"Hm, wait. Since when did you have glasses?" I go off on a tangent as the slim, stylish, sexy really, glasses on her face are a new thing. It is the first time I am seeing them unless I am really ignorant and just haven't noticed them before, and I can't help but feel my desire for her increase with the glasses laid across the bridge of her nose.
"Oh, these? I have had them for a while, not that I have bad vision or anything. They are enchanted to lessen the strain on my eyes and increase my reading speed, and they also keep my eyes from going dry. I have been dealing with a lot of paperwork since I started this job, and the glasses really help." I can't help but raise an eyebrow suspiciously, doubtful of what she has said.
Not doubtful of the fact that she had gotten those glasses for work, but wary because this is the first time I am seeing them and the first I have seen of them, even though she says that she has had them for a while. Looking at her professional attire and sexy glasses, I can't help but think of her as a sexy secretary, which reminds me of the girl I got to cosplay as that, glasses and all, which Andromeda walked in on. Curious, very curious that I would show my interest in such a thing, and now Andromeda has shown up in a similar fashion after I started distancing myself.
"Never mind that, the goblins, Gilderoy. We have to respond. We can't lose our supply of goblin silver. If we do, all our efforts will be for nought." She speaks after a while of me casting my suspicious eyes at her, refocusing on the topic though I also get the feeling that she wanted to avoid my intense inspection. But the issue is indeed quite severe, so I can ignore this amusing information for now.
"Right, I have already taken care of that. The letter is on my desk, and I just finished it. Esther also helped me." I say, alluding to the letter I had just finished writing. And I wasn't lying about Esther helping me since she was under the desk, and I tacked that on just to mess with Andromeda a bit.
"Esther helped? Gilderoy, you can't do that. That was company-" She stops when she sees the smirk on my face, her expression quickly calming as she sighs. "Right, of course. Well, how much more are we going to give them for the goblin silver?" She says, picking up the letter but not bothering to read it. After all, I have not given her permission to. Andromeda is excellent and knows the restrictions of her position. She assumes that I am acceding to the goblins' demands, but like fuck I am going to give those greedy little shits anything like they are demanding.
"We are not giving them anything more. I have clearly stated that in the letter, and I refuse to be forced to cow before them and give them what they want. I am, of course, open to negotiation, but if I give in now, then I will have to continue giving them more each time. Give an inch, and they will take a mile, especially when they discover how vital their services are for the production of our brooms." So I tell her simply, waving my wand at my chair, desk and all around the room to get rid of the leftover smells and spill. And then I sit back in my chair, relaxing into it and closing my eyes.
"But, Gilderoy..." Andromeda begins, hesitating to speak her mind. Opening my eyes, I look at her and gesture for her to continue. I am not the kind of boss that has yes men. "We need that silver, and while the goblins are greedy, they are our only source of it, and without it, we have no broom. Our experiments are constantly ruining our samples, and we will run out before soon." Andromeda expresses her concerns, but they are not anything I haven't taken into consideration already.
"Andromeda, Gringotts is not the only place in the world with goblins. It is foolish to the that all Goblins are unified under the single banner of a bank, especially not with their greedy nature. Gringotts is merely the home of all goblins in Britain, and they are not the only ones who know how to make the silver. I have also made that clear in my letter, and I can always go to a different clan of goblins for their services." I explain, and Andromeda gradually figures out my plan, given how her face lights up.
"So the choice is up to them, either they continue with the deal as it is, or they push for more and force me to go abroad for a new source which might be a bit more troublesome but is worth it to avoid being on the losing end. Right now, I am probably, most likely, their biggest customer, and I am asking for the metal straight up instead of having them forge it into tableware or some other shit like those other dumbass wizards. We have enough in stock right now that we can wait them out long enough and procure a new source in time." I lay it out clearly, putting my line in the sand.
I became very aware and knowledgeable about just who I am and who I want to be when I was strapped to that chair, undergoing torture. Digby was a fat bastard, and I am glad he was dead, but I also have to be grateful for the revelation he caused in me. He was the cause of my motivation and ambition because I realised just how easily this new life of mine could be robbed from me. I would have left my little hovel the minute I had finished learning as much as I could and ventured out without any good magical spell, unprepared for this world.
