Generous offer

Because Reborn soap and shampoo became so popular, times were rough for anyone in the traditional soap production business. In a matter of days, their entire businesses collapsed—no one was buying their products anymore.

"Daddy, Daddy! Can you buy me a chess board? Please, Daddy!" a young boy tugged at his father's sleeves, eyes full of hope.

The father was none other than the owner of the failing soap-making business.

"I'm sorry, son. Money's a little tight right now. How about we buy you a chess board next year?" he forced a smile, kneeling to rub the boy's hair.

"No! I want it right now!" the boy cried before running off in tears.

Seeing his child in tears, the man sighed but there was nothing he could do other than let the boy sulk. Now that no one was buying their soaps, they weren't earning enough money to even keep the business afloat. All the money he saved up was being used to pay his workers a decent salary in these hard times.

Knock knock.

Just then, a sudden knock at the door of his office pulled him from his thoughts. He quickly welcomed the visitor in, hoping that it was a potential customer.

Quickly straightening up, he put on his best smile. "Hello, what can I do for you?"

The door opened and in walked a young woman, who gave a polite bow before speaking.

"Good morning, sir. I'm here as a representative of the Reborn company."

At the mention of the name, the man stiffened. He would have never thought that the very company responsible for his struggles had sent someone to his doorstep.

His tone turned sharp. "What do you want?" 

Castelle sat across from the man and slid a piece of paper onto his desk. The man ignored it, not even glancing at it, keeping his sharp gaze locked on her instead.

Seeing his obvious hostility, Castelle knew that she had to shift her tactics.

"Sir, why do you own a soap business?" Castelle asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" he scoffed. "I wanted to earn money. Wanted. But thanks to your company, I can't even buy my son a chess board for his birthday. My workers are struggling to eat!"

Without a word, Castelle picked up the paper and showed it to the man, making sure that he finally paid attention to it.

"This is the formula for our soap," she said. "Our young master wants you to have it."

The man's eyes widened and he quickly snatched the paper and parsed through the contents, his expression shifted from suspicion to disbelief. The instructions looked genuine—a detailed, step-by-step guide to creating Reborn soap.

He couldn't believe it.

His grip on the piece of paper tightened. "Is this some sort of trick? What are you trying to pull?"

Castelle shook her head. "There are no tricks. If you want to take that piece of paper with you, then we will gladly give it to you. There are no other conditions."

The man shot up from his chair and paced back and forth in his office.

"Why?" he demanded. "Why are you giving your competitor the biggest secret of your soaps? You could have kept it yourselves and drove us all out of business."

Castelle smiled, recalling the young master's words.

"The owner of the Reborn company doesn't want enemies," she said. "He wants everyone to live comfortably. And if that means giving you the formula, then he is willing to do that."

The man stopped in his tracks and looked at Castelle to see if she was kidding. But she wasn't. She was serious.

"I don't know if I should laugh or commend him," the man said, rubbing his hair in frustration. They had made it extremely hard for him to hate the Reborn company.

"Sir, if you wouldn't mind me asking—can you tell me what was your best monthly profit from selling soap?"

The man was confused by her question. "What?"

"On a good day, what would you have considered a good profit before the Reborn soap took over the market?" Castelle reiterated.

The man thought it over and gave out a generous estimate.

"About 100 gold a month," he said.

Castelle then reached into her pocket, pulled out a pouch and plopped it over to the man's desk. He wouldn't mistake that clinking sound for anything else. Those were gold coins, a lot of them too.

"The Reborn company is willing to give you a chance," Castelle said. "If you come under the banner of our company, we are willing to give you a thousand gold coins upfront. Plus, a portion of sales every month—if you produce Reborn products for us."

The man gulped, his mind already lost in all the words Castelle said.

"If you become a part of us, you will officially sell Reborn soap and shampoo."

The man sank back into his chair. "And what happens if I refuse? Will you take back the formula?"

"No. That formula is yours to keep. You can sell that soap under a different name, and we will not disturb your business."

"However, let me remind you that our Reborn company is not just a single product. The leader of our company has a lot of other products and ideas in store. He has plans to make lotions, perfumes, and other such products. It's not even limited to just cleaning products. And as you may know, we are also the ones who introduced chess into the market."

"If you join us, you can have the opportunity to be a part of something much bigger."

If the man was short-sighted, he would have just taken the formula and produced Reborn soap by himself and kept all the profits.

But in the long-term, he would stand to gain much higher profits if he allied himself with the Reborn company's greater success. After all, the future of this company was astronomical.

Still, this was a big decision.

"You can take your time deliberating for now," Castelle said. "I'll be back later to hear your answer."

Castelle then walked back to the door and gave him another courteous bow before she left.

The man remained in his seat, his head buried in his hands. His decision here could alter his and his family's fate for better or for worse.

Just then, the door burst wide open. His son ran in, beaming with the biggest smile on his face while he carried a chess board—one personally made by Michael. Castelle had dropped it off as a gift.

"Thank you, daddy! I love you!" 

Before he could even react, his boy threw his arms around him for a big hug.

The man's smile grew, with tears welling up in his eyes.

At that moment, his decision became clear. 

He was going to accept their offer.