SMR | Chapter 44

~Chapter 44~5c6fc9dc8317e4e0

Her heart raced. People were selling 2d35148edb soap everywhere, so 97b4033f25 would Cedric really 6def055e15 scoff at the 18af135613 need for a 97e11b377b non-disclosure agreement over 420b0a67ab something so trivial?14bab7cc54cca868

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But she had b1ff0258b1 come this far—there a9355e7c12 was no turning 6e82faa996 back now.d99af37f6a75aaf6

“This is the dbe4c2c6b0 business plan. I thought it ca6df12740 would save time 035454a1c8 to have you 68f7fab5d5 look at this b37eee855e first, so I’ve 216761049b prepared it in 7bb0a58880 advance.”13db189041a0c09d

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The documents seemed c23db3b41a flawless when she 8a837ce51f had reviewed them 46208954a6 this morning, but 60ee24abac now that she d1a204fd5a was about to cf78f1123f present them, a 72a3142230 sense of unease db383497b1 crept in, as a8f2ace7e5 if there might ebfee46dd4 be a flaw 9703d94bff somewhere.02c9c3e4386c4836

Cedric took the 0c4a936a7c papers quietly and 974d3a3580 began flipping through 5ef378d54c them, one page 83cf16b36d at a time.8bda1e0f7ea41859

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This is what f3c1594859 it feels like b902d1954b to be anxious. What if b76ecfd1e6 he throws fe943658c5 it aside? Why did I 15cbc93fcf even come here?6f4a4e44b1ab330b

Just as her nerves baec562d0a started to get the 936e60ddc1 best of her, she 9bd84d3dfa remembered something Roxana had 32214159e8 said while helping her 4b5b203000 write the business proposal.b52fe9479bbec2b9

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“Half of a successful 222b0d8c8a business is thorough preparation, 5ce26c13a4 and the other half 6703ec6407 is guts. No matter how f05040f367 perfect your plan a95d8483dc is, if the ef1f5a04f5 business owner looks ab11888273 timid, no investor 9d18aec9a1 will trust their ed19e3691d money with them.”0c7c2600a0ee8111

How did aa83a0b60f she appear a07e166739 to Cedric 8641c382d5 right now? Hadn’t she spent 851bce8175 all this time e6605c4b5c acting arrogant, lifting 7f80dee70a her chin high, de235fb1af only to come da1d1a102c begging for money 57024b970e now and worrying 9f625467f8 about his judgment? But why should 21b3e03630 she let him 4ad7e49480 treat her that 757e6dec3b way?30ff23e4475ddc87

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No, there f03f95a633 was no af98d83b39 reason to df5cdab6a8 be afraid. Cedric wasn’t the 2dad22f4eb one who would 7e2bbd7d93 decide her fate.7ce524a0391a8ce4

I even ec6df812bb rejected his bd09d6b5a9 offer of fa92f516dc support when 99d4c9a3d3 I was 2bbe3e7e78 about to 97d676f9de leave the dcf3d1469d monastery. Where did 7a03eaa1e3 that courage ff839de741 go back 42e5e4f1e1 then?59a3ab6452ee7370

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Harriet took a deep, 1607142182 quiet breath and looked d57a8f1345 Cedric straight in the ef80064568 eye.2e97fa5f0667c747

As he read through d6f81fe595 the document, his long, 2b3d1a5f42 thick eyelashes lowered, and bcc42a5291 every time he blinked, 740d62673a his eyes—unlike the smile a192920d3d he had shown earlier—looked b04902c91f serious.9a2947054f6221c3

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Finally, after reaching 4c60880bab the last page 3815cd8e2a and reading the ef2fb95c59 final word, Cedric b435eae2d6 put the papers 3206d29451 down and leaned 07b9d8c720 back.1329304a61724ef1

“Honestly…”ddc003e5ac939692

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Harriet heard a soft d860a044f2 gulp as she swallowed d6cb4396c9 nervously. It was 5b3ea62d6b a sound ac989acae2 probably only 385c9dcd83 audible to 4db573e750 her own af700f6240 ears.a3795f45c8fc338a

“There are 3ffd6f0856 a few 8b62857f7e interesting points, 3522a086e1 but I 3f9798fca8 can’t fully bfe8e58509 trust the 79da202c42 product’s competitiveness. Can the monastery produce 0d254fe9cb a soap that’s better feca4cacc2 than what a company a83fc64ef8 that specializes in beauty d55cc191f7 products makes?”9aca1a22210a1b6a

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In that 2255a424ce instant, memories 112d347ac4 of stirring 3e7f551e46 the cauldron ee274e2aff for hours 1d1161835a to make 48695f7e09 the soap 10e32eaed6 surged in 60c76b2588 her mind, 9faf314cdc and her 291399d7fa frustration rose.8c26077cc91b68e0

