Chapter 12

Until Claire gave birth, her residence was set to be at Harriet’s summer villa. The main reason was that it was in a place where there were no people for half a day’s distance around the private beach.

“There will always be a maid to attend to you. If you want anything, just pull the bell cord by the bed, and she’ll come right up. For important matters, you can leave them to the elderly couple managing the first floor. If you need to contact me, do so through them.”

Harriet recited her prepared words with an expressionless face, as if reading a play script, and then turned around.

“Wait a moment!”

As she was about to leave, Claire, who was looking around the small but luxurious room, grabbed her shoulder.

“Ah!”

Harriet shook off her hand as if brushing away a bug and turned her head. Claire’s face twisted with the insult of being rejected so bluntly.

“Am I some kind of filth to you? I’m carrying your brother’s child.”

Harriet bit her lip silently at the pointing finger. Even though she had previously demanded respect, Claire hadn’t changed. It was clear that a person’s innate dignity and nature couldn’t be altered.

“So what? What’s so great about that? As I said before, you’re not the only one claiming to carry Theodore’s child.”

“What!”

“When you give birth, and it’s confirmed to be Theodore’s child, we’ll discuss further. Until then, rest well.”

Compared to Claire’s informal speech, Harriet’s was polite, but her tone and eyes were clearly dismissive and condescending. Claire, who was seething, suddenly threw a bombshell.

“How’s his wife doing?! Olivia, wasn’t it?”

Harriet, who was about to leave the room without regret, gripped the doorknob tightly. When she turned back, Claire was smiling broadly, as if her goal was to provoke her.

Harriet managed to control her anger and warned softly.

“Don’t mention that name carelessly.”

“She must be a friend of yours. Am I right?”

“That’s none of your business. If you’re thinking of contacting Olivia behind my back…”

“Then you should visit me once a week.”

“…What?”

Harriet raised her eyebrows, more surprised than before. Claire shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s a nice and peaceful place, but it’s boring for me. There’s no fun entertainment, and I won’t be allowed to drink or play card games.”

Harriet glared at Claire, exasperated. What Claire was saying was obvious. If a pregnant woman enjoyed such things, it would be dangerous for the child in her womb, let alone beneficial for prenatal education.

“Find a quiet companion to talk to. I’m not someone with time to spare.”

“It has to be you.”

Perhaps out of spite, Claire insisted.

“You’re the only one who knows about my pregnancy and can come and go freely. Plus, we’re around the same age.”

“If you’re bored, why not learn embroidery or read? If you don’t like literature, tell them to bring you some trivial magazines…”

“I said it has to be you.”

Claire interrupted Harriet’s polite refusal, frowning.

It was reasonable for Harriet Coco Vanetti to despise and look down on her. After all, she had approached a man named Theodore for money and spent a night with him. However, she hadn’t planned on becoming pregnant; the child wasn’t part of her life plan to rise as a successful actress with a strong backing.

That’s why Claire resented Harriet Coco Vanetti, who accused her of planning the pregnancy. Harriet was a woman who had grown up in a good family with wealthy parents, never having seen poverty or hardship. She was angry at the way Harriet judged and assessed her.

“I’m not asking for much, am I? Just once a week.”

“What if I don’t come?”

“Then there’s nothing I can do. But I have a habit of taking off all my clothes when I’m bored. And I’m a sleepwalker, too.”

“…”

Harriet, momentarily speechless, clenched her fist.

Claire’s words were absurd. She was essentially saying that if Harriet didn’t visit, she would wander the beach n*ked at night.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Harriet shouted in a shrill voice, shocked. Claire Millet was more shameless and crazy than she had thought. She was different from the types Harriet had dealt with before.

The villa was isolated, but if a passing fisherman happened to see… Claire’s existence and the fact that she was carrying Theodore’s child were top secret.

Harriet wasn’t doing this for her half-brother, Theodore Vanetti. She didn’t care what happened to him, but this involved people she cherished. Her dearest childhood friend, Olivia, her aging father, and her mother, who had been frail since birth.

In the end, Harriet ran her hand through her hair and attempted a compromise.

“Once a month. I’m a busy person. I don’t have the luxury to come and go from here so leisurely.”

