Orphan To Unbreakable Queen - Chapter 158: Chapter 158

GrabCheap stormed the online shopping market at lightning speed, pioneering a new wave. By leveraging existing users to attract new ones, the GrabCheap app rocketed to the top of the app store download charts within just a month or two. Its momentum was even more unprecedented than Playzy's launch. Every day, the platform welcomed hundreds of thousands of new users.
However, as GrabCheap soared in popularity, it naturally began to attract envy.
GrabCheap focused on the fresh produce market from the very beginning, and after the app launched, it quickly became its best-selling category. But that was where the trouble began. With perishable goods, any shipping or storage mishap could easily lead to quality issues.
Some merchants offered compensation to protect their reputation, while others were stubbornly difficult, shamelessly leveraging the platform's massive user base with a couldn't-care-less attitude, as if they had nothing to lose.
As a result, the platform's negative review rate skyrocketed.
Aubree called an online meeting to address that.
In the early stages of GrabCheap's development, there were many tasks to handle, and the customer service compensation system wasn't fully optimized. Even so, according to Aubree's initial projections, she never expected the number of negative reviews to get this out of hand.
It was clearly a targeted attack, born of jealousy.
Aubree said, "Our main focus right now is on fresh produce, which does tend to generate more compensation disputes. Birgitte, set up a dedicated customer service team specifically for fresh produce claims. Whenever a customer files a quality complaint and our team verifies the issue, issue an instant refund.
"In e-commerce, the customer base is everything. Without shoppers, no merchant would bother selling on your platform. But once you've got the customers, even with the strictest rules, sellers will still come flocking."
Naturally, customers and merchants are not on equal footing. Those who spend money always come first.
One will always find people unwilling to spend, but never anyone unwilling to earn.
With those measures in place, GrabCheap's positive feedback rate rebounded. Within just two months of its launch, its user base exploded past twelve million, easily eclipsing most established e-commerce platforms in the market.
Aubree's GrabCheap e-commerce platform had achieved its initial success.
When those figures came out, even top executives like Birgitte were blown away. As key participants, they had always expected the project to succeed, but never dreamed it would be this huge!
Moreover, under the model, not only did low-income groups enjoy convenience and savings, but many greenhouse farmers also saw significant gains. With no middlemen driving down prices, they could now sell directly to consumers and keep all the profits.
During the online meeting, Birgitte's cheeks flushed with excitement as she stammered, " Ms. Miller, this is insane! It's gone completely viral. My entire social feed is flooded with those group bargaining links these days!"
Her friends even messaged her to ask if she was a new user, hoping she could help them "slash" prices.
Birgitte thought, 'If someone had told me before that I had actually pulled off a project like this, I would've scoffed in their face. Yet here I am. I did it!'
Who would believe that all this came from a girl barely out of her teens?
"That's not even half of it! It's not just you women who love online shopping. Even we guys can't resist this model. I've gotten all my friends hooked, too."
Birgitte couldn't help but ask excitedly, "Ms. Miller, we're doing so well right now. Does this mean we've made it?"
Aubree crossed her legs and propped her chin with both hands. "We're just getting started. Right now, fresh produce still makes up the bulk of our platform's revenue. Are you satisfied with just this one category?"
"Of course not!" Birgitte exclaimed. "Who would be satisfied with just that?"
'We've all been given equity shares in the company. The more it earns, the more we take home. After all, who would ever say no to more money?' thought Birgitte.
Aubree grinned. "That's the spirit! Just fresh produce alone wouldn't satisfy any of us, including me. Once we've thoroughly dominated the luxury skincare market, we'll expand into other sectors. Südlichen Strand is a promising market. Birgitte, you can conquer it, can't you?"
Birgitte sprang up from her seat as if entrusted with a critical mission. "Don't worry, Ms. Miller. You'll see my results in the next financial report."
As GrabCheap continued its explosive growth, Aubree also made significant waves. Those with an agenda began digging into her background. What they uncovered left them stunned.
That was Aubree's doing, too?
Aubree's name had become well-known in major business circles. At just eighteen, she first started her fortune with an esports club, then went on to launch Playzy, a groundbreaking new media platform that revolutionized live streaming.
They thought, 'Has she done with new media already? Now jumping into e-commerce?
'Fine, go ahead and make your money. Everyone wins now and then. But do you have to dominate every single industry you set foot in? Come on, isn't that a bit much?'
At first, people could rationalize her earlier success. She was just a smart girl who found an untapped niche, so she made some money. But now? The e-commerce market was already packed to the brim, and she still managed to break through? That was ridiculous!
"Is Aubree a superwoman? How is her mind wired like that?"
"Even those so-called heirs groomed by elite families are nowhere near as capable as her, are they?"
"An orphanage-raised girl who endured constant abuse even after returning to her so-called family. Instead of ending up mentally twisted or completely ruined, she actually... Well, the Wilson family must be blind as bats."
While some marveled at Aubree's brilliance, there were naturally others who dismissed her outright.
Outsiders saw the show, and insiders understood the game.
Mocked for their poor judgment after the ill-fated East City project left their funds tied up, the Wilson family were scrambling to recover their investment. Yet even amid the chaos, they never stopped keeping close tabs on Aubree.
The Wilson family had left Aubree alone for months, but when Ronald learned she was venturing into e-commerce, he immediately frowned in disapproval. "This is sheer recklessness!"
Ronald scoffed, "She's still a kid. Even with her past successes, how can she be this reckless? If she doesn't understand the saturated e-commerce market, surely Bowen does!"
The e-commerce market was initially led by the Turner Group, with the Wilson family joining in later to carve out their share. In the end, however, it was a company from Südlichen Strand that took the lion's share.
The e-commerce market was already a triopoly, and since Ronald had a stake in it, he had zero faith in Aubree's project.
Ronald scoffed, "Just as I suspected! Bowen, the fox, was up to no good from the start when he approached Aubree. Was he eyeing her project all along? All his elaborate schemes were just to win her trust?
"So, he's finally showing his true colors, huh?" Ronald was practically certain the whole project was Aubree's idea, with Bowen swooping in to provide the investment and make things easy for her.
Ronald thought, 'As a fellow businessman, how could I not know what Bowen is thinking?
With GrabCheap pouring in such massive subsidies, if the platform fails, the losses will be staggering. I'm sure Bowen already holds shares in Bree Technology. He schemes to oust Aubree and seamlessly absorb Bree Technology into the Turner Group.'
The more Ronald thought about it, the more restless he became. Unable to sit still any longer, he had his assistant get him a new phone number and immediately called Aubree.
"Hello, who's this?" Aubree answered.
"Aubree, this is your father."