Chapter 413

"You saw it?"

Genevieve trailed off, frowning because she found it hard to believe Dominic's words.

"Alexander Kensington? The CEO of Celestia Group?"

Genevieve knew about Alexander.

In fact, the Kensington family was well known, not only in Veridian City but in the entire nation of Veridia as well.

Alexander was widely regarded as the most talented heir to the family and the object of admiration for countless women across the country.

Why would such a man be in a relationship with Evelyn? It wasn’t entirely impossible, though, after Genevieve gave it some thought.

If Evelyn were any other woman, Genevieve might have convinced herself that she was just one of Alexander’s fleeting affairs.

But Evelyn was part of the Hawthorne family. If Alexander and Evelyn married, their union would unite the Kensington and Hawthorne families—a merger with far-reaching consequences.

"Mom, I don’t think Evelyn has feelings for me anymore. Anything I do would be pointless. What should I do now?"

Dominic looked defeated. He knew he stood no chance against Alexander, not when his rival was a man of that caliber. His resigned attitude only irritated Genevieve further.

"What should you do? Are you seriously asking me that now? I’ve warned you countless times to treat her right! Now that she’s moved on, you’re suddenly full of regrets?"

"I—I was just blinded back then..."

Dominic admitted his mistake, but dwelling on it now was useless.

Genevieve understood that too. She sighed after a brief scolding.

"Forget it! She’s not the only woman in the world. You have plenty of other options. But let me make this clear—next time, you can date whoever you want, but be smart about it! Women like Vanessa are for fun, not marriage!"

In the past, Dominic would have argued, but after everything that had happened, he knew better.

Nodding, he said, "You’re right, Mom. I’ll listen to you next time. But what do I do now?"

Though he wanted to prove himself, he knew Genevieve was far more perceptive and strategic. He had no idea how to handle this situation, so he had no choice but to rely on her.

"You need to pull those two new perfumes from the market," Genevieve said after a moment.

"What?"

That would be a massive blow to DR Holdings. Those two perfumes were their primary source of revenue.

"Is that all you can say? Do you want to watch your company collapse? If so, then ignore my advice!"

Dominic quickly grabbed her arm.

"No! Mom, please. I said I’d listen. But if we stop selling those two, we’ll only have outdated products left. We’ll never expand our market share like that!"

Genevieve scoffed. "Expanding? Right now, you should be focused on keeping what you have!"

She paused before continuing, "Besides removing those perfumes, you need to issue a public statement immediately. Hire the best PR team—make sure the wording is flawless. That’s step one."

"First, apologize to consumers. Say your company was deceived. Emphasize your principles—that DR Holdings refuses to work with unethical perfumers. Promise a new, superior product line soon."

"Finally, express sympathy for what happened to Vanessa. Make it clear you’re committed to quality. Oh, and don’t forget to mention you two broke up months ago."

"That’s personal. Do I really have to bring it up?" Dominic hesitated.