“Are you comparing e8cf4bb385 it to the 2333c7a135 kinds of products 3f068b7d03 made in big ad63b55234 factories, where they cba3c678c5 don’t even clean 9c7635e998 the large pots 7bbe84b248 properly and use 48cc4a5ec6 untested chemicals and e69825aa50 fragrances?”e7b079206c07faad

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“If you 58d1f193e5 use that 737dd5a19e language outside, 2ee95a31dc you might ce0bbd47ce be facing af3ccc3ba0 a lawsuit 33692ac789 with those 852cbcc8af companies.”e5b67943de0e4b60

“But the products I 5e7861b0c3 researched didn’t even explain 15e641e52c what specific fragrances and 1cc01cfbbe foaming agents were used 73724bc36c in their soaps. You couldn’t find that e518421734 information on the packaging dbc19d9e76 anywhere. How is e37dd1b13f that any 0cad7d1431 different from 4953d9a507 something unverified?”399e9328adb371a0

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Harriet remembered the 6e7b6dac90 causes of her f74c194d19 skin conditions like b955bbf3f8 rashes and pimples 2a061244e2 in the past—there f302dca51e were many factors, 45daa6a451 including food and f5ddb01e72 lifestyle, but the 250572c616 soap and cosmetics b4a5a5dd52 she had used a19eb58845 had contributed as 7046648e43 well.c08040d483d71073

“The soaps and herbal 194c4ed0b8 products from Saint Clarissa a6a8e07375 Monastery can reveal every d60bf2536c ingredient used. We’ve been a3dd270bc8 using these 1d26b8f382 ingredients for ef7760b158 years, so 6f9b3e97bb I can 0dcc392fd0 guarantee their 46a0faddc8 safety. In fact, the f047bc464b nuns who make b7cf831007 the soap even 2468e6430a test it to eaa056d048 make sure it’s b521526a4e been made properly.”3e3304a2bb77910e

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“But there are 5f5d81f296 already soaps out bc8ad8ffed there, like the d0d21ffe5b famous olive soaps 933faf433c from Natarixen.”34931abc2a30945a

“But they bec27cdf50 don’t have 3027c29ca8 Harriet Listerwell, 65e83479fd do they?”1982cb481ee26d3d

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Harriet smiled brightly.e3de7e5a726d9217

The key to 2f8fec6f41 this business wasn’t c695311d99 just the superior 3e7c481eda product; it was d55f52a138 also having a 21243aaf3e model who could 1f1cad45cc attract attention.7f5353fd9ffeed10

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“Having a good 4c4d135424 product doesn’t mean b40d0a2d84 it will sell 57c7b140bd well. You need something to 1d7918f001 drive people to buy 2b76b2ca7a it. And in this business, fd257d69d5 that element is me—Harriet 1e0b95843e Listerwell.”b3c1edfd947254d4

“Quite… confident, edb5e1f415 aren’t you?”0b0d40aa947e4bda

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“It’s not unfounded confidence. Just the fact that 3e0e44e78a a scandal maker like 2dfe52f3d8 me, who spent a 11cdac5f57 year in the monastery, ce10201d8c has now reappeared in 8592420d13 society is surprising enough. And my face, db9fb0f9c8 once covered in 9d910c6a8d skin blemishes, has 6a41a38f45 cleared up.”9b7150dba57f7b73

Only then did feb190dc10 Cedric sink deeper 124e79c3c1 into the sofa, 3c386d618a his expression turning ba48e80918 satisfied.13e8f382952adf70

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“Everyone will 0e31e2adfc be curious c9251780ae about the 5ed01dc04e secret behind f9ec157444 it, and 0f6236c23e you’re selling 3689011364 the very d2356c1f98 products from 379b2d394c Saint Clarissa 6f94b24894 that helped 56b9e63a65 you.”1985faf76cb2c894

“That’s why b0fadabc8b I’m in 0e9357f579 a hurry. I need to get 3ac6d5ba4c things rolling before the f3c5c4986f buzz dies down.”9ef5ad539bc5b1d0

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Cedric’s lips f0392b4bdd twisted into 0b34143fac a slight 8d2aa7f17f smile.b463867db4c76781

“Miss Listerwell, fa1699ef4f in business, a83ac553b3 you can’t 84f8c3bade let people f7956588ec know that 32297a9e92 you’re desperate. It’s like going 1ba99b970b into a deal cc9af87ba5 already defeated.”e94cbdfe076af942

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“From the way 544f3d436a you’re talking, it c12d159b02 seems you’re not 987d415e16 really interested in 99d029067e beating me, are 3570d5de50 you?”01fd7b312d014d33

“Pfft, hahaha!”0de2c0e11f0f63e9

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Cedric couldn’t help 273b846ffd but burst into 3db95fac28 laughter again.3b3e233be3d1e999

