At Alfred's Hotel Suite
Carson went to meet him in the hotel with a sense of accomplishment. Meanwhile, since the time he left for Mirabel's office, his heart had been in his mouth. He jumped from his seat when the creaked, and inquired, “Who is there?”
“Guy, open the door,” Carson requested leisurely.
From his tone, he could detect positiveness, and he was expectant. He quickly walked to the door, and opened it.
“Welcome back. How did it go?” He asked impatiently. To pull his legs, Carson teased, “She rudely turned me back, and wouldn't have anything to do with us.”
The anxious Alfred shut the door, and joined him on the couch.
“I'm not convinced. I have a feeling that she loves me, and wished to see me again. How did you present it to her?”
Carson smiled broadly, and threw the signed memorandum of understanding at him. Then, he commended, “You felt right. You have a selfish, and die-hard businesswoman here.”
Instantly, Alfred picked up the MOU and read through. Then, his face beamed with joy, and he exclaimed, “What! She monopolized the florist section.”
“That is it.”
“Does that mean that she is happy with the program?”
“You are right,” Carson stated, and thereafter, gave him the detailed report of their discussions, especially the issue of the proposal, which was the crux of the matter, and concluded with, “Congratulations. I wish you a happy married life.”
Now, Alfred was thrilled, and he asked, “Why did you think that my proposal to her would be a success?”
“Because she would do anything to redeem her company.”
“No. I'm not interested in that. From your discussion with her, does she feel anything for me?”
“I'm sure of that. Above all, she is a kind-hearted and warm person.”
“I'm lucky. Thank you for your support.”
“It is my pleasure. Let's get down to business. You know that we have a lot. We are making our perfumery debut during the event.”
“You are right. Every registrant will go home with a pack.”
“That is lovely.”
At Mirabel's Shop
After Carson left, she walked back to her office, relieved. She took her seat joyfully, and looked at the Memorandum of Understanding again, and smirked in triumph.
“This will save me a lot of money. I will get enough publicity which would direct prospective buyers. Above all, I will tutor many young people at once on how to propose and have a successful engagement just for being a partner.”
She rested her back leisurely on her seat, and relished her good fortune.
Nevertheless, she was so joyous, and wished to share her joy with someone, and must be with her grandmother instantly. She dialed her knight's number, and he picked at once.
“Get the team ready. We are closing for the day,” she informed.
“I got you, Your Majesty.”
At the Palace
“Good day, my father. Good day, my mother.” The Prince walked in, and greeted.
“Good day, son. What brings you? The King inquired.
“Good day. How are you, my son?” The Queen responded cheerfully.
“I'm good, my mother.”
“I see. Take your seat,” the King ushered him to the dining chair, and he joined them.”
“You can join us for the lunch.”
“I'm most delighted, my mother.”
He picked up the plates and cutlery, and fetched food from the chaffing dishes. Afterward, he began to eat.
Meanwhile, his parents were aware that he came for a purpose, and waited patiently for him to speak.
“My father, I wish to remind you of the treaty we have with the Prime Island on the supply of sweets and chocolate in exchange for our Cocoa.”
“What about it?”
“I feel the contract would terminate soon, and, I don't wish to renew it.”
The King furrowed his brow, and gave him a searching look. Thereafter, he asked, “Why would you do that?”
“I wish to set up a factory for that in our country, and produce the products locally.”
Now, the king dropped his cutlery, and watched him speak. Then, he continued, “I believe that it would generate more income for us.”
The King looked at his wife, and observed that she was interested in the discussion. Likewise, he faced the Prince, and remarked, “Your ideas are apt. What are your plans for that?”
“Thank you, my father. I intend to build a factory, and get some workers trained.”
“It is okay. I suggest that you start now. Let our local products run in parallel with the imported ones. Gradually, the local ones would take over the market.”
“That is good, my father. I have not seen it that way. I will send the workers for training to Nassau. But, I have not gotten in touch with the Prince for over a month.”
“Why? Are you not interested in getting things done?”
“I am, but he has been unreachable.”
“Keep trying. It is important to state before you terminate the treaty.”
“I got you, my father.”
