July 5th

Scarlett

It was the break of dawn when I woke up. Quentin was fast asleep, probably worrying about the struggles of the day. I knew it had to be difficult for him. He had to think about ways to expand the settlement and deal with the challenges ahead. I, on the other hand, only had to worry about my new business venture. Not that it was stress-free. Far from it! This chapter of my life would require taking risks that could backfire and plummet us into poverty. However, my studies in the field of business would serve me well.

I stepped over Quentin as he slept like an angel. To me, that’s what he always was. An angel who descended from heaven to guide me where I was supposed to be. I knew it wasn’t literal, but he still resembled one to me. I looked at his face and caressed his cheek. “Sleep tight, Captain,” I whispered before walking into my closet.

I emerged from the closet wearing a dress suit. While it would be odd seeing this from a mutant such as myself, I thought it was still beautiful and sophisticated. I compiled all the forms I needed into my briefcase, including financial records, transactions, and my employment history. Sure, my only job was at the family business as an intern, but it was still something. With my information in tow, I left the dorm room, silently closing the door behind me.

As I walked down the hall, I could see some others waking up. When they looked at me, several would flinch in shock. It was something I’d have to get used to. I understood why they felt that way. If I was still a normal human, I’d be shocked by a foxwoman dressed for business carrying a briefcase. It was a sight they’d have to get used to.

Once I reached the conference room, I laid down my briefcase on the table and opened it up. Using the mirror, I made sure to get my hair in the right position, smoothen my fur, and apply some makeup. One thing I quickly learned was that I didn’t really care for makeup. It helped with my attempts to get Quentin to give me a chance, but it was something I often ignored since it took a long time to apply for limited benefit. But in this case, I needed all the help I could get.

As I used my eyeliner to get a perfect edge, Carl walked in wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase of his own. He sat down near me as he opened his briefcase to reveal a treasure trove of financial information. He looked at me and explained, “I’m here to help you catch that loan. Now, let’s see that you have a good credit history.”

I laid my history of credit purchases and payments on the table. Carl looked it over, typing some numbers in the calculator before smiling. He handed me a sheet of paper and explained, “Your father did a good job getting you to establish a credit history. With your score, the banks should be willing to lend you money as they feel you are reliable.”

“That was something I’ve been meaning to ask. What are the banks here? Surely there’s not any that operate considering the lack of an economy,” I replied as I knew it was the biggest flaw in my plan. There needed to be a financial institution in order to get a loan or even run a business.

Carl smiled as he explained, “Scarlett, I’ve been searching through information this morning and that’s why I told you to come here. Starting today, every citizen will be paid in credits for their work. It’ll start small, but the idea is that when more businesses start up, the government will intervene less and less. And part of their plan is to allow entrepreneurs to secure loans to start their businesses. This is your opportunity to regain your family fortune. Once the mint is online, we’ll shift back to American dollars, at which point I hope you made a decent fortune.”

“Yes,” I replied as I pulled out some advice my father gave me before he died. “Once the stock market is up and going, I’m going to place investments into key industries that tend to do well. The investments would be low-risk low-reward, but with a successful business, the investments will work as a safeguard to store my money in so I can retire someday.”

Carl nodded. “Good. Unlike me, you’ll have a massive business to manage, so taking risks on the stock market shouldn’t be your goal. However, perhaps you’d like to sell some stocks of your company in order to boost revenue.”

I shook my head as I got up from the chair. “Carl, you may not know this, but I intend to run my business as a family business. While becoming a publicly traded corporation would make it richer, it’ll also allow stockholders to seize control of it away from me and my descendants. While the idea sounds good, I want a secure future for my family.”

He pondered for a while before suggesting, “Perhaps we could come up with a way to ensure you keep more shares of your business than everyone else, with a way to make sure your family profits in perpetuity. We’ll cross that hurdle once the stock market starts up again.”

With discussions on stocks out of the way, I grabbed a dry erase marker and started writing on the whiteboard behind me. I had come a long way from my slave years. My handwriting, once atrocious, was now elegant, or at least legible. Diagrams, charts, and business plans were drawn on the board as I used my brain to think of creative and innovative ways to set my business apart. Most of all, I wanted my business to be stable. Getting rich was certainly in the works, but I’d rather stay a millionaire with children who grow up in wealth rather than a billionaire for my lifetime only for my children to live in poverty.

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Carl walked up to me and started writing financial details on the whiteboard. As he did so, I asked him, “Would you like to be the CFO once we get this business booming?”

He smiled. “I would love to, but let’s first get this venture off the ground. Remember, while you could attempt to create a construction company to feed into your real-estate company, I wouldn’t recommend it. We have our hands full with just the real-estate venture.”

