Chapter 65 – The Ownership Structure
Chapter 65 – The Ownership Structure
The table gradually fell quiet for a while as everyone focused on the manuscript Lucien had just sent to their wristlinks.
The lively conversation from earlier faded into a comfortable silence.
The only sounds that remained were the soft tapping of fingers against screens, the faint hum of the café’s ambient music system, and the distant murmur of customers chatting over coffee.
Each of them leaned slightly over their devices in their own way.
Seliora sat forward with her elbow on the table, scrolling rapidly through the text with sharp, efficient movements. Every few moments her brows would rise slightly as if she had noticed something interesting.
Evelis, by contrast, read much more slowly. Her eyes moved carefully across each line, sometimes pausing longer on certain paragraphs. Once or twice she even went back to reread a section, her lips curling into a faint smile as if appreciating a particular sentence.
Dorian read with the composed focus of someone evaluating a report rather than enjoying a story. His posture was straight, one hand resting on the table while the other scrolled at a steady pace.
Kaelen rested his chin lightly against his hand while reading, occasionally tilting his head slightly as if analyzing the logic behind certain deductions.
Meanwhile, Riven leaned lazily back in his chair with his wristlink tilted above him, looking far more relaxed than the others.
Lucien watched them quietly as it was a strangely satisfying sight.
Even though he had already finished writing the manuscript earlier, watching people read it for the first time always felt slightly surreal.
Riven, who had technically already read the book before, occasionally leaned sideways to glance at someone else’s screen.
Not to read the text but to watch their reactions.
At one point he leaned toward Seliora and whispered quietly, “Wait for chapter twelve.”
Seliora didn’t even look at him.
“Don’t spoil it.”
Riven raised both hands innocently and leaned back again.
The book itself wasn’t particularly long, and Lucien had intentionally arranged it with tight pacing. There were very few sections where the story slowed down.
Because of that, it did not take long before the group began finishing one by one.
Evelis was the first to stop scrolling.
She stared quietly at the final page for a moment.
Then she slowly closed the manuscript file and looked up, her expression thoughtful.
“That ending…” she murmured softly.
Before she could say anything else…
Seliora suddenly slammed her hands onto the table. “Alright.”
Lucien raised a brow at her. “What?”
Seliora leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “The next one.”
Lucien stared at her blankly. “What next one?”
Seliora looked at him as if the answer was obvious. “The next book.”
Lucien blinked again.
“Start writing it.”
Lucien opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Before he could respond, Kaelen calmly nodded from beside her.
“Yes.”
Lucien turned toward him slowly.
“Yes?” he repeated.
Kaelen looked completely serious.
“Yes.”
Evelis added gently with a small smile, “You can’t stop now.”
Dorian leaned back in his chair, folding his arms thoughtfully.
“The series momentum is strong.” he said calmly.
Riven grinned widely. “People will riot if you slow down.”
Lucien slowly looked around the table at everyone.
“You guys are insatiable.”
Seliora shrugged unapologetically. “Correct.”
Lucien waved them away dramatically. “Shoo, shoo.”
Riven laughed. “You created this monster.”
Lucien shook his head, but a reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Go away and let me breathe.”
Riven stretched his arms above his head as he stood up.
“Alright then.”
He rolled his shoulders slightly.
“I’ll do something useful.”
Lucien narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“That sentence from you worries me.”
Riven ignored him and began walking toward the small stage area of the café.
The stage had originally been little more than a decorative corner with a microphone stand and a small speaker system.
But after Lucien refurbished it and upgraded the audio equipment, it had gradually become a regular performance space.
Riven had been performing there frequently.
The customers had quickly learned that the “random musician friend” of the café owner was actually very talented.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, a few regulars noticed.
“Oh!”
“Riven!”
Someone clapped.
Others turned their heads.
Within moments the room filled with a wave of encouraging applause.
Riven placed one hand dramatically over his chest and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, thank you.”
He adjusted the microphone slightly before picking up his instrument.
The café slowly quieted down again.