“Long live, my King,” Mirabel greeted, and interrupted their discussions when she walked in suddenly. Apart from her grandmother, who was conversant with her schedule, the King, and Prince were not surprised to see her, and the King responded with a broad smile, “You may, rise, my dear.”
“Thank you, my king,” she appreciated, and walked to her grandmother, and crossed her hand, across her shoulder, and greeted, “Good day, grandma.”
“Good day, my dear. Welcome back.”
“Thank you, grandma.”
Thereafter, she happily walked to the Prince, and sat beside him.
“Long live, my Prince.”
Meanwhile, the King could feel the happiness that radiated from her, and the Prince tapped her back, and responded, “Welcome back, little sister. I have not visited your shop for a while. Pardon my absence.”
“It's okay, my Prince. I have good news.”
Truly, she had the Churchill's spirit, and the King watched her rapport with the Prince. Nevertheless, he wished that she would be free and rapport with him like that. Furthermore, the Prince dropped his cutlery, and requested, “Let's hear it.”
Presently, they focused on her, while she adjusted the chair to sit comfortably. Then, she started, “The client I ruined his date and his friend have let go.”
“Wow! That is good to hear,” the King and Queen said one after the other. Howbeit, the Prince was in the dark, and asked, “How did you ruin his date?”
“I erroneously gave him the wrong bouquet, and when he presented it to his girlfriend, she turned his proposal down.”
“I got it. He must be a noble man to let go of such a costly mistake.”
“Yes, he is. Apart from that, they are organizing an entertainment event, and I am the only florist company they chose to partner with,” she announced jubilantly.
“That is a sign of true forgiveness,” the King remarked.
“You are right, my King. He has a large heart,” the Queen added, but the Prince saw things differently, and he asked, “Why did they choose only you from all the florist companies around?”
Now, Mirabel was speechless, it would be awkward for her to say that she imposed it on them. To make herself stable, she picked a plate and dished out food for herself. Nevertheless, the King wanted to get her to love him, and he spoke in her favor, “Because she is the best. Am I right, Mirabel?”
She smiled happily, and accepted, “That is true, my king,” she responded confidently.
“And to show that he had truly let go,” the Queen added. However, the Prince was proud of his little sister, and he didn't hide it, “I am proud of you, my dear. You are truly the best. I will buy a ticket for the event because you are involved.”
“I have done that. I paid for three VVIP tables.”
“Wow! You are indeed a worthy partner. If I may ask, how many guests do you have in a seat?”
“Table for Six,” she responded, and gave him an inquisitive look.
“That is good. To boost your business, you can dedicate them to your worthy clients.”
At that point, Mirabel was lost, and she pointed out, “I bought it for us. What do you mean by worthy clients?”
“You can ask your highest buyers to occupy the seats as a compensation for patronizing you all the time.”
“The Prince is right. It is a way of giving them a sense of belonging,” the King added.
“The lower buyers may be discouraged, and turn their back on me.”
“That is another problem, but you can't please everyone in business,” the Queen added.
“I have an idea,” Mirabel indicated.
“Let's hear it,” the Prince demanded forthwith.
“I will go by lucky dip. Beginning from coming week, shoppers would pick concealed tickets randomly from a container. No one would complain that he or she is discriminated upon.”
“That is a good idea. How did you get your business tricks?” the king asked.
The Prince looked down, but Mirabel focused on him and it betrayed him.
“I have a big brother as a great Business Mentor.”
His mother smiled broadly, but the King was curious.
“Prince, are you responsible for this?”
“Yes father. She needs the Churchill's spirit to run her business. Otherwise, she would fail, and embarrass everyone.”
“I'm proud of you, my son.”
“Thank you, my father.”
Just like the King requested a few nights ago for a peck from her, it was Mirabel's turn to request for recognition.
“What about me, my King? Ain't you proud of me?”
With the joy in the atmosphere, the King took a spur-of-the-moment decision, and declared, “I'm proud of you, my daughter.”
“Yea, I'm thrilled to hear that,” she announced, but the excitement died down at once because her voice became emotional at once, but the Prince, who knew how to tease her, arrested the situation, by making fun of her, “Crying Big Baby.”
At that point, she suddenly began to laugh, and everyone laughed with her. Nevertheless, the King was worried.