14 – Cypress Mosaic

Elian ​faced ​Lorenz ​with ​an attitude that ​remained ​calm, ​yet ​had ​become noticeably cold.

“A smooth ​consultation ​with the guardian ​is as important ​as—if ​not ​more ​important ​than—the ​sessions with the ​child. ​No ​matter what efforts ​I put in alone, ​it will ​be impossible ​for Lucas ​to leave ​his ​room ​and speak unless ​I have ​Mr. Lockhart’s active cooperation.”

Despite ​this, Lorenz’s composure did ​not break. Accepting Elian’s ​words with ​an ​impassive gaze, he murmured, chewing over ​a part of what ​he ​had ​heard.

“Impossible ​without ​my active cooperation…”

“……”

“That ​would be ​a ​very convenient excuse ​when ​the results are poor.”

“What do ​you mean ​by ​that?”

“You could simply ​claim ​that ​the ​guardian ​did not ​cooperate, ​and thus ​absolve yourself of responsibility.”

The blue in Elian’s ​eyes shifted in ​temperature. They Read on Read BL Novelsno ​longer resembled [visit our site]the sky, ​the stars, ​or the sea. ​Instead, ​they were like ​a lake [Read on Read BL Novels]in ​the dead ​of ​winter, frozen ​thick.

He ​did not ​shrink ​back. He ​did ​not ​lash out emotionally. ​He ​simply looked ​Lorenz ​straight ​in ​the eye and conveyed his thoughts in a quiet but firm tone.

“I regret to tell you this, Mr. Lockhart, but it seems your own consultation is more urgent than Lucas’s.”

Cracks began to appear across Lorenz’s face, which had been masquerading as impassive as pale marble. He could not believe what he had just heard. Quite literally, he felt as though he had been knocked down by this twenty-five-year-old trainee counselor.

Elian continued without giving him a chance to recover.

“I am sorry that our first meeting has proceeded this way, but I don’t think we will make any progress like this. It would be best for both of us to end the session here for today. Goodbye.”

Rising from the sofa, Elian gave a light bow and left the room without further delay.

Lorenz remained in his position, his eyes following Elian Bellotti’s path as he walked out. To an outsider, it seemed Lorenz was entirely unaffected. However, the moment Elian left the room, he felt a desperate craving for whiskey.

“I regret to tell you this, Mr. Lockhart, but it seems your own consultation is more urgent than Lucas’s.”

The feeling of insult arrived late, echoing the words left behind. His tightly closed lips tightened further.

Margaret, who had been observing the consultation from the side, approached with a tray and collected the cups. As she glanced back stolen contentat Lorenz, there was a hint [visit our site]of reproach in her eyes. Lorenz felt wronged.

“Is this my fault?”

“I cannot praise you for doing a good job.”

“Fine. Well, it’s nothing special. It’s a common occurrence for people to be offended by me for reasons I don’t understand.”

“You still don’t understand the reason after hearing Mr. Bellotti’s explanation?”

“He is a counselor, and he came here to fix the child… to stabilize the situation, did he not? I merely stated clearly what I wanted as the guardian and employer. Is that a problem?”

Margaret stood tall, still holding the tray.

Another employee, realizing the meeting had ended, quietly entered the study and took the tray from Margaret.

“Mr. Bellotti likely interpreted your goal, Lord Lorenz, as getting Lucas into Ashford without any issues.”

“That’s correct. That is my goal.”

“If he cannot enter Ashford, is Lucas a being of no value to you?”

Lorenz immediately frowned, as if he were being subjected to an unfair slander.

“How did the conversation lead to that?”

“That is how Mr. Bellotti likely perceived it.”

“If he can enter school without a problem, it means the child has improved that much. I merely presented it as a kind of visible goal…”

Mid-sentence, Lorenz’s expression distorted even further as he realized something. Clicking his tongue, he muttered as if it were inevitable.

“Margaret, you understood my intention perfectly.”

I did nothing wrong.

The counselor simply made a hasty judgment on his own.

“That is because I have been by your side since you were born, Lord Lorenz.”

“……”

But in truth, Lorenz knew from experience. He was completely devoid of tact in private conversations outside of business. It was his specialty to cause misunderstandings, repeatedly angering people, disappointing them, and eventually making them sad.

With a displeased face, he stood up to return to his room. Margaret spoke up from behind him.

“Why don’t you invite Mr. Bellotti to dinner as planned?”

Lorenz whipped around with a look of utter disbelief.

“Eat with him?”

“As a gesture of apology.”

“Why should I apologize?”

His tone was harsh.

“You even mentioned giving a higher bonus if his demands were met. That was rude.”

“I proposed that if my requirements were achieved, I would provide appropriate compensation. Is that [Read on Read BL Novels]rude? stolen contentOn [visit our site]the contrary, it seems fair and thoughtful.”

“When you try to move someone who is passionate and takes professional pride in their work solely with money, that ceases to be respect, Lord Lorenz.”

“……”

To Lorenz, this was incomprehensible. He could grasp the meaning intellectually, but he could not accept it.

He hired a counselor to fix Lucas. Naturally, he was curious about how long it would take to fix the child. He hoped the boy would improve enough to enter school normally. He offered a corresponding bonus if the situation improved quickly. — He could not fathom what part of that process was wrong.

Lorenz failed to realize that the misunderstanding arose not from the content, but from the form in which the intention was conveyed.

It was difficult.

As difficult as romance.

“You must not treat Mr. Bellotti simply as an employee hired for a fee.”

“Then how should I treat him? Should I treat him like a prince?”

To make the blatantly displeased Lorenz understand, Margaret prepared an example he might accept.

“Think of him not as a subcontractor of the Lockhart Group, but as a partner company. It is a cooperative relationship.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“You brought him here to obtain his professional help. Therefore, regarding the matter of Lucas, we should not give him orders, but rather listen to his opinions.”

However, after a moment of thought, the only response that came from Lorenz was cold.

“I don’t know. Even so, I don’t feel that I did anything wrong.”

Watching him refuse to budge, Margaret let out a low sigh. In the current Lorenz, she saw glimpses of him as a child, stubbornly insisting on his way. The young Lorenz was a child who never bent on things he found unacceptable.

He headed toward the door Elian had exited moments ago.

“Dinner is at 8, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be in the listening room until then, so make sure no one disturbs me.”

He had returned to his usual way of speaking, as if he had already shaken off what happened with Elian, but he could not fool Margaret. The very fact that he was seeking the listening room was proof of his dampened mood. A rather heavy sigh escaped from Margaret, who was left alone in the study.

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