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“Mr. Cross, have you found a distribution channel?” one executive asked, raising a hand.
The question drew every eye in the room to Adrian.
Only a new distribution channel or a large injection of outside capital could bring the company back from the dead.
Otherwise, with things as they were, manufacturing more basic drugs would only delay the inevitable.
“More or less,” Adrian said with a slight nod.
“For now, focus on your work. Your salaries will hit your accounts on time.”
That answer was deliberate.
It was the fastest way to steady morale.
“That’s great!”
“Thank you, Mr. Cross!”
“We don’t have to worry about losing our jobs!”
“I knew the company wouldn’t fold that easily!”
The staff meeting ended soon after.
He headed toward his office, ready to plan the next move.
Evelyn followed a few steps behind him, curiosity written across her face.
She had known him for five or six years, but today he felt almost unfamiliar.
Something about him had changed.
She could not say exactly what.
He carried himself with a weight he had never had before.
Everything he had done today had been decisive, even domineering.
Especially the kick that sent Victor Quinn flying.
That had been shockingly satisfying to watch.
‘Why did I never notice this side of him before?’
Looking at his tall frame and steady bearing, Evelyn felt heat rise faintly to her cheeks.
“Evelyn, call the department managers to the conference room next to my office.”
He stopped suddenly and turned around.
Evelyn failed to react in time and bumped straight into his chest.
Only then did she snap back to herself.
“Ah. Yes, Mr. Cross. I will handle it.”
She hurried away to summon the managers.
‘She is usually so composed.’
He watched her leave and shook his head lightly.
Evelyn was undeniably beautiful.
His mother had tried more than once to push the two of them together.
For now, though, he had no interest in romance.
When it came to women, mutual desire mattered.
Anything else was pointless.
Besides, he had no attention to spare.
The priority was building the company into his own Umbrella empire.
Once that existed, everything else could wait.
The conference room reserved for him was right beside his office.
Before long, the senior managers had all arrived.
Maybe Simon Grant’s dismissal had done its work.
Maybe they had been loyal all along.
Either way, every person in the room looked at him with respect and waited quietly for instructions.
Adrian was satisfied with that.
“How much inventory do we have?”
He went straight to the point, addressing the warehouse manager.
The warehouse manager knew that data better than anyone.
“Mr. Cross, we currently have three hundred fifty thousand kilograms of over-the-counter medicine and fifty thousand kilograms of prescription medicine. At minimum factory-gate pricing, the OTC inventory is worth about two hundred eighty million, and the prescription inventory about one hundred twenty million.”
Adrian nodded, then looked to the sales manager.
The man quickly answered.
“Our existing channels are saturated, especially on the OTC side. Competition is intense, and the distributors are under heavy pressure. They do not want to take on more inventory.”
Over-the-counter medicines did not require a doctor’s prescription.
In theory, the general public could buy and use them according to the label.
That should have made them high-volume products.
In reality, too many factories could manufacture them, which made the competition brutal.
Umbrella had no exclusive drugs at the moment.
It could not compete directly with the major pharmaceutical companies and had to rely on lower prices.
Still, for all its problems, the brand’s quality could compete with the larger pharmaceutical groups.
In some cases, it was better.
A smaller company could not survive on relationships forever.
Beyond price, it needed a reputation worth trusting.
Prescription drugs were different.
They usually involved heavy intellectual property barriers and a much deeper understanding of possible side effects.
That made their research and production costs far higher than ordinary medicines.
“I understand,” Adrian said.
“Find a way to sell everything. Lower the price if you have to. Even selling at cost is acceptable. I want the warehouses cleared within two weeks.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
No one understood why he would give such an order.
Selling at cost?
In this industry, selling at cost meant losing money.
What exactly was he trying to do?
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