“Is that… so busy?”
“You’ve done business before, haven’t you?”
Philip awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“…That’s true. So are you going out today?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“It’s okay.”
“You’ve never done business before….”
Philip started to speak, then slightly furrowed his brows. He must have remembered Ellen’s shady business dealings.
I smiled at him and turned away. Today, I had to make a contract with Lady Hedes.
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
.
.
.
Lady Hedes, who hadn’t seen the business item yet, thought I was making ordinary candles.
I first handed her a price proposal. Then I planned to show her the scented candles that would become a big trend.
But Lady Hedes spoke without even looking at the price proposal.
“You know our boutique has a reputation for a reason, don’t you? What I’m about to tell you is our basic trading principle, so please understand.”
She emphasized that her boutique had two types of contracts and the right to choose which contract to offer was on the boutique’s side.
I nodded, seemingly right. Buying products was up to the buyer, and Lady Hedes was going to buy and display my scented candles.
“I’ve carefully considered it. Ho ho.”
Lady Hedes elegantly laughed. But unlike her previous flattery, a touch of arrogance came through.
I had an uneasy feeling. Maybe the feeling that this matter would not be resolved smoothly?
“Countess, can you run a business with just candles?”
“Of course.”
A fleeting expression crossed Lady Hedes’ face. My confident answer seemed to take her aback.
“But why?”
When stubbornly questioned, she quickly composed her expression.
“Didn’t I tell you before that the Linore trading group tightly controls candle distribution?”
“That’s right.”
“We’ll display as provided, but actually, buying is left to the customer’s choice.”
“I know.”
“I’m worried that candles may be a difficult product to distribute since there’s a leading competitor. So I’d like you to proceed with this contract.”
What she handed me was a mere 3month contract.
Starting from the day after I opened my store, it would be a trial display at Lady Hedes’ boutique for 3 months, and if the response was good, the contract would be renewed annually.
“Are you really going to do this?”
“Isn’t it stable for both of us?”
She smiled sweetly, revealing her hidden intentions.
“If the business goes well, we can renew it with good conditions in 3 months.”
She has her main store on Count Morris’ territory. In other words, she had no choice but to accept the influence of the Countess at first.
Now that some time has passed since I got mad, I finally felt the courage to speak.
Anyway, for now, she’ll put whatever I bring on the shelf, but in a while, when I divorce Philip, she means she’ll do as she pleases.
I looked carefully at the contract and let out an unpleasant laugh.
The quantity she had written down to purchase for three months was a mere 100.
Considering it wasn’t a retail store, it was far below my expectation that thousands of units would be brought in.
Moreover, the payment for the goods would be settled only after they were sold.
‘Are you kidding?’
I wanted to toss the contract right away.
“…….”
But there was no immediate alternative in mind.
No matter how much the scented candles were trending, I couldn’t start with a smallscale company with limited distribution channels.
If a large distributor saw my scented candles and mass distributed them, the possibility of being robbed was thick.
Even if an unfair incident occurred, I, after divorce, was no longer a countess and couldn’t be protected.
There was nothing to expect from relying on my family’s power, based on the information obtained so far.
‘To create a trend, you need a path with considerable influence.’
I concluded that I couldn’t easily give up Mrs. Hedes’ distribution route.
‘It’s frustrating that I can’t do what I want right now, but I’ll endure a little longer.’
After a moment of thought, I realized that I had already handed over the price proposal to Mrs. Hedes and decided to back down from the negotiation.
I feel a bit bad, but on reflection, it’s not a loss for me.
I had offered her a very low price.
It was about 2.5 times more expensive than ordinary candles, but it was only 10% of the planned sale price, so it was almost like giving it away for free.
It was a favor and consideration given to the first trade partner. So I was planning to raise the price of scented candles a little later.
Thinking about that, I quickly felt indifferent.
‘Even if it’s short, three months is enough to spread the word. If they see it displayed in Hedes Boutique, they won’t think of replicating the product.’
Mrs. Hedes will change her attitude quickly when she sees the scented candles, that was clear.
‘The conclusion is…… I kicked my luck away.’
I’ll do as she wants and get what I deserve later.
“Okay. There will be no regrets after seeing the goods later?”
Upon my words, Mrs. Hedes, who had signed the contract first, looked at the price proposal and smiled brightly.
“The price of the candles is a bit high? But since we’re paying after the sale… can we see the special candles?”
I, who had signed the contract, shook my head.
Of course, I brought the scented candles to show, but her stinginess changed my mind.
Since Mrs. Hedes thought it was an ordinary candle, there was no need to show it.
So, I decided to keep it confidential until the opening day.
“I was going to show you earlier, but since it’s a threemonth contract, it’s better to see it on the opening day.”
“Really? Then isn’t it difficult to sell it the next day?”
“If it’s according to the contract, there’s not much quantity, right? That much can be displayed quickly, can’t it?”
“……That’s true.”
“See? It’s simple. And you know the price changes for quantities outside the contract, right?”
“Oh my, of course. It will be determined again in the recontract.”
“Good, then let’s add that clause. This contract is a special agreement commemorating the first trade, and Hedes Boutique will not object to or complain about the conditions that change upon renewal.”
I added this even though I knew it didn’t need to be written down.
I did it for her to regret later.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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