Six years have elapsed since the year 109, and it is now August 25th, 115. The young sisters Camille and Dahlia have reached the age of seven and are currently enrolled in the prestigious Royal Academy of Magic, located in the capital city of Sapphire. Meanwhile, the family's matriarch and patriarch, Gami and Lily, have aged to 30 and 28 years old, respectively.
The Abme Corporation, the family's business enterprise, has expanded significantly since its inception. Currently, the corporation boasts 34 grocery stores and 16 luxury shops, each strategically located in various cities, villages, and towns across the country.
These locations include Sapphire, Whelo, Gehen, Muriel, the new city of Saylis, the mining town of Devries, and the coastal cities of Castillo and Brammelle. Notably, the family now holds the distinction of being the second wealthiest in the nation of Sapphirrous, surpassed only by the royal arch duke Geovanni and the royal family, which comprises 45 members, not including the 19-year-old queen Kassandra.
Lord and Lady Abme received an invitation to attend the annual Sapphire Ball, which was hosted by the Royal Family in honor of Queen Kassandra's 20th birthday. In preparation for the event, Lord Gami Abme and Lady Lily Abme created a dress made entirely of precious silks embroidered with diamonds and sapphires, a garment of inestimable value. Upon arrival at the ball, the Abmes were escorted to their seats next to the arch duke, and they watched as the queen was presented to all of the nobles in attendance.
The speaker introduced the queen, saying, "Allow me to present you lords and ladies, the Queen of our nation, the descendant of our God Queen who created this country, Kassandra Mephulaties the 5th." The queen descended the steps and entered the ballroom, radiating beauty and power.
In her address, the queen expressed gratitude to all of the attendees for their support, acknowledging that without them, the country would not be as great as it is. She noted that her ancestors would be proud of the country's achievements and expressed her own pride in the nation.
All of the nobles in attendance applauded the queen's words, and the ball continued with dancing, music, and merriment.
The queen extended a gracious invitation to the Abmes and the arch duke to join her at her table for drinks and conversation. "This city, nay, this country owes you three many thanks for all of the work you have done," said the queen with utmost respect. "By the way, the dress you two made for me, I have never seen anything like it. It is the most exquisite garment I have ever had the pleasure of wearing!" exclaimed the queen with utmost admiration.
"Your highness, we are humbled by your graciousness and honored to have served you," replied Lady Lily with utmost deference.
The queen proposed that the Abmes open a fashion line for nobility, acknowledging their focus on bringing equality to all people as a beautiful idea. However, she opined that the current state of affairs necessitated the continued inspiration of commoners with beauty and elegance. "As such, I implore you to open a fashion line for nobility," said the queen with utmost conviction.
The queen further recommended that the Abmes open some of their fashion stores in the country of Beast folk called Urigold, with which they share borders. "I believe it would be most propitious for you to open some of these fashion stores there for their nobility! Given your sterling reputation of having freed so many of their people, I am certain that they would be delighted to make your acquaintance," said the queen with enthusiasm.
The queen honored the Abmes with the title of Duke Gami and Duchess Lily on the spot, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to society. She further requested that they act as diplomats between their two countries, a task which they accepted with utmost humility and gratitude. The Abmes were honored to receive such a promotion and eagerly accepted the queen's invitation to open up a fashion line for nobility.
Week Later.
Lily and her husband Gami sat down to have a conversation about their business. "I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to talk about the company yet, love, but we should start now," Lily said.
Gami looked hesitant, "What is there to discuss? I'm sorry, I just don't know much about any of this. This was all created on your shoulders and hard work. I had nothing to do with it."
Lily smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, love. I know that you haven't been as involved as I have, but I believe that you can learn quickly and contribute to our success. I wouldn't have asked you to be a part of this if I didn't think that you could do it."
Gami looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'm willing to try. Where should we start?"
Lily pulled out a folder of financial reports and began to explain their current financial situation. She talked about their revenue streams, expenses, and projections for the future.
