Deep Wells

ETERNAL

"Right, I hope the meeting went well? I really like the idea Margaret. From our last meeting it seems like we're just one of the few lucky companies who had gotten the opportunity to coordinate with Emilia Guidotti's team."

Margaret Montenegro lifted his chin and with all her pride and ego finally said, "Unfortunately, Marco and I decided that the requested assistance from the National Wine Association in partnership with Guidotti Imports will not go ahead." His sharp tone echoed in the sepulchre-like board room. And within a second, almost all of the members gasped.

"What?" Mr Tolentino blurted out. "I hope you did not offend Emilia Guidotti Marco?" This made him gulped deeply. "We've been having board meetings almost every week which is completely unnecessary and rarely done not unless the company is having major issues, which of course is very evident. Alam naman natin na bagsak ngayon ang ekonomiya ng bansa. And no investors would just randomly seek for wines at this stage."

"Nagbawas na tayo ng ilang employees last year to save profit. Nagbawas din tayo ng production. And our sales are not as good as it was ten years ago. We've hired celebrities to promote our products, seek for professional advises from various experts and although it worked, it did not give us much than we're hoping and aiming to achieve." One of the board members followed. "Our famous Bignay Wine is no longer in demand and out of date. I get it, it's vintage but commoners can't afford it."

Marco opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the right words to explain himself. But he was cut off. "We're also running out of funds for marketing and because our sales are down, we've been laying off more employees. Wala na tayong mapatrabaho sa kanila." It was Mr Vargas, who was the marketing strategist said. "For short, we're running out of options. We've been trying lots of options as Mr Tolentino and Fernandez reported. We can't just sit here and watch the company fall apart. It's already crumbling Marco and Margaret. As if namang hindi kayo aware dito? We had our best chance to resolve the issue that we've been trying to fix for the last three years. but you're saying we're not going ahead?"

"Hindi ba't nakahalubilo nyo din si Emilia Guidotti a couple of days ago sa isang gala?" Mr Fernandez asked. "Hindi nyo man lang nagawan ng paraan na makausip muli si Emilia Guidotti? Do you guys really care about your own company? Because I do, naglaan ako ng malaking pera with the hope of having a successful business partnership."

"Hindi naman sa ganon Mr Fernandez." Marco started. "It's just that-"

"Did you even submit the proposals my team and I prepared for her team to look at?" Mr Tolentino suddenly uttered. Marco pressed his lips and could only gulp again. Margaret on the other hand, kept her head up high, still prideful and quite narcissistic, believing that they do not need a single help from anyone. "Also, I heard rumours around from the gala, is it true you have disrespected Emilia Guidotti that evening?"

All of the board members now looked at Marco and Margaret in utter shock and disbelief. "This is a huge disappointment from the two of you. At this stage you know I am more than willing to put my shares for sale." It was the time Margaret felt as if she had been stabbed, unable to believe that one of their partners were willing to leave her company. And yes, that was all because of Emily. This made the old lady even more furious.

"Mr Vargas, how can we trust a foreign company? This is a huge risk! And as if si Emilia Guidotti lang ang makakatulong saatin diba? I'm sure there will be a lot more people who would be more than willing and more than capable of providing us assistance." But Mr Vargas laughed. "Are you being delusional Margaret? Eh di sana we never had this problem if there are people or companies who would be willing to spend their damn time and money just for us." Margaret was left speechless, she had no choice but to clench her jaws. "And trusting a foreign company? We have nothing to lose. In fact, it's them who has something to lose from us if we didn't do well. We've taken risks to implement various strategies that clearly failed. At teka nga Margaret, isa ka sa mga tao na nagpropose nito bakit ngayon nagbaback-out ka?"