inwardly the moment Apollo asked that question.

She immediately realized she had successfully captured his attention.

"Well..." Ashley began softly, lowering her gaze as though she were seriously thinking through the problem on the spot.

In reality, however, she already had several possible solutions prepared in her mind long before Apollo even asked.

But she couldn’t answer too quickly.

If she immediately produced a flawless strategy without hesitation, it would look far too suspicious, almost as though she had been prepared for this exact scenario from the very beginning. Someone as sharp as Apollo would definitely notice something strange.

So instead, Ashley deliberately slowed herself down and pretended to think carefully, maintaining the impression that she had merely brought up the matter earlier out of curiosity after overhearing discussions in the Sales and Marketing Department.

This way, it would appear as though she was only now trying to come up with ideas because Apollo had personally asked for her opinion.

Meanwhile, beneath her calm exterior, Ashley was practically rejoicing.

Her heart was pounding wildly inside her chest from excitement and nervousness alike. She even had to secretly calm herself down, worried that in the quiet office, Apollo might somehow hear how violently her heartbeat was racing.

At the same time, she carefully controlled her expression, afraid that even the slightest slip would reveal just how pleased she truly was at finally being taken seriously.

Only after Ashley was certain that none of her excitement had leaked onto her face did she finally look back up at Apollo and continue calmly,

"I’m assuming the reason the company is trying to work through a distributor in that city instead of directly opening a branch there is because the market still has relatively little competition. Which means if your company manages to establish a foothold there early, the long-term profits and influence would be significant."

As she spoke, her tone gradually became steadier and more analytical.