Chapter 65 Lucas plans to propose
Proposing to Irene was a decision that Lucas had carefully considered.
There are two reasons:
First of all, he now needs a wife to marry. Only by quickly entering into a marriage can he inherit his father's inheritance. The fact that Lucas is still unmarried has become a concern for his father, so Lucas's father made a will that if Lucas does not get married, all his inheritance will be inherited by his nephew.
Secondly, Irene is back. When he hadn't received any news from Irene in the past five years, he knew that Irene had returned to the 21st century.
He had originally planned to give up on Irene and marry another woman, but since God made him meet Irene again on the streets of New York, it means that God is helping him create opportunities. As long as he marries him and has a bond with her in this era, it will be difficult for Irene to leave him.
In the 21st century, he might not be able to marry Irene, who had won awards on the international stage, but in the 19th century, he was a wealthy aristocrat with status, while Irene was just a poor girl with nothing. It was Irene's good fortune to be with him.
Moreover, he is the only person in this era who understands Irene. He understands her ambition and will not stop her from pursuing her own future. Women are most charming when they are in a high position, aren't they?
Lucas looked at the expensive diamond ring on his hand and said, "This is it."
"Yes, sir," the clerk replied excitedly. This ring was the most expensive ring in their store. She might get a large commission by selling it.
The clerk packed the items very quickly and said to Lucas, "I guarantee that no woman will not like this ring. It will be absolutely fine if you propose to her. I can't even imagine how happy the lucky lady will be when she receives this ring."
"I hope so," Lucas smiled. "An expensive woman certainly needs the most expensive jewelry to match her."
Of course there would be no problem. Lucas took the wrapped gift box, turned around and got into his own carriage. He casually glanced at the crowded crowd outside the window. The poor people were arguing loudly to buy beef and mutton that could be bought at a penny cheaper.
Two carriages pulled by two groups of fine horses galloped past them.
Lucas leaned back in the car and closed his eyes. Irene would soon realize how difficult it was for a woman without a background to do business in this day and age.
"Boss, I buy a lot, so can you give me a lower price? Then, if you give me another ten cents off on each board, I will place an order from you next time I open a store." Irene followed the boss of the lumber mill closely, and she wanted to raise her four fingers to the sky and swear to him that she would do what she said.
Decoration is an extremely expensive thing in itself, not to mention that it has to achieve the effect that Irene wants, including the best wood, paint, wrought iron shelves and doors. Irene also wants to customize distinctive lamp stands and wooden boards of different heights. When she asked about the price in the lighting store just now, the boss told her that if she wanted to achieve the effect she wanted, it would cost at least five hundred dollars.
Irene's store was in a relatively good location in New York City. The monthly rent was $100. The contract was for a year, and Irene paid $1,200 in one lump sum. Later, it cost her another $100 to remove the store's original outdated decorations and discarded items.
She got the supply channel from Madam Irin. The other party gave her a very reasonable price for Madam Irin's sake. It couldn't be any lower. Even so, the post-war fabrics were still so expensive that Irene felt the pain in her heart.
So the only way to save money now is the decoration process. She will not hire workers for things that she can do herself, and she has to be very careful in choosing materials, which must be both cheap and easy to use.
"Miss," the tall and thin lumber mill owner looked at Irene helplessly. His mustache seemed to droop, which was enough to show that he was really helpless against Irene's pestering.
"It's not that I don't want to give you a lower price. You must have asked all the factories around you recently. You should also know that my price is already the lowest. If I give you a discount of 10 cents per piece, will I still do business with you?"
"Besides, those of us who do renovations basically rely on new customers. If I give you such a low price, how can I sell things to others in the future?"
"The lowest price is five dollars per piece. This price really can't be lower. If you really think it's expensive, you can actually change to a cheaper floor. The price of this board really can't be lowered."
The factory manager bowed politely to Irene, and before Irene could return the greeting, he quickly scurried back to his office like a mouse seeing a cat.
After failing to bargain for the third time today, Irene's shoulders drooped. She looked like a helpless little unlucky person, and she walked dejectedly on tiptoe on the narrow raised edge of the road.
Leo followed her closely, prepared for the possibility that Irene might suddenly stumble and fall into his arms.
"Hey, Leo, do you think I should go ask the lumber mill in the next county?" Irene stopped, folded her skirt and tucked it under her knees, then squatted down on the spot, like a helpless and frustrated little mouse, with a confused tone.
"I have asked all the lumber mills here, and all the bosses gave similar prices, but I thought it shouldn't be so expensive, so I stubbornly pestered them for so long. Is it possible that I misunderstood, and that this board was used a lot during the war, so the price is so high now."
"Am I too stubborn? In fact, there is no need to use such a good board. Customers can't tell the difference."
When Irene asked this question, her voice was soft and small. Although she said she was asking, she actually hinted that she did not trust herself.
Leo felt a strong sour feeling in his heart. He had almost never seen Irene look so lost. Five years ago, Irene always looked like she was good at everything, which made him almost think that Irene was good at everything.
But now thinking back, even the previous Irene would be troubled and confused by various things, but he was too weak at the time, so weak that Irene never told him what problems she encountered.
Leo felt very distressed, both for the current Irene and the past Irene.
After hanging out with her all day today, he clearly saw why Irene was in trouble. It was simply a matter of not having enough money. He did have money, but with Irene's personality, she would never accept any of his kindness, and might even tell him to get lost.
How can I help Irene without making her angry?
