CHAPTER 108……..
“Hmm……”
Around noon.
After finally having lunch and leisurely heading to work, I was first of all reading the newspaper.
“Nothing.”
But not only on the front page, no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find any article about Feydan or his boutique.
After the fabric issue blew up, articles about it kept appearing nonstop, but in the end, it had quietly disappeared without a trace.
“Judging by the lack of rebuttals or corrections, Feydan probably didn’t bribe anyone.”
In business, the most dangerous time isn’t when you’re infamous, nor when you’re well-known…
“Complete indifference is the scariest.”
That’s how people get forgotten.
“Well, he really messed up this time, so maybe he’ll stay quiet for a while… or not…”
As I folded the newspaper, thinking this,
“Boss, there’s something urgent I need to report.”
I heard Wigg’s voice along with a knock.
“Come in.”
Wigg hurried in, looking serious.
Instinctively, I guessed what he was about to say.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well… Duke Farnese is causing a scene in front of the store.”
I got up from my seat and went to the window.
Between the waiting customers’ carriages, I saw Feydan shouting loudly.
“He says you used your father to ruin his business.”
Oh.
Considering Feydan’s usual behavior, it was both surprising and not surprising.
‘I knew he would come eventually, but I didn’t expect him to throw a tantrum and abandon all dignity.’
Seems like he has nothing left to lose now.
I let out a cold laugh and ordered Wigg,
“Bring him to a nearby café.”
I arrived at the café first, secured a private room, and shortly after,
Feydan appeared with Wigg, wearing a scowling expression.
I smiled lightly and greeted him casually.
“How have you been? Are you enjoying the painting you bought at the bazaar?”
As I deliberately mentioned the painting, Feydan’s face immediately flushed red and blue.
“You… you…!”
Feydan, enraged, tried to lunge at me, but Wigg slid in beside me to block him.
Feydan, momentarily intimidated by Wigg’s size, stepped back, then loudly shouted at me as if nothing had happened.
“Why isn’t this gorilla letting me through?”
“Wigg is my assistant. He has a duty to oversee my business affairs.”
“You’re not embarrassed to talk about what you did in front of him?”
“Not at all. I’ve never done anything to be ashamed of, so why would I be?”
Feydan let out a hollow laugh, seemingly stunned by my words.
Ignoring him, I casually gestured to the seat opposite me.
“Sit comfortably. I’ll buy the tea.”
Wigg pulled out the chair. Though his actions were very polite, his expression was so fierce it was as if he might snap the chair in half if Feydan didn’t sit.
In the end, muttering curses, Feydan sat down.
Once the staff who had come to take our order left, Feydan, who had been holding back, suddenly shouted.
“This is your doing, isn’t it?”
He had long abandoned the minimal courtesy of addressing me formally.
I pretended not to understand, even though I knew exactly what he meant.
“I don’t know what you mean by my doing. Can you clarify the subject?”
“Don’t play dumb! I’m talking about when Viscount Chloé sold me that Eastern fabric!”
“Ah, that incident.”
“You had your father sell me that cheap fabric!”
“I do regret that matter, but it has nothing to do with me.”
“Even though I heard you met with him before he came to see me?”
“I did. My father tried to sell me that fabric, and I refused. That’s all. I didn’t expect him to be shameless enough to try to sell it to my ex-husband.”
“Lies! You knew about the fabric and sent the viscount to me! You were trying to ruin my business! Right?”
“I didn’t know about the fabric. I just assumed because my father’s judgment has never been reliable.”
Of course, I did know that fabric would cause problems, but there was no need to let Feydan know that.
And above all…
“Even if I really sent my father to ruin your business, that’s not my fault.”
“What kind of logic is that—”
“You just didn’t have to accept his proposal, right?”
At my sharp remark, Feydan, who had been yelling furiously, fell silent like a mute.
“You’re the one who accepted the proposal. How is that my fault? I didn’t threaten you to accept it.”
“……”
“In the end, what happened is your own doing.”
Feydan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in frustration, and then…
“But since you’re a woman, you should take responsibility for your father’s mistake!”
He started spouting absurd nonsense.
I could only scoff.
“I’ve cut ties with my father, so hold him… no, hold Viscount Chloé responsible.”
It seemed there was nothing more to discuss.
I stood up and added,
“And if you cause another scene in front of our store, I’ll call security for obstruction, so be prepared.”
“Leticia!”
Feydan raged, but didn’t dare grab me. Probably because of Wigg beside me.
Ignoring Feydan’s shouting, I walked away, then suddenly remembered to glance back at him.
“Oh, by the way. Drink your tea slowly, even mine if you want. Your throat must be sore.”
At that moment, Feydan’s expression beyond the closing door was quite a sight.
Almost too good to keep to myself.
“Damn! Damn!”
On the way back to the Duke’s residence,
Feydan cursed and raised his fist to hit the carriage wall, then hesitated.
Earlier, in a fit of rage, he had hit the carriage wall, prompting the driver to stop.
Shaking with fury, he roughly pulled back the curtain covering the carriage window.
He probably thought some cold air would ease his mood.
He stared outside, trying to calm the stubborn anger.
Then something outside caught his eye.
A building emitting a blindingly strong light in the darkening scenery.
Laughter, and the sound of coins clinking reached him like an echo.
“A casino…”
A place where one could turn their life around in an instant.
“…If I hit the jackpot there, I could fix this situation.”
As he imagined the jackpot, his anger subsided and hope swelled.
While he seriously considered it, the carriage came to a stop.
They had arrived at the Duke’s residence.
Unlike usual, when the main gate opened, the carriage did not immediately move. This time it remained still for quite a while.
From outside, commotion could be heard.
“Damn it, what now?”
Feydan frowned in annoyance and looked out the carriage window.
“What are you—why aren’t you going inside—”
He stopped speaking when his eyes met those of the people blocking the carriage.
The ones he never wanted to face were standing right in front of him.
“You can’t keep avoiding us like this, Your Highness.”
“Y-You…!”
“The Grand Duke has ordered us to escort you.”
It was Duke Zahir, Deon’s subordinates.
Feydan’s face went pale as if he had seen a grim reaper.
