What a terrible taste!

And yet, that foolish Eliza believed everything she said.

‘She even calls me a precious friend and thanks me for it!’

Every time Lorina left Eliza’s house, she felt something different, as varied as the different colors of the dresses Eliza wore each time.

Some days, she despised Eliza.

Some days, she hated herself for being unable to pull her interest away from a married man.

And at times, she simply couldn’t believe any of it and ended up hating the world itself.

And yet, she kept going back to see Eliza.

Perhaps because she had no proper reason to go directly to James…

But now, that opportunity was finally in her hands.

Lorina carefully folded the memo she had taken from the count’s secretary and placed it into a small handbag adorned with jewels on its clasp.

Then she headed to her dressing room to choose an outfit for her visit to Roycobs Bank.

***

Sierra, James’s secretary, was taken aback.

A female visitor had suddenly arrived and was attempting to walk straight into James’s office.

“A guest? Do you have an appointment?”

“I came to see Mr. Ashton.”

“The director isn’t here at the moment. If you could tell me your name and the purpose of your visit, I’ll check for you.”

Lorina frowned slightly, a delicate crease forming on her forehead as she looked down at Sierra.

“No, that’s not what I want.”

Lorina had assumed that whenever she came to Roycobs Bank, James would be waiting for her.

When that wasn’t the case, irritation flared within her.

‘I even dressed up so carefully for this!’

Suppressing the urge to bite her lip, Lorina offered Sierra a subtle smile.

Inside, she wanted to grab her by the hair and demand that she bring James out immediately, but she was a noble Winclaire.

So she simply smiled.

‘You insignificant little thing, hurry up and realize who I am.’

Meanwhile, Sierra looked back at her with a flat expression—

as if to say, I don’t know what you want, but I’m certain I won’t like it.

‘People without any sense, everywhere I go!’

Her patience running thin, Lorina decided to play her most dazzling card—

the one thing about her that would never change.

That she was a Winclare.

“I came on behalf of my father. My name is Lorina. Lorina Win—”

“Miss Winclaire?”

Just then, James’s voice came from the doorway.

At the sound of it, Lorina had to tense her abdomen for a split second to keep the bright smile blooming on her lips from becoming too obvious.

James, who had just returned to his office, wore a blank expression, though there was a faint trace of curiosity in his eyes.

Lorina was slightly shocked—and a little annoyed—that he hadn’t smiled upon seeing her.

This was not how she had imagined their private meeting.

Still, she beamed.

“James!”

Lorina knew very well how attractive she appeared to others, so she gave him her most dazzling smile.

Sure enough, James’s gaze lingered on her face longer than usual.

Lorina felt a thrill—not from whatever intention lay behind his gaze, but from the length of time itself.

As he looked at her, James wondered, a hint of irritation in his thoughts,

‘Why is Miss Winclaire calling me by name?’

He knew that Lorina Winclaire was his wife’s only friend—and a bridge connecting his wife to Athern.

That was why a man who normally tolerated no rudeness refrained from responding to her impropriety with his usual cold tone.

And the other reason lay in the word she had used.

‘Father.’

Count Winclaire.

James was a man who always focused on what he wanted.

“Would you like to come in, Miss Winclaire? I can spare about ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes? That’s more than enough.”

Lorina laughed brightly as she stepped inside, leaving behind a faint trace of perfume as James held the door open for her.

Before entering, she did not forget to tell Sierra not to interrupt.

“I won’t need any tea.”

In the few steps it took to enter the room, Lorina finished all her calculations.

She had already made a mistake, she had shown too much eagerness upon seeing him, and she had called him “James,” just as her heart desired.

Because she had wanted that moment for so long.

But she was confident she could make up for it.

Pretending not to notice that James had left the office door open, she wiped the smile from her face and adopted a businesslike demeanor—as if to say, I’m here on my father’s behalf.

As for her second mistake, she decided not to correct it.

Trying to fix it now would only make her look ridiculous.

Lorina knew that she must never appear ridiculous in front of a man like James Ashton.

