"Hey Heather, what kind of eco-friendly fabrics do you usually use or buy? Are your designing skills only limited to clothing, or can you make things like handbags and shoes? I know nothing about designing, so how do you measure fabrics and textile purchases? An—"
"Woah, stop right there! You're making my head spin asking so many questions at once. Take a breath, and let me answer one at a time, okay?"
I nodded and let her gather her thoughts so she could answer my questions. I was so excited about the idea I had just come up with that I didn't think before bombarding Heather.
I finally had an idea on how make money, outside the system, but everything hinged on how this first trial run would go. If I could make something out of Heather's talent, then I'd know where to focus. Maybe, just maybe, it could open doors that would one day lead to me owning an enterprise.
But of course, I wouldn't just stop there. I'd keep climbing higher until, who knows? Maybe I could own an entire city, then a state, and maybe even the whole countr—
'Okay, owning a country is a bit of a stretch, but a city? That's within reach if this plan works out. As for what comes after, we'll see. Is it just me, or am I getting greedier? No, it's probably nothing.'
I felt eyes on me and looked back, spotting a stunning girl checking me out. When our eyes met, she quickly looked away but couldn't resist peeking again.
The closer I looked at her, the more I realized she was probably around my age but had a very young face. Lucky her. I couldn't help but wonder—why was she checking me out? It's not like I had a glow-up during the last three years of isolation, right?
When our eyes met again, I flashed her my best 'I see you' grin. I saw a faint blush bloom across her cheeks before she bolted out of the store. Cute. I'll give her that. Too bad I'm not interested in relationships—not even with Heather.
One thing I learned from Jean is that relationships are messy. May I never see that bitch again. And if I do, it'll be too soon.
"Okay, let's start with your first question—what kind of eco-friendly fabrics do I usually buy? Well, pretty much everything: Organic Cotton, Linen, Lyocell, Bamboo Fiber, Wool, Silk, Polyester, and Denim."
"That's a lot of different types of fabrics," I thought out loud. "Tell me more."
"The second question—about whether I can design handbags and shoes—is a bit trickier. I don't know much about them because I've been obsessed with clothing. But I do have an eye for fashion and can pick the right shoes to match the dress. I design for anyone, so I don't really need to know how to make them, right?"
That kind of thought process seems flawed to me. I don't know much about fashion, but I'm pretty sure lacking a specific skill doesn't mean you should ignore it entirely. We'll have to work on that.
I nodded for her to continue.
"Your third question, about measuring fabrics and textiles, is simple. Fabrics are commonly measured in yards. A yard is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, which is approximately..."
"91.44 centimeters or 0.9144 meters," I finished after a quick mental calculation.
She nodded, then continued, "When buying fabric, a yard usually refers to the length of the material you're purchasing, while the width is typically standard. It's usually between 44 and 60 inches wide, or about 112 to 152 cm.
For example, if I buy 1 yard of fabric, it's 36 inches long and a certain width depending on the fabric. The more yards you purchase th—"
"The longer the fabric becomes, I get it."
"I don't care if you get it, just stop interrupting me." She was pouting now. It's pretty clear that when she pouts, she's annoyed—and right now, it was me she was annoyed with.
"I'm sorry, I get a little excited sometimes. I promise it won't happen again."
"It better not. Otherwise..." She didn't finish, but I got the message—I'd probably get an intense tongue-lashing if I pissed her off again. Best not test her.
"Alright, how much does a single yard of fabric cost?"
"Mmm... The cost varies based on several factors. In my case, it's a bit different because I buy secondhand fabrics, so the cost is much lower."
"Okay, so how much does it cost secondhand?"
She nodded. "I don't know today's prices exactly, but they shouldn't be much different from last week. I usually buy them at..."
Heather stopped when a woman and her child came to browse the clothes nearby. She dragged me aside and continued explaining the costs. I asked all the questions I needed to form a complete picture in my head.
The more I learned, the more I realized that for Heather's business to succeed, we were going to need help—especially with marketing.
If she were any good at that, she wouldn't need to rely on odd jobs to survive. I suspect someone's helping her stay afloat—probably her parents or a guardian.
After I ran out of questions, we spoke to the store manager. I asked even more questions, which made Heather wonder why I was so interested.
Well, the interest in her was simple: I was going to invest, out of the goodness of my heart. But of course, I wouldn't just invest and let her run things—I already knew she couldn't handle that. No, I'd invest, help her go from nobody to somebody.
I'd make sure to take at least 70% ownership of her business. If she grew on me, maybe I could settle for 50%. It'd still be enough to make me a lot of money.
For now, I wasn't aiming to own a company but to start small—like becoming a millionaire. With enough luck, anyone can become at least that. And with the system, it's basically a done deal. In the end, I should be aiming to build an empire.
But for now, I should focus on becoming a millionaire because I still haven't the faintest idea what kind of empire I'll build. That's the fun part about this journey to more money... hehehe...
"Eva? Eva?!"
"Mmm?"
"I said it's time to go. We're done here. Haven't you been listening?"
"Sorry, I just had something on my mind. Did you make the purchases?"
"Yeah, here's your card, by the way."
"Oh, thanks. Let's go."
"I still can't believe you're doing this for me. Why?"
"Because I see a future where your dream can become a reality. Plus, wanting to open an eco-friendly clothing shop isn't too much to ask."
"Thanks for believing in me."
"Mmm, did you say something?"
"Oh, nothing. I just said thanks. Let's go."