Gami listened intently, asking questions when he didn't understand something. He was surprised to learn how much work went into running a successful business.
After a while, Gami began to feel more confident. "Okay, I think I'm starting to get it now. So, what can I do to help?"
Lily smiled, "That's great, love! I would appreciate it if you could help me with keeping track of everything, the larger picture. I know that you don't have a lot of experience in business, but I believe that you would be great at these tasks. They are important for keeping our business running smoothly."
Gami nodded, "Of course, I would be happy to help in any way that I can. Please let me know how I can best support you."
Lily leaned over and gave Gami a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, my love. I appreciate your willingness to step up and help. Together, we can take our organization to even greater heights, but first let me give you the structure of our business."
Corporate Headquarters:
- Face of the organization
- Ensures that all of its subsidiaries are run efficiently and ethically
- COO (Chief Operating Officer) is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company
- CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is responsible for managing the company's finances
- Logistics and accounting are managed by Lambert
- Image consulting and public relations are managed by Diedrei
Warehouses and Transportation:
- Store goods
- Transport goods via modified and refrigerated wagons, stations, and large boats
- If expanding to other countries, will need to upgrade to ships and larger modified wagons
Groceries:
- Sells quality groceries at bargain price
Luxury Jewelry and Trinkets:
- Sells luxury jewelry and trinkets for nobles
Apartment Complexes:
- Provides affordable housing for workers
Luxury Clothing Brands:
- Sells luxury clothing brands
- Housed in extravagant stores
They arrived at the corporate headquarters in the capital.
"Stephanie, have you received the letter of intent for our expansion to Urigold and our new fashion brand?" asked Lily in a formal tone.
"Yes, my lady. We are ready to roll out," replied Stephanie,
Kate then informed them of the progress of the construction process. "We have construction underway in Urigold, consisting of four grocery stores, two apartment complexes, two warehouses, two luxury jewelry stores, and two luxury clothing brands, as well as four commoners' clothing and supply stores."
Lily nodded in approval and asked for a status update on the construction process. Kate replied in a professional and informative manner, "The construction process is going as planned. We've hired the best contractors in Urigold, and they're working around the clock to ensure that everything is completed on time. We've also hired a great team of architects and designers to make sure that the stores and apartments are up to our standards."
Lily expressed her excitement about the new venture and the potential success of their new fashion brand. Stephanie chimed in, "I agree, my lady. We've put a lot of effort into the development of the brand, and I'm confident that it will be well-received by the public."
"Lily turned to her spouse, Gami, and issued a request: 'Gami, could you please visit the merchants' guild and negotiate a pipeline of the highest quality fabrics and materials? We require the utmost quality. Once you have the requisite information, kindly forward it to our logistics head. Following that, we request that you hire a recruiter to scout talent in the fashion industry for us. We require that all of these tasks be completed within the week, as we are commencing operations next month in Urigold and have a meeting scheduled with the Arch Duke of Urigold in two weeks. Your cooperation in this matter is much appreciated.'"
"Wow, you sound just like a serious business lady now!" Her husband said. "I'm on it."
"Momma, me and Camille are starving!" whined Dahlia. "And we're soooooo bored. Can we pleeeeease go eat now?" Camille added. Lily looked over at her daughters and replied, 'Of course, my loves! I'm sorry that Momma is so busy.' She then turned to her colleagues, Stephanie and Kate, and said, 'Can I leave the rest to you two? Being a mommy comes before being a businesswoman, after all.' "
Dahlia and Camille eagerly said goodbye to their daddy and ran over to Lily. "Mommy, are we going to eat at the fancy restaurant?" asked Camille with a big smile. "Yay! We're going to have so much fun!" Dahlia added, jumping up and down.
Lily smiled at her daughters' excitement and replied, 'Yes, my loves, we're going to the fancy restaurant!' The girls grabbed their mother's hands and skipped out of the room. "Bye Daddy, we'll see you later!" they shouted as they left.