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"Stand-in.

" Yvonne's word rang in the father's ears while he and his son waited for her to reveal the plan that she had come up with.

nThe Earl knew about his daughter's sharp mind, he was also aware of how she had a knack to do things that would be profitable to her.

n'Baron MacIntrye's case is the biggest proof of that.' He recalled the incident of the deal the two men had made in the presence of the little girl.

nIf he was truly against her ideas, he never would have allowed her to form that deal with the Baron.

n'My only problem is the backlash she will face from all the men in the industry.' He gritted his teeth when another incident came to his mind.

nThe servant who had tried to sabotage Yvonne's trial during her assessment was the best example of how men in this world behaved.

nThat servant could not sit still and do nothing while a little girl was making such great advancements in a field that she had no right to be in.

n'If a mere servant could dare to act in such an audacious way, what more could the men who hold real power in their hands do to my child?' He clenched his fists in fury at this thought.

nThe little girl who had paused for a short while to form a proper explanation looked up when she saw the man's frown.

nThe bystander in this half of the conversation, Howard, also had noticed this as he had been keeping an observant eye on both parties in this interaction.

nHowever, the little girl had no idea that her father was fretting over her safety.

nInstead, she was wondering about something else entirely.

n'Is he still unwilling to accept my decision to start a business?' She sulked while pouting her lips.

nNonetheless, she decided that she would at least give this a shot before getting rejected by her father.

n'If he says no then I can only sneak around.' She nodded at her plan B which would take effect if she faced rejection today.

nLooking up, Yvonne sat up straight.

nHer chin was raised and her posture upright, making her look like the embodiment of elegance with a tinge of authority in her mannerisms even in her small stature.

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"What if others do not know that it's a girl who is running the business? Would they still be against it?

" She inquired while alternating her innocent eyes towards the two in this room.

nWhile Rutherford was still trying to decipher what might be on her mind, Howard was quick to answer.

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"The noblemen would have no problem if a man is the one who owns the business. After all, that is the norm in this Kingdom.

" He stated with assurance that his words were true.

nYvonne smirked at these words as she was right in thinking so.

n'They won't have a problem since it is a man owning it but they will surely have a problem later when that same man is doing better than them in the same field of work.' She sneered as business rivalry was taken too seriously among the noblemen.

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"You want to deceive everyone by letting them assume that it is a man who is running the business?

" Rutherford spoke up after his long silence.

nThere was treachery and deceit present in the business all around them but the St. Claire's family was always upright in what they did.

nIt was always taught to them that cheating someone out of their money was the road taken by scum.

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"I do not support this idea.

" He expressed his rejection straight away.

nThe little girl shook her head at his statement and his misconception about what she had just said.

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"I am not deceiving anyone, Papa.

" She was adamant about her stance on this matter.

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"In everybody's sights, this business will be run by a man, my stand-in. They will not know that there is someone above this 'representative' that will always be before their eyes.

" She explained how she had decided to deal with this matter.

nRutherford paused and thought about how her plan might play out.

nIf the people thought that it was a man who was running the business then they might not necessarily be against this.

n'So what if they do not know that there is a hidden boss behind the representative. What they don't know won't hurt them.' Yvonne smirked at the brilliance of her plan.

nThis way, she could run her business but to the sights of everyone else, it would be the 'man' who was running it, and hence she would not face any objections from them.

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"And who will this man be?

" The father interrogated and his eyes fell on Howard, the other man in this room.

nYvonne too noticed his gaze and was quick to shake her head.

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"It cannot be someone from our family.

" She declined that possibility completely.

nShe desired to start her own business which meant that it could not have any ties with their family business that was already set up and blooming tremendously.

n'We can think of collaborations later on but not right now.' She kept an open mind about what the future might hold.

nEarlier, when Howard had heard that she would use a 'man' as her representative, he had also assumed that she would ask him for help.

nHowever, his misinterpretation of her words was cleared so now all that was left another unanswered question.

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"Who will be your representative then?

" He tilted his head in inquiry.

nThe little girl was seen scratching her cheek as she let out a sheepish chuckle at what she had been asked.

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"I do not know… Yet…

" She muttered in a soft voice as she had not yet decided who that man might be.

nRutherford felt as though he would fall off his seat at what she had just said while Howard choked on thin air.

n'This is my plan for the future! I have many preparations to make before I can start!' She puffed up her cheeks as she defended herself silently.

nRubbing his temples to ease the headache which was creeping in, Rutherford heaved a loud sigh before fixing his eyes on his child.

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"So you want to become a businesswoman in the future?

" He questioned and received a nod from the little girl.

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"You have your initial investment.

" He added as she had spoken about the Baron's money being her investment earlier.

nHoward and Yvonne nodded in unison as he was right about this as well.

n'Is he summarizing everything we've spoken about today?' She wondered and it looked like she was right in making this assumption.

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"You want a man to be the face of your business to keep it safe but you don't have anyone in mind yet.

" He sighed louder when he got to this part.

nYvonne could not deny anything that he had said so far as everything was the absolute truth.

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"So what exactly do you know about your business plans?

" Rutherford narrowed his eyes at her lax way of dealing with things.

n'She says that she wants to become a businesswoman but with such lack of vision how can anyone take her words seriously?' He scoffed at how lightly she was taking things.

nYvonne was once again stumped for words as she did not know where to begin.

n'I did not have everything planned nor was I prepared to be having this meeting right now!' She gulped in nervousness as this impromptu meeting was not on the agenda today.

nThey had been summoned abruptly to this office without a clue about what they would be facing inside.

nShe also had never thought about revealing her plans to her father and brother and even expected them to pay attention to her thoughts without rejecting her right away.

nThus, she was not prepared to answer all of his questions as, as of now, all she had were a few ideas but no concrete planning.

nRutherford had long noticed her expressions which indicated that she was not ready to answer his questions.

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"We can end this meeting right now.

" He declared while rising from his seat.

nThis caused the little girl to look up at him with shock apparent in her eyes.

nHowever, the next statement she heard made that shock fade away as a slight smile graced her face.

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"We shall discuss this matter again when you can answer all my questions without freezing like a statue.

" He huffed, a hint of teasing present in his voice as he gestured for his children to follow him out of the room.

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