“Why are you apologizing, boss? That person doesn’t even appear in my dreams.”

Meryl’s eyes turned slightly red.

That’s right. Meryl was one of my father’s many lovers.

My father, Daniel Liv, called a war hero of the Ostonia Empire, wasn’t as perfect a man as people thought. As popular as he was, his affairs with women were complicated.

Just look at Countess Roland. The reason she treats me well is because when she was young, she and my father nearly got married. I heard they broke up because they couldn’t overcome class differences and family opposition.

But considering my mother’s death, breaking up might have been a better choice for Mrs. Roland. My mother made that choice due to worsening depression from my father’s repeated violence and affairs.

As I looked down at the floor, fidgeting with my fingertips, Meryl approached and gently held my hand.

“Loving him was my choice. I’m truly grateful that you don’t hate me and even help me make a living.”

How could I hate Meryl?

The person who secretly approached and took care of me when I struggled with my mother’s neglect and outbursts.

Later, I wandered in great shock after learning the truth about my father, his hidden lovers, and Meryl’s identity. Still, looking back, I grew this much thanks to the small help from my father’s lovers.

So it’s unimaginable for me to hate Meryl or Countess Roland.

‘You ungrateful thing. You’re just like your father. You’re only hurting me!’

If my mother were watching me from heaven, she would surely say this and throw a fit.

The atmosphere turned awkward. Just as Meryl and I were about to sob, Cedric knocked and entered the president’s office.

“What is this? This uncomfortable atmosphere.”

“You don’t need to know.”

“I’m worried you might influence our boss strangely.”

“You, you! The way you talk! That’s why such rumors spread, hmph.”

Meryl and Cedric began to quarrel habitually again. I naturally joined their conversation to resolve my curiosity.

“What rumors? Meryl, just tell me. Did you hear something interesting?”

Meryl cleared her throat, glared at Cedric once, and explained to me.

“They say Cedric is blinded by your money and tries to look good.”

“What? That’s not untrue.”

Unlike my disappointment, Cedric looked wronged.

“Unlike before, I have a lot of money now. There’s no reason for me to target yours……”

Meryl turned to me and whispered softly.

“Boss, you should be careful of men who just talk like that. When I lived in the back alleys, I found that many scammers looked just like him.”

I winked at her, who was worried.

“Alright. I’ll be careful.”

The blue vein on Cedric’s forehead twitched. He was fun to tease. And between Meryl and me, who were giggling, the innocent Gabrielle just looked at us and smiled brightly.

“Let’s stop joking, boss. I have something to report.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

He glanced at Meryl once and slowly opened his mouth.

“Jeffrey Danvers was released from jail with just a fine. Baron Danvers seems to have hired quite a competent lawyer.”

It meant that the result of assaulting an innocent woman ended with just a week in jail and a fine.

“Despite such warnings, just a fine? Then cut all business with Danvers Textile Factory starting today.”

Meryl was surprised and rounded her mouth.

“Will that be okay? We’ve been doing business with them for three years.”

“It’s fine. The Danvers factory is too old. Honestly, they can’t quickly keep up with trends. With so many diverse fabrics coming in from foreign countries after the war and peace treaty, the more we deal with them, the more inventory remains, causing losses for Liv Department Store.”

Until now, I continued the business because of our long relationship. Now that Jeffrey’s shares have come to me, is there any need to keep my word?

Once, it was trendy among nobles to build textile factories everywhere. The reason was that it made money. But only a few who started early made money. As factories increased, competition intensified, and businesspeople who couldn’t read trends were often eliminated.

Baron Danvers’s factory barely survived thanks to me. Considering the rising labor costs and safety issues, it would be more beneficial for the Danvers family to give up the textile factory even now. Of course, having experienced making big money once would make it difficult to give up.

“I need to teach the Baron that just as his son is precious, other people’s daughters should be valued too. When his business fails miserably, he’ll understand. Ah, while trying to protect his morally corrupt son, my entire fence burned down.”

“It seems like the number of people who hate you will only increase.”

I shrugged at Cedric’s words.

“Where can you find a businessman without a single flaw?”

Meryl glanced at the clock and turned around.

“Then I’ll take the sample clothes and newly made patterns to the factory. Only by pushing them from now can we barely meet the sale quantity.”

“Me too! I want to go too.”

Gabrielle raised her hand and insisted on following Meryl. Her eyes sparkled like a lost kitten on a rainy day, making it hard to refuse by saying it was dangerous.

‘Michael will be angry if he finds out later.’

But allowing her to have new experiences should be fine. As long as we don’t get caught.

“Alright, go with Olive. But after touring the factory, you must return home immediately, understood?”

