At the Larson family's small magnet processing plant in Montana, the phone rang. Holly's uncle, Edward Larson, picked it up.
"Hello, this is the Essence Alloy Separation Facility…" the caller introduced himself.
Edward almost dropped the receiver. He had spent years trying to reach out to companies like this, begging for cooperation. And now, one of the biggest names in the industry was calling him first.
He straightened his posture and tried his best to sound calm. But before he could say much, the voice on the other end cut in:
"We only work directly with Mr. Grant Larson. Could you have him answer instead?"
Edward froze. Grant Larson? That useless son-in-law?
He stammered, "I… I'm sorry, did I mishear you? You mean Grant Larson?"
"That's right," the voice replied smoothly. "He's your family's representative, isn't he?"
Edward was stunned silent. Grant had always been the overlooked one, a polite but powerless figure. Why would such a major facility insist on dealing with him?
After the call ended, Edward rushed to tell his father, Raymond Larson—the family patriarch. A family meeting was quickly called.
When the documents arrived, the room went quiet. Two major supply orders had already been confirmed under Grant's name. The prices were absurdly low, the kind of long-term contracts that could instantly double the factory's output and slash costs.
"This… this can't be right," muttered one of the uncles. "How did Grant pull this off?"
"Not only that," another pointed out, "but both the salvage company and the dismantling yard are signing long-term partnerships with him directly. They're shipping everything at a fraction of the market price. Do you realize what this means?"
The Larson family sat in stunned silence. For years, Grant had been treated as a liability, a man of average ability, tolerated only because Holly's mother insisted on marrying him. Yet suddenly, he had brought in deals that none of them could have dreamed of.
Even Holly's mother, was shocked. She had once seen Grant's good qualities—gentleness, refinement, and a certain charm—but those had long since been overshadowed by his lack of influence. Now, watching him walk into the meeting with his head held high, she barely recognized him.
And when his phone rang again—this time from the Essence Alloy Separation Facility itself—he calmly negotiated another long-term cooperation right in front of them.
By the time the call ended, the Larson family business had effectively doubled overnight. Profits would skyrocket. And most importantly, the suppliers insisted on dealing with Grant alone. Without him, the deals would vanish.
For the first time, the patriarch Raymond forced himself to swallow his pride. "Grant… you've done well. Truly, it wasn't for nothing that Quinn chose you."
Grant's chest swelled with long-suppressed pride. Years of humiliation and dismissal seemed to melt away in that moment.
After leaving the factory, he called his daughter.
Holly answered while curled up in Jason Carter's arms. She felt a pang of guilt but listened in shock as her father's voice, bright with pride, filled her ear. It was the happiest she had ever heard him. For once, he had stood tall in the Larson family.
Hanging up, Holly stared at Jason. The timing was too perfect—his casual chat with her, and then her father's sudden streak of "luck."
No, it wasn't luck. It was him.
Favorability +2.
"Dear, I love you so much!" Holly threw herself at Jason, overflowing with excitement.
Jason smiled faintly. +2 wasn't much, but once favorability crossed 80, every single point became harder to earn. Breaking through 90 was tougher still. Reaching 100 would be a battle.
But for now, seeing Holly's joy, it was worth it.
There are 90 chapters ahead in my Patreon, with 2 daily chapters. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439