A child… in this kind of relationship?

Cordelia’s mouth went dry as nausea surged within her. But she forced herself to mask any trace of the shock that threatened to shake her.

A child, an heir, a successor, even in a house without titles to pass down, the topic was only natural.

Cordelia, being the last of the Hastings direct line and a daughter at that, could not inherit the family title.

There were no remaining male heirs, not even in the extended family, and so the earldom had effectively ended.

All that remained was the once-glorious name.

If she wished to pass the title on to her child her only option would be to remarry into the nobility.

So a child she bore with Lucas could never inherit the Hastings title. All she could pass on was the noble spirit she had once carried.

A sense of right and wrong, and the heart to give generously when one had more than another.

But the words Lucas had said earlier still echoed like a slap across her cheek.

“But this was all a lie.”
“Does that matter?”

She lowered her head, clutching the silverware tightly in her hand. If she had remained unaware, if she had known nothing. Even if a child had come, she would have simply been happy.

But no matter how much she wanted to deny it, that ignorant happiness had already come to an end.

What tormented her even more was the fact that love didn’t disappear in a single moment. If only it could shatter like this silver flatware.

If only it had been the kind of betrayal she could close her eyes and overlook.

But it wasn’t. He had orchestrated the downfall of her family, deceived her and even committed crimes. Worst of all was his attitude — how utterly unbothered he was by it all.

Everything about it drove her mad from the inside out.

Even as her heart throbbed like it was being torn apart, her reason screamed loud and clear: Having a child in this marriage would be madness.

‘But I can’t avoid the marital relationship forever. So if it does happen…’

Cordelia lifted her gaze slightly and looked at the man in front of her.

Lucas was still watching her expression closely, that faint smile lingering on his face.

‘Never… will I raise that child by your side.’

It was a decision too painful to make on their wedding anniversary but a cold, painfully realistic conclusion nonetheless.

***

But it wasn’t. He had orchestrated the downfall of her family, deceived her, and even committed crimes. The worst thing of all was his attitude — how utterly unbothered he was by it all.

It had once been expected to become a stable source of income. But the moment petroleum was rediscovered and spotlighted as a major fuel, everything collapsed.

Granted, given the scale of the coal mines, they could have held out longer against the tides of change. But once the rumors—conveniently timed rumors—that the mines had far less reserve than expected began to spread, the collapse came in a flash.

The coal industry in the Old Continent plummeted instantly, and they were left with no choice but to rely entirely on the New Continent.

That groundwork had been laid long ago, but it wasn’t until now that massive capital finally began to flow into the Eisner Corporation, a front largely established by Lucas.

And so his group found themselves sipping cognac from noon at the social club lounge on Millionaire Row.
It was, after all, a moment that deserved grand celebration.

Still, all the men—his close aide William among them—were cautiously eyeing Lucas.

Since arriving here, Lucas had been singularly focused on his billiards game, and the air around him was vicious.

With sharp cracks, he delivered terrifying smash shots at his opponent, making it impossible to read what was going on inside his head.

Unable to endure the unnervingly crisp sounds anymore, William finally spoke up.

“Ahem, Lucas. I suppose… your wife must’ve been quite shocked?”

Crack!

The impact echoed through every corner of the room. Only once his opponent had acknowledged defeat by shaking their head did Lucas slowly rise to his feet and unfurl his solid frame.

William and the others stiffened reflexively. Each of them had been beaten bloody by those very hands at least once during college.

None of the men who had dared to gossip about Cordelia Duquesne’s past were present at the table today.

Contrary to their expectations, however, Lucas let out a relaxed chuckle.

“Oh, not at all. My esteemed noble wife wasn’t shaken in the slightest.”

“Ooh…”

“And even if she were, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference.”

“Well, then. That’s a relief, right? All the more reason to celebrate. You’re one step closer to succession, after all.”

Richard Duquesne’s wife died many years ago, having never given him a child. It was widely speculated that, unless he remarried, his long-time confidant, Randolph Aubert, would become the heir to his business.

Then, one day, Lucas appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be Richard’s son.

Rumour had it that he was the illegitimate son of a noblewoman from the Old Continent, and as a result, Eastern high society naturally recoiled, vowing to keep him at arm’s length.

However, armed with flawless grades, quiet fistfights and overwhelming charisma, Lucas forced every last one of those lords to kneel beneath him at university.

“Grease-for-brains bastards running their mouths.”

It didn’t take long for followers to flock to the man who insulted them with a crude sneer in the refined accent of the Old Continent.

An eye for investment. Nerves of steel. A nature that never hesitated to make ruthless decisions. The dark allure of a nobleman’s bastard.

