The Sale of Rachel Mining
Rachel Mining is for sale! "F-fourty percent, you say?!" "Ma'am! No matter what, that's far too generous!" "Exactly! You're already treating us better than any other company out there. This is the first job I've ever had where I actually enjoy coming to work every day!"
Even though she was offering them forty percent of the total sale price, the employees tried to talk her out of it. Rachel simply shook her head with a gentle smile.
"No. I've already made up my mind. The reason our company has come this far is because all of you have stood by my side."
Her words sent a ripple through the office. Murmurs of joy and excitement mingled in the air.
"Forty million gold… Even if we split that equally among all sixty-two employees, that's roughly six hundred and forty thousand gold per person."
"Even if we distribute it by rank, the regular staff should still get at least two hundred thousand gold each?!"
"Whoa… My head's getting hot just thinking about it…!"
The employees' faces flushed bright red at the sudden windfall. Rachel raised her voice to calm the atmosphere.
"In any case, I need your consent. Once the company falls under the Besmont Ducal House, most of you will likely lose your jobs. They'll want to fill every position—from the top down—with people who suit their tastes. That's why the sale proceeds I'm offering you… can be considered a form of severance pay."
The room fell into a heavy silence. Rachel continued with a solemn expression.
"If we refuse the sale—"
Her lips paused for a moment.
What if we refuse? The ducal house might resort to violence and threaten all of you.
Should she reveal this ugly truth here? Rachel's eyes wavered.
No. I can't do that.
That wouldn't be giving them a choice. It would be no different from using fear to force them to vote in favor of the sale. She quietly closed her mouth. She decided this truth could wait until after the vote—if the majority voted against the sale, then she would tell them.
"Then let's begin the vote. Please write 'for' or 'against' the sale on your papers and submit them to the desk in front of me."
The sound of scratching pens filled the office. A short while later, sixty-two folded sheets of paper were stacked on the desk. Rachel opened them one by one and read the results aloud.
"For. For. For…."
Every single one she unfolded said 'for.' Soon, she reached the very last paper.
"…For."
All sixty-two employees. Unanimous approval for the sale.
"It's unanimous in favor of the sale."
A bitter look crossed Rachel's face. She understood that no employee could remain unmoved by money… yet she couldn't help feeling a strange sense of disappointment. After all, this was a company they had built together with blood, sweat, and tears. It felt wrong to hand it over without a second thought.
But she quickly shook off those thoughts. She had been the one who decided to ask for everyone's opinion. If their collective will pointed toward the sale, then she should follow it. Moreover, accepting the sale meant her employees would no longer get caught up in the ducal house's schemes or suffer any harm. That fact alone brought her peace of mind.
I'm glad I listened to Duke Goldman's advice.
"Understood. Since the decision is unanimous, I'll contact the ducal house and proceed with the sale."
Rachel left the employees behind and entered her office. Creak.Thud.
She walked to her desk, picked up the receiver of the mana-powered telephone, and dialed the direct line the ducal house's representative had left early that morning. As soon as she pressed the transmit button, a low vibrating hum echoed from the device.
At the same moment, inside the Besmont Ducal Mansion in the imperial capital.
In the study, a man with flowing red hair was flipping through documents. Knock, knock. A knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
The mahogany door creaked open, and a red-haired woman who resembled the man stepped inside. He called out to her.
"Isabel."
"Heath, big brother, what are you doing? You look busy."
"You can see for yourself. I'm working."
Isabel walked over to Heath and perched on the edge of his desk.
"So? Did you hear back from the agent you sent this morning? What did our oh-so-talented little sister say?"
Heath's brows furrowed in displeasure.
"She refused. The filthy spawn of a lowborn woman."
"What? Is she insane? We offered her a hundred million gold! And she turned it down?"
When Heath nodded, Isabel clicked her tongue.
"That rootless bastard child must have gotten a taste of money and lost her mind. How utterly arrogant."
Though her words were harsh, the truth was that her stomach was twisting with jealousy. The only advanced drill capable of mining Arcanium veins belonged to that filthy illegitimate child. During the years Isabel had lived under the same roof as her, she had been irritated beyond words by the way that lowborn girl excelled at both academics and magic despite her tainted blood. So she had spent ten years treating her like a punching bag, trampling her down. When the girl left the family, Isabel had laughed and said she'd starve to death on the streets. Yet in just a few short years, she had become the representative of a promising company that had caught the empire's attention. Their predictions had been shattered spectacularly.
