Chapter 55

The unexpected visitor was Count of Damon.

Despite feeling the menacing gaze of Carlos, the Count burst in, making absurd claims.

“Lady Aneta, I don’t understand why you’re withdrawing your investment and suing me! I may not know about my wife, but I certainly never spread such rumors! “

Damon’s intentions were clear. He couldn’t salvage his wife’s actions, but he hoped to deny his involvement and reduce the damage to himself.

But Aneta saw through this obvious ploy. She did not react at all to the Count’s words, merely watching him with an indifferent gaze, as if daring him to continue. 

Seeing no visible emotion, Damon grew more anxious and babbled on.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard from whom, but you shouldn’t believe it. This must be a conspiracy by someone who is trying to ruin the relationship between the Count of Damon and the Marquis of Adenauer.”

His silver tongue refused to give up, proclaiming his innocence while shifting the blame to an unnamed culprit.

“As one who has received the favor of the Marquis, how dare I commit such a vulgar atrocity against Your Ladyship?”

It was fitting behavior for someone who had groveled at Derek’s feet to secure an investment. Aneta clicked her tongue in disgust at his shameless display.

‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ how apt this saying was in the current situation.

Having heard enough, Aneta decided it was time to get rid of the Count.

“So, you admit to committing that vulgar act.”

“No, there is a misunderstanding, Your Ladyship!”

“Misunderstanding, you say…”

Aneta deliberately trailed off, gazing at the Count of Damon. Without even offering him a seat, the Count stood alone in the space, biting his lip at his cryptic behavior.

Even though she was looking up at him from her seated position, he felt as though he were groveling at her feet.

The moment came when he would have to put that feeling into action.

Aneta retrieved an envelope from the drawer and tossed it onto the desk, the envelope landing on the edge. Aneta gestured toward it with a nod.

“I wonder if you’ll still say that after seeing this.”

“What… is that?”

“Go ahead and see for yourself.”

Aneta had no intention of explaining further. Intimidated by her clear yet cold demeanor, the Count of Damon hesitantly approached and picked up the envelope.

A sense of unease ran down his spine.

With trembling hands, he opened the folder and unfolded several neatly pressed sheets of paper.

Bad premonitions rarely prove wrong. As he read through the contents, Damon’s face grew increasingly pale.  Finally, when his gaze reached the period at the end of the last line, the papers slipped from his trembling hands and fluttered to the floor.

Aneta watched the trajectory of the falling pages and spoke.

“That’s the sworn statement from one of the groups you were with that day. Of course, I have the handwritten testimonies safely stored as well. With such clear evidence, can you still claim this is a misunderstanding or someone’s conspiracy, as you said?”

Carlos, drawn by the mention of evidence, picked up the scattered papers.

After hastily reviewing the documents, Carlos found the name of the tavern where the Count had spread the false rumors, the time, the receipt, and the employee’s statement, just as Aneta had described.

Moreover, the papers even detailed the specific clothes the Count had worn and the type of alcohol he had consumed.

A grinding noise came from Carlos’s clenched teeth. His sharp gaze turned toward the Count, full of barely restrained fury.

“Wh-what is the meaning of this? How could you have…!”

“Judging by your expression, it seems you thought I would sue the Count without any investigation or evidence to back it up.”

Damon, who had barely opened his mouth to speak, was instantly silenced by Aneta’s shrill voice. His clenched fists began to tremble uncontrollably.

However, there was no room for sympathy or pity towards him. Aneta made her disapproval clear.

“Vulgar act, was it? It’s a relief that you understand the nature of your behavior. Oh, and knowing and still doing it makes your crime even worse.”

Even if he begged and pleaded endlessly, his lies were unforgivable. There was no reason to forgive someone like him.

“I intend to proceed with the lawsuit and the investment reclamation as planned. I have no intention of withdrawing it, so don’t harbor any useless expectations.”

Aneta firmly reiterated her stance. It was a clear message for him to leave without causing any more trouble.

Seeing no signs of forgiveness, the Count of Damon abandoned his pride. Just as Aneta had imagined, he suddenly fell to his knees, prostrating himself on the floor.

“I’m sorry. I beg you. Please, at least spare the investment! If you withdraw it now, my business will collapse!”

As the Count contorted his face, seemingly on the verge of tears, Carlos glanced at Aneta. As expected, she remained unmoved.

It was only natural. Whether Damon threw away his pride or knelt, there was nothing for Aneta to gain.

