Chapter 44
~Chapter 44~
Her heart pounded. In this courtyard where soap was sold everywhere, would Cedric scoff and ask if he really needed a nondisclosure agreement just for something like this?
But she’d already come this far. There was no turning back now.
“This is the business plan. I prepared it in advance, thinking it would save time if you reviewed this first.”
The documents had seemed perfect when she’d gone over them that morning, but the moment she handed them over, anxiety flooded her about possible flaws.
Cedric silently took the papers and began flipping through them page by page.
So this was what nervousness felt like. What if he tosses them aside? Why did I even come here?
Just as the tension reached its peak, she recalled the words of Roxana, who had helped her draft the business proposal.
“Half of a successful business is thorough preparation, and the other half is guts. No matter how perfect the plan, if the entrepreneur looks cowed, no investor will hand over their money.”
How did she look to Cedric right now? She’d strutted around arrogantly with her chin held high all this time, and now here she was, begging for money and watching his every reaction? But why should she let him treat her that way?
No, there was no reason to be afraid. Cedric wasn’t the one who decided her fate.
Hadn’t she turned down his sponsorship offer when she was leaving the convent? Where had that courage gone?
Harriet took a quiet deep breath and met Cedric’s eyes squarely.
His long, thick eyelashes pointed downward as he scanned the documents, and unlike the smile on his face moments ago, his gaze looked utterly serious with every blink.
Only after reading the very last word on the final page did Cedric set the papers down and lean back.
“To be honest…”
Harriet swallowed hard. It was probably a tiny sound audible only to her own ears.
“There are a few interesting points, but it’s hard to fully trust the product’s competitiveness. Could soap made in a convent really be better than products from a specialist beauty company?”
In that instant, memories flashed through her mind of stirring the cauldron for hours to make soap, and a surge of indignation welled up.
“Are you comparing it to products churned out in huge factories that don’t even properly clean their giant vats and use unverified chemicals and fragrances?”
“If you talk like that outside, those companies might sue you.”
“But the products I investigated didn’t even list what fragrances or foaming agents were in the soap. I couldn’t find that information anywhere on the packaging. How is that any different from unverified?”
Harriet recalled the causes of her past struggles with skin issues like rashes and acne. There had been many factors—food, daily habits, and more—but the soaps and cosmetics she’d used had played a part too.
“The soaps and herbal products from the Clarissa Saintess Convent can disclose every single ingredient used. They’re materials we’ve relied on for years, so I guarantee their safety. The nuns who make the soap even test the products themselves to ensure everything’s done right.”
“But famous ones are already on the market, like that renowned olive soap from Natariksen.”
“But they don’t have Harriet Listerwell, do they?”
Harriet flashed a bright smile.
The heart of this business wasn’t just superior products. It was also having a model who could draw people’s attention.
“A great product doesn’t sell itself automatically. People need a reason to buy it. And in this business, that reason is me—Harriet Listerwell.”
“Quite… confident, aren’t you?”
“It’s not unfounded. Just the fact that a scandal-maker like me spent a year in the convent and reemerged in society is surprising enough. And my face, once covered in skin troubles, is clear now.”
Only then did Cedric sink deeper into the sofa, a satisfied expression crossing his face.
“Everyone will wonder about your secret, and you’ll be selling products from the very Clarissa Saintess Convent that helped you.”
“That’s why I’m rushing. We have to move before the buzz fades.”
Cedric’s lips curved into a slight smirk.
“Miss Listerwell, in business, you can’t let the other side see how desperate you are. It’s as good as starting off on the losing end.”
“Judging by what you’re saying, you don’t seem all that interested in beating me.”
“Pfft, hahaha!”
Cedric couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter again.
Ever since his father had been head of the family, he’d attended these kinds of meetings as part of his heir training, and even after officially inheriting the ducal title, he’d met countless people.
But there was no one like Harriet.
She was bold and brimming with confidence, yet oddly careless in unexpected ways.
Cedric thought accepting her request for an audience had been the right call. This woman hadn’t bored him for a single moment.
“As a reward for making me laugh, let me offer some advice. For a store selling soap, the Sevial area is better than Peyton. You’re considering Harrow for distribution, but they don’t deal with the Clarissa Saintess Convent side, so they’ll charge exorbitant shipping fees….”
He went on with advice covering store locations, distribution networks, methods, and minute details Harriet hadn’t even considered.
‘Then should I revise the business plan based on this and pitch to someone else?’
It was do or die now. Harriet clenched her fist and spoke up.
“If Your Grace invests, couldn’t we use Aster Trading Company, which handles the ducal family’s distribution network? They have the largest network, so it would cut costs, and they’re experienced with distributing temperature-sensitive products.”
Cedric propped his chin on his hand and smiled faintly.
“From my perspective—or the ducal family’s—there’s almost no real gain in this business.”
“I know. But I came to you first to ask if you had any intention of helping the Clarissa Saintess Convent.”
Harriet revealed the final piece of her logic puzzle.
The convent’s long-cherished ‘Girls’ Shelter’ project had gotten off the ground thanks to his donation, but then a nearby orphanage suddenly shut down, swelling the number of girls they needed to take in. The convent couldn’t delay the business, but they lacked funds.
“The Clarissa Saintess Convent doesn’t get a flood of donations. To protect the lives of girls with nowhere else to go, they need a long-term, sustainable source of funding.”
“So, Miss Listerwell, are you saying you planned this business not for your own gain, but for the convent?”
“I’m not that selfless. I just thought it would benefit both the convent and me.”
Was that the right answer? Cedric nodded.
“Very well. I’ll invest.”
“Really?”
Harriet blurted out in surprise at his approval.
“Wasn’t that what you asked for?”
“Oh, yes, you’re right. I’m thrilled it’s moving forward.”
“You said you’re in a hurry, so I’ll have my secretary handle the details today and see how we can assist. First things first, we need to secure a store.”
After a moment’s thought, Cedric rang the bell on the table.
Soon, a man who seemed to be his secretary appeared without a sound.
“There was a vacant store on Seriol Street starting about two weeks ago.”
“Yes, they’re currently seeking a new tenant.”
“Consider it decided.”
As Cedric picked up the business plan again, flipping through the pages while he spoke, Harriet just stood there in a daze.
“You’ve budgeted 200,000 dirhams for startup costs—store rent, distribution, advertising—and projected 50,000 dirhams in revenue for the first three months. Let’s aim higher.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean we’ll scale it up. With the ducal family involved, 50,000 dirhams over three months is ridiculous.”
He picked up a pen, struck through a section of the plan, and jotted in new figures.
“The rent for the Seriol store owned by the ducal family is 80,000 dirhams a month.”
“Pardon?”
“We’ll charge half that.”
Even that was 10,000 dirhams more than the 30,000 she’d initially budgeted, but given its location on Seriol Street, it was far lower than expected.
“For distribution, we’ll use Aster Trading Company as you suggested, but it’ll cost a bit more. They’re faster and handle products more meticulously than the others.”
“Then maybe another company…”
“Who taught you such shady business tactics? I’m investing in this project, so distribution goes through our company.”
“Ah, I see.”
From that moment on, Harriet felt swept along by Cedric, caught up in the momentum regardless of her own intentions.