Lucas Duquesne was an unstoppable force.

Moreover, Lucas had played a crucial role in shedding the Duquesne family’s label as “new money who rose through dirty business” and transforming them into something more. And that wasn’t all—hadn’t he even taken as his wife the daughter of the most prestigious noble family in the Old Continent, a woman no commoner could ever dare to pursue?

Truly, he was the golden boy of the so-called Land of Opportunity. William, who had staked his life on Lucas, gave a small nod of approval.

Just then, a woman’s voice, tinged with amusement, floated in.

“So, Lucas. How did your wife react?”

“Louisa Vanderbilt.”

When Lucas turned his head, he was met with a woman whose luscious, pearlescent hair was twisted up elegantly, her green eyes gleaming like a cat’s.

With that delicate, pitiful face, she was the sort to devour you whole if you let your guard down for even a second.

Only then did Lucas seem to acknowledge her presence, flashing her a crooked grin.

“Life must be boring these days. I heard you ran that cheap mouth of yours in front of my wife.”

At Lucas’s crude and vulgar remark, everyone in the club instantly held their breath. In business and at social events, Lucas was the picture of poise—refined in speech and brimming with confidence, a man who drew all eyes.

But among his old university peers, they knew better than anyone how much of an unhinged bastard he used to be.

Louisa lowered her eyes as if wounded, her large pupils quickly brimming with tears.

“I’m so sorry… I had no idea your wife would actually come visit… Sniff… but still, to do that to Henry…”

Henry was a man that Louisa had placed within Eisner. Without Lucas’s permission and at Louisa’s sole request, Henry had made the grave mistake of allowing Cordelia into the office.

“I was so shocked when I heard he lost an ear and came back bleeding everywhere… Sob… I feel awful…”

“Stop wiping away those fake tears! Your work was impressive, even without the eyedrops.”

“…Tch.”

When her tears failed to move him, Louisa finally gave a playful pout. She had long been well-versed in the uglier sides of business—after all, she’d grown up in it. In the New Continent, bullets moved faster than legislation, and it was always simpler to kill than to debate.

So the fact that Henry had come back missing an ear and dripping blood? Not the least bit shocking.

Weakness was evil. Strength and wealth were everything.

That was why Louisa gazed at Lucas with unabashed devotion in her eyes.

“But you know, Lucas, I was honestly impressed. Isn’t your wife someone who’s had servants do everything for her her whole life? For her to go somewhere like that alone…”

“Louisa. If you pull another stunt like that, I’ll personally recommend a marriage match for you with the Vanderbilts.”

When Lucas sharply cut off her coquettish words, Louisa’s fluttering smile faltered.

“To help your foster parents finally decide—to sell you off to a noble house as they’ve always dreamed.”

“…Lucas, how can you say that? You know I like you—”

“If you dare to plant one more foolish idea in my wife’s head, I won’t let it slide.”

“Oh, please… don’t let it slide at all.”

Louisa rose from her seat and slipped a finger into the knot of Lucas’s tie.

“I like everything you do. I wouldn’t mind finding out right now just how you don’t plan to let me be.”

Everyone in the club swallowed hard as they watched the scene unfold. Whenever Louisa acted seductive with that deceptively innocent face, countless men had rushed to shower her with extravagant gifts.

But Lucas, thoroughly disgusted, easily removed her finger and let out a mocking snort.

“I’ll admit you’re nice to look at. But not once have you ever managed to turn me on.”

“…!”

“So save your fantasies for the bedroom—with your new lover. Don’t go screwing up my plans with your pointless theatrics.”

“Lucas!”

Louisa whined, but Lucas didn’t spare her a glance.

He still had a long way to go.

What Richard truly desired was a legitimate noble title. After suffering so much scorn in the Old Continent, he had crossed over to the New World with a festering grudge. The old man’s only wish now was to hold a title before he died.

But as Lucas turned back to the billiards table, his mind briefly wandered to Cordelia.

When she first found out the truth, she had looked stunned. Yet by evening, she had regained her composure enough to squarely ask him, “What are you planning?”

And that response?

“Isn’t it important?”

Even in a situation like this, she still clung to ethics and morals. He had to admit—some parts of the old her hadn’t changed at all.

However, her current pretence of innocence, as if his actions hadn’t just twisted her life, was utterly shameless.

“So no—there will be no divorce.”

After all, he had married her intending to ruin her. Revealing the truth now wasn’t the worst idea. After all, he had already destroyed House Hastings and forced her to call off her engagement to that duke.

With a sharp, aggressive stroke, Lucas executed a powerful massé shot on the billiards table.

His revenge on the Count’s family wasn’t over yet.