The Vermont air was cool and fresh, sunlight pouring into the grand study-turned-temporary-office of the Thornhart estate. Papers were spread across the desk, a laptop open with multiple tabs and spreadsheets, and a vision board filled with product sketches and brand names pinned above the fireplace.
Oliver sat in the leather armchair, shirt sleeves rolled up and glasses perched low on his nose as he adjusted figures on the screen. On the couch nearby, Emily rocked gently with baby Amelia swaddled against her chest, asleep and blissfully unaware of the small empire her parents were plotting.
“Okay,” Oliver said, rubbing the back of his neck. “If we stick to a soft launch online, use your blog and network to generate buzz, and offer a pre-order model for the first collection, we might be
