I had exited from my bedroom and started making my way down the stairs rubbing my eyes. As I did, I was still feeling the taste of satisfied vengeance.

"Morning my dear."

"Bella?"

She was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me with a warm smile.

"Apologies for thy abrupt visit. But needed to come here soon as I heard about what unfortunately happened to your business."

I wasn't sure if she was sincere or just playing with me. But whether or not, I had to go with it. I came next to her and we paced to the lounge room. "Yes, I was in agony when I had heard it had all just fell apart." Indeed I was, but it had to be done.

"And I so sorry to hear that child." Bella had taken a seat on one of the lounge chairs. "I suspect though it was sabotage."

"Sabotage?" I stuttered, not by me please, not by me.

"Yes, I hear rumours that due to the fall of your trade post, Ulein Wurter has started establishing his." What! "Wasn't he the one who upset you?"

"Y-yes." It was a great addition to the cover up. But curse him. He would refuse to admit I was right, but take my idea anyways while he had the opportunity.

"He makes you angry doesn't he?" questioned Bella with a smile across her face. "We can make him disappear if you like? I'm certain Gertrude has shared with you his main purpose among the Forgotten Bliss."

"No," I sneered. "Making him disappear from this world would be granting mercy from watching his own world collapse around him." The anger felt good in me somehow as if the desire for vengeance made it feel like a warm flame. "I want to make it happen now."

"So you want to ruin him?"

"Yes and I want him to know that I am the person who did it."

Bella looked uncomfortable. "Now something like that doesn't suit the interest of the Forbidden Bliss having one of its members who can crumble the business of someone like the Wurter family. It brings far too much attention and fear to our blissful cult."

"It wouldn't be fear they felt. It would be joy if someone like me ran their businesses, offering the things that this town needs that only I am willing to give."

"Maybe amongst the lower class. But I'm afraid other business runners would become afraid and then become our enemies."

My face twisted, but I couldn't properly frown at a lady like Bella. She was right though. To overthrow the Wurter family and bring such competition would bring such an aggressive appearance to the other families. I had to remember though how easily I could manipulate the young men like Josef and almost how easy it was. It made me smile. "Trust me when there is a way I can topple Ulein Wurter, have my place in business and give you the efficient drug trade I promise."

It made Bella give quite the curious look.

I laughed with Josef. He had told me a funny story about Joerg before his unfortunate passing. It made me feel ashamed I had taken such a graceful man's life. If I hadn't though Joerg would've been brought attention on how suspicious I had been.

"So when Fredrick came back and sat on hit saddle that had been covered in oil, he slid completely off. It was unbelievable how it happened, he just sat there one moment and just fell." He enact the scene as Fredrick sitting one second and then just falling off the next. It made me spew my drink back into my cup. "Easy there my lady," laughed Josef.

"Sorry, I had no idea Joerg was quite the prankster."

"Indeed he was. When not chasing women or on the range then you had to be wary if he was going to get you next." Josef looked into his cup. "His foolery brought us such delights that we may never witness again."

"I am sorry." It did truly make me feel bad. If only that Witch hunter had just died when the support beam collapsed on him. "But by the way, Josef, I wondered if I could ask you something."

"Anything my lady."

"Do you share any control in your father's business?"

"Well, my father said when I was ready, he would hand me one of his properties to help me be ready for when I inherited from him."

Perfect. "Do you think that will be anytime soon?"

"Excuse me?"

"Apologies, but I'm told my trade post will not be ready for sometimes thanks to the accident and I'm so eager to indulge myself within business that I thought maybe you could help me by letting me help you." I had tried to speak in the same way Bella would to me.

"Are you offering a partnership?"

I could read the interest on Josef's face. "Not exactly a partnership, but allow me to give you advice and ideas on decisions to bolster your sales." I didn't want to be too committed to Josef and the idea was to look like there was as little as me involved in this as possible.

"But you would come in every work day for us to work together?"

"Of course."

"Excellent. I know this brewery that I knew my father wouldn't mind letting us have."

It was tempting with all the ale I could probably drink, but I doubt it might actually have ale. "Um I was more thinking a clothes shop."

"A clothes shop? I don't think those are profitable enough."

"I have a lot of experience that I'm pretty sure I help you turn it into quite the money making business."

"How?"

"What sort of clothes shop can we expect?"

"Excuse me?"

"Would kind of shop would it be?"

"Either I guess, my father owns three and wouldn't mind giving up either one of them. There's this small shop he's recently acquired by it truly lacks at making any profit."

I smirked. "That one then, normally the ones that lack in truly making any profit are just because it has no proper business profit that needs turning around."

"Okay, but how are you going to do that?"

"I'll have to see this business first before I can explain. But I assure you that once you're in charge and listen to me and trust me." I leaned towards him. "This will be the start of your own monopoly."