Leo frowned, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Go to the bank to get a loan. I'll be your guarantor. Don't hesitate because of money. Since you are targeting the rich, you should use the best building materials. The aesthetic taste of those rich people is much more sophisticated than you think. You should trust your own aesthetic taste and intuition, and don't be misled by other people's opinions."
Loan? Irene was stunned for a moment. She had thought that her three thousand dollars was enough to open a store, but she didn't expect that after the war, the price of everything would almost double what she knew five years ago.
But no matter what era it is, taking out a loan is extremely risky, not to mention that she is not sure whether the wealthy people in this era still like her designs, and if Leo is her guarantor...
Irene thought again of Leo's cold and arrogant look when they had an unpleasant experience last time. She unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes and began to circle her fingers around the flexible fabric.
Leo understood her concerns without even thinking about it. Irene has always been a risk-taker. Her only concern now is probably about him being the guarantor. The best way now is to change the guarantor, such as William or a doctor. Anyone of them would make Irene feel more at ease than him.
But Leo didn't want to.
Hasn't he worked so hard over the years just to make Irene able to rely on him when she encounters problems? If he can't make Irene trust him, then what's the point of everything he does?
"If I become your guarantor, the bank will give you a very low interest rate and a longer repayment period. It's very cost-effective. You have enough time to start your business without worrying about the bank urging you to pay."
Irin's expression relaxed a little, and Leo struck while the iron was hot, "Of course, if you don't trust me, you can ask Mrs. Irin to guarantee you. But whether it's her or someone else you find, they will definitely not have such a long repayment period like me. I have military merits and savings, so my credit is very good in the bank."
Indeed, what Leo said made sense. When Leo mentioned the guarantee, the first person Irene thought of was Mrs. Irin or Lucas, but she herself knew it clearly.
Mrs. Irin is now facing financial problems herself, and the bank will most likely not give her the qualifications to guarantee her. Lucas' feelings for her may not be much purer than Leo's. To be honest, she even instinctively trusts Leo more than Lucas.
After all, she had experienced more with Leo. Lucas was just a fellow disciple with whom she had shared the same experiences. Irene was still clear about the difference between them.
"But I have another request," Leo said deliberately, "I want 10% of the store's shares. I won't be involved in the management, but you have to ask for my consent for important matters concerning the store."
"I have great confidence in you. After all, you didn't see how satisfied the princess was with the clothes you made. She even thought that your colleagues had used some tricks to get you away."
Leo had a smile on his lips, waiting patiently for the fish to be caught in the net. If he wanted Irene to feel relieved, he couldn't just help her, he had to let Irene know that he also wanted to make a profit from this matter.
Irene was only a fashion designer, and she had only a limited understanding of finance, so she certainly didn't know how much risk Leo was taking. Irene was confident in her designs, so she naturally put a filter on herself, thinking that Leo's investment was a sure win.
In the past few years, Leo has become much better at winning people's hearts than Irene, who grew up in an ivory tower.
The corners of Irene's clothes were almost wrinkled by her. She understood what Leo meant. It was equivalent to Leo exchanging 10% of the shares and the right to know about important matters for taking the risk for her.
From Leo's point of view, it is equivalent to an investment, and the investment is in a tailor shop that once made clothes for princesses. No matter who looks at it, this is a project that is sure to make money.
After all, as long as she promotes the title of princess, isn’t that the best advertisement?
Irene took a deep breath and suppressed all the worries in her heart. Many things in life require a gamble, like now.
"Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
The curve of Leo's lips became more and more obvious, and he gently squeezed Irene's hand, like a real partner - if he hadn't relaxed his palm that was twitching due to nervousness after letting go.
It was great that he had caught his bird again and even had a legitimate reason to contact her.
The feeling of loneliness that had been burning in his blood during this period of time completely dissipated.
I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
After getting a bank loan, Irene's clothing store started to be renovated quickly. Leo took advantage of the fact that he had a small share and had recently attended a meeting at the Government Affairs Office. He would run to the store after finishing his work every day. His relationship with Irene has eased a lot recently. At least Irene no longer frowns when she sees him.
Even with the help of Leo and Richie, Irene was still very busy every day.
From the department store to the garment workshop, she wanted to make a batch of finished clothes before officially opening the store. Irene planned to put up a 21st century-style window display at the door of the store after the official opening, which would not only attract customers, but also expand the size of the room, making her store appear larger.
Anyway, there was no such thing as public space in that era, so Irene happily ordered a large floor-to-ceiling window.
It wasn't until Lucas came to her again that Irene remembered that she had promised Lucas to attend the party tonight.
Irene slapped her forehead in annoyance. "I'm so sorry, I've been too busy lately. I just opened the store and I'm really overwhelmed."
"I was afraid you'd be so busy that you forgot, so I came here specially to pick you up," Lucas said with a smile.
He was dressed very formally today, with three layers inside and three layers outside, and he also tied a Windsor knot, which was rare. He looked very much like the typical 19th century elite style that he had previously despised.
Lucas added, "There will be many noble ladies coming to the banquet tonight. You'd better dress more attractively. It will also help to promote your new store."
Irene's eyes lit up.
*
"Where's Irene?" Leo looked around and frowned as he asked Richie, "Hasn't she come back from the glass factory yet?"
"I'm back. I came back with Miss Irene."
"Where is she now?"
"Oh, now I remember. Miss Irene said she was going to attend a dinner party and reminded me to remember to send money to the glass factory. It seems she didn't bring enough today."
"What party?" Leo had a bad feeling in his heart, "Who did she go with?"
"It's the man who came to the store last time. By the way, Miss Irene is dressed very beautifully this time, just like a bride. This is the first time I see her dressed so gorgeously."
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