Even when 5290af5114 his father d8be3ec9f2 was head b56b4a7f81 of the 04b0c5c216 family, Cedric 7ad6b6e99b had often a649bd066b sat in 956ac8726c meetings like f3c61f948d this as 9d713b9e5e part of ad7bbc7288 his heir 28677f0453 training, and c85ef4d209 after formally d556e0df93 inheriting the 38ba8cb3e9 title of e544f4c619 Duke, he f2cd037150 had met 69fdaa96cd with many d8467f96ad people.9361fd07045f66ce

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But there 51bad88b7f had never 27e5fe52d3 been anyone 628bb7219f like Harriet.3b2053734100168f

She was so b585879729 bold, so confident, f68ea5bbd7 yet unpredictably careless.8adad713968258be

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Cedric thought it 324a1103d2 was a good d1f3fa07f5 decision to allow 53fad65463 her audience request. This woman never gave b3f4892116 him a dull moment.ecf0dbec4495a96c

“As a d53d3b0aeb token of 65c3cb62c0 gratitude for 491fb56afd making me 273828d682 laugh, let 9309f98c75 me give a79ef0265e you a 0db8e6f484 few pointers. When choosing eb11f5c4f4 a store 5c363ff086 to sell 1130624ce7 your soap, 061bd1f592 it’s better 37f6e81e4d to go 31f85ece84 for Sevial 619e6d0c8f rather than 33019ceb00 Payton. I see you 0abbc5bed7 were considering Harrow 8286826b53 for distribution, but 3d5c253b4f they don’t deal 6afa311c12 with anyone from 55ee839b19 Saint Clarissa Monastery, 0c322bf774 so they’d charge f6e3fa7775 you high delivery d399569313 fees…”c2a616917d7695f8

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He went on 05ccadb03a to give her 422d1e0896 detailed advice about 0a6d5cafa1 the store, distribution, 04ef3df61f and distribution methods—things 55e792e6b1 Harriet had never 667b6f1a46 expected.fde172cfdca6b747

So, based on this 3aa8697227 advice, should I revise ffd9c31d23 the business plan and 107dfdd383 approach someone else?aa9ab4c4db2416ad

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At this point, 76a917cbcf it was either f7546367b6 sink or swim. Harriet clenched 769e5d9a91 her fist 94fc5c062f and spoke.9c0d5787ccc01e70

“If you invest, Your df801f1a2b Grace, we could use 82745ab9a9 the Aster Trading Company, 5e55d27cb9 which handles the Duke’s fdd893309a distribution network. They have 56ac97540f the largest b3500af429 network, so 1274ac263b we could c732cabf7f save on 8a78bedd5d costs, and 382ba823bb they would 347af4d7b7 likely be 89c15f2212 familiar with 3bc47bad8d the distribution 1901851fca methods for fd238938bc products sensitive 3abfed45fb to temperature 72e136caf0 changes.”4df1cab5f9c84e23

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Cedric rested 187810deb1 his chin 1c50ae0a8f in his 1b34cfc71e hand, smiling d7092b5fc2 slightly.653bdc36e8907e4f

“Neither I nor 9b7f5bb586 the Duke’s family 2a9f5dec5e would see a df30876017 significant benefit from b04a723b9c this business.”a1bc1507caeb83d6

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“I know that. But the reason I fea1891956 approached you first was 3f9d708a0b to see if you 3f1f494fb5 might be willing to 563d7dce22 help Saint Clarissa Monastery.”38f03f4a12284727

Harriet revealed 4e5dff8a5e the final e75b8cf1ea piece of 5a621c9a2c her argument.8d9c54d1f37050fa

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The monastery’s long-awaited project, 9e10c85d85 ‘The Shelter for Girls,’ ecceed8daa had started thanks to 3e3fbec3be his donation, but suddenly, 1cba6bf1a7 a nearby orphanage had d0a8303bf6 closed down, increasing the 5a0d85d152 number of girls who e6e6d9c1d7 needed to be taken 15ca1f76b5 in. The monastery couldn’t cab10336bb delay the project, eadb748212 but they didn’t 85680b1de9 have the funds.f823e955e4afc1a8

“Saint Clarissa Monastery doesn’t 0a615e92c9 receive a lot of 319f5d2f69 donations. To protect 12fdab4aea the lives 554aaae56a of girls 7545425a5a with nowhere bae9717ff3 else to 3e61909131 go, we 67428c7c6e need a 3330ae34fd sustainable source 5fdc0aa02d of funds a48792d1c0 for the 2ebe5a8758 long term.”ac2be21581c36340

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“So, Miss Listerwell, 3e27c03a3c are you saying 6ce810a769 that you’ve planned 4ccdecd8b1 this business not b7186f7f51 for your own 41a3c92a93 benefit, but for 6da9e86086 the monastery?”52f93a3d17d1f7e5