“The investment was made long ago, and if you’re still relying on it, isn’t that enough? It seems I’ve found another reason to withdraw it. There’s no value in maintaining this any longer.”

The attempt to elicit sympathy had backfired.

The Count abruptly raised his upper body. His once pale face was now flushed with redness, and the pitiful expression had vanished.

His frustration boiled over when his begging proved useless.

‘As expected, it was a fabricated expression.’

Aneta clicked her tongue inwardly. It was more disappointing to be deceived by such a clumsy individual.

“Even if I made a mistake, this is too much. If you truly consider your father, you shouldn’t treat me this way! Are you planning to cut off the decisions made by the former Marquis just like that?”

The Count raised his voice, dismissing his wrongdoing as a mere mistake.

Despite the inappropriateness of his tone, he couldn’t discern the situation. Carlos was about to step in, but Aneta moved first.

“…”

Aneta rose from her seat as he mentioned Derek.

The Count, mistaking the situation and believing he had found a lifeline, defiantly looked up at Aneta as she stood silently in front of the pushed-in chair, glaring at him.

However, the lifeline he grabbed was a rotten one.

Aneta’s derisive laugh confirmed it.

“Hearing you say that leaves no hesitation. You should have come up with a different excuse. Is there anyone who doesn’t know I’m estranged from my father? Even if we were on good terms, I wouldn’t have to maintain anything just because of what he did.”

The Count belatedly bit his lip, realizing his mistake. Seeing the look of defeat on his face, Aneta frowned in disdain.

“That’s enough. Just go. Kneeling won’t change anything.”

The arrows have already fired, and the spilled water cannot be taken back. The words that had left her mouth were of the same nature.

If Damon were the type to leave when told, he wouldn’t have come to the office unannounced in the first place.

Sure enough, despite his anger, Damon showed no sign of retreat.

“Are you really going to do this!”

“That’s what I’d like to ask. It seems you’ve forgotten your position, Count.”

As the Count raised his voice again, Carlos stepped in to stop him this time.

“How dare you act so aggressively when you are the perpetrator. It seems you think little of Marquis Adenauer and myself.”

Carlos moved forward, blocking the Count’s view of Aneta, exuding an intimidating presence.

“If you intend to stay here and continue this charade, I won’t stop you. But you’ll have to give up the hope of leaving here unharmed. You see, I have quite a grudge against you.”

The Count instinctively leaned back, his gaze naturally falling on the dagger at Carlos’s wrist. Sensing the threat, Carlos approached him menacingly.

“I’ll ask you one last time. What are you going to do?”

“I-I’ll leave!”

With Carlos intervening, the Count had no choice but to retreat. Without looking back, he fled the office, fearing that Carlos might unleash some power on him.

Carlos watched the Count’s hasty retreat with a stern gaze. People like him only back down when faced with a clear display of power.

As the Count disappeared from view, Carlos turned back, his menacing aura dissolving as he looked at Aneta.

“Aneta, are you okay?”

Carlos’s face softened as he asked.

“Don’t worry. I’m just a bit tired.”

There was no reason for her not to be fine. She added this as she rubbed her tired eyes a couple of times before letting her hands fall.

Seeing her like that, Carlos couldn’t help but worry. What if another person related to mine came and caused trouble? While Aneta could handle herself, Carlos couldn’t help but be concerned.

“We need to wrap up this issue as soon as possible. We already have too much work to do, and this keeps taking up our time.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll help you.”

“How do you plan to help?”

“If you allow me to get involved in this, I’ll start by finding the source of the rumors you’re looking for.”

“Are you sure? You’re already quite busy with all the paperwork.”

Aneta glanced at the stack of documents piled on Carlos’s desk. While she was also busy, her workload was still more manageable compared to his.

With his help, they could indeed shorten the time needed to resolve the issue. However, she hesitated to burden him further when he barely had time to rest.

Aneta was conflicted, and Carlos noticed.

“This is about you, Aneta. If I don’t help, then who else would help you?”

Carlos knew that many others would step up to help Aneta.

As he thought of all the people willing to assist her, he realized he didn’t want anyone else to take his place, especially not Serce, who harbored similar feelings.

Call it selfishness, but he didn’t want to miss out on any opportunity to be involved in Aneta’s matters. Sensing his earnestness, Aneta nodded.

“Then help me find the initial source of the rumors. I’ll handle the rest.”