Chapter 426: Being a Montgomery
Claudia put her hands on her hips and waited for Michael to speak. Her combative expression coupled with her wild wolf-cut black hair, made Michael feel defensive.
“What? You know me?”
“Of course I know you. Michael. Reborn. Those are the two words that have been the subject of my letters with Yuna. My cute little niece. She used to visit me every other month, but now, it’s just letters.”
Michael raised his hands, trying to show his innocence. “I didn’t do anything,” he insisted.
“Oh yes, you did. You stole my Yuna’s heart! Otherwise, she would have visited me by now. What kind of black magic have you done to make her stay with you this long?”
Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. We just have the same idea about living life in comfort.”
Claudia eyed Michael, still suspicious.
“You can ask her yourself. I’ll come get her.”
She waved her hands, stopping him. “There’s no need to do that. I was just messing with you. I was just curious as to what made my cute little niece finally come out of her grandmother’s shadow?”
He stared at her, confused. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you see, Yuna is being primed to become the next successor of Xere Montgomery, you know, the current worldwide diplomat that settles all disputes between continents?
As part of her training, she was supposed to go around the world, travel, and gain experience about what it takes to become a good diplomat.
One of the traits that she had to acquire was being unbiased. She needed to be a quiet observer, a fly on the wall on all things that was happening in the world. That way, when a conflict has to be resolved, she can mediate between the two parties and act with clear judgement.
Now, imagine my surprise when I saw from her letters that she decided to hitch her wagon onto this unknown company called Reborn, being led by a child named Michael
She was abandoning her efforts to become neutral! She actively picked a side!”
Michael didn’t know that Yuna’s actions would be such a big deal. He thought there was nothing wrong with her helping him out on some contracts. He didn’t know it would violate the neutrality of Montgomery.
“And why does it matter that she chose to follow me and Reborn?”
Claudia put her hands on the table. “It’s important because it decides her future. Now, she’ll have to stick by your company’s side and represent it as her chosen side. She can’t arbitrate conflicts involving other parties, only those involving the Reborn company. Her path has basically been set! Your company’s downfall is her downfall.”
Michael took a deep breath. He didn’t feel sorry about this at all because he knew that Yuna made her own choice. She must have had her own reasons for becoming a part of Reborn.
“I can’t change her decision,” he told Claudia. “But I can damn make sure that it’s the right one.”
Claudia was startled as she saw the seriousness in Michael’s eyes. It wasn’t the kind of thing that a boy his age could show.
And for a brief second, she felt as if Michael’s words were the truth. There was confidence in his voice that wasn’t just backed by empty bravado. He seemed to be really convinced of his own eventual success.
“Alright, I admit that you do have some claim to your words. Reborn company… It says here that your company has achieved the 450th rank in the Golden 500. Wow,” she praised as she looked at the paperwork on her desk.
“But that’s not just the only problem I have with you. It’s your name. Vanderbilt. Are you planning on using that to get the permit?” Claudia asked, peering through his eyes.
“I can get the permit on my own merits,” he replied.
Claudia nodded, a hint of respect seen on her face. “I would have refused you outright if you did. You would have been another one of those inheritors who demanded a permit just because their last name coincided with a conglomerate.
I’m starting to understand why Yuna picked you. You look laidback and gentle, but there’s a hidden tiger within you that is quite feisty.
Still, she couldn’t have picked a better family name if she wanted her grandmother mad. Xere has always been petty about the Vanderbilts ever since Yze found a loophole in her contracts.”
Michael quickly raised his hand. “That’s just my last name. Me and my company have no affiliation with the Vanderbilt business,” he corrected her.
“Either way, you, a Vanderbilt, has taken her favorite grandchild from her. And as you may not know, a grandmother’s overprotectiveness is something that can be akin to hellfire. Are you still willing to back up your words?”
Michael didn’t know why that mattered, but he didn’t change his answer. “Reborn will succeed. And Yuna will succeed with us. Give me a chance to show it,” he promised.
Claudia clapped her hands together. “Okay, then. Just like any other company, I will give you a spot in the market to sell your product or services to the general public. You will be limited to a small stall, about as large as a carriage. Here is a rulebook for you to browse.”
She tossed him a thick red book titled ‘How to get a Permit 101.’
“Take all the time you need. If you have questions, just ask—”
“No need. I understand it all perfectly,” Michael replied.
Claudia stopped and looked at Michael. “What do you mean?”
“I read the book.”
“No you didn’t. You just flipped through the pages without reading it.”
Michael put down the book back at her desk. “Don’t worry. I got it all on here,” he said, pointing to his brain.
Thanks to ChatJK4, just a single read-through of the entire book was enough for his trusty old AI assistant to understand perfectly the rules of the test.
“Canditates are given one week to sell products and services in the market. The total number of sales and profits will be tallied at the end.
If it’s high enough to beat just a single one of the local companies here in Metropolis, then you can grant me a permit for my business.”
Michael recited perfectly, word for word, without any error. This would have been impossible if he had just parsed through the pages like Claudia thought.
“That’s…that’s correct,” she muttered.
“Thanks. I’ll be back tomorrow to set up the stall,” Michael said before he left the room, leaving Claudie alone and still shocked.
“That boy…he’s very surprising, I’ll give him that.”
Although she was giving him a hard time earlier, she was very much rooting for him to succeed. After all, she knew just how hard it was to earn a permit in this territory.
By her estimation, Michael and his Reborn company would probably find it hard to get the sales they wanted in Metropolis.
After all, this place was completely different from places like the Kings region or Angora City.
Metropolis customers were hard to please.
And just as she was about to go back to her seat, she noticed a bunch of excited murmurings from outside her door.
Curious, Claudia walked out of her room to find a lot of people crowding over the reception desk, creating a sea of people. Almost every worker in the Association building was trying to squeeze themselves to see whatever it was they were trying to see.
“What’s going on over here?” she asked them.
“Miss Claudia! We’re just amazed by this thing called a ballpoint pen!”