With everything in order, I initiated the video call. A large holographic screen emerged from the center of the table with the person on the screen looking at us. The man on the screen was dressed in a business suit with a tie. He looked at me and flinched. “What is that thing?” he asked while pointing to me.

I took some deep breaths, trying to ignore the fact that he called me a thing instead of a person. I knew where he was coming from, but it still upset me every time someone freaked out over my appearance. Once I was calm enough, I looked at the man straight in the eyes and explained, “I am Scarlett Rose Campbell-Smith. As for my appearance, let’s just say that science went too far and leave it at that.”

The man on the other end still looked nervous. He shook his head before saying, “I’ll just ignore the fact that I’m talking to a fairy tale creature and introduce myself. My name is Mister Edward Clark. I’m the owner of the only bank on the planet. While I can’t loan you direct money, I can give you a loan of credits to trade in for cash as soon as we start up the mints again.”

I tapped my fingers as I thought about what to say. The loan wouldn’t give me the cash immediately, but I supposed I could tell those I hire that they’ll get their pay. It was a dangerous game to play. When you borrow from the bank, you have to pay it back on time. That and interest is a killer. The quicker I pay back the loan, the better. Yet at the same time, I need to use the loan money to get my venture off the ground. But business was all about risk.

I looked at him and explained, “I’m asking for a loan to start a real-estate venture. Since this new world only has ugly temporary shelters, I feel it is in our best interest to start building housing for everyone to live in. This land is vast, and that vastness means there’s a healthy market for large houses at a low price. Compared to how it was on Earth, even the working class could live in mansions.”

Mr. Clark scowled as he said, “That’s an exaggeration, right? We need to make sure housing prices make a decent profit for you so you can pay back the loan.”

I nodded before pulling up the development plan that I made. Showing the crude sketches, I explained, “Here’s a general development plan for this settlement. Government buildings are in the center, which is then surrounded by offices and commercial buildings. We then have a ring of high-density housing. Outside of the inner city, I’ve charted out several potential neighborhoods and their perks.”

Atop a nearby incline, there was a circle around it that overlooked the lake. I pointed to it and explained, “This is going to be South Lake Heights, a wealthy neighborhood overlooking the lake. We’ll build large houses with considerable yards. Being on a hill with make the city look richer as they’ll see the estates coming in.”

“Very good. You understand how to increase housing prices and inflow by using your own neighborhoods to advertise each other,” Mr. Clark said as he received the plans on his own side. His eyes moved to the bottom of the page and asked, “Green Grove? What is Green Grove?”

I nodded before pulling up pictures of the surrounding woodlands. “These woods are going to be cut down for materials and to make a road back to the main settlement. However, who says the place needs to be covered in pavement? My plan is to fill the neighborhood with parks and make it a middle-class neighborhood for those who enjoy nature. And if you look nearby, you’ll see Family Forum. That’s going to be the neighborhood for those with families. Schools, playgrounds, preschools, and other amenities for children.”

Mr. Clark smiled as he looked through the plans. My breath was hitched as my tail fled between my legs and my ears pinned against my head. It was now or never. Mr. Clark looked back and me and said, “Mrs. Scarlett Rose Campbell-Smith, you must be the most ridiculous creature that ever applied for a loan! However, I can see that your plan is well thought-out. We’ll start setting up your business account and get that loan processed.”

My tail started wagging as my ears perked. “Thank you, sir. As for the name of the business, I’ll call it Campbell Estates in honor of my father.”

Mr. Clark typed it in. Once his fingers were off the keyboard, he asked, “What kind of business will it be? Will it be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation?”

I nodded at Carl before looking back at the screen. “It’s going to be a partnership for now. Once we’re big enough or need more funding, then it’ll be a corporation. But at the moment, there’s no point in selling shares.”

Mr. Clark nodded before displaying the owners on the screen. “So far I have Scarlett Rose Campbell-Smith, which I considered your full name if we include your marriage. Do you prefer Mrs. or Ms.?”

“Mrs., sir. I’m married and want that reflected,” I replied.

“Okay, Mrs. Campbell-Smith and who else?” he asked.

Carl pointed to himself and said, “Carl David Smith.” Mr. Clark typed in the name and gave it a thumbs-up.

“You’re all-set. I hope you have a great day. Fifty thousand credits are now loaned to you,” Mr. Clark said before leaving the meeting.

After a few moments of silence, I turned to Carl and yawned. “I don’t know about you, but I could use some rest.” I left the room and headed back to my dorm room.

As I entered the dorm, I hastily changed back into my pajamas and climbed back into bed. Right as I was about to close my eyes, I heard Quentin yawn and toss his side of the blanket on top of me. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting a few precious minutes of sleep.