Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 335: Cornering The Market

Jose was more than happy to step up.

Garuda Corp had deep roots in raw material procurement, and Jose used his leverage to help Nancy lock down the algae at the lowest possible price. The payment terms were just as favorable; she didn't have to cough up the full amount upfront. A thirty percent deposit was enough to secure the stock, with the balance paid in installments. It was a massive win for Nancy, keeping her cash flow from drying up.

Nancy was on her way to an international pet food expo when Jose called, his voice thick with hesitation.

"Nancy, are you sure about this? Buying up every scrap of this algae on the market... if this doesn't sell, you're going to be buried under it. It’s a niche ingredient with almost zero demand. We’ve already swallowed up nearly everything available. There are twenty-five tons sitting in the warehouse right now."

Jose paused, sensing the scale of the gamble. "Kid, this isn't a small play anymore. Do you really want to keep going? What if…"

Nancy didn't flinch. "Keep buying. If there’s so much as a pound left on the open market, I want it."

"Twenty-five tons!" Jose hissed. "If we get stuck with this..."

"Jose, the win or the loss is on me. Just secure the stock."

Nancy watched the expo center come into view. She was going to bleed Summers Corp dry. Their money, their opportunities, their connections. She wanted it all.

There was a long silence on the other end as Jose processed her resolve. Finally, he spoke in a low, serious tone. "Fine. I’ll tell my people to keep moving."

As she hung up, Nancy’s heart was hammering. The market price for the algae was usually around four hundred per pound, but Jose had used his influence to squeeze the suppliers down to three-fifty. Once the supply from Sanction Peaks was officially cut off, Summers Corp would have to come crawling to them to keep their production lines moving. When that happened, doubling the price and raking in a massive profit would be as easy as breathing.

The next step was to cut off Ginnie’s retreat. Nancy needed Ginnie to pin every single hope on this specific ingredient. When Summers Corp put all their chips on this miracle raw material, that was when Nancy would pull the rug out from under them.

Her gaze drifted to a folder she had taken from a desk at Summers Corp earlier. A tiny, unnatural crease near the seal caught her eye. She felt a flicker of grim satisfaction. Ginnie was definitely still having her watched.

She looked away, her mind already spinning the next web.

Shortly after returning to Townsville from the expo in Brunsland, Nancy headed straight to Summers Corp to check the progress of the new product. They were at the finish line; all that was left was the final push.

She walked in wearing sunglasses, looking relaxed. Spending Summers Corp’s money to stay in five-star hotels and network with global exhibitors had been worth it.

In the hallway, she ran into Ginnie. The woman looked like a ghost, her face haggard and her eyes dark with resentment. These past few weeks, Nancy had run her ragged with endless tasks and impossible demands. Combined with the pressure from Yvonne, who viewed this project as the company’s big gamble. Ginnie looked like she had been hollowed out.

"This is the fifth version of the proposal!" Ginnie slammed the folder onto the desk. "What else could you possibly want to change?"

Nancy flipped through the pages. "The packaging is too bright. Change it to a pale green."

Ginnie tried to stand her ground. "This was the top choice from the marketing department!"

"It’s tacky," Nancy said, dismissing months of work with two words. "The slogan is generic, too. Try again."

Ginnie was so furious she called Yvonne that night to complain, but the response she got was a cold shower.

"Nancy’s standards are high for a reason," Yvonne told her over the phone. "You need to cooperate with her."

Ginnie hung up, feeling like she was going to explode. Working with Nancy was like dealing with a professional contrarian. Every good idea Ginnie had was shot down. It was obvious Nancy was making things difficult on purpose, but no one believed her.

At the final product decision meeting, Ginnie stood at the head of the table, presenting the core ingredient with practiced pride.

"The algae we are using is a unique superfood recognized by experts worldwide. It has incredible nutritional value, and currently, there is zero competition on the market."

She displayed the trial data, and a murmur of impressed approval went around the room. The numbers were undeniably good.

Just then, Nancy spoke up.

"I think the algae is too niche. While I was at the expo in Brunsland, the international experts were all talking about a new super-ingredient: Krill Algae."

The words had barely left her mouth when the head of R&D, who had previously been her biggest supporter, couldn't help but interject.

"Nancy, Krill Algae costs three times as much as what we're using! Besides, lately, you've been shooting down every single suggestion Manager Summers makes. It’s starting to stall the entire project."