"I honestly don’t know," Mr. Kane admitted. "I’ve been reviewing the numbers myself, and they don’t make sense. I can't tell where the problem is coming from. It's been giving me sleepless nights. We have spent a lot and gained nothing."
"Show me the advertising template the company used. The banners and the video. I didn’t get the chance to review it before they launched it".
Mr. Kane nodded quickly and retrieved his tablet. He pulled up the campaign templates and handed them over to her. As she watched closely, her expression began to shift into disappointment. She wasn't satisfied with what she was seeing.
The video lacked everything that could capture a buyer’s attention. It was generic and predictable. The kind of template people had seen a thousand times before. There was nothing fresh, nothing creative. Worse than that, it failed to display the full range of the product’s usefulness.
"This is it?" she asked with some trace of frustration in her voice. "This is the campaign we paid millions for?" Mr. Kane rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "Yes," he answered.
"Why will you approve this? They showed this trash to you, and you approved it?"
"I ...I thought it would sell."
"You thought? When they didn't highlight all the functions of the product"? She demanded.
"I noticed they skipped 3 functions, but I thought it wouldn't be a problem." Mr. Kane replied.
"Now you can see the result. I'm sure it would have done better if they displayed all the things our product can do."
"I gave them all the details. Not that it was my fault. I don’t know why they didn’t display everything." Mr. Kane tried to defend himself.
"It's also your fault for approving it. You would have rejected it." She said and thought for a moment before looking up to him.
"We need to redo the campaign," she said. "This time, we’ll be very careful. We’ll find a company that is more creative and more reliable." Anabel said, and Mr. Kane nodded quickly. "I was thinking the same."
"Do you know another company that can deliver what we need?" She asked.
"There’s a fast-rising company I’ve been watching closely. They are incredibly creative. Their advertisements never flop." Mr. Kane said, and Anabel sat forward, intrigued. "Then contact them. Make arrangements as soon as possible. I want this campaign running as soon as possible."
Mr. Kane nodded. "Understood."
As he exited the room, Anabel sat back in her chair, thinking about her plans.
She believed that with the right campaigns, the selling rate of the product would skyrocket. This time, there would be no room for mistakes.
Anabel leaned back in her chair as she scanned through the files on her desk. Just as she reached for her pen, her phone buzzed sharply, pulling her attention away.
She glanced at the screen, and it was Sylvester. With a sigh, she picked up the call. “Hello, Sylvester.” She greeted.
“Anabel, how are you?”
“I’m fine,” she replied while going through the files.
“And your father?” he asked, and she inhaled deeply before responding. “He was discharged days ago. He’s strong now.”
"That’s good to hear. You know, I’ve noticed you haven’t been calling me lately.” Sylvester said, and Anabel frowned slightly. She had deliberately kept her distance, but she wasn’t about to explain that. “I’ve been busy,” she simply replied.
“I’ve missed you, and Vanessa keeps asking about you.” Sylvester said, and Anabel closed her eyes for a moment and opened it. She wasn’t in the mood for this conversation. “I’ll visit when I’m free,” she said, hoping for the call to end.
“Alright,” he murmured. But then, there was a slight shift in his voice. “About the money… I’ve been waiting for ages. I thought you loved and cared for me. Why are you doing this to me? You had been promising. I'm getting frustrated.”
"Sylvester, stop talking like that. You know I love you,” she said, forcing herself to sound convincing. “The money is part of my budget for the month. You will receive it soon.”
She knew he was desperate. He needed reassurance. So, she gave him hope to keep him patient.
“Alright, then. I've heard you.” He muttered, but deep down, he had another plan.
"I love you, baby."
"I love you more." He replied.
"I'm going to attend to some things. We will talk later." She said and hung up.
The call ended, and Sylvester smirked and shook his head. "She thinks I'm a fool."
He glanced at his watch before pulling out his phone again. He scrolled through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. Max.
He dialed the number and leaned back in his chair as the call connected.
“Max,” he called as soon as the man picked up. “I need you at my house after work.”
Max hesitated before replying. “Is there any problem?"
“No. It’s time to do some work for me. You know I put you there for a reason. It's time for that. Come to my house.”
“Alright. I’ll be there.” He replied, and Sylvester hung up and tossed his phone onto the table.
"Whether Anabel is delaying intentionally or not, that won't matter now. Because now? The real game is about to begin."