Chapter 3

The woman quickly gathered her scattered underwear and clothes from the floor and put them on. As she was about to flee the room, Harriet stepped forward and blocked the door.

“There’s no need to leave.”

“Pardon…?”

“Whether there’s a new lover or a pr*stitute in my ex-lover’s house, it’s none of my business.”

With a half-smile, Harriet opened the door and left. Jeremy, hastily pulling on just his underwear, chased after her and grabbed her coat hem as she was about to leave.

“It’s a misunderstanding! I really don’t remember!”

“Don’t remember?”

Harriet turned her head to look down at the kneeling man. Jeremy clasped his hands together as if in prayer, desperately explaining.

“It’s true! I remember drinking a lot at the after-party of the exhibition last night, but after that, really nothing!”

“So you slept with her because you were drunk?”

“Yes, it was a mistake! I must have been crazy, really! Please forgive me, Harriet!”

Jeremy clung to her, tears and snot running down his face. Harriet looked at him indifferently. The man who had once seemed intellectual and mysterious now looked pathetic and pitiful. All affection had drained away, and even the nose hair poking out caught her eye.

“So you can mistakenly take off your clothes, take off your underwear, and have relations?”

“Harriet!”

Harriet coldly shook off the hand of her ex-lover as if brushing off something dirty and walked out the door.

“Wait!”

A nearly n*ked man and a perfectly dressed woman. The unusual sight on the affluent street drew the eyes of passersby to the two of them. Jeremy, shamelessly following Harriet, asked nervously.

“T-the exhibition?”

“What?”

Harriet turned around as she was about to climb into the carriage.

“You promised to hold a solo exhibition for me at the department store next month! Harriet, even if we break up, that’s not canceled, right?”

“Of course not. Do you think I can’t distinguish between public and private matters?”

Harriet shook her head in denial. Just as Jeremy sighed in relief at having avoided the worst-case scenario he had anticipated.

“I don’t know if anyone will attend, but do your best.”

At her added words, Jeremy’s eyes widened in shock. The title of rising star, promising new artist — Jeremy. All those dreams were achievable thanks to the support of Harriet Coco Vanetti, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Vanetti.

“Harriet!”

As Jeremy was left in despair at the devastating news, Harriet climbed into the carriage and tapped the roof twice with the end of her parasol. The coachman, understanding the signal, snapped the reins. The splendid carriage bearing the Vanetti family crest disappeared, kicking up dust.

***

Jeremy was the sixth man Harriet met after her broken engagement. 

Harriet’s history with men was peculiar even to herself. While it was understandable that the first two relationships ended quickly due to impulsiveness, starting from the third, the breakups were so disastrous that it was hard to believe.

Her former lovers either cheated on her like just now, or habitually gambled and asked for money, or else fell into drugs or alcohol, leading to a swift breakup.

As she went through her sixth breakup, public opinion about Harriet gradually worsened. She was called a femme fatale, a bad woman who seduces men, and various scandalous words were attached to her.

To make matters worse, Harriet wasn’t the type to make excuses or correct misunderstandings, allowing rumors to grow uncontrollably. 

The only reason she maintained her position and status was due to the enduring wealth of the Vanetti family and her own ability to expand that wealth through managing a department store.

In fact, Harriet Vanetti had achieved remarkable growth since she first participated in department store management three years ago. Sometimes, she even appeared at official royal events, surpassing her older brother, Theodore Vanetti.

Given this background, people might gossip behind her back, but they acted friendly and courteous in front of her. This was one of the reasons she had no choice but to focus on her work.

“What happened to the new jewelry brand we were supposed to bring in?”

“Here’s the progress report.”

Beside Harriet Vanetti, the subject of numerous rumors, was always her closest aide and secretary, Yvonne. Noticing the dark circles under Harriet’s eyes that reached down to her cheeks, Yvonne gently suggested.

“By the way, it’s been almost ten days since you’ve had a proper sleep. Senior, how about taking a break today?”

“The bid for the second branch of the Vanetti Department Store is right around the corner. To be appointed as the manager there, I need even better results than now.”

Harriet dismissed the suggestion as if it wasn’t worth considering and habitually put a pen in her mouth. Then her gaze fell on the mirror next to the mahogany desk. Unlike her usual perfect makeup and attire, a woman with disheveled hair and a hastily worn chemise sat there.

She looked so messy that it was hard to tell if she was a ghost or a person. After a brief moment of contemplation, Harriet yawned and stretched, putting down the documents she was holding.

“Maybe I should rest a bit?”

“Yes, please do. I’ll prepare the carriage. It’s been a while since you’ve been to the main house.”

“No need, just prepare the bedding. I’ll just take a nap on the couch here.”