That was why they had decided to swallow the company whole. It wounded their pride, but it was necessary to monopolize the sweet profits that would soon pour in.
Arcanium is a resource of infinite future value. If we can monopolize it, a hundred million gold is practically pocket change.
Besides, how good would it look to outsiders? A family acquiring the successful company founded by one of their bloodline. It was the perfect opportunity to further polish the Besmont family's public image. That was the calculation behind their acquisition offer.
And she dares refuse?
The sheer insolence of it grated on Heath's nerves. Then Isabel's eyes narrowed into sly crescents.
"Then there's no choice. We'll just have to do that, right?"
At his sister's whisper, a smile spread across Heath's lips.
"Indeed. After all, the only thing that truly matters in that company is the magic array engraved on the drill. If we can steal that formula, there's no need to spend a hundred million gold."
He tapped his fingertips on the desk and murmured, "I tried to handle this cleanly, like a proper noble… but it seems she's willingly walked into the lion's den."
"Hehe. She's such an idiot. Did she really think she could accomplish anything on her own?"
"Hmm. We'll need to start looking into the executives' families. If even one of them has ties to our family's businesses, we can pressure them to leak the confidential information."
"If you're going to kidnap anyone, call me. I know some very capable people."
Just then—
The unpleasant yet familiar voice coming through the receiver made Heath's eyes twitch. When he glanced at Isabel while still holding the receiver, she caught on immediately, the corner of her mouth lifting as she gave a slight nod. Let's hear what she has to say.
Heath spoke in a thoroughly condescending tone.
"What do you want?"
"Rachel Mining… I've decided to sell it to the ducal house. Is that hundred-million-gold offer from this morning still valid?"
"Hah."
A sneer escaped Heath's lips.
"You kicked it away with your pride intact just a few hours ago. Now you're tucking your tail between your legs?"
"We held a meeting. Everyone voted in favor of the sale."
Creeeak.
Stupid vermin. Blinded by a few measly coins, they're ripping open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs. This is exactly why the uneducated can never see the bigger picture.
Employees who couldn't see future value and were swayed by immediate cash. And Rachel, who let herself be swept along by her subordinates and handed over the company. They were both laughably pathetic.
"Our agent is still in Hamilton. I'll send him over, so sign the contract."
"Understood."
Click. Rachel hung up first.
"...What an ill-mannered lowborn bitch."
As Heath slammed the receiver down, Isabel asked, "What happened? Did she agree to sell after all?"
"Yes. Apparently the employees went crazy over the hundred million gold and demanded the sale."
"Tsk. I was hoping to squeeze them a little more, but she folded. How boring."
Having lost interest, Isabel hopped off the desk.
"I'm leaving. Get back to work, big brother."
Creak.Bang.
The moment Isabel left, Heath dialed the agent.
"Rachel has agreed to the sale. Go to Rachel Mining headquarters immediately and get her signature on the contract."
"Understood. I'll head there right away."
Click.
He leaned back in his leather chair.
Now the Besmont family will become the empire's leading mining powerhouse.
Completely unaware of what would happen the next day, he sank into sweet fantasies.
* * *
Scratch, scratch— The sound of a pen filled the executive office. Once Rachel finished signing, the ducal house's agent placed the documents in his bag and stood up.
"With this, ownership and all technology of Rachel Mining now belong to the Besmont Ducal House. The hundred million gold payment will be deposited into the account you specified by this evening. Personnel from the main house will be dispatched shortly to take control of the company, so please prepare for a smooth handover."
Rachel gave a light nod.
"Then I'll be going."
The agent left the office. That evening, Rachel headed straight to the bank. Sitting at the VIP counter, she looked down at the balance certificate.
DEPOSITOR:Heath Besmont
AMOUNT:+100,000,000 G
STATUS:CLEARED
The amount deposited by the ducal heir. A cold sneer flickered across Rachel's face as she confirmed it.
So in the end, you people coveted my ability too.
She even felt a faint sense of victory. She slid the documents she had prepared in advance across to the teller.
"Please transfer forty million gold to the employees' accounts listed here, according to the specified ratios."
"Yes, understood. I'll process the transfers immediately."
Only after the distribution was complete did Rachel rise from her seat. As she stepped out of the bank, the cool night air brushed against her cheeks.
"......"
The evening streets glowed faintly under the streetlamps. Although she had handed the company she had built with her own two hands over to her enemies, her steps on the way home felt strangely, inexplicably light.