Uncover the Death of the Villainess - Chapter 9

We had to return to the department store quickly before it rains. There were also many documents to process after returning. Anyway, I’m busy.

Perhaps my discomfort showed, as Michael let go of Cedric’s hand first and turned to me.

“This is the contract I’ll propose. Read it and sign, Baroness Liv.”

The butler handed me a new contract. I was worried there might be a land price adjustment written, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

“Please call me by my name or the Liv Department Store’s President, not Baroness. That title was given by His Majesty the Emperor for my future children.”

Being called Baroness Liv made me uncomfortable, as it reminded me of my father. After letting my father be called a baronet all his life. I also resented the Emperor’s attitude of giving me the title of Baron, who hadn’t suffered at all, after my father died on the battlefield.

“Boss, wait a moment. Before signing the new contract, let’s consult with a lawyer first.”

After seeing Michael sign the contract we brought, Cedric quickly grabbed my hand holding the pen. It was quite an exquisite timing.

“Should we do that then?”

I had already achieved my goal, so I could take my time considering the contract Marquis Paine offered. I was also deliberately pretending to read the contract Michael handed over for quite a long time.

Michael clicked his tongue, watching us work in perfect harmony.

“Charlotte. Since you’re here anyway, meet my sister as promised. You remember our conversation yesterday, don’t you?”

“Yes. You said it’s okay even if I just say one word and turn back.”

I singled out one servant and asked for guidance.

“Please guide me to Miss Gabrielle’s room. How is the young lady’s condition today?”

“Not bad. She ate well today.”

But as I turned around, I started to hear Cedric and Michael’s arguing voices behind my back.

Why are these men acting like this? They’re clearly meeting for the first time today, yet they’re behaving like immature men fighting over a lover. Besides, I don’t see any pretty man or woman that these men might fall for.

Cedric confronted Michael.

“Just a moment. Looking at the content of the contract you gave, the terms are not clear. Does the boss need to come here every day? Until when exactly?”

“I haven’t thought about how long she needs to come.”

“Huh! How can that be? Then the boss might have to visit this mansion for her entire life, right?”

Ah. I hadn’t thought that far either.

I should probably consult with a lawyer about the contract expiration date. Or discuss setting a date with the Marquis again.

“Listen. This is already agreed upon with your boss. If it wasn’t for this content, why would I have signed a contract priced 38% lower than the market value?”

So he knew all along.

The moment I heard Michael’s words, my lips trembled slightly.

‘My little trick has been discovered.’

At worst, this could lead to a contract cancellation. Moreover, the million flora investment he was going to make might fly away. No, wait. He clearly said yesterday he’d make it cheaper than the market price! He’s not suddenly changing his words, is he?

I was about to follow the servant but awkwardly turned back to make an excuse to Michael.

“Oh my, I guess the land price has gone up since then. Haha. You should have said something before signing. I didn’t know.”

My heart rate started to accelerate. I should have just offered the regular price. How much effort did I put into trying to buy that land? As I was regretting my greed and stupidity, Cedric quickly intervened.

“It’s my mistake, Boss. I’m truly sorry for presenting a contract written based only on the broker’s words without properly checking the land price. I’ll immediately go back and confront the real estate broker.”

His courage to take the blame, pretending it was his mistake when his superior’s order seemed to go wrong was truly admirable.

“I won’t ask to rewrite the contract.”

Michael gave me a gentle look and gestured for me to go see his sister quickly. On the other hand, when he looked at Cedric again, his expression, actions, and tone were all sharp.

“I also agreed to make a large investment in Liv Department Store. Now that I’ve become a major shareholder, I should put someone else in your position. How can I trust someone who makes mistakes on important contracts?”

“You might not know, but I’m quite capable. There’s no one who can replace me. I’ve been by President Liv’s side since the department store construction.”

“Water stagnates when it stays in one place.”

Why are they suddenly having a battle of nerves again?

But since Cedric was being criticized because of my forceful actions, I had to take responsibility and protect him. Eventually, I intervened between them again.

