Chapter 68
Elisa stood still, gazing up at the merchant building owned by Derek Grenville. The wind bit at her sleeves, but her heart was colder than the air — she couldn’t feel a thing.
She had visited this place several times after their engagement, but today felt unbearably awkward. She hadn’t even stepped inside, and already her throat was dry and tight.
Every part of her wanted to turn back. But she couldn’t — not when her father’s business, and the family’s very name, were on the line.
Her grip on her parasol tightened until her knuckles turned pale. Taking a slow breath, she closed her eyes for a moment, then pushed open the door with quiet resolve.
It was late in the afternoon, but far from closing time. And yet… the building was empty. Normally, there should have been clerks and guards on duty, especially in an establishment of this scale.
Where has everyone gone? Dinner break?
Puzzled, Elisa decided not to call out. The fewer people around, the easier it would be to speak to Derek privately.
She began to climb the sunlit staircase. Dust floated through the heavy silence, and her every step echoed sharply, as if it were her heartbeat thudding through the still air.
The door to the merchant’s office was slightly ajar. It felt almost deliberate — as though Derek Grenville had known she would come.
Her teeth pressed into her lower lip.
That can’t be… he couldn’t have known.
Still, the open door meant he was here. She’d worried he might be away, but it seemed her timing was perfect.
Just as she reached for the handle, she froze. A familiar yet strangely distant voice came from inside.
“If you’ll let me marry Elisa, I’ll convince the investors to return.”
Derek Grenville.
The gentle warmth she once knew in his tone was gone. His voice now was low, flat — chillingly detached. It hardly sounded like the same man.
He wasn’t talking to himself. Someone else was in there. Elisa leaned closer and peered through the narrow gap.
There he was — Derek, sitting behind his desk. And in front of him…
“…Father?”
Her eyes widened. Count Adolph Leslie stood before him.
Why is Father here?
Her breath caught. Derek’s earlier words echoed sharply in her head.
He can’t be… agreeing to that, can he?
Elisa’s pulse quickened. She knew well that her father once wished for her marriage to Derek. The thought made her stomach twist.
“Was it a lie, then — when you said you wanted to marry my daughter because you truly loved her?”
Count Leslie’s voice was stern, unexpected. Elisa had thought he would accept immediately.
“Of course I loved her,” Derek replied smoothly, almost sing-song. “That’s why her breaking the engagement made me so furious. If I hadn’t loved her, I would have simply walked away without lingering.”
“What you loved was the title that comes with her — becoming a count.”
“Perhaps,” Derek said coolly, “but that title is also part of the woman I love, Elisa Leslie.”
A tense silence filled the room. The air between them was a blade’s edge. Elisa couldn’t see her father’s face from her position, but Derek’s expression was clear — confident, even smug. It was the look of a man certain of his victory.
Her heart sank. Her father had come to ask for help, after all. Derek had the advantage.
Should she burst in now and stop him before he could answer? Or wait — just a little longer?
Even if her father agreed to the marriage, Elisa could still refuse. But she didn’t want to give Derek a single thread to pull.
“I will not use my daughter as a pawn in business or trade.”
Her father’s firm voice cut through the air just as she was about to step inside.
“So I’ll be declining your offer.”
His tone was final, brooking no argument. The words struck her like a bell — and her hand slipped from the doorknob.
She’d always known her father loved her, though he’d never shown it well. But still — she had expected him to choose the family’s survival over her.
Yet he had refused.
That realization sent warmth and ache flooding her chest. Her eyes blurred, and her knees gave out beneath her. She sank to the floor with a dull thud.
“…Elisa?”
The sound drew Derek out. He froze at the sight of her. Count Leslie’s expression was one of shock.
Slowly, Elisa pushed herself up and reached out a trembling hand toward her father.
She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. Her father understood — and silently took her hand in his.
***
From the moment they left Derek’s building to the ride back home, father and daughter didn’t exchange a single word. Only the creak of wheels and the occasional snort of the horses broke the stillness.
“…What were you doing there?”
The question came only when the sunlight slanted across his lap, drawing a faint golden line between them.
“Aunt Tania came to see me last weekend.”
Just one sentence — but enough for him to understand everything. Count Leslie’s brow furrowed deeply.
“That meddling sister of mine…”
“I don’t think it was meddling. Thanks to her, I realized just how much you love and care for me, Father.”
“So? Are you planning to come home again?”
“If I do, will you try to marry me to Lord Derek Grenville?”
At that, Count Leslie’s lips tightened, and he said nothing.
This is my chance, Elisa thought.
She hadn’t managed to persuade Derek, but perhaps she could persuade her father.
Gripping his hand tightly, she said,
“Ethan and I will find new investors for your business.”
His eyes sharpened at the mention of investors.
“If we can’t find them here in Petra, we’ll search abroad. I’ll even ask Prince Howard for help if I must.”
Her gaze met his squarely.
“So please, Father — acknowledge us. I’m begging you.”
But the count didn’t so much as blink. Her shoulders drooped; she thought her plea had failed.
“…I’ve already found an investor.”
Her head snapped up.
“You have?”
“Yes. I’m still deciding whether to accept the offer or not.”
“Why would you even hesitate? Of course you should—”
“Because the one who brought that investor… was Ethan.”
Elisa stared at him, stunned.
“Two days ago, he appeared out of nowhere and said he’d bring in an investor if I’d recognize his relationship with you.”
Two days ago… that was when she’d gone shopping with Noah — the same day she’d accidentally walked in on Ethan in the bath.
“I told him the same thing I’ll tell you,” the count said firmly. “I will not mix business with your marriage.”
If she hadn’t already known how much her father truly cared for her, she might have argued. But now, she can’t speak at all.
“So tell him clearly,” he finished, pulling his hand away. “I will never accept his proposal — not for business, not for anything.”
“But Father, if we can’t find investors, your business—”
“That is my responsibility,” he said, his tone absolute.
“You, Elisa — focus on what you must do.”
