Chapter 29

He must have been holding his breath without realizing it.

Oscar’s head felt dizzy, and he vigorously shook his throbbing head.

‘No, it’s a hasty idea.’

Even if he were to really eliminate Serwen someday, now is not the time.

If Serwen suddenly disappeared at this time, Marlena would most likely realize it was Oscar’s scheme.

She’d even have Serwen’s address without being tipped off by Oscar at all.

‘She must have a very good source.’

His throat tightened.

How does such an informant even exist?

‘Should I ask Adam? ’

He briefly considered contacting the leader of the Red Crows, but gave up the idea the next moment.

If he were to ask for help from the Red Crows because of his ex-wife’s concerns, Adam would deeply scorn Oscar.

Regardless, until Marlena’s source was located and eliminated or neutralized, there was no way he was going to mess with Serwen.

Making hasty decisions out of impatience would only expose his weaknesses instead of eliminating them.

And objectively speaking, Serwen wasn’t causing any problems at the moment.

She’s just waiting patiently for Oscar in the house he’s provided for her.

‘Marlena Baltus’.

Oscar mouthed the name again.

He never imagined he would be so troubled because of her, especially when she used to flirt and coax him into marriage.

How should he untangle the mess that has become so complicated?

Marlena’s smile kept replaying in his mind.

He felt anxious. She could potentially become an obstacle, yet he found himself preoccupied with her despite divorcing her and trying to keep her out of sight.

The moment he admitted to being bothered by her, his pride suffered a blow.

Oscar bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed. With a pop, a thin layer of skin burst, accompanied by a bitter taste on his tongue.

“…Surely that woman is also dizzy because of me.”

After all, didn’t Marlena love him passionately? Moreover, she even declared herself his rival in the same industry.

Common sense dictated that Marlena had every reason to be wary of Oscar.

But an uneasy feeling of unease ran through him. The sensation startled him.

‘No, what is there to be anxious about? ’

He tried to reason with himself, but the baseless anxiety kept growing.

While Oscar’s mind was consumed by thoughts of Marlena, he felt uncertain if she cared about him at all.

At a time like this, he needed to confirm with his own eyes how much Marlena was shaken.

He needed to see her trembling more intensely than he was now.

Only then would he feel at ease.

Without realizing that the very idea of checking was an irrational thought, Oscar set out for Countess Balthus’s manor.

By the time he reached her mansion, the sun had set, enveloping the surroundings in darkness.

Only the magically lit street lamps cast a tenuous glow over his head and shoulders.

As he stood at the gates of Balthus’s manor, Oscar’s figure was quite picturesque, yet his inner self was crude and squalid, contrary to his appearance.

At this moment, his insignificant pride was swelling again.

He thought about ringing the doorbell, but he felt terribly humiliated that he had to come to Marlena first and ask for a meeting.

In their relationship, he was always the one in control…

She’s supposed to be the one who comes to him first, cowering.

It’s a picture of Oscar hanging on by a thread.

So Oscar swallowed hard his desire to see Marlena’s wavering form and decided to leave before anyone saw him.

But things didn’t go as he had planned.

The moment he turned around.

“……!”

Just five steps away, even in the darkness, Marlena’s golden eyes were glaring sharply at Oscar.

Oscar felt a strange knot in his stomach. How could a coincidence be so terrible?

Her eyes widened, and she stared at Oscar, as if she hadn’t expected him to be here.

Oscar greeted Marlena without a word. It wasn’t out of any desire to make conversation.

“Good evening, no. ……, Countess Balthus.”

‘D*mn.’

It was humiliating enough that he now had to address her with respect, but he also made the mistake of being condescending, as usual.

A deep frown creased Oscar’s brow.

Meanwhile, Marlena was still staring at him with a slightly bewildered expression on her face.

She looked surprised, but she didn’t have the same delusions of grandeur and wavering that he had.

Within her, Oscar now felt like a complete stranger.

Her current astonishment seemed more like confusion at the sudden appearance of someone she had completely forgotten.

Oscar gritted his teeth.

Memories flooded back to him: the morning after Marlena announced the divorce over breakfast, the incident at the security station, and the confrontation with her at the Luces Club lounge.

Marlena’s attitude has been consistent since then. She didn’t show any hint of remorse towards Oscar.

‘I don’t believe it.’

He didn’t want to believe the obvious. He turned away from the truth that was becoming clearer to him.

He didn’t have time to think about why or how Marlena’s lack of interest in him was a given.

He said to himself,

‘Oscar Crestwell, think rationally.’

This was followed by an irrational thought.

‘It doesn’t make sense. How could a love that was so intense suddenly fade away in an instant? Maybe she came to see me here because she couldn’t stand being apart. That would make more sense’

Marlena’s words echoed in Oscar’s mind.

‘My speciality is theater.’

In that case, even her seemingly innocent face, without a trace of infatuation, could be understood.

It was all an act.

It was clear that the discovery of Serwen’s existence had wounded her love’s pride, and she was pretending to be innocent.

Certainly, until he heard the divorce request, he found her love disgusting and annoying…

The fact that she didn’t love him suddenly made him strangely uncomfortable and angry.

Marlena sighed, unaware of how busy Oscar’s mind was.

“Duke Crestwell, you are blocking the gates of my residence. Please move aside.”

It would have been proper to say he was just passing through and moving away, since he had intended to leave anyway.

But today, Oscar’s body refused to listen. Before he knew it, the words were out of his mouth.

“Let’s do business together.”

Marlena reacted to the words, her face more questioning than it had been a moment before.

‘It’s kind of cute.’

Oscar was startled by his own thoughts, and a lump rose in his throat. He forced himself to look Marlena straight in the eye.

“The owner of the Crestwell Grand Theater is gracious enough to offer to help you with your business. Isn’t that a good offer for you? For a small business just starting out, it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.”

For a man so surprised and nervous, he spoke well, maintaining his usual high posture.

Oscar was proud of his calm voice. The content of the offer pleased him just as much.

Marlena may have gotten Katarina, but the loss of one of its leading ladies isn’t going to shake the Crestwell Grand Theater’s solid position anytime soon.

It’s not like Oscar can’t take down a fledgling theater if he wants to. He could bury her performances without anyone even noticing.

She could launch and stage a series of brilliant plays, lobby critics, and…….

Just keep doing what he always did.

“If you want to run a theater business in the capital and make a profit, you’d better stick with me.”

It was a tempting offer.

If the undisputed number one was so gracious as to offer me a piece of the pie, wouldn’t she be a fool not to take it?

If he offered so generously, then it was best to bow down and thank him immediately.

Oscar looked down at Marlena and held out his hand to shake hers.

“A collaborative proposal from Crestwell Grand Theater,… unexpected, isn’t it?”

Marlena gazed at Oscar’s outstretched hand with a slightly puzzled expression.

Oscar suddenly felt strange. He was the one offering, but didn’t extending his hand seem strangely desperate?

He felt like he needed to take Marlena’s hand to get rid of this strange feeling.

But Marlena didn’t take Oscar’s hand. She just shook her head with that easy smile he had been seeing more and more of lately.

“I’ll do fine on my own.”

Oscar’s fingertips twitched in the air.

Marlena smirked and added,

“So, will you please stop flirting with me? ”

“What?”

……flirting?