“Marquis. While I’m very grateful for the investment and land you’ve provided, according to the contract, you don’t have the right to interfere with the department store’s operations from now on. However, out of consideration for the major shareholder, I’ll let you know how the business will progress. I’m thinking of hiring one more general manager for the department store. So even if Cedric makes a mistake in the future, someone else will be there to complement him.”

Cedric looked at me with an aggrieved expression. I deliberately avoided his gaze.

‘If you don’t like it, why don’t you be the boss?’

Michael’s gaze briefly touched my face and then fell away.

“Who do you plan to put in that general manager position?”

“I’m considering one out of five people.”

“I’d like to see the list of employees as well. I’m not interfering, I’m just personally curious about who’s doing such a good job.”

“Cedric, hand over the list.”

“Yes, understood.”

I started walking again, following the servant.

“I like that all the people on the list are women. So, who has the highest possibility of becoming the general manager among them?”

“All five have similar possibilities. It will be chosen based on who the boss likes.”

“I see.”

I regretted accepting Michael’s investment. Other investors don’t interfere much with our department store affairs. They all prefer the monthly profits that come in regularly, which makes them easy to deal with.

‘Still, when the large investment is deposited, I can clear out the small investors.’

There was an annoying one, so I thought it was fortunate.

***

When I arrived at Gabrielle’s room, she threw down the book she was reading and ran to hug me.

“Laura? Why did you come only now? I’ve been waiting for so long.”

I awkwardly patted her back and lowered my gaze.

‘She was reading Bluebeard.’

It was a fairy tale that children read. If so, it means she can read letters to some extent.

“I can count numbers well now too. Look. One, two, three. Um, what comes after three…?”

Gabrielle seemed to have low intelligence as well as mania. Her pronunciation was slightly slurred.

An angelic face, a good family, and mania with low intelligence. Although I don’t know much about other people’s circumstances, it was something worth hiding. Because malicious people would have tried to take advantage of this innocent young lady.

“You studied well. I hope you’ll know four and five by the time we meet tomorrow.”

“Yes. Laura. I’ll behave well now. So Laura, protect brother.”

“What?”

“Protect brother. Before the scary monster eats him.”

Gabrielle put her index finger on her lips and looked around cautiously.

“Shh. The monster will come back. We need to prepare.”

Did Laura and her play some strange game together? I briefly recalled the contents of Laura’s letter. There was nothing specifically written about what kind of relationship she had with Gabrielle.

“What do you mean, Gabi?”

I called Gabrielle by her nickname as mentioned in Laura’s letter. Laura would have definitely called this child that way.

However, Gabrielle’s reaction to hearing the nickname was different from what I expected.

“Don’t call me Gabi!”

Her suddenly excited eyes shook anxiously from side to side. I guess I shouldn’t have called her by her nickname.

“I’m sorry. I won’t call you that again, Gabrielle. Gabrielle?”

Covering her ears with her hands, she curled up into a ball and started trembling.

“I’m sorry. S-sorry. Huh, hic…”

A servant quickly spread out a blanket and wrapped it around Gabrielle’s body.

“This seems to calm her down a bit.”

When I hugged her tightly as she struggled rebelliously with the blanket between us, her trembling stopped. And as if nothing had happened, Gabrielle returned to an expressionless face that looked a bit tired.

“I’m tired. I want to sleep.”

Lying on the bed, she bid me farewell in a small voice.

“Goodbye, Laura. See you tomorrow.”

“Uh… I’m sorry about today. I’ll come again tomorrow, Gabrielle.”

I just came to help, but I wondered if I ended up being a nuisance to the servants. I scratched my cheek and left Gabrielle’s room. Could I be a companion to such a capricious girl? Should I cancel the contract even now? I lost confidence.

‘Still, I have to try. The future of our department store depends on this contract.’

Thanks to Michael, I was able to expand the department store as much as I wanted. If it’s just being a companion to such a child, I can do it every day. No, I must.

Today it only took about 5 minutes, so I should be able to allocate this much time in the future. I clenched my fist and steeled my resolve.