“Yes—!”

The excited Gabrielle jumped up and down in place.

‘Has her health improved now?’

If so, that’s fortunate. The hysterical aspects she showed initially had faded considerably.

People need to go outside, get sunlight, and live to avoid depression. I wonder if Michael’s overprotection had a negative impact on her symptoms.

Meryl and Gabrielle left holding hands.

I picked up a hat, put it on my head, and briefly looked in the mirror. I could see Cedric staring at me behind the mirror.

“If we leave now, will we make it on time?”

“Yes. We agreed to meet at the cafe in Gloria Hotel.”

“How do I look? Does this hat suit me well?”

“You’re dazzling.”

Cedric’s answer pleased me, and the corners of my mouth turned up. Today I wore a light yellow hat I newly acquired and matching mustard-colored clothes. I hope the inventor from abroad doesn’t dismiss me as unsophisticated.

“I hope this inventor named Ortiz is a handsome man.”

All the decent men around me have conditions that make them unavailable for dating. Michael can’t be my romantic interest as he’s my dead friend’s fiancé, and Cedric and I have the same preferences, so romance between us won’t work.

Even in such a situation, I still expected a fateful love. Ah, of course, I’m still in a state of one-sided love because I lack courage.

Cedric, who pouted his lips, asked me in a lower voice than usual.

“Why? Do you want to date a foreigner?”

“Hmm. You never know about these things.”

“He was quite handsome.”

Ah, Cedric must have met Ortiz before me. To set up this appointment today.

I asked with great expectation.

“Really? Is the inventor married?”

“He’s a widower and has two sons, I heard.”

Sons. One is burdensome enough, but two. Haha. That’s my life, what did I expect?

My briefly excited mood returned to normal. I bought this hat for nothing.

“Of course. I guess I’ll just focus on business today, tsk.”

Cedric gave a hollow laugh at my quick resignation.

“Are you disappointed?”

“Never mind. Did the inventor show interest in my proposal?”

“Yes. He really liked it. Since the product doesn’t sell in his home country due to strong perceptions of danger.”

“It will probably become our department store’s new pride.”

It was something I saw in my prophetic dream.

In my prophetic dream, the completed Liv Department Store had elevators freely moving up and down from the first floor to the top floor. People came to the department store from far away just to ride it and enjoyed it.

Yes. What Ortiz invented was a device that secured safety for existing elevators. It was showcased at an exhibition a few years ago and attracted attention, but no company or building owner had attempted to use it yet. I wanted to bring Ortiz’s masterpiece into my expanding department store.

Cedric and I went down to the first floor of the department store to take a carriage.

“But will it be okay?”

“Why?”

“If department store customers get injured in an elevator accident, my chest already feels tight thinking about the damages we’d have to pay.”

What a timid fellow. It was a reasonable concern. Only daredevils who risked their lives for thrills used existing elevators where a rope breaking meant falling.

“Ortiz’s product will be fine.”

I couldn’t just rely on my prophetic dream, so I used my connections to check, and the product was better than expected. Above all, I didn’t want to miss the title of ‘first’ in the Ostonia Empire.

The first department store to introduce the first safe elevator.

A materialistic businesswoman like me really loves such flashy modifiers.

Just as I was about to get into the carriage, I suddenly felt a chill. I turned my head toward the alley where I felt a sharp gaze. For a moment, Laura’s face appeared among the people and then vanished like smoke.

“Boss? Where are you going!”

Leaving behind the confused Cedric, I unconsciously ran through the crowd. There was indeed no one at the wall where Laura had been standing just moments ago.

‘I definitely saw her.’

Perhaps because I ran in a hurry, my breathing became labored and my heart pounded. Was it because I hadn’t been sleeping well lately? To see a dead person’s face in broad daylight……

“Excuse me. Did you happen to see a woman standing here? Laura? No, I mean, that brown-haired woman. She’s about a hand span taller than me, and…… she looks like me.”

My words must have been too disorganized. A passerby answered warily that they didn’t know and quickly disappeared. An elderly man with a cane clicked his tongue at me, and a group of women who seemed a bit tired from long shopping gave me puzzled looks.

Cedric followed me and lightly patted my shoulder.

“Boss, are you alright? Who did you see that made you suddenly run here? Oh my, the sweat on your forehead……”

Cedric wiped my forehead with his handkerchief and looked around.

“Did you see someone you know?”

“…No. Let’s go. We’ll be late for our appointment.”

I couldn’t tell Cedric that I had seen the dead Laura. It was hard enough to make him believe in my occasional prophetic dreams, let alone telling him I saw a dead person’s face. Perhaps my secretary would think I was not right in the head.