Not only that but those days spent experimenting on Digworth made me aware of just how badly I want certain things and just how far I am willing to go to get them. With the experiences of someone who had nothing and no one, as well as the expertise of someone who had everything and everyone, I have an appreciation for that and know how much it really is worth.
I would do almost anything to get what I want, and while, so far, there has been no need for drastic measures, I am more than willing. So if they think I am going to let some shitty little ugly fuckers run me over, they have another thing coming. So instead, I would attack and burn Gringotts to the ground and let those greedy shits get the better of me and take me for all I have.
"Alright, I will send the letter off straight away. Though, for a matter as delicate as this, I was sure you would simply send a letter to set up a meeting, not with your decision." Andromeda says, walking up to my desk and picking up the letter. She quickly gives it a once over to make sure it is correct, as if she couldn't trust me to do it properly, which is fair since I did just admit to having done it while otherwise occupied.
"Oh, that would have been the sensible thing to do. This is a slight, really, to decide everything over a letter without even negotiating or talking to them. They will either follow the current agreement, or I will find some other fucking goblins who will." So I tell her, even though she has already gotten the idea from her reading. Her face is not revealing anything as she does so. Even though I bet she has a few complaints, she is following along with my decision.
"But how long do we wait for a reply? They could just ignore it and wait until we ran out, and then- oh, wait, I see it. So we have given them a week to respond, and then we will move on and find another supplier. Wow, you are really playing hardball." She says, finding that in my letter. I basically stated, either give me the next shipment as planned or don't fucking contact me again. I already have some feelers out for the other goblins and know the locations of a few clans.
"Yes, now before you go. All those broom makers we gave those contracts to, their time is nearly up. Have any of them done anything lately, actually come up with a viable idea, tried to run away or come to say that they can't come up with anything?" I ask her before she goes, as this will be crucial in the upcoming days. I am not wasting time or negotiating with these goblins for another reason as well, and that is because production will be starting soon. We have not just been experimenting with the silver, and I made sure all the experiments were cautious and didn't harm the metal.
We have been stockpiling it for months, ever since we started the deal with the goblins saying that we were simply using it for some mundane use. I left that bit for Andromeda to decide. Of course, the goblins thought we were merely using their unique metal for stupid services, and they were happy to sell. Still, after so many months of continuous shipments, they obviously got greedy and figured they could bleed me for more, and that is when they thought I was simply making ordinary shit.
If they were to find out that we were making the newest and fastest broom ever to exist, then they would start charging an arm and a leg for the goblin silver, and if worse came to worse, I would have to meet their demands, which is why I have thought this through very carefully and decided not to rush ahead and get these things out as soon a possible but to take my time and stockpile as much as I can before releasing the product.
"No one has approached me yet, but no one has run either. Thankfully all the broom makers were more than muggle-borns, so they were all knowledgeable about magical contracts and their consequences. But, unfortunately, they were just too arrogant and full of themselves, and now they reap what they sow. I will visit each of them in turn and tell them what is expected of them now that their time is up." I nod my head, showing my understanding. In the three months to come, as we keep the goblins silver rolling in, we will be solely focusing on producing the brand new Firebolts. These workers will be very helpful.
"Alright, you can go. But don't forget to bring me with you to visit them. That's an order." I say, Andromeda nodding and taking the letter before exiting the room. While these guys might understand the seriousness of magical contracts, they were also stupid enough to take the risks associated with them and fuck themselves over. I can't trust that they won't try some stupid shit to get out of it, so I think it would be better that I am with Andromeda when it comes time just to make sure everything goes smoothly.
I already have multiple different plans brewing in my mind, and not just for my growing broom business, though I have been focusing on that topic more than the others. I have learned from the mega-corporation that was Apple how to sell the exact same shit with minor differences for exorbitant amounts again and again and again. So I figure I can produce a couple thousand and then sell them slowly for a high amount, the PS5 effect. After that, I will start doing custom orders, the same broom but an excellent design for each customer and charge lots for them. Some limited edition, and a whole bunch of other ideas as well.
"Oh, Shit. Tempus." I quickly remembered that I was doing something and sent off a quick Tempus, informing me that I was not yet late for my next appointment.
I better get going. I have a tournament to win.
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Thank you to my Hero Patron Cory A Cinquini.
Thank you to my Superhero Patrons, Marcus Lane, אוהד דולינסקי and Hunayn Abbas. Thank you for all your support.
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