‘Just look at Eliza. Look at how that girl is treated by him.’

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t come today as Eliza’s friend.”

“……”

James gave no verbal reply, only the faintest lift at the corner of his lips.

“My father, Count Winclaire, wishes to consult about an investment. Not with Roycobs—but with you, James.”

Lorina watched closely as his eyebrow tilted ever so slightly.

‘This man… even a single movement of his brow is provoking.’

And she pitied him.

How suffocating must it be to live with a woman who couldn’t recognize his true worth?

As expected, James went straight to the point.

“I was under the impression that Count Winclaire has long been a client of Weburn Bank. I’m not sure what assistance I could provide.”

Rather than feeling disappointed, Lorina was pleased to see his guarded reaction.

If he had welcomed her eagerly, she would have been the one disillusioned.

She shrugged lightly and smiled.

“I don’t know my father’s intentions. I’m only here to arrange a meeting.”

“Perhaps—”

She cut him off.

“No. I’m not such a cherished daughter that my father would grant my requests—and he’s not the kind of man to indulge his daughter’s whims anyway. Besides, do you really think he’d be pleased knowing you improved your performance because of your wife’s friend?”

“……”

At the same time, her eyes seemed to say,

‘I understand the kind of man you are far better than Eliza ever could.’

She curled her lips into a smile and continued,

“It seems my father sought you out simply because of the reputation you’ve earned across Athern.”

But James did not respond immediately.

He studied her silently for a moment before speaking.

“My secretary will confirm the time. Miss Winclaire.”

‘He’s telling me to speak with his secretary?’

Still, she answered smoothly,

“Very well.”

Lorina walked out with composed elegance, never once turning back even as the door closed behind her.

The moment she left after arranging the appointment, Sierra rushed into the office.

Sierra hurried in, barely containing her curiosity.

“Director, is she the daughter of Count Winclaire? Do you know each other?”

From the way Lorina had called him “James,” Sierra was clearly drawing far too many conclusions.

“You remember how hard Director William worked last year to pull Count Winclaire away from Weburn Bank, right? And now you’ve actually succeeded in that—!”

“Sierra. Are you idle?”

“…Pardon?”

At James’s cold tone, Sierra snapped back to her senses and quickly stepped out.

“No! My apologies.”

James pressed his temple, already feeling a headache coming on. By now, rumors about him and the Winclaire family had surely spread throughout the bank.

Lorina Winclaire was the kind of woman who drew attention simply by existing. From the reception desk on the first floor to this office, there was no way only one or two employees had seen her.

James understood well that some things simply couldn’t be helped.

People were instinctively drawn to what stood above them, to what was more refined, more elaborate, more dazzling.

One of the names for such a thing was blue blood.

And it was one of the very few things he could never obtain through effort or ability.

‘And that audacious way she spoke, as if she knew me well…’

Recalling Lorina’s charming smile and confident demeanor, James once again found it hard to believe that the flower of Athern’s high society was his wife’s friend.

Then he pushed aside any thoughts about his wife’s personal life and turned his focus back to himself.

The thought of Weburn’s executives—practically foaming at the mouth upon learning he had met with Count Winclaire—and of William, who would likely vent his anger on the staff for days, drew a dry laugh from him.

***

Eliza spent an entire day bedridden, overwhelmed by the shock of suddenly gaining more than two million derk.

It was a strange experience—to fall ill from happiness.

Even after she felt a little better, she lay in bed, rolling restlessly as she thought about how much her reality had changed.

Two million derk.

And Deonar Goodwin.

Her belief that she would never encounter him again as long as she avoided the bank had proven completely wrong.

Some things… happened no matter what.

‘Should I call that fate…?’

In her past life, she had once gone to Roycobs Bank and seen James and Lorina standing together, wrapped in a quiet intimacy.

That day, in the bank lobby, James had seen Lorina off with a bright, gentle smile—one he had never once shown her.

And Lorina, her hand brushing lightly over the lapel of his suit, had revealed her reluctance to part.

It was unmistakably the gesture of a woman toward a man.