Chapter 706 - Time To Take The Leap

Earlier this afternoon, Yvonne had made an important decision for her safety and future well-being.

That decision was pertaining to the 'Mission AWOL' which she had planned before she took her afternoon nap.

However, while she was planning on staying out of the public's sight until this entire situation subsided and was forgotten by everyone, she had other thoughts in her mind as well.

She had made up her mind to remain unnoticed for the time being but this did not mean that she would stop working altogether.

So during the time that she, as the daughter of the St. Claire's family was going to remain away from the public's scrutiny, she decided to make some much-needed advancements as VC, the owner of CLOVER.

After all, only a chosen few knew of her identity as VC which would not cause her any issues during this period.

Therefore, she had asked her father and uncle for their time in order to discuss the plans she had already made for quite some time now.

"CLOVER's first aim was to win the hearts of the commoners and become a household entity in their lives." She mentioned something which she had voiced out in the past as well.

Her company was the underdog when compared to the one that had a complete monopoly in the soap business.

However, the low costs and higher quality of products sold by CLOVER had resulted in them becoming the go-to option for numerous people in their Kingdom.

Therefore, it was safe to say that now, CLOVER was able to stand against the Blaise family's company in terms of the commoner market.

Only those who had close relations with Earl Blaise were continuing to do business with him even when it was taking a toll on their treasuries.

'Sooner or later, they will have to give up and join hands with CLOVER.' The little girl surmised as no one would burn their pockets just to remain by someone's side.

However, what she was conveniently forgetting was that Marquess Samed had done something very similar just this morning.

To gain her forgiveness and become her trusted tutor once again, he had accepted her demands even when they would burn a massive hole in his pocket.

Yet Yvonne did not connect these two situations and went on with what she was about to say.

"The yearly contracts with most of the fiefs ended during the plague so the first task would be to renew them." She began pointing out the tasks that needed to be carried out.

While the Hagen family had continued to produce soaps even during the plague, sales and distributions had come to standstill due to the restrictions on travel.

Even the soaps which had been transported by CLOVER were given out free for relief during the plague.

Thus the company had done no business the last year on a whole.

Now that things were regaining normalcy, it was high time for CLOVER to make a comeback into the market.

She had already mentioned this to Sevenz when she had met him after returning to the Capital.

He had been the mediator, negotiating the contracts with the various fief lords when CLOVER had first entered the market.

But this time, when Yvonne had visited him, she had met his nephew, Sept who had come to stay with him for a while.

Therefore, it would be inconvenient for Sevenz to be traveling throughout the Kingdom when his nephew was here to recuperate after experiencing a traumatic incident in his life.

When Yvonne had observed the hesitation on her business partner's face after she had mentioned her plans, she did not force him to comply with her wishes.

Instead, she encouraged him to stay with Sept and give him the moral support he needed during this crucial time in his life.

Since the negotiations had already been completed the first time, Sevenz's presence was not needed and his subordinates could deal with this matter in his place.

All that was needed was the Fief Lord's signature on the new contract which would be valid for another year from its date of signing.

No other changes would be made either in pricing or in supply.

Therefore, Sevenz could stay in the Capital with Sept while his men did the heavy lifting this time around.

Rutherford had been hoping to send Sevenz away from his daughter to halt all communication between them.

However, when he heard the reason for the mysterious Master of the Ocular Caravans to not accompany his men for this upcoming trip, he could not bring himself to say otherwise.

After all, he too had lost his mother at a young age so he could empathize with Sevenz's nephew who had popped up out of nowhere.

Thus, the first course of action, sending Ocular Caravans to help CLOVER sign renewed contracts with various Fief Lords had been accepted without anybody's objections.

Yvonne was the owner of CLOVER but she valued their opinions as well since they were more experienced than her.

Seeing that they were on board with her ideas, the little girl headed on to the next topic on her agenda.

"How is the Hagen family doing?" She inquired while gazing at her uncle.

Viscount Marcus Valente was the intermediary between VC and the Hagen family.

Therefore, the first person Yvonne sought out to inquire about this matter was her uncle.

Marcus nodded his head before explaining that during the plague, there had been sufficient raw materials for them to continue production.

Everything they produced was stored in excellent conditions and even if she were to ask them to start distribution right at this instant, they would be ready to do so.

Yvonne smiled, satisfaction apparent on her face when she heard these words of confidence coming from her uncle.

"That old man from the Hagen family has gone wild with the research fund you allotted them." Knox chuckled as he filled her in on the information he possessed.

One of the conditions that Yvonne had placed before the Hagen family back when she wished to start the business and needed their help was this 'Research fund'.

The temptation of a steady flow of funds for research purposes given to the members of the Hagen family was enough for the head of the family to sign the contract back then.

With this fund, he could create newer improved versions of soap or even variations to the existing method they used.

The dream he had as a child was now being fulfilled when he was well into his adulthood.

This was one of the best perks given by Yvonne in exchange for their assistance in creating soaps for CLOVER.

Therefore, learning that the head of the Hagen family was making proper use of this money allocated for his research, the little girl chuckled.

"This brings me to my next topic of discussion." She revealed after returning to her serious demeanor.

The men and young boys all nodded at her, eager to see what else she had in her mind.

"Since CLOVER has done well among the commoners, I think it is time for the business to lay its foundations in the noble market as well." She disclosed what she had been thinking for a long time now.

Yvonne had initially entered the commoner market because Earl Blaise had a strong grasp over the noble market.

Not to mention that he would have the public's support and sympathy if a new company popped up out of nowhere and tried to compete with him.

A wily businessman like him would not have thought twice before ruining them by using vicious rumors about the company infringing on his rights as the owner of the soap-making formula.

Even if he had not done so, he could still influence the other noble families to boycott the company which was trying to sell them counterfeit goods of low quality.

Thus Yvonne had taken all these possibilities into consideration before deciding to venture into the commoner market first.

The commoners needed her products more than the noblemen who could afford the exorbitant prices without batting an eye.

Thinking of the populace that was in need, she led CLOVER to the commoner market after gaining all the required documents.

These official documents thwarted every scheme of Earl Blaise which could defame CLOVER by exploiting the issue of the rights to the soap-making process he had.

However, CLOVER's process was completely different from his and even the King had borne witness to this fact.

Therefore, Earl Blaise would never be able to attack them in any legal way.

This left him with another, nefarious and underhanded option which was to target either VC or the Hagen family but even that had been snatched away from him.

VC was an enigma known to no one and the Hagen family was under the protection of the Valentes who also had an ax to grind with that insincere Earl.

Therefore, right at this moment, there was nothing Earl Blaise could do to hinder CLOVER's way.

Thanks to this confidence, Yvonne decided that it was time for them to take the leap which would bring them to the next level in their progress.

"I still have a lot to prepare for this but I wished to place my thoughts before everyone today." She explained why she had asked them to stay behind and listen to her ramblings.

Rutherford had his doubts in the beginning but ever since he had seen how calm and collected she was while making decisions that affected the entire future of a business, he knew that he had done the right thing in encouraging her.

As long as her identity as VC was under wraps, they would be able to protect her and she could do as she pleased without putting herself in harm's way.

Therefore, hearing her thoughts and plans for the future, the proud father could not help but admire how much she had grown as a child and a budding businesswoman.