AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The peacock-blue lettering sparkled, just like Adina’s coat.
“What exactly do Midas Touch Partnerships do?” Min tried to sound casual, putting the card down on the desk and handing over the books.
Adina looked admiringly at the parcel. “Beautifully wrapped,” she murmured. “I assist humans and monsters to form mutually beneficial business arrangements. You need to find a lot of money fast, am I right? Money that you don’t have.”
“I—oh—” Min faltered.
Adina’s eyes sparkled like emeralds. “Perhaps you will let me explain? Shall we sit for a moment?”
What have I got to lose?
For the second time that morning, Min found herself taking a visitor into the nook. The woman sat in the chair opposite Min and placed her parcel of books on the floor next to her. Suddenly, Gingerbread appeared as if from nowhere, and jumped straight onto her lap.
Adina laughed softly as she stroked the cat’s thick pelt.
“What’s his name?”
“Gingerbread.”
“He’s a discerning feline,” Adina murmured as Gingerbread started to turbo purr.
Min blinked behind her glasses. Gingerbread was usually wary of strangers. He was also a very good judge of character. A little seed of hope lodged in her chest. Maybe this beautiful woman could be trusted after all. “Please tell me more.”
“You may be aware that it is not easy for monsters to develop business interests outside of Motham,” Adina said.
Min nodded. It was something her father had always advocated for. As a supporter of monsters, he had believed they should be able to trade openly outside the city walls. It was no mistake that he’d set up the Westerly Bookshop on the edge of Motham, in a bid to help monsters read more, study more, and understand their rights.
Adina continued. “There was a rather unfortunate event a while back—hushed up—where a vampire was allowed to buy land without the proper checks and balances put in place. It all ended very unpleasantly. Since then, the Council of Towns have been far more cautious about selling land to monsters. But here’s the rub, my dear. They need monsters’ money. They are desperately short of coin. So they’ve come up with a solution: if a monster has a human partner, they will be allowed to buy land in the Valley.”
Min had heard of such a case, quite recently in fact, involving an orc and a realtor in Motham. They’d bought up an island off the coast. She’d read about their wedding only recently in Motham Monthly.
“Currently I have a very wealthy client on my books, looking to partner with a human.” Adina said.
Min frowned. “How do you mean, ‘partner?’”
“Form a business alliance.”
“You’re saying they’d want to buy the bookshop? I really don’t think—” The Westerly ran at a shocking loss. No monster in their right mind would invest in it.
“It’s not the bookshop they want, my dear. It’s your name. Despite your father’s eccentricities, shall we say, the Westwind name still carries clout.”
Min guessed that was true. During The Great War two hundred years ago, Colonel Westwind had brought the monsters to their knees. He’d orchestrated the building of the wall around Motham, imprisoned them all inside and hoped they’d fight each other to the death. While of course, that hadn’t happened, the name Westwind was still revered among high-breed humans.
Still, she struggled to see the logic. “How would my name benefit them?”
“If you were in a… relationship with said monster, then their application to buy land to the north of Motham would be looked on favorably.”
Min’s spine stiffened. “So you’re proposing a—a personal relationship?”
“Only on paper.”
“But still, a relationship…”
“A fake relationship.”
“How long for?” Min’s voice went up an octave.
“A month, two at the very most. Just long enough to get the deal through the Council. After that, you can take the money and run. With the sum my client is prepared to pay, you’ll be able to buy this little patch of land and have plenty spare to keep it running.”
