The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 432

Zane's face softened when he saw me. "His son was the one who stormed up to me and picked on my staff, yet he seems to think it was no big deal. Maybe he's under the impression that he's better than others because of his prestigious family, but in reality, aren't we all equal?"

He held my gaze, and I nodded as I answered without hesitation, "We are."

Admiration shone in Zane's eyes as he patted my arm. "But don't worry. I'll put him in his place and teach him some manners."

Just as I was wondering what he planned to do about Shane's misdemeanor, he called Eric and asked, "Part of our ongoing contract with the Winslows has been fulfilled, yes?"

Eric reported, "That's right, but their products have fallen behind in the market and have lost popularity. As things are, we're looking to put our collaboration on hold, but we don't have a legitimate excuse."

"We do now," Zane said evenly. "I distinctly remember you telling me there are other companies whose products are of far superior quality than the Winslows'. Is that still true?"

"Yes," Eric answered dutifully.

"In that case, we'll just have to find the most suitable partner among those companies." Zane made the call without even batting an eye. "We're switching up on the Winslows."

Eric sounded conflicted as he pointed out, "We've been working together with the Winslows for years. They won't be happy to learn that we've dropped them."

Zane drawled, "Leave that to me. I'll handle them."

It was only then that Eric agreed to the plan. "Very well, sir."

Having given Eric the green light to drop the Winslows, Zane pressed, "If I recall correctly, we have a few projects lined up that we think have potential and are planning to collaborate with the Winslows, right?"

Eric searched his memory and listed the projects by name, only for Zane to say, "Scrap them. We'll look for other collaborators."