"Joy, you’re here too, perfect. I wanted to let you know that we sold some of the raw stones you and Grace bought before. I used the money to reinvest."

"Since you and Grace were abroad and we couldn’t reach you, I discussed it with the family and we’ve decided to count that money as your shares. From now on, you’ll get a ten percent dividend every month. If you’re okay with that, I’ll give you the money monthly. If not, once the funds are liquid again, I’ll just give you the lump sum."

After chatting with Grace, Hayley saw Joanne Chase returning from the kitchen with Irene Lynch, where they’d been washing dishes. She took the opportunity to bring up the matter.

Joanne Chase was completely taken aback. "H-Hayley... I get a share too?"

"Of course! You’re family, why wouldn’t you get a share?" Hayley found Joanne’s timid reaction amusing. "Grace was very clear about it. You were the one who picked out that batch of stones. She put up the money, and you put in the effort, so you’re splitting it fifty-fifty. You get as much as she does."

"No, I can’t do that! Grace paid for everything, how could I ask for a fifty-fifty split?" Joanne immediately protested. "Grace, didn’t we agree before that I’d only take twenty percent? If you insist on this, I won’t take a single cent."

She didn’t want to take advantage of anyone, especially not Grace.

If it weren’t for Grace, her parents would have probably dragged her back home to be married off. She would have never been able to stay in Coronet, let alone have the chance to study abroad.

"Just take it. It’s not like I’m short on money," Grace said with a dismissive wave of her hand, not concerned in the least.

It was just one batch of raw stones, not a huge amount of money anyway.

The best piece in that batch was the imperial green jadeite. Even if they sold all the others, they would probably only make a few tens of thousands.

She really didn’t think much of that kind of money anymore.

"No. Whether you’re short on money is one thing, but whether I should accept it is another," Joanne said, her expression grave. "Grace, I really can’t take this money. It’s already wonderful enough that I can live with your family. I treasure it. I see you all as my own family, and I don’t want to take advantage of them."

"If I had put in money when we bought the raw stones, I wouldn’t say a thing if you wanted to split it fifty-fifty. But I didn’t contribute a single cent. All I did was help you pick a few stones. It’s one thing to give me a small fee for my trouble, but even taking twenty percent makes me feel uneasy. I can’t possibly take more."

Joanne’s attitude was firm. It felt as if she were ready to break ties with the family completely if Grace and Hayley insisted on giving her the money.

Grace was exasperated. "Fine, twenty percent it is. Now, you’d better hold back those tears. If Mom sees you, she’ll think we’re bullying you."

Joanne burst out laughing.

She loved the atmosphere in the Winslow family. They all worked together in harmony and never had any conflicts over money.

’She must have done countless good deeds in her past life to have the chance to become family with Grace in this one.’

"Alright, let’s all go to bed. We have to meet President Lockwood for a meal tomorrow. I’m exhausted," Grace said with a yawn, getting up and urging everyone to go wash up and sleep.

After washing up, she fell into bed and slept soundly.

Early the next morning, Grace got ready and went to the shop with Irene Lynch.

Business at the shop was getting better and better.

If Irene Lynch hadn’t been so swamped, she probably would have already planned to open a branch.

Grace looked around the shop for a while before leaving at ten o’clock.

Her lunch with Dylan Lockwood was scheduled for noon. She went to find Hayley and Lily Callahan first, and the three of them headed to the designated restaurant together.

Dylan Lockwood was already there when they arrived.

Seeing Grace and the other two arrive together, he stood up with a smile. "I should have sent a driver to pick you up. It was inconsiderate of me to make you three walk over."

"It’s no problem. The scenery nearby is lovely, so we just treated it as a walk," Grace said as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

Hayley and Lily Callahan sat down on either side of her.

Dylan Lockwood poured Grace some tea before getting straight to the point. "I assume Grace has already told you both about my proposal. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

"We won’t be partnering with anyone on our bespoke services. However, we can collaborate with you, Mr. Lockwood, on other ready-to-wear apparel. We intend to launch our own brand, starting with our first collection of high-end womenswear. Each style will be limited to one hundred pieces and offered in several colors. You could handle the distribution, and your company could also manage production. In essence, it would be like you’re franchising our brand. If you find this arrangement agreeable, we can draw up a contract."

Hayley was nervous, her palms slick with cold sweat.

Dylan Lockwood’s presence was too overwhelming.

It was her first time dealing with a man of his stature, and she felt a little out of her depth.

Fortunately, she wasn’t the same person she used to be. After more than half a year of experience, she had matured and grown a great deal. Though nervous, she didn’t let it show.

"Could you elaborate on the specific details of the collaboration?" Dylan Lockwood asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew instantly this must have been Grace’s idea.

He was growing more and more interested in—and curious about—Grace.

Business concepts like these, including the idea of high-end bespoke services, didn’t seem like something a person who had spent years in the countryside could come up with.

’Perhaps Grace had other experiences they didn’t know about.’

But Dylan Lockwood knew better than to pry, so he didn’t press the issue.

Hayley had already gone over the specific details of the collaboration with Grace again on the way there. The information was still fresh in her mind, so she had no trouble explaining it.

She laid out the entire collaboration plan in detail, then grabbed the teacup from the table and gulped down a large mouthful. "That’s everything. Think it over. If you think it’s a good fit, we can partner up. If you don’t want to collaborate, we’ll build our own factory. It’ll just be a bit more trouble, since we don’t have a production line at the moment."

Hayley’s bluntness left Dylan Lockwood a little exasperated.

Still, he liked working with people like her. "I don’t see any problem with the plan. But what about the profits? How do you want to split them?"

"If my side is responsible for production and sales, I’d want an eighty percent share of the profits."

"Sixty percent, max," Hayley replied, shaking her head and refusing decisively. "Our products already have some name recognition; they’re guaranteed to sell well as soon as they’re launched. Besides, our designs are one-of-a-kind. If you don’t agree to partner with us, we’ll just do it ourselves and keep all the profits. It’s true that building a factory and setting up a production line requires a significant investment, but we’re not short on cash. We can just take our time."

’Grace had told her not to yield an inch when it came to profits.’

Dylan Lockwood was stunned. A sixty-forty split was his bottom line, and he hadn’t expected her to pinpoint it so accurately.

He glanced at Grace, an unreadable glint in his eyes.