Then he began playing.
His voice filled the café with relaxed confidence, and customers settled comfortably into listening.
Several of them had already heard him perform before and knew that the performance would be worth their attention.
Meanwhile, at the table, Kaelen quietly stood up.
“I’m going to the kitchen for a moment,” he said.
Lucien nodded.
Kaelen had been particularly curious about the new kitchen equipment that had recently been installed.
Ever since the upgrades arrived, his attention had been drawn toward them like a magnet.
Whenever machinery or tools were involved, Kaelen’s curiosity activated almost immediately.
He disappeared into the kitchen area within seconds.
On the other side of the café, Alina suddenly appeared.
She walked straight toward Evelis.
Without warning, she grabbed Evelis’ arm. “Come!”
Evelis laughed softly. “Where are we going?”
Alina tugged her sleeve enthusiastically. “Of course, to play!”
Seliora had no chance to resist either.
Alina grabbed her sleeve as well. “You too!”
Seliora groaned immediately. “I knew sitting here was a mistake.”
But despite the complaint, she allowed herself to be dragged away.
Within moments the three of them were sitting on the floor near one of the corner tables.
Alina spread out a few sheets of paper and began explaining some kind of drawing game with intense enthusiasm.
Seliora listened with visible skepticism.
Evelis listened with patient amusement.
Back at the table, only three people remained.
Lucien. Dorian. Lunessa.
For a short while, none of them spoke. The conversation that had filled the table earlier had faded into a quiet pause, leaving only the music drifting from the stage.
Riven’s voice carried softly across the café, smooth and relaxed, accompanied by the gentle rhythm of his instrument. The sound blended with the low murmur of customers chatting, the occasional clink of cups against saucers, and the faint hum of the café’s lighting system.
Lucien rested his arm on the table and glanced briefly toward the stage.
Riven seemed completely at ease performing in front of the small crowd, smiling easily as he sang.
It was almost strange how naturally he had turned the café into an informal performance venue.
After a moment, Dorian leaned forward slightly.
“So,” he said calmly.
“You’ve heard everything from Lucien.”
Lunessa nodded.
Her expression was thoughtful, her gaze resting somewhere between Lucien and the table as if she were mentally sorting through everything she had just learned.
“What do you think needs to be sorted out first?” Dorian asked.
Lunessa didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she rested her arms lightly on the table and sat quietly for several seconds, clearly organizing her thoughts before speaking.
Lucien waited patiently.
Finally, she lifted her head and looked directly at him.
“What exactly do you intend to do with Ashborne Holdings?”
Lucien blinked.
The question was simple, but it was also surprisingly broad.
Before he could answer, Lunessa continued.
“Because forming a holding company tells me something.”
She tilted her head slightly, studying him.
“You clearly don’t intend to remain confined to writing.”
Lucien nodded slowly. “That’s correct.”
Lunessa folded her arms. “Of course.”
She gave a small amused laugh.
“Who in their right mind buys a struggling printing press just because they write books?”
Lucien shrugged.
“Well…”
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“It seemed like a good opportunity.”
Lunessa continued with a wry smile.
“If that logic made sense, every writer in the world would own their own press.”
Dorian nodded calmly. “Exactly.”
He pointed lightly at Lucien. “I told him the same thing.”
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
“Anyone hearing that story would reach the same conclusion.”
Lucien gave them both an awkward smile.
“It sounds strange when you say it like that.”
“It is strange,” Dorian replied dryly.
“But not necessarily wrong.”
Lunessa nodded slightly in agreement.
“Anyway,” she continued, shifting the conversation back to the main point, “what exactly is the structure you want?”
Lucien leaned back and spoke calmly.
“Ashborne Holdings will remain the parent company.”
He gestured lightly with one hand.
“It will own the other companies as subsidiaries like Crownspire publishing.”
Lunessa nodded, indicating she was following.
Lucien continued.
“And Ashborne Holdings itself will remain one hundred percent privately owned by me.”
He paused briefly, making sure the next point was clear.
