His teeth chattered from the cold. He reached for his phone, tempted to message Evangeline, but he stopped himself. She had said she would let it go, but he knew she was still angry.


    He despised resorting to such a cheap trick, but he also knew that without some kind of leverage, she would nevere back to him.


    He didn''t know how much time passed before he drifted back into a feverish


    sleep.


    Evangeline had no idea there was an intruder in her home. She was busy with Theo and the sales manager, mapping out a n to expand UME''s sales channels by targeting potential vendors in Serenity City. She pulled out the stack of business cards she had collected at Old Mrs. Fawkes''s birthday banquet and, swallowing her pride, started making calls.


    Many of them had contacted her before, but the conversations had always fizzled out. This time, however, armed with solid sales data and positive market reviews, she felt a new sense of confidence.


    But after an entire afternoon of calls, she had nothing to show for it. The responses were all the same: polite deflections or vague promises to "keep her in mind." She knew what "keep her in mind" really meant. They were waiting to see if she would actually get her hands on the Fawkes family shares. If she did, they would be her best friends. If not, they would conveniently forget her name.


    Theo walked over, rubbing his ears. "I''ve been calling all day," he said, frustrated. "Everyone''s already nning to stock Fawkes Enterprises'' new product." He slumped into the chair beside her. "The entire market in Serenity City belongs to Fawkes. Trying topete with them here is basically impossible."


    Evangeline nodded in agreement. "Most businesses here are too afraid to go against them."


    The frustrating part was that UME''s product was superior in both technology and materials. They just needed a way in.


    Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind. "There must be some corners of Serenity City that Fawkes can''t reach."


    "Can''t reach? Is there anywhere in this city Fawkes doesn''t-" Theo started to say, then stopped mid-sentence as he caught her meaning.


    Evangeline met his gaze and nodded. "Fawkes Enterprises targets the mid-to- high-end market. But we have mature technology and cost-effective raw materials. We could start by capturing the low-end market."


    "But will that work?" Theo looked skeptical, almost offended by the idea.


    Evangeline could see his pride was wounded. "The low-end market is huge," she argued. "If we can capture it, the profits could be just as significant as the high- end market. A lot of major brands started that way. Besides, UME has very little brand recognition right now. Even if we managed a temporary victory against Fawkes, they could crush us with a flick of their wrist. We need to build a solid foundation in this city before we can even think about trulypeting with them."


    Theo knew she was right, but he still hated the idea. The worst part was, he couldn''te up with a single counterargument.


    "Let''s run it by Glenn," he finally said. He was hoping Glenn would reject the n. With his massive online following and his "ascetic god of science" persona, Glenn was the embodiment of high-end sophistication. Surely he wouldn''t agree to slum it in the low-end market.


    To his shock, after hearing the proposal, Glenn considered it for half a second and then nodded. "I think it''s a great idea."