Chapter 83

 

Yvonne spoke in a low and quick manner, as if reciting a spell.

 

In some ways, it was an attempt to maintain rationality, but inevitably, Yvonne’s voice grew harsh as if she couldn’t contain her anger.

 

“That girl always covets what belongs to others. She takes everything from others, yet acts as if she herself has received nothing. She’s oblivious and shameless.”

 

“......”

 

“She... she must be punished.”

 

Yvonne concluded with a trembling voice. Her eyes fixed on Florence, with a thin line of red veining visible within.

 

Florence unwittingly marveled slightly at this.

 

She had long known that the relationship between the two sisters, Iona Modrov and Yvonne Modrov, was not good.

 

Yvonne openly disdained Iona and did not bother to hide her dislike for her own sister.

 

It was indeed amusing that two unrelated individuals acted as if they were siblings, so Florence didn’t find it peculiar.

 

If one’s biological daughter was overshadowed by the adoptive daughter, it would be natural for the biological daughter to harbor some competition against the adoptive daughter.

 

However, seeing Yvonne’s reaction, it seemed that the feelings she had towards Iona were not simply cute jealousy.

 

Perhaps, Yvonne hated Iona even more than Florence did.

 

“Why did you come to me?”

 

“Well...”

 

“Are you hoping that I’ll get angry at hearing this news and retaliate against her?”

 

Florence pointedly remarked.

 

Yvonne retorted as if wronged by Florence’s drawn line of behavior.

 

“Miss Florence, will you let that girl be?”

 

“What should I do then, kill her?”

 

Florence stared at Yvonne with a piercing gaze as she asked this, seemingly guessing the other’s intention.

 

It was certain that Yvonne bore a grudge against Iona. It seemed right that she came here intending to incite anger and seek retaliation.

 

What Florence was curious about was to what extent Yvonne had prepared herself mentally for this.

 

“If it were me... I would have wanted to kill her.”

 

Yvonne whispered so, moistening her dry lips with her tongue.

 

Until Nils first suggested killing Iona, Yvonne actually hadn’t given it much thought. She was rather concerned about acting rashly, wary of Nils’s impulsive decision.

 

But eventually, Nils was proven right.

 

Seeing Iona stepping forward hesitantly on the day of their mother’s memorial, Yvonne realized.

 

They should have gotten rid of Iona right from the start.

 

It was impermissible to leave that insolent b*stard, who dared to treat their mother so trivially.

 

However, despite committing such an outrageous act, Iona not only escaped paying the proper price but was also thriving day by day. She gained their father’s trust by exposing an embezzlement scandal in the territory and received a partnership proposal from the crown prince upon returning to the capital.

 

Nils, who acted as if he would kill Iona on the spot, eventually backed down in front of their father’s warning. He suggested waiting for the next opportunity, but Yvonne, who was watching her, was skeptical.

 

‘I can’t wait any longer. Once she marries the Duke, she’ll be untouchable.’

 

She must be brought down before she rises any higher so that she couldn’t dare to think of a comeback.

 

As much as Yvonne wanted to kill Iona, she wanted to see Iona live a messed-up life even more.

 

She wanted to thrust her into a ditch that matched her lowly origins and scoff at her, saying that was where she belonged. It wouldn’t be too late to end her life after that.

 

In that sense, there couldn’t be a better collaborator than Florence, whose intentions aligned well with Yvonne’s.

 

Since Florence was always eager to break Iona’s arrogant pride.

 

With a grave voice, Yvonne spoke.

 

“I want that insolent girl to be unable to walk around with her head held high outside.”

 

Even if the disgrace brought upon Iona would reflect badly on her own family, Yvonne didn’t care.

 

Having such a b*stard praised as a proud talent of the Modrov family was a truly unbearable insult in itself.

 

***

 

“Damn, why is everything so complicated.”

 

Nils muttered annoyingly, tossing his pen onto the desk.

 

Thanks to this, ink splattered on the wooden surface, leaving behind small stains, but instead of wiping them off, Nils turned his head away as if to ignore it. He couldn’t bring himself to look again at the documents he had been grappling with for a while.

 

Recently, Nils had been taking care of the family’s affairs on behalf of Hayden, who had been away from the capital.

 

He had thought that becoming the head of the family would make him feel like he owned the world, but tasting the weight of responsibility revealed it was no easy task.

 

Nils inwardly blamed his father, Hayden, who only recently started educating him to be the successor.

 

‘How old am I for him to start handing over responsibilities to me as if he’s doing me a favor now?’

 

Hayden always criticized Nils for his laissez-faire attitude, saying he wasn’t qualified yet, but in fact, Nils had his reasons too.

 

Since his father never trusted and delegated tasks to his son, Nils had plenty of free time, which he spent hanging out with friends.

 

Indeed, since taking on various duties, Nils had been so busy that he couldn’t find time to rest.

 

He could make time to play if he wanted to, but in his judgment, now wasn’t the time.

 

He was finally acting like a proper successor; he couldn’t afford to lower his standing by attending inappropriate gatherings.

 

‘Once I inherit the family, I won’t need to be so conscious of their gaze anyway.’

 

It wasn’t that Nils enjoyed living according to Hayden’s whims. Objectively speaking, Hayden wasn’t a father worthy of admiration.

 

However, Nils didn’t have the audacity to go against his father, the head of the family, to the extent of falling out of favor.

 

Taking revenge for his mother could be done after Hayden had turned into a senile old man in the back room, couldn’t it?

 

With that thought, Nils tried to disguise his cowardice with reason.

 

Nevertheless, he suddenly recalled what Iona had said to him.

 

‘Nils, you’re a disgusting and cowardly person. If you want to mourn your mother’s death, you should have stopped calling that man your father.’

 

Unconsciously, Nils gritted his teeth.

 

‘When the time comes, I’ll that bit*h too.’

 

With this resolution, Nils nervously stroked his chin.

 

The humiliation from the day he was hit by Iona still lingered vividly.

 

Nils renewed his anger towards Iona every day, and it was precisely because of the existence of the dentures he shared his daily life with.

 

In reality, the arrangement didn’t fit perfectly, so it felt foreign, and the fastening device was also frequently bothersome.

 

That was not to say he felt relieved when he took out the dentures either.

 

Every time he was reminded of the absence of his once healthy teeth, Nils felt the urge to run to Iona’s room and rain punches on her face.

 

At the moment when Nils, unable to contain his irritation, rose from his seat, a butler swiftly walked into the office without even knocking.

 

“Master Nils.”

 

Judging by his tense expression, it seemed he had urgent news to deliver.

 

Nils wasn’t fond of the butler’s insolent attitude, but he decided to hear the matter first.

 

“Why, did my father finally locate that Baron Franz?”

 

“No, sir. That’s not the issue...”

 

The butler took a deep breath as if to calm his excitement, then stiffened his neck and spoke.

 

“Master Nils, you must immediately reclaim the Siam Mine.”

 

“What?”

 

Nils furrowed his brows and retorted.

 

Reclaim the mine? What on earth was he talking about all of a sudden?

 

It took Nils a moment to recall what mine the butler was referring to.

 

It was one of the useless pieces of land he had secretly disposed of without his father’s knowledge.

 

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? What’s with the Siam Mine? Why should I buy it back?”

 

“Didn’t you dispose of that land, sir?”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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