“There will be no outside capital, no public listing, and no investors.”
He said it plainly. “It will remain a fully private company.”
Lunessa nodded immediately. “Yes.”
“That’s the correct structure.”
She leaned slightly forward as she began explaining.
“Holding companies exist precisely for that purpose.”
She tapped the table lightly with her finger as she spoke.
“Almost no one opens them to external investors.”
Lucien listened carefully.
“They separate control from operation,” she explained.
“The holding company owns the assets and the subsidiaries do the work.”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“It’s a very useful separation.”
Lucien tilted his head slightly.
“Expand more on that”
Lunessa answered without hesitation.
“For example, imagine that one of the subsidiaries runs into trouble.”
“Financial trouble. Legal trouble. Operational failure. Any kind of trouble”
She gestured lightly with her hand.
“If everything were inside one company, the damage could spread everywhere.”
“But with a holding structure, the problem stays contained.”
Lucien nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”
Dorian added calmly, “It’s basically structural risk management.”
He glanced briefly toward Lucien.
“If Crownspire Publishing ever had a legal dispute, the holding company wouldn’t necessarily be affected.”
“And neither would the other subsidiaries.”
Lucien leaned back slightly.
“So, each company operates independently.”
“Exactly,” Lunessa said.
“The holding company sits above everything.”
“It owns the shares, but it doesn’t run daily operations.”
She continued,
“That’s why large media groups often use this structure.”
“One company owns the intellectual property.”
“Another handles publishing, another one manages distribution, and another runs merchandise.”
Lucien’s eyes shifted slightly as he considered that.
“That would allow each division to grow independently.”
Lunessa nodded.
“Yes.”
“And more importantly,” she added, “each division can attract investment separately.”
Lucien raised a brow.
“The subsidiaries are the ones that take capital,” Lunessa continued.
“They’re the ones that can accept investors.”
“And they’re the ones that can eventually go public.”
Lucien nodded again.
“Exactly.”
“The subsidiaries can accept investment if needed.”
“They could even go public someday if they grow large enough.”
He paused briefly before adding,
“But the holding company remains private.”
Dorian nodded approvingly.
“That’s the key part.”
Lucien looked between them.
“If one subsidiary becomes large enough, it could even become its own major company.”
Lunessa smiled. “Yes.”
“For example,” she said, “Crownspire Publishing might eventually grow large enough to expand into multiple divisions.”
“Physical books, digital publishing, audio productions and even International licensing.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“And if that happens, investors might want to participate.”
Lucien nodded. “But they would only invest in Crownspire.”
“Exactly,” Lunessa said.
“They wouldn’t gain any ownership of Ashborne Holdings itself.”
Dorian added, “They wouldn’t gain control over your company and kick you out later and they can’t do that even if they want to under this structure.”
Lucien leaned back slightly. “That’s actually a very powerful structure.”
Lunessa nodded. “It is.”
She continued calmly, “You could also create entirely new subsidiaries later.”
Lucien looked interested. “For what?”
“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “for example…”
“If your stories become popular enough, you could create a media production subsidiary.”
“Film adaptations, series productions, animated content.”
Lucien blinked. “That escalated quickly.”
Dorian shrugged slightly. “It’s not unrealistic.”
He gestured toward Lucien.
“If your books continue gaining popularity, media adaptation becomes inevitable.”
Lucien rubbed his temple lightly. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Lunessa laughed softly. “Of course.”
“But the structure should allow that future.”
She tapped the table lightly again.
“That’s why the holding company matters.”
Lucien nodded slowly.
“So Ashborne Holdings sits at the top.”
“Exactly,” Lunessa said.
“It owns the subsidiaries like Crownspire Publishing and any future companies.”
She paused briefly before finishing.
“And each of those companies can grow independently without compromising the overall structure.”
Lucien exhaled quietly.
“That actually sounds… surprisingly organized.”
Dorian smirked slightly. “That’s the entire point.”
Lunessa smiled. “That’s how it should be.”