“……Workaholic.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Yvonne shrugged her shoulders and glanced at the wall clock, waiting for the reinforcement that would arrive soon. Working overtime under a workaholic boss was reaching its limit. She also wanted to dress up, go on dates, and enjoy life!

“Then I’ll prepare the bedding for you.”

Yvonne smiled broadly, hiding her thoughts, and approached the door just as the awaited ally appeared.

“Young Master Aaron!”

Aaron Vanetti, who was about to knock, hesitated and blushed at Yvonne’s delighted expression.

“It’s been a while, Yvonne. I have a favor to ask…”

“Senior! Young Master Aaron is here!”

Before Aaron could finish his sentence, Yvonne turned and reported in a bright voice. She didn’t forget to whisper to Aaron, who was taken aback by the sudden situation.

“Please, let me go home. Your sister is so outstanding that she doesn’t even let me sleep. Please make sure to take her home and let her rest for a couple of days. Please.”

“Uh…”

Aaron’s innocent face turned beet red at the embarrassing words.

“I trust you, young master. I’m going home now. Goodbye.”

Left alone, Aaron could only watch the retreating figure like a loyal dog watching its owner leave, while Harriet, who had been resting her chin on one hand and looking at her brother with disdain, spoke up.

“What brings you here?”

“Well…”

Only then did Aaron notice Harriet, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“I wanted to see you, sister.”

“Sure. You probably came to see Yvonne. Do you still want to be used like that?”

“What do you mean used? She just trusts me…”

“Never mind.”

Harriet got up from her seat and opened the curtains. Instantly, the room, which had been dark even in the daytime like a cave, brightened up.

“With the chief secretary gone without permission using my brother as a shield, I might as well visit the main house after a long time.”

“Good decision. Mother wants to see you too.”

Mother. At that word, Harriet’s expression briefly darkened as if her heart was pricked by thorns. But it was so brief that it seemed like a misunderstanding.

“It’s been quite a while since I last saw her.”

“Yeah. I know you’ve been very busy lately, but still, come and show your face sometimes.”

“If I do that, I’ll get caught up in Ted’s marital fights, won’t I? I like it just fine like this. I heard big brother is still seeing other women? I saw in the newspaper that he made another grand scandal this time.”

Harriet sneered and put on a corset over her chemise. Aaron, who approached, tightened the corset strings with familiar hands.

“Are you one to talk? Both you and big brother.”

“At least I’m not married. He’s a married man, yet he’s messing around with different women; he’s a scumbag.”

“……I saw the article today, and sister-in-law is really upset.”

“She brought it on herself. I warned her before the wedding, didn’t I? She should have run away then. Saying she loved him, that she’d reform him, that men eventually return to their families, it was all boring.”

“Like Mikhail?”

Aaron clamped his mouth shut at the words that slipped out as a joke.

“Sister. Just now…”

“Yes. Like Mikhail. He ran away well with Marianne. Almost became like the male version of Olivia. Tighten the corset a bit more.”

“Okay.”

The frozen atmosphere lasted only a moment before Harriet, who responded nonchalantly, finally put on the wide-brimmed hat that was hanging on the coat rack.

“Right. Father said he has something to announce at the family meeting this time.”

“Something to announce?”

“Yes. I don’t know what it is either.”

The siblings left the office together. Aaron, holding Harriet’s parasol for her, extended his arm. Harriet, taking his arm, exited the department store through the director’s private corridor.

As soon as they stepped outside, the waiting coachman opened the carriage door. Harriet, escorted by her younger brother, got into the carriage and noticed a cane.

“What is this? I haven’t seen it before.”

“Oh, that.”

Aaron, after closing the carriage door and sitting across from her, hesitated for a moment before confessing.

“Lennox returned yesterday.”

“……Lennox?”

“My friend Lennox. Lennox Diorne.”

Lennox Diorne.

The air inside the carriage turned even colder than when the name of her former fiancé, who had eloped with her younger sister on the day of their wedding, was mentioned.

Inside the carriage that started with a jolt, Harriet glared sharply at the cane. She thought it was a rather nice cane, but only for a brief moment. It was a wretched and superficially glossy item, just like its owner.

“…When?”

“Yesterday.”

“He’s already marked his territory in your carriage. He left it on purpose. For me to see.”

“That can’t be. It’s just—”

Aaron, who discreetly removed the cane from Harriet’s sight, unusually turned serious.

“Lennox is my best friend. I don’t like you speaking ill of him. Why do you dislike Lennox so much? You’re probably the only person in this world who dislikes him.”

“You don’t know that man.”

There were countless things she wanted to say, but that was all she could tell her brother. Staring out the rapidly changing window, Harriet tried hard to shake off the thoughts clinging to her.