Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 307

To maintain her image, Zelena didn't dare ask her parents for too much money.

The allowance she received from them each month was already substantial.

The rent for Liberty Grove was not even included in her allowance.

It was more than enough for her daily expenses.

If Zelena got too greedy and asked her parents for too much money, they'd start asking questions about where it was all going. Questions she couldn't answer.

So, she had to find another way to get the money she needed.

Now that she was student council president, could she really resist the urge to use her position for personal gain?

Violeta didn't believe for a second that Zelena was all about serving the school.

While she couldn't speak for everyone, Violeta was certain Zelena would jump at the chance to make some extra cash.

If Zelena was going to cross that line, Violeta wasn't going to miss out on the opportunity to benefit as well.

...

The announcement of the school's sports day meant more work for the student council.

As the president, Zelena's responsibilities grew accordingly.

New equipment was needed, so a teacher from the logistics department approached Zelena.

Previously, the student council and the logistics department had jointly managed such procurement tasks.

This time was no exception.

The teacher handed Zelena a list of items to procure. Her task was to contact various wholesalers at the markets, gather price information, and then a joint meeting would be held to decide on the best deals.

The school would provide the money, but the student council members were responsible for purchasing and setting up the equipment.

So, the initial review of suppliers fell to Zelena.

However, Zelena found this task annoying and passed it on to someone else.

Later, Zelena visited The Breeze after school to review the bi-weekly accounts.

There, she noticed that the cost of sausages had risen.

Curious, she called the store manager and asked, "Why has the price of sausages surged?"

The manager explained, "Ms. Reid, the cost has gone up. Let me show you the invoices."

The manager brought out the invoices to prove she wasn't pocketing any money. "The price of sausages has increased for all the stores in this area. The wholesalers say it's due to a change in raw materials ... "

Hearing this, Zelena's eyes moved from the invoices, and a light bulb went off in her head.

She thought of a way to make money ...

Zelena realized the sausage supplier was just a middleman, buying from a factory.

She could cut out the middleman and get the sausages directly from the factory at a lower price.

The prices offered by the factories were all quite similar.

These items had established market prices, and the factories knew each other's costs. They had worked with Toland University before and were already offering their lowest rates.

Zelena realized there was no profit to be made.

However, a thought struck her.

What if she went for lower-quality goods, which were much cheaper?

"Lower quality product? Yes, we do have it ...

"But you wouldn't want that..."

Factories produced not only top-tier items but also second-tier ones.

However, Toland University had never accepted second-tier products in the past.

So, the factory hadn't reported the prices for second-tier items.

"What's the difference between second-tier and first-tier products?"

"It's the price. You get what you pay for."

He then picked up a pen to demonstrate how a high-quality pen was sturdier than a cheaper one with a flimsy plastic casing.

"A high-quality pen is tough to break, but a lower-quality one, with its flimsy plastic, might crack just from being dropped."