Chapter 21
At the dinner table, Benson and the elderly man at side by side.
As for me, I was awkwardly sandwiched between Camille and Quinn.
“Luc, let me introduce you. This is Max Wexler. He’s the director of Layton Group and a very capable young man.” Benson’s introduction took me by surprise.
“This is the chairman of Solstice Global Estates, Mr. Lavigne.”
My heart skipped a beat. A Lavigne? Didn’t that mean…
I instinctively glanced at Quinn, who winked at the playfully. Could she be a rich heiress too?
Sure enough, some people were born with a silver spoon, and that wasn’t just a saying
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Lavigne.” I quickly got up and respectfully greeted him. Not only was he an elder, but he was also a man worthy of true respect in the business world.
Luc dismissively waved his hand and said, “I’ve heard a lot about The Reaper of Brinestone Logistics. Now that I’m seeing you in person, I must say that the rumors didn’t do you justice.
“Layton Group has quite a future ahead.”
Benson gave a bitter smile. “Oh, please don’t say that. My daughter’s been giving me nothing but headaches. If it weren’t for Max watching over things, I’m afraid this whole family business would’ve gone up in smoke by now.”
As soon as he said that, Camille nearly choked on her food. Her cheeks puffed up in rage as she lashed out. “Dad, how could you say that about your daughter! Plus, he didn’t do everything! I worked hard too!”
Camille working hard, huh? Sure, she might have worked hard in hotels and almost got duped by Kieran for tens of millions, or maybe over a hundred million.
Well, she sure had to work hard.
The others chuckled faintly, and none picked up on her words.
That made Camille more furious, but she could do nothing other than bury her head into her.
food.
“Max, our main business isn’t logistics, but real estate often involves transporting materials, so we’ve worked with Layton Group.
“But there’s something I can’t understand. Some companies have the vehicles and the manpower, but why do they have such terrible efficiency? Things take ages to get delivered,” Quinn said as she turned to me and smiled.
I was about to answer when Camille jumped in.
“Oh, I know this! It’s because shipping has processes. For a large, well–structured company. like ours, every shipment goes through many steps, so of course It takes longer.”
I nearly laughed out loud on the spot.
Logistics was all about speed, and what she said was no different from ruining her reputation.
“Is that so? But your company’s delivery efficiency has a great reputation in the industry, and
it isn’t slow at all.”
Quinn’s words left Camille completely dumbfounded.
Then, Quinn turned back to me and continued, “Max, why don’t you answer?”
Without hesitation, I began. “Logistics is a company and a system, but fundamentally, it’s made up of individual units. Every delivery guy is an independent entity.
“Slackers and diligent workers are not the same.
“If we rule out all objective factors, I think it all boils down to poor employee compensation
and incentives.”
It was a universal truth. If a company didn’t pay enough, no employee would ever want to work their ass off. There were tons of people who just wanted to coast through life.
That was especially important in logistics, where walking fast or walking slow could make a huge difference in delivery time.
Meanwhile, Camille sat there like a fool with her face flushed in fury.
Ironically, I had a pleasant conversation with Benson and Luc. We were full and relaxed by the
time dinner was over.
Camille, on the other hand, was probably full from all the anger she’d swallowed.
Not long after dinner ended, we saw off Luc and Quinn.
The moment we turned around, Camille pointed at me and snapped, “Max, what the hell were you showing off for! Did you do it on purpose just to embarrass me?”
