Chaapter 47
1324 Words
CHAPTER 47
“My lady, everything is ready,” Mia said and lowered her head.
Tatiana nodded and stood up from her seat. She adjusted her cloak before going outside with Mia following behind her. They went through a secret passage so no one will notice them until they rode their carriage.
“Mia,” Tatiana called, causing Mia to stop fixing her wig.
“Yes, my lady?” Mia asked.
“Tonight, I’ll introduce you to Alfred,” Tatiana stated.
It took Mia a while before nodding slowly, “I understand, my lady.”
The last time they met with Alfred, Tatiana didn’t formally introduce Mia to him. It’s because, at that time, Mia hasn’t decided yet. This time, however, Tatiana will introduce them to each other since they will have to communicate more in the future anyway.
“Your alias will be M, and be careful not to reveal our status nor our identity, okay?” Tatiana reminded her.
“Don’t worry, my lady. I’ll be careful.”
Mia is smart, so Tatiana isn’t that worried. She knows Mia can handle this small thing.
After several minutes, they finally arrived in front of Alfred’s shop.
Mia and Tatiana fixed their wigs, cloaks, and their voice-changing masks before they stepped out of the carriage. They then walked together towards the shop.
Mia did the ten knocks, and seconds later, Alfred opened the door for them.
“Mr. Rogers, it’s been a while.” Tatiana greeted.
Alfred bowed his head and led them to his office. He served them some tea before sitting across Tatiana.
“How’s your wife?” Tatiana asked.
“She’s a lot better now... Thank you so much for your help, J. I am indebted to you for the rest of my life.” Alfred said.
Tatiana smiled, though he can’t see it.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad your wife is doing great,” she uttered.
“Still, I’m very grateful to you. The money you gave was more than enough that we get to pay some of our debts too,” he stated and looked at Tatiana’s eyes with sincerity.
“Then, if you’re that grateful, I’ll expect you’ll do your best on our business.” she joked.
Alfred laughed, easing the tension, and nodded his head.
“I will.”
Tatiana smiled.
It's a good thing Alfred is at ease in her presence. He used to be quite skeptical, but now he seemed to trust Tatiana.
“Speaking of, I’ll discuss to you our plans now,” Tatiana said.
Mia gave the envelope, containing their contract, to Alfred. He accepted it and read the contents immediately. After he’s done reading, he looked at Tatiana questioningly.
“What does this mean, J? We’re investing?” He asked, completely puzzled.
Mia also looked confused. She didn’t know what Tatiana was planning as well.
“Yes, that’s the plan for now,” Tatiana answered confidently.
“But...I thought we’ll start a business...”
Tatiana exhaled deeply and leaned forward. She looked at Alfred’s eyes.
“Mr. Rogers, you know about the bombing incident, right?” Alfred nodded. “Due to that bombing, a lot of big shops were affected and tourists avoid the capital. Hence, the economy of the capital is really not doing great.”
The bombing incident had affected the capital very negatively. Not only did it cause fear among the citizens, but the capital’s economy also declined as well. Shops were closed and tourists avoid the capital as well. As long as the true culprit has not been captured, this will probably continue.
“I’m well aware, but what does that have to do with our business? Doesn’t it give us more reason to start a business instead of investing?” Alfred asked, still confused.
“That might be the case, but we are not targeting big shops. Businesses owned by the nobles were the ones affected, that’s why it caused a lot more damage to the capital’s economy. However, this also means small businesses have a great opportunity to rise in the industry.” Tatiana explained.
Alfred thought about it for a moment, then he nodded his head when it started to make sense to him.
As Tatiana said, the big businesses are the ones that were greatly affected by the incident. Since these businesses are currently facing problems, it would be a great opportunity for small businesses to progress. However, in a world where the caste system is so crucial, it's difficult for tiny enterprises to take risks and compete against the large ones.
“So... what we have to do is...” Alfred dragged, unsure.
“What we have to do is to give these small businesses a boost.” Tatiana finished. “We will invest in their businesses and give them ideas as well. We’ll guide them, give them resources, and just support them. That way, they will have more chance of succeeding and we'll benefit more..”
“Alright. I think I understand it now. That’s...very clever of you, J.” Alfred complimented.
Even Mia was amazed by Tatiana’s plan. She didn’t expect she’ll think this far.
“Thank you.”
“Then, do you already know who we’ll invest in?” Alfred asked.
“Yes, these are the lists. I’ll leave this matter to you, Mr. Rogers” She gave him a paper and Alfred instantly went over it. “Ah, I almost forgot the most important thing. You have to use my name when discussing with the business owners. You have to tell them that I, Investor J, was the one who specifically chose and gave them the money. It is very crucial that you make this name known, Mr. Rogers or everything will be ruined, do you understand?”
Although a bit puzzled, Alfred, nodded.
“Yes. Don’t worry, I know what to do.”
“That’s good to hear. Also, time is critical. I can only give you a week, and I hope by then, the name ‘Investor J’ will be known throughout the capital.” Tatiana added with seriousness.
According to her agreement with Noah, she only has a week to gain the influence that she needs.
Tatiana wants to make the name ‘Investor J’ so known that it will reach His Highness’ ears. Then, she will use her newly gained influence from that name and her knowledge from the novel to help the Crown Prince look for the culprit.
Investor J will be remembered as a generous and rich man who helped small business owners and commoners. She'll acquire the trust of 70% of the population, which she'll subsequently utilize against the aristocracy. When the moment is right, Tatiana will reveal that she is Investor J in order to clear her name and gain greater influence. For the time being, however, her plan is to use the identity of 'Investor J' as a trump card to gain support, power, and influence.
“I understand. I think it will be easy since we have reasonable conditions that they would surely like.” Alfred stated and Tatiana nodded her head.
“Oh right, I want you to meet my companion. You can call her M. If you have anything to report, she’s the person you have to contact. She’ll also help you more in the future, so I hope you two will get along well.”
Alfred looked at Mia and nodded at her. Mia did the same.
“Nice to meet you,” Alfred said, but Mia only gave him a nod.
“Anyways, I believe that’s it for now. Thank you, Mr. Rogers. We’ll leave first.”
The three of them stood up and bid their goodbyes. Mia and Tatiana then entered their carriage and removed their wigs and masks.
They rode back to the residence in silence as Tatiana thought about what happened.
Today...was a successful one.
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reyankleyr
- Writer