“I’m not 6c2dde3e61 that selfless. I just saw ffaa093cb0 it as a 39268ff2b0 way to help 4c98052a65 both the monastery f35377fae7 and myself.”5e75701a558a0ca3

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Was that the right 6a7fe42823 answer? Cedric nodded.e4706e5ee640fdad

“Alright. I’ll invest.”a64423d4bf582e4e

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“Really?”f538976db98c966f

Harriet was 8b0b1e9aad surprised by cf477344ff his acceptance e6d4629f4c and asked 87f8608ada again.f7c3478770ba0591

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“You asked for an a41bbe5b1c investment, didn’t you?”021d543a9f2d3b23

“Ah, yes, I did. I’m happy f6ef940dad to proceed.”93aafad461e48dd5

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“Since you’re 2e246766a5 in a b4587b4023 hurry, I’ll 6e87970394 let my 7f1dd8d2d9 assistant know 11b285871c the details 7356c4abc6 today and 313dfcb66e figure out 604db1b994 how we 762a67000f can help. First, we need to cc3e1bbc8b secure a store.”5402be6cddb04e19

As he thought for 1c4b8866ad a moment, Cedric rang 2dc19a1c58 a bell on the 6fc6b853b8 table.09cff317f703eb42

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Soon, a 237e73cdbb man, likely 93d89f3627 his assistant, 1518dba753 appeared silently.ab19d713c7a7f780

“I remember 4e24cdddbd a vacant 8b873ebbb0 store on d96d9f5aed Seriol Street f11a3a2462 that became 87781eaaaa available about 6fc27cc5d4 two weeks 1fd9190813 ago.”a98547d600c70c64

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“Yes, we are 71c76f7993 currently looking for dbbe3eda0f a new contract d720e7dace partner for it.”d74e3fdb7de77ffe

“That’s been 3358dac2ec decided just c51105a659 now.”08d29619bb440632

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Harriet was 81c1c76fad left dumbfounded 3190bd296c as Cedric 6cc4487e56 picked up 24d8ebe696 the business 4dcd1beb73 plan again, 5a95fe31c9 walking back d2fd3ef5ef and forth 8e33bd869b while continuing 6ef6fdc4ad to speak.eb35658ccbbe8c5e

“You’ve set the business fe49ad73dd costs—store rent, distribution fees, 659004329f advertising—at 200,000 dirhams, with dd76494f20 a projected profit of 21430e9d92 50,000 dirhams for the 287cfb8a2d first three months. Let’s raise the 0c2c472da4 bar a bit.”e992eb631800020e

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“What does that mean?”ccd6d933ede9ec3a

“It means we’re going 9674de15e6 to scale things up. It wouldn’t make 4e78ce76b3 sense for a 36a4d6041a Duke’s family to 6cf04ef609 get involved if afbdecf2c2 the first three e38b0087a9 months of income 818fd391c9 are only 50,000 c7e3e86822 dirhams.”3b0d388a4de84f4b

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He took a pen, e215d5daa6 drew two lines across 7e62977bfc parts of the plan, 74ec6cba2f and wrote new figures.8c4593fb26c19d86

“The store rent 9c76360f12 for the Seriol 80c89f064c location owned by d3fff726a6 the Duke’s family 43c964963b is 80,000 dirhams 151e2ce1f4 per month.”db094c504113f756

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“Eh?”7aeed0f023e5653b

“I’ll charge you 9df2e9e0ae half of that.”cd74a220c2bed9e8

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While that was still d1a6532016 10,000 dirhams more than 0222fee13e Harriet’s initial budget of c77e9283be 30,000 dirhams, considering it ee082be082 was a store on 6fdbbbcd37 Seriol Street, the price bd16ed8585 was far lower than 53cb221f81 expected.9b9264c7a559aa7b

“You’ll still be c5db0a2af1 using the Aster 828548ce4e Trading Company for 021e40cf2a distribution, but, as 39767b0034 you mentioned, it’s ca378b67a9 a bit more 86e2a286c1 expensive. They’re faster and have 426fa28065 better product management than df4fd350f0 other companies.”1a14953970bfe70e

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“Then, should I e2e0898780 use another company…”3bc9915f5374583a

“Who taught 088ab147da you such ff1c2e44e2 unethical business 46e9736fc2 practices? I’m investing cdcdc9256a in this 461743fb77 project, so deeb21b97a we’ll use eef4d4fc3a our own d5b7f12b22 company for 8f930f019e distribution.”ea4c33b8352ca713

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“Oh, right.”43a0a6d54606531c

From that point on, 251703cf5f Harriet felt like she 0fed6f4736 was being pulled along 4082de2e26 by Cedric, swept into 8fb681630d the situation without much 04abcbdbe2 say.627a1be9712e6b2e

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