~Chapter 12~
I lightly bit my lower lip.
No, that wasn’t right. The Constantine family wasn’t made up of such vulgar people.
“And yet, they chose Graham. Why?”
“I’m not sure of the reason. Still, since the head of House Constantine is coming in person, I think it’s worth having a conversation. If we manage to win them over, it could be beneficial for us as well.”
Jenus hesitated before adding:
“Sometimes, you have to drink poison if you must.”
Poison—something one must drink when the time comes.
That phrase lingered heavily in my mind.
“When is the meeting scheduled for?”
“Heres will reach out and arrange a date. Constantine’s side said they’d be waiting to hear from us.”
“And I’m only just now being informed of this?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
I sighed. It was a tragedy brought on by the absence of a proper secretary.
“Now that Heres is here, I’m sure things will start falling into place.”
“Thank you for letting me know about Constantine, Mr. Jenus. Could I ask you to look into their current movements in the industry? I’d ask Heres, but… it’s still a bit early for that.”
“Of course. I’ll take care of it.”
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear a hundred battles.
Even if I had to drink the poison Constantine offered, I needed to know what kind of poison it was.
And yet, strangely, I felt a bit excited.
As if I wasn’t being offered poison… but something sweet, like candy.
The Next Night
A grand banquet was held at the Graham estate. Despite being hastily arranged, it was luxurious enough to match the Graham name.
Even without a hostess present, it was praised as one of the most glamorous events of the season.
“Looks like the Marquis spared no expense. You can tell he poured money into this. I think he’s trying to show that the Graham family is thriving even without the bank.”
“Everyone says it, don’t they? That Graham could survive for a hundred years without the bank. They’ve got money to spare.”
“They’ve got plenty of other sources of income, too. And with the wealth they’ve accumulated until now… well, no one can really talk down to them.”
“Although, the current Marquis Graham might blow through that fortune soon enough.”
“He doesn’t have much of an eye for anything—neither in women nor in business.”
The noblewomen exchanged discreet, knowing smiles as they whispered behind their fans.
It was the smile of those who shared the same opinion.
But then, their murmurs stopped abruptly.
The group of noble ladies who had been whispering among themselves clammed up as they saw a woman approaching them.
“Good evening. I can’t thank you enough for coming tonight.”
These days, Sophia strutted around with her nose in the air, forgetting her place. A woman with no noble title, born on the streets, who once rolled around between noblemen, now had a seat in the mansion after giving birth to the marquis’s son.
The story of how Egbert dragged Sophia and their illegitimate child into the mansion the moment the late Marquis Graham passed away was well known across the social scene.
Everyone agreed that the collapse of Egbert and Anais’s marriage had everything to do with that woman.
And yet, showing no sense of shame, Sophia now paraded around as if she were the Marchioness, attending society gatherings.
No one could quite figure out who had granted her entrance into high society.
The noble ladies pressed their lips together tightly, like closed seashells.
“What were you all chatting about so happily? Let me join too, hmm?”
Sophia smiled coquettishly. The noblewomen stiffened, visibly displeased.
Tonight, Egbert had made a point to invite only high-ranking nobles—especially those from prestigious families. It was a setting where that woman should never have been present to begin with.
She had no qualifications.
One noblewoman finally broke the silence.
“I think I should check in on my husband.”
Once one person left, the rest followed easily.
“Me too.”
“Then I shall as well.”
“Oh dear, me too.”
One by one, the women left with affected elegance, playing coy. Left all alone, Sophia bit her lip in embarrassment and patted her wrinkled skirt in frustration.
“Ugh, why is this dress so creased? How annoying!”
As she stormed off with trembling shoulders, the gazes following her were nothing but cold.
Meanwhile…
While the noble ladies were locked in their silent power games, Egbert was mingling with the gentlemen.
In the section of the banquet hall designated for men, a haze of cigar smoke hung thick in the air.
Tonight, Egbert had invited those with generous dispositions—older men who might be more understanding of his situation.
Men who understood that when one leads a noble house, it was common to have a mistress or two. Such ideas were remnants of a bygone era when those traditions were considered normal.
Among them, Egbert had carefully selected only the most influential noblemen. Just seven had gathered.
He had originally invited ten, but three had declined due to scheduling conflicts.
All those present had a long-standing relationship with the late Marquis Graham and held significant deposits in Graham Bank.
Egbert bit down on a cigar, a symbol of nobility and masculinity.
“There must be a reason for this sudden gathering tonight, wouldn’t you say, Marquis Graham?”
“Yes, indeed. In fact, I called this meeting to talk about the future.”
“The future?”
The elderly gentlemen chuckled quietly. Talking about the future to them, of all people.
“Speaking of the future to us, who are about to retire? That’s amusing.”
“Still, you must be concerned about your family’s future. I’m talking about Graham Bank.”
Egbert lowered his voice as if to share something important.
“Do you still plan to keep your funds there?”
“Hmm?”
“It’s no longer a bank owned by the House of Graham. The only person left to trust is Anais Barnaby. But do you really think she’s trustworthy? She’s just a woman from an average family—not even high nobility.”
Egbert smiled disarmingly. These men had all been friends of his grandfather, and their ties with the family went back to his childhood. Surely, they would take his side.
“To be honest, that’s true. When I first heard about it, I thought the late marquis had lost his mind.”
One of them voiced agreement, and a few others nodded in response.
“I thought he’d gone senile.”
“Leaving the bank to some low-born woman with no blood relation, despite having an heir—it’s unthinkable.”
Egbert’s smile deepened. If this was their general sentiment, it would be easy to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted.
“Then what do you think about withdrawing your deposits for the time being? If Anais makes a wrong move out of poor judgment, you could lose a considerable sum. I hear all sorts of shady characters are coming and going through Graham Bank these days.”
Egbert chuckled softly.
“And what if Anais ends up falling for one of them? You might never get your investments back. If that happens, your deposits…”
He slowly shook his head, sighing faintly as if he were truly concerned.
“You could end up losing money instead of growing it. Even banks can go bankrupt, you know.”
The elderly nobles cleared their throats in discomfort. Just imagining the loss of the vast sums they had entrusted to Graham Bank made their stomachs churn.
“So, Marquis—what are you suggesting? What’s the future plan for the Graham family?”
Egbert gave them a leisurely, sly smile.
“It’s time to look for a new bank.”
The truth was, Egbert had already lost all rights to the Graham family’s assets deposited in the bank. They had been taken along with the bank itself.
But it wouldn’t be wise to reveal that here. He had enough sense not to show his cards.
“Anais is impulsive and aggressive. The divorce was the same. We could’ve reached a mutual agreement through proper discussion, but she insisted on it unilaterally. It was purely emotional.”
He shook his head as if to say he was truly disappointed.
“I worry whether someone like her can really lead a business properly. I called this meeting out of respect for old ties. I couldn’t stand by and let my grandfather’s friends suffer losses.”
Egbert was starting to get swept up in his own speech.
“Anais, being so impulsive and emotional, must be terribly unstable after going through a divorce.”
He bit down slightly on his lips to suppress a smirk. With this, he had laid the path for Anais to return to Graham—back to his side.
If large sums were withdrawn all at once, people would begin to doubt Anais’s capability to manage the bank.
And Graham Bank would falter.
He already knew what would be said at the banking committee meeting.
They’d call for Anais’s dismissal and suggest bringing Egbert back.
Then they’d realize how essential the Graham family name was to the bank.
“If I go this far, you’ll bow your head, Anais.”
This way, even Anais’s lofty pride could be appeased. After all, he had done his part—he had made the effort.
