The sales manager was both furious and helpless. Thosepanies had only agreed to work with UME because they assumed Fawkes Enterprises would turn a blind eye. With a personal call from Soren, none of them would dare defy him.


    "At least we still have sales from the lower-end market," he said. "For now, it''s enough to keep us from going under."


    Theo looked shaken. "Thank God Evangeline saw thising and we shifted our target demographic. Otherwise, we''d bepletely cornered."


    Evangeline wasn''t surprised that Soren hade after them. After five years of marriage, she knew just how ruthless he could be when it came to business.


    "But we haven''t fully established our reputation in the low-end market yet," Theo added. "The situation is still precarious."


    "What if weunch a bigger marketing campaign?" Evangeline suggested.


    Theo shook his head. "We already spent a huge chunk of our capital on thest campaign, and with this blockade, our returns have been minimal. The public rtions department ran the numbers. Even with the tightest budget, a new campaign is far beyond what we can afford. And there''s no guarantee it would even work. UME can''t afford another gamble."


    He rubbed his temples, a headache forming. There was another problem he didn''t mention: their entry into the low-end market had been quiet. If they made a big ssh with a new campaign, Fawkes Enterprises could easily crush them with its own budget-friendly line. All their efforts would be for nothing.


    Evangeline understood his concerns. "We could get people to promote us for free."


    "For free?"


    She nodded. She was about to hand Theo the market research and feasibility report she''d prepared when his phone rang. As he listened, the grim look on his face softened.


    "Really? Okay, I understand."


    He hung up and saw Evangeline and the sales manager watching him. "That was amunity center in a small town. They just ced an order for a thousand units."


    Even with the modified tech, the price per unit was significantly lower, meaning their profit margin was thinpared to the entire te market, it was a drop in the bucket, but it was a start. ''


    "What kind of organization are they?" Evangeline asked. "How did they find us?"


    "It''s an outreach program connected


    to awork of orphanages," Theo exined. "Apparently, one of their directors is a huge fan of UME When be heard we were moving into the affordable market, he pushed the order through their approval process."


    Evangeline nodded slowly. "Celebrity effect and price anchoring."


    "What?" Theo looked at her, confused by the technical terms. He was a tech guy,


    but the sales manager, who dealt with this kind of thing daily, caught on quickly.


    "I get the celebrity effect. You mean using Mr. Carlisle''s influence to drive sales. But what''s price anchoring?"


    Evangeline handed them each a


    copy of her report. "Let''s say you have two cars in front of you. One is a famous luxury brand, originally priced at eighty thousand dors, but because thepany is struggling, it''s now on sale for fifty thousand. The other car was orignally fifty thousand and is now For sale for forty eight. The specs are


    identical. Which one do you


    choose?"