Ch#86
Ch#86
Ch#86
~Chapter 86~
‘The mastermind behind this mess deserves to be thrown into a cesspool.’
As Cedric recalled Albert, the man who had pretended to be friendly while secretly slipping drugs into his drink, a wave of nausea rose all the way to his throat.
Up until now, Cedric had believed that Albert’s father, Benedict, posed the greater threat and had focused his attention on him. But it seemed the son had jumped into the fire first, whether out of blind loyalty or sheer stupidity.
‘Good. The faster they crumble, the better.’
Cedric’s lips curled into a cold, sharp smile.
‘I’ll be waiting for you, Albert.’
The branch manager of Aseti Bank in Perillas finally arrived in Genoa in mid-February.
He had written to Harriet Listerwell several times expressing his desire to meet, but received no reply. In the end, he had no choice but to come in person.
“Is this the place? Listerwell Mansion?” he muttered to himself, comparing the crumpled paper with the address, the map of Genoa, and the impressive stone mansion standing before him.
Everything matched. This had to be it.
He folded up the map and memo, straightened his coat, trimmed his mustache, and walked toward the front gate.
He rang the bell several times. Soon, a servant appeared, hurrying yet cautious in his steps.
“Yes? How may I help you?”
“Good morning. Is this the residence of Baron Listerwell?”
“It is, but…”
“Please inform the baron that a representative from Aseti Bank in Perillas wishes to see him. He’ll know what it’s about.”
The visitor, impeccably dressed in a gray wool coat, exuded the calm authority expected of a seasoned banker. His presence inspired immediate trust.
The servant nodded and went inside to deliver the message, but John, who was currently managing the mansion, fell into sudden panic.
“Who—who did you say?”
“From Aseti Bank in Perillas, sir.”
“Damn it…”
John clawed at his hair in frustration, unable to even finish his curse.
He had been so focused on preparing for Bella’s engagement that he had neglected to find a suitable stand-in for Harriet. Someone who could perfectly impersonate her. It wasn’t just a matter of appearance. If they couldn’t mimic her handwriting and mannerisms convincingly enough, they could lose any future legal disputes.
If Harriet claimed, “That wasn’t me. I didn’t sign anything,” the only way to counter her would be to prove that even trained experts had mistaken the fake for the real thing.
‘Calm down. Just make sure the banker doesn’t get suspicious for now. Come up with some excuse and send him away. And find a double fast.’
John berated himself for his carelessness. He instructed the butler to receive the guest and escort him to the drawing room.
The butler, unaware of the truth, politely guided the banker to the well-furnished reception room and offered him a seat.
“Please wait just a moment. The baron will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you.” The man nodded courteously. “Actually, I’d like to speak with Miss Harriet Listerwell as well. Might I see both of you?”
Branch manager Howard Scott sat down and calmly clasped his gloved hands.
He was prepared to return tomorrow if Harriet wasn’t home. He didn’t want to hold onto the real estate and land in Perillas any longer than necessary, especially since it no longer legally belonged to the bank.
But the butler’s response was unexpected.
“Miss Harriet? She’s not here.”
“…Pardon?”
Howard blinked.
That couldn’t be.
John had clearly instructed that all correspondence for Harriet be sent to this address. Yet the staff here was saying she didn’t even live here.
A chill ran down Howard’s spine.
“She’s never lived here at all?” he asked cautiously.
“Oh, no. She lived here for about ten years. But she moved out recently.”
“When exactly did she leave?”
“Well, let me think… It was quite a while ago…”
The butler furrowed his brow, trying to recall the date.
Just then, the drawing room door opened, and John finally appeared.
Howard rose to greet him.
“It’s been a long time, Baron Listerwell.”
John had hoped for some lowly clerk he could easily brush off. Seeing the branch manager himself come in person filled him with inner dismay.
Even so, he flashed his most charming smile and extended a welcoming hand.
“Oh, if it isn’t Branch Manager Scott! What an unexpected pleasure! I trust you’ve been well.”
“Yes, thanks to you.” Howard replied calmly.
“What brings you to Genoa? Your sudden visit has me quite startled.”
That much was true. If Howard had given advance notice, John would have found some way to prevent him from coming.
