Chapter 192 Buy What You Like
"Lucas, nice to meet ya." Samuel shook hands with Lucas, but you could tell Lucas was way more pumped.
"So, what do you reckon? Did I oversell it? Gotta say, out of all of Marseille, this spot has the most unique Marseille soap." Lucas pointed to a row of stuff on the shelf. "These can be used as crafts or for cleaning your skin. They're made of over 85% plant oil, and the skin benefits are a no-brainer. Besides their natural value, there's a lot more potential—they make great gifts for friends and family," Lucas explained.
He was clearly the boss here, 'cause the store staff got all nervous and respectful when he walked in.
Evelyn stayed quiet, figuring Samuel was probably talking business, so she just checked out some small items on the side.
Even though Lucas was kinda bragging, the Marseille soap here was pretty special. Evelyn had seen other crafts before, like candles, wood carvings, and even stone carvings, but soap? That was a first.
"What do you think?" Samuel suddenly turned around and asked her.
"Huh?" Realizing Samuel was talking to her, Evelyn snapped back.
"What do you think of the stuff here?" He stayed close to her.
Samuel and Lucas were talking business, but Evelyn had no clue about it!
But since he asked, Evelyn clapped her hands and stood up, saying, "I find these soaps really cool, but Lucas just talked about creativity."
Caught off guard, Lucas nodded. "Yeah, Marseille soap is unique."
Looking around, Evelyn nodded. "Totally, it's very creative. I see all the carvings are done with care, and there are tons of styles. I just saw that they can also make special shapes and designs based on customer requests, right?"
"Yep, we aim to be innovative and make sure customers are happy. And for convenience, our packaging boxes are specially treated, whether for gifts or personal use, it's all good," Lucas said with a smile.
"Yeah, I saw a lot of beautiful packaging boxes too, but I think, creativity can be copied," Evelyn voiced her concern.
Evelyn's work had been copied before, so she knew firsthand how devastating it could be for the original creator.
"I don't know how long you've had these ideas and creativity, but if the profits are good, there'll probably be a wave of knock-offs soon." Evelyn glanced outside.
Marseille soap was common here, and lots of stores sold it. There were also many factories near Marseille that specialized in mass-producing Marseille soap. Once it gets popular, if there are many copies, it won't be unique anymore.
While she was talking, Lucas nodded a lot. "Yeah, you're right! Actually, some people have already started copying us here, but their workmanship and creativity are nowhere near ours, so for now, our business is safe. But in the long run, we hope for bigger improvements. We also hope to work with Mr. Whitman."
Lucas looked to Samuel for confirmation, and Samuel's eyes were locked on Evelyn. He softly asked, "What do you think?"
If Lucas wasn't there, Evelyn would've loved to knock some sense into Samuel.
Seriously? Evelyn thought this store was pretty cool. Should they just buy the whole thing?
That wild idea crossed her mind, but seeing Samuel's expression, Evelyn had a mischievous thought. She smiled and joked, "I think this store is pretty neat. Why not just buy it, Mr. Whitman?"
Of course, Evelyn was just messing around. No matter how rich a businessman was, buying a store wasn't a snap decision.
But she forgot Samuel wasn't your average guy. For him, buying this store was like grabbing a cup of coffee or a loaf of bread.
Samuel said, "Okay."
Evelyn was floored. "What?"
Lucas was thrilled.
Evelyn looked at Samuel and quickly backtracked. "I was just kidding. Don't take it seriously. Buying a store is a big deal. You should think it over."
"No need. If you're cool with it, then it's a done deal." Samuel didn't hesitate, like any delay was a waste of time.
Evelyn was joking!
Just as she was about to talk some sense into Samuel, she noticed Lucas and suddenly thought maybe Samuel and Lucas had planned this all along and were using her to bring it up.
"You've been planning to buy this store, haven't you?" Evelyn asked after a moment.
Samuel shook his head. "Nope! Just thinking about investing, but if you like it, then buying it is fine."
Then he looked at Lucas. "Is that okay?"
Lucas had been nodding the whole time. "No problem! As long as Mr. Whitman wants to partner with me. It's just a store. The Marseille Soap Company has plenty of similar stores. If Mr. Whitman likes it, picking a few more is no biggie."
Alright, Evelyn had overthought it! Maybe Samuel and Lucas weren't as worried about business as she thought.
"You can buy it if you want, but like I said earlier, knock-offs will soon flood the market, and even if their quality isn't as good as ours, they'll still steal a lot of business. Are you sure you want to invest in this now?" Evelyn looked at Samuel, doubtful.
Samuel grinned. "What? Worried I'll go broke and won't be able to support you?"
Evelyn was seriously discussing the store's future, and he was still in the mood to joke.
"So, I'll have to rely on you!" Samuel said, half-serious, half-joking.
Frowning, Evelyn was puzzled.
Samuel smiled, then got serious and said to Lucas, "Alright, it's a deal. We'll meet later and sign the contract."
"Great! We're really looking forward to working with Mr. Whitman! " Lucas was over the moon.
"By the way, who is this smart young lady..." The discussion wrapped up, and Lucas looked curiously at Evelyn.
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