Card Apprentice Daily Log

Date- 12 Oct 22XX

Time- 17:57

Location- Central Region, Capital city, Duskborn Mansion

"I am sorry, no matter how you put it I don't think I can help you when it comes to him," Ellen's mother once again rejected Sansa's father.

Getting rejected by Ellen's mother, Sansa's father was not surprised as he had never known this woman to lift a figure unless she had something to gain from it. If not for her misfortune of marrying his comrade, this woman and her shrewd mind would not be stuck passive-aggressively fighting the Duskborn family. Till today Sansa's father never understood why she did not leave his comrade after learning about his circumstances. Sometimes he can't help but feel that she may really love her husband but he was far too wise to believe that.

"Your husband may have never told you this and neither did I want to involve you in this but circumstances have changed and I would be a fool not to make use of it. For a decade now I have been trying to get your husband to come work with me. But he always rejects my offer without hesitation," Sansa's father said, to which Ellen's mother commented, "I would expect nothing better from him. But you should know better, that man will die as Duskborn family ghost than go against them."

"That was what I thought too, but your husband and his skills are too valuable, so I cannot help it hoping that he will bite one of the hundred baits I throw at him," Sansa's father valued Ellen's dad as his comrade but he valued his specialist level skill set honed in the depths of the hell more.

"So did he," Ellen's mother asked even though she should have known better than to expect anything different from usual when it comes to her husband.

"No, he did not. But he did linger," Sansa's father said as if it was a huge development. Knowing Ellen's dad better than anyone on the planet Ellen's mother knew how big of a deal it was that her husband even considered the thought to go against the Duskborn family. So she asked, "Well, what is it?"

"I don't know what exactly it was but I think it has something to do with him not being a good father and Ellen suffering for his stubbornness. So what do you think? Can you work with it?" Sansa's father asked with expectations.

"I don't know, but when you say 'work with you,' do you mean like partners or just as a better way to put the 'work for you.'" Ellen's mother asked trying to figure out if Sansa's father really planned to have her husband work with him as an equal or if it was just another sugarcoated word to make it easy for others to hear.

"I knew I came to the right person," Sansa's father was not offended hearing Ellen's mother's question but rather excited because her husband was an asset.

"I can't make any promises, since I am not clear on certain key points," Ellen's mother knew better than to promise without being clear on what she stood to gain.

"When I said that your husband can come work with me, I meant it. But you have to understand. I have spent a decade and a fortune building the business. I can't just give half it to someone, even if that person is my comrade.

Here's the deal, he can use the company's assets and name to get clients for 30 percent of whatever he makes. And once he has gathered enough money he can buy his way in as a partner. What do you say?" Sansa's father offered the platinum contract for Ellen's dad as he valued Ellen's dad's skill set that much.

"That seems fair, but how much is the buy-in for my husband to become a partner?" Ellen's mother understood that the conditions proposed by Sansa's father were better than what her husband can get in the market considering that there was no free lunch in the world therefore she did not bother to negotiate with him and rather unveiled the crux of this contract.

Right now Sansa's father's firm was doing well in the market but it struggled to stand above its competitors, but that would change if her husband joined him. This meant that the value of Sansa's father's firm would skyrocket after her husband joins them. This also meant that the buy-in amount for her husband to become a partner would drastically increase from now. Therefore rather than negotiating the percentage by a small margin she directly went after the buy-in amount required to become a partner.

"About that, how about I decrease the firm's cut on every husband's earnings to 25% and shake on it," Sansa's father was willing to help his comrades out of goodwill but he was not a saint to take a loss for them.

"No, how about we agree on the buy-in amount to be the same as what it is now in the future too," Ellen's mother spoke her mind seeing that Sansa's father was trying to act dumb.

"Now you are asking too much," Sansa's father said directly. Yes, the addition of Ellen's father to his firm would increase their value, but the thought that he would give a part of it to Ellen's father for chump change did not sit right with him.

"I know, but you and your other partners also know that my husband is worth it," There was a reason why Ellen's family was allowed to live in the Duskborn manner despite their low status in the family and it was that they were hostages to keep Ellen's father in check in case he ever thought that he was better off on his own then laboring for the Duskborn family.

As for why Sansa's father and Ellen's mother vigorously negotiated when it came to the buy-in amount to become a partner rather than the firm's cut in Ellen's father's overall earnings was because as more time Ellen's father spent as part of the firm, the buy-in amount required to become a partner will keep growing exponentially. Meaning there were chances that despite the attractive terms offered in his contract, it was possible that Ellen's father may never be able to gather the buy-in amount

...

AN: The easter egg about how Sansa's past and Mc's life are intermingled is taking more wc than I was hoping it would but I hope you guys are patient as it will be satisfying to watch when this knot is tied beautifully.