"Monopoly? As in your plan for me to form my own business empire?"

"Why not?"

"But I already have my father's business to inherit"

"It's just a thought. Imagine it after all, if you do so well at making money come out of this shop, you could always then expand your business to another shop."

"Hm, I guess, but if I have you that will be the real fun part."

"Great, when can you get your father to pass over the shop?"

"Well I'm supposed to be going to meet him right now so I'll find out. You can come if you wish?"

"That's alright." I wouldn't be able to stand being near him. "Just send a messenger by to when we can meet up."

"Very well." He got up and took my hand to kiss. "It was wonderful to see you again me lady and I look forward to our partnership."

I nodded and the noble left. Gertrude then appeared at my side.

"Right, so how's helping Ulein's boy become a success ruining him?"

"Because I'll be pitting son against father, where I will be able to have Josef come out on top."

"Making it sound like it will be easy to pit them against each other."

"They don't share their views on women which is already a sign that they're different people who happen to live under the same house. Ulein's also pig headed and childish meaning that when I have his own son outdo him, he will feel threatened that the younger lion is starting to take his place at the head of the family before the old one is passed on. I have a feeling Ulein had no intention letting that happen."

"Sounds like a plan. But tell me, what do we get out of this if you're doing this for free?"

"Josef will listen to every word I say, that includes the employees I want handling the wagons from our merchant partners."

Josef had my arm and Gertrude stood behind my shoulder as we went through the market district.

"My father tried pressing me for another line of work, but I had managed to make it clear to him that this was the business we would have."

"We?" I smiled. "I take it you were open about taking ideas from a woman."

"More than I intended. I'm afraid things had become very heated between me and my father. But he had already agreed to handing over the business before we got into the subject of women's roles in business."

Good, Ulein would probably have been childish enough to going back on his promise to hand Josef one of his properties if he knew I had something to do with. What was better was that my wedge between the two was already starting.

My eyes were drawing to how familiar this place though, it was the same route actually to work, my old work. I then spotted it, the Golden star fabric.

"Wait, is that the shop?"

"Yes, how did you guess?"

"I-I, you said this business you had taken over suffered from poor management." I said. "This business is known for that."

"Hopefully it'll be all about to change."

I gleamed. "It is."

We entered the shop and we were greeted by Markus, who bowed before me as I imagined he would one day.

"G-good evening, y-you must be Ulein's boy. I-I am the manager of this establishment, Markus Kumpoff, the Golden star fabric."

"Yes, good day and this is my partner Gretchen-."

"And this is my bodyguard Gertrude!" I cut in. I really should've used a fake name.

"Well I-I am at your serve Josef Wurter and my lady."

"Excellent, we'll walk around then, you can inform us of how things work around here and we can start coming up with ideas."

"Actually." I paced forward, savouring this that for the first time, Markus would listen to me, he had to. "I can already see a few things we can do already." I pretended to swipe the hangers as if for the first time. "One we can improve on the cleaning, probably have cleaners that specialize in it as an impression is important and helps protect the quality of clothing. We can also swap those wares at the window for something more popular. As if anyone wants to see a look through a shop that has clothes they can barely afford. We should also remove this Nordland ware, not one need clothes this warm at this time of year." And this was only the beginning.

"Uh-uh my lady, th-that's all fine ideas, but I think you're not imaging there'd be problems with those things. Like hiring cleaners just so they clean? Like those clothes at the window as well as just there to show how fancy this place is rather than common or anything and-."

"That's fanciful Markus, but this is coming from a man who wasn't making any profit and had to hand it over and is now being passed onto his son." It was about time to know what it felt not to be listened to. "Josef, what do you think?"

He shrugged, but was amused if not excited by the behaviour I just displayed. "I think it's all good my lady."

Markus looked ready to explode, but there was nothing he could do, this was always going to happen, fortunate for him he was in the hands of someone who would redeem him of his mistakes.

"I'm also going to want us to hire private wagons Josef, if you don't mind."

"How come my lady?"

"To allow us to faster transportation of goods faster. Fashion is a fast moving business that's hard to keep up with and so we need to be as fast as possible. Getting it from the trade posts really would be too slow considering all the stops it has to take."

"But hiring employees and buying a wagon for that would be expensive," gaped Markus.

"It wouldn't be for all the places we get our stocks from, just the ones that have items in fashion to make as much a profit out of it as we can."

"That does sound like a good idea," said Josef.

"Excellent, Gertrude already knows of some friends that have a wagon that could start working for us."

"You really think with all these changes that this shop is going to be able to afford all this," grumbled Markus. "Buying wagons, more employees and letting go of stock."

"I don't think," I slithered. "I know." I felt incredible right now as a desire I had never truly thought of was given to me.