But that was precisely why Howard had come unannounced. Deep down, he suspected something was amiss. And now, he was beginning to think his instincts had been right.
“There’s really only one reason.” Howard said matter-of-factly. “But I just heard something odd from your butler. He said Miss Harriet Listerwell doesn’t live here.”
John shot the butler a quick glare before turning back to Howard with a forced smile.
“Ah, yes. Harriet is staying with relatives in the countryside right now. She needed a change of scenery. If I’d known you were coming, I would have spared you the wasted trip.”
“I see. Do you know when she’ll return?”
“Well, she didn’t say exactly…”
“Oh, but wait— isn’t your daughter’s engagement next month? Miss Harriet will surely be back by then. She’d want to attend her cousin’s engagement, after all.”
At the perfectly timed remark, sweat beaded on John’s back.
He had no rebuttal. There was no convincing reason to deny that Harriet would attend the engagement. And training a fake Harriet to look like her, forge her handwriting, and memorize her habits in just one month seemed impossible.
But he had no choice.
“Of course she’ll be back by then! Haha!”
“Then I’ll return at that time.” Howard said with a look that said he knew everything.
“I’m sorry it’s gotten so late. Young ladies are all like that, aren’t they? They hate dealing with financial matters.”
Even in this moment, John didn’t forget to paint Harriet as immature and unreliable, subtly undermining her. If Howard believed that, it would make things easier to arrange later.
Howard said nothing. He simply nodded and picked up his bag from the floor.
“Thank you for your time. I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, wait— let us provide a carriage to take you to the station. It’s quite a walk to the public carriage stop from here.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense! After coming all this way, it’s the least we can do. Please, don’t refuse.”
John maintained his usual polite and generous demeanor. He had to keep up appearances until the land and mansion in Perillas were safely in his name.
In the end, Howard accepted the offer. The Listerwell carriage took him to the station.
But as they traveled, his mind was heavy with worry.
‘I’m supposed to meet the real Harriet Listerwell next month… Why does everything feel so off?’
The land and mansion in Perillas were among the most valuable assets Aseti Bank had held as collateral.
Holding onto them longer than necessary helped no one—especially without collecting management fees.
Out of goodwill, he had been depositing the rental income into an account on Harriet’s behalf. But it was getting harder to justify.
For months now, the bank had been transferring all rental proceeds to a holding account, waiting only for Harriet to sign the necessary documents.
‘It was a favor for her father’s sake… but I can’t do this forever…’
Howard sighed.
Just then, the carriage came to a stop.
“We’ve arrived!” the coachman called out.
Howard gathered his things and stepped down.
He assumed the coachman would leave immediately, but surprisingly, the man got down and approached him.
At first, Howard thought he wanted a tip and reached for his wallet.
But Coachman Terry shook his head.
“I heard you came to see Miss Harriet,” he said.
“That’s right… but they said she’s at relatives’ in the country.”
Terry looked him straight in the eye. “That’s not true. The young lady is in the capital. Right now.”
“…What?”
“If you’d like, I can take you to her.”
Howard blinked in shock.
Everything about this visit had been suspicious—and now, the truth was finally coming to light.
He nodded.
He needed to resolve this immediately. The assets had to be returned, and above all, his instincts told him this was the only chance to meet the real Harriet.
“Miss, there’s a visitor here for you. No appointment, but he says it’s urgent.”
Harriet looked up from her teacup in surprise at Butler Andre’s words.
“Who is it?”
“He says he’s the branch manager from Aseti Bank in Perillas. Do you know him?”
Harriet shook her head.
She had never heard of Aseti Bank or the Perillas region.
‘Well, I’ll find out when I meet him.’
She took a sip of her remaining tea and rose from her seat.
“Please show him to the drawing room. I’ll be down shortly.”
And so, nearly eight months after the real estate deal had been finalized, Howard Scott finally came face-to-face with Harriet Listerwell.
His heart pounding, he stood anxiously in the drawing room.
Then the door opened—and in walked a young woman with neatly tied dark brown hair and calm, intelligent eyes.
Howard quickly rose to his feet.
He had a feeling this meeting would change everything.