“Once every two weeks. I can’t compromise further.”

“…Fine. As I said earlier, if you need to contact me, do it through the caretaking couple.”

Claire nodded and gestured for her to leave. Harriet took a deep breath to calm her anger and left the room without looking back. Yvonne, who had been waiting, greeted her in the carriage.

“You could’ve just left this to me.”

“I can’t involve my subordinates in personal family matters.”

“Now you say that? I often involve your brother in personal matters for early leave, so it’s fine.”

When Yvonne mentioned Aaron, a handsome face suddenly appeared and disappeared in Harriet’s mind.

“By the way.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think a man who asks to meet at Grancha Square is thinking?”

“At Grancha Square?”

“Yeah. What if he asks you to come dressed casually?”

“Is that what that doctor, Eugene, said? It doesn’t seem like a good first date location.”

“It’s another man. But why isn’t it a good place?”

“Well, there’s no opera house, no decent restaurant, not even a quiet park around there. In fact, near there…”

“But?”

Yvonne hesitated before shaking her head.

“You’ll see when you get there.”

* * *

Yvonne’s cryptic answer was soon revealed. Harriet stood blankly, looking up at the large, firmly closed iron gate.

The place not far from Grancha Square was an old orphanage. Lennox, who had pressed the call bell, spoke to Harriet, who was staring at the building in a daze.

“Is this your first time at an orphanage?”

“I guess. I didn’t expect you to bring me to a place like this.”

She had expected him to take her to a cliché, predictable place. After all, the man in front of her, Lennox Diorne, had shown interest in her as a woman and had consistently expressed that interest.

In Harriet’s experience, a man would come to her house with a bouquet of roses, praise her beauty, take her to watch a grand opera with a full audience, and end with a splendid dinner.

But Lennox Diorne was different from the start, asking her to name the place. He sent a carriage for her, but he wasn’t in it himself. She had boarded the carriage alone, feeling absurd, and now found herself in front of an orphanage she had never seen before.

“Is this a date?”

“Did you have a specific date in mind?”

Lennox smirked and suddenly leaned in close. Startled, Harriet tried to step back, but he held her arm and brought his face so close she could feel his breath.

“If you want, I can turn the carriage around immediately. We can watch the premiere of the prima donna’s performance from the box seats permanently leased by the Duke’s family at the opera house, and enjoy a luxurious dinner at a reservation-only restaurant.”

His sharp yet somehow mysterious gray eyes seemed to pierce through her. Harriet’s nerves twitched at his next words.

“A place like this must be unfamiliar and frightening to someone who’s lived like a sheltered flower in a greenhouse. I understand.”

“…”

“If your legs are already trembling, I can carry you to the carriage like a princess. How about it?”

“Shut up.”

Harriet gritted her teeth at his words, which not only touched her pride but dug into it, and shook off Lennox’s hand.

“A sheltered flower? Trembling legs? Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Lennox, who had released her arm, covered his mouth to hide a rising smile. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

“If not, that’s good. You’ll have a very meaningful experience here, Coco.”

“…”

His low, deep voice penetrated Harriet’s eardrums. At the same time, his hot breath brushed past her earlobe and neck. Startled back to her senses, Harriet instinctively took a step back, but an elderly man with a stout build approached them from a distance.

“Young Master!”

“Director.”

Lennox straightened up and turned his head, smiling gently. The director, who had removed all the chains wrapped around the eerie iron gate, greeted Lennox with a beaming smile.

“I heard you returned to the country recently. It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has.”

“This lovely lady here… might she be…”

The director’s eyes implied ‘lover.’ Harriet was about to deny it, but Lennox spoke first.

“She’s an acquaintance of mine.”

“Oh… I see.”

Contrary to what Harriet had thought, it was a clear denial, not a teasing remark.

An acquaintance.

Harriet muttered the word to herself. Lennox was right. A friend’s sister and a younger brother’s friend. If she had to describe it in one word, that was most appropriate.

It was a suitable answer, but somehow, receiving confirmation from him left her with a strange feeling. Puzzled by the unfamiliar sensation, Harriet unconsciously placed her hand on her left chest as the director led them inside the orphanage.