Bart and Lylia stared at Castelle, then at Michael, with their expressions full of disbelief. But as usual, whenever their kid did something incredible, he would always explain it with nothing but a casual shrug of the shoulders.
"It's a little something I started when I was five years old. Turns out, the soap and shampoo I created is very popular with a lot of people," Michael explained.
But even that wasn't enough to satisfy his parent's curiosity.
"Michael…you—you created the Reborn soap and shampoo?" Lylia said, with her expression hidden by her long, golden hair.
Her seemingly gloomy expression made Michael feel guilty.
"Sorry, mom. I should have told you earlier. I just—"
And before he could explain any further, Lylia suddenly jumped up and spread her arms in the air while twirling on her toes. This must have been the happiest she'd ever been, much more than when she found out Michael had a Supreme Skill.
"My dear son owns Reborn?! HAHAHA! I'm the luckiest mother there ever is! That means you'll be able to give me all kinds of soap and shampoo, right dear? Maybe you'll even give me samples of products not yet sold to the public, right?" Lylia asked, her eyes sparkling.
It was no secret that Lylia was one of the women enchanted with the scent that Reborn's cleaning products left on her body. Even now, her skin smelled of flowers and honey.
Women would always brag to her about owning a crate of Reborn soap and shampoo all to themselves. It's not expensive jewelry or well-knit dresses that were the subject of tea-time gossip, it was Reborn soap and shampoo!
Well, now, Lylia can brag to them that it was her son who created all that. Her pride over her son was over the moon!
Michael couldn't help but chuckle. Here he thought he'd get lectured. Turns out, his mother just wanted some sample products.
"You can have anything you want, mother," he replied. "Castelle, you have that lotion I created, right?"
Castelle nodded and turned to Lylia. "If you'd like, Madame, I can lead you there."
Lylia didn't hesitate any longer and followed Castelle toward the production room of the building. On the way, Lylia talked to Castelle about how impressive her son was in creating such a successful company.
Meanwhile, the Vanderbilt father and son were left all to themselves.
To be more exact, they were the owner of the Vanderbilt business—the previous leading company in the City—and the creator of Reborn, the up-and-coming company that stole away the public approval from the Vanderbilt business.
Bart rubbed his forehead, shaking his head in disbelief.
"All this time…you were the owner of Reborn?"
The company that outsold the entire Vanderbilt business in Kingsbridge by two times for the last five years…was owned by his son.
Everyone thought Reborn was created by a secretive mogul from overseas, who had the backing of entire Kingdoms or countries under its banner.
After all, how else could it have created such innovative products? They must have had huge funding from the beginning to create the perfect product.
No one would have thought it was created by a ten-year-old boy, especially not his father.
Michael held his head down. "I'm sorry, Dad. I know that Reborn has been causing trouble with the Vanderbilt business. I'll—"
Before he could even say anything, Bart kneeled and embraced his son. Tears flowed down his face.
"I'm proud, son. Incredibly so…I've seen the Reborn company grow from a fledgling business selling nothing but soap and shampoo, into a proper company that took over the entire City.
Even though they were my competitor, I was incredibly impressed with the innovative ideas and products that they've been putting out. And the most important part is that they have been improving the lives of everyone in the City, whether they be rich or poor.
I admired them, and longed to meet the owner of Reborn to tell him how much I appreciate how much he has done for this City.
And it turns out…it's my son! You created Reborn!"
Bart chuckled as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Haha…I should have known. Your inventions like the faucet and plumbing system, the hot springs, the bicycle, everything makes sense now. Only you could have been the owner of Reborn."
Michael smiled, his eyes glassy and moist.
"Thanks, Dad. Though, those kind words won't be enough for me to slow down my expansion. I'll knock the Vanderbilt business out of this City," Michael said jokingly.
Bart had a hearty laugh before ruffling Michael's head and playfully knocking on his forehead.
…
…
…
In the aftermath of Michael telling the truth to his parents, they all went inside Castelle's office to talk about more stuff.
Michael spent a good hour talking to his mother and father about how everything in the Reborn company came about, and how he sold his first crate of soap and shampoo.
They expressed their amazement, not at just his amazing products, but his business acumen. No ordinary five-year-old would think that branding would be important in a company.
For example, naming chess as Reborn Chess allowed the company to become famous among the mages and wizards in the entire country! Even if they don't know the company, they would know the name.
Bart realized the talent his son had for business. It was even a little bit frightening. Whenever Michael explained why he made specific business decisions, Bart would be reminded of how his own father spoke about the Vanderbilt business.
Bart was sure that if Michael met his grandfather, they would find themselves in common company.
The man who built the Vanderbilt business from the ground up to the top of the world would surely appreciate Michael's talents.
The more Michael showed off his genius and talents, the more Bart was sure that he would make a good impression on his grandfather.
He couldn't wait to introduce Michael to him when they visit the family estate.