By Zephyria But it didn’t end there. The man, with a gentle smile, took Mrs. Campbell’s hand, kissed the back of it, and said this.
“You look beautiful today as well, Madam.”
Mrs. Campbell smiled shyly at the man who was spouting old-fashioned lines that would only come out in a 60s movie. Gordon was so surprised that he couldn’t even speak, and just stared with his mouth open. It didn’t end there. Mrs. Campbell, with a kind smile, said this to her son, who was blankly watching them.
“Then Gordon, be careful on your way back. Let’s continue our conversation next time.”
“M-Mother!”
Leaving Gordon, who shouted belatedly, behind, Mrs. Campbell linked arms with the man and left the drawing room. Gordon, left alone, could only blink blankly and stare in the direction they had disappeared.
* * *
“Has Mother gone senile?”
Lady Catherine was startled by her brother’s words and raised her voice.
“What are you saying, Gordon!”
The sound of her putting down her teacup with a clatter clearly showed her displeasure. Gordon frowned at his sister, who was sitting across from him, and grumbled.
“That’s right, if she remarries, she won’t be able to inherit the estate. But she’s bringing in a man, don’t you think it’s strange?”
“Mother must have her reasons.”
Lady Catherine rolled her eyes and grumbled.
“Father is funny too. How promiscuously did you live your whole life, with pheromone parties and all? Besides, you even raised a mistress in the house as someone to get pheromones from. Now that he’s gone, he’s tying Mother down with money, isn’t that selfish?”
She voiced a fairly valid complaint, but Gordon’s interest was elsewhere.
“Is that guy’s identity confirmed?”Lady Catherine frowned at her brother’s half-hearted attitude and retorted listlessly.
“You must have looked into it thoroughly. Surely Mother wouldn’t just meet with anyone?”
“I suppose not.”
Gordon reluctantly took a step back. Lady Catherine relaxed her expression and concluded.
“Anyway, it’s a relief that things are working out. Nothing to worry about, the thing we were most concerned about ended anticlimactically, and all that’s left is to distribute the inheritance.”
“Speaking of which.”
Gordon frowned as if suddenly remembering something and asked.
“Why haven’t we heard anything yet? Isn’t it too late? That slut is supposed to be pregnant. Shouldn’t she have received her share of the inheritance by now?”
“We need to confirm if the child is Winston’s.”
Lady Catherine continued, sounding exasperated.
“Just being pregnant isn’t enough. It has to be Winston’s child to receive the inheritance. Either way, we have to wait until the child is born.”
“How long?”
“How would I know?”
Lady Catherine calmly added.
“If we wait, the time will come. Don’t worry, a child is born in ten months.”
Gordon frowned at his sister’s relaxed attitude, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Meeting his suspicious gaze, Lady Catherine raised her eyebrows and asked.
“What is it?”
“It’s strange, how calm you are.”
Of course, there was a reason for that, but she had no intention of revealing it. Winston hadn’t explicitly told her to keep it a secret, but if Gordon found out, he would surely ask Winston to let him in on it too, and it was obvious that their share would decrease as a result.
“I’ve been meditating lately. You should try it, brother. It’s very helpful for calming the mind.”
“Meeeditaaating?”
Gordon raised his voice strangely, his face contorted in disgust. But Lady Catherine steadfastly sipped her tea, pretending not to notice.
Something’s up, definitely.
Gordon stroked his chin, glaring at his sister. Both Mother and Catherine were definitely hiding something. The thought that he was being left out, knowing nothing, made his anger boil.
“I don’t know what you and Mother are plotting, but let’s see how well you do leaving me out.”
“It’s not like that. Really, I don’t know why Mother is doing this either.”
Lady Catherine insisted on her innocence, but having already concealed a great secret, she couldn’t simply play the pure victim. She knew this herself, so her acting wasn’t perfect, and it was so clumsy that even Gordon could see through it.
“Alright, good luck.”
Gordon, thoroughly misunderstanding, turned and left the mansion. Lady Catherine watched the direction her brother had disappeared in and shook her head briefly. What a temper.
Gordon’s reaction wasn’t exactly welcome, but having some time alone was a good thing. She sipped her tea and began to leisurely browse through the product catalog that had been delivered the day before. As she checked the items she liked, the corners of her mouth turned up.
* * *
While his personal secretary reported over the phone, Winston frowned with his eyes closed. He had woken up early in the morning with a throbbing pain all over his body. As he had feared, rain began to pour outside the window. He changed all the meetings to video conferences and remained holed up in his hotel room, focusing on work. Tomorrow was Angela’s first day of kindergarten. He had to finish his work today and return to the mansion by morning. He had already lost too many precious days with Angela. He wanted to create precious memories from now on, even if those days wouldn’t be many.
“Mr. Campbell, are you alright?”
The secretary asked from the other end after the continued silence. Winston still didn’t move and replied in a low voice.
“I’m listening, continue.”
“Yes.”
The secretary immediately replied, adding a few more reports before falling silent. After a moment of silence, Winston opened his mouth.
“Alright, keep monitoring.”
“Yes, Mr. Campbell.”
The secretary replied briefly and hung up the phone. He remained motionless in the silence when suddenly, a dazzling light poured in through the front window all at once. He frowned at the strong light that he could feel even with his eyes closed, followed by a loud thunderclap. Winston stirred slightly, letting out a soft groan. It was a big mistake. He had only moved a little, but the pain that pierced his spine spread throughout his body as if tearing him apart.
“Ugh…”
He couldn’t help but groan and fumbled for the medicine bottle on the desk. He had already exceeded the amount recommended by the doctor, but he ignored it. His hands trembled so much that it wasn’t easy to open the lid. He barely managed to pour the pills into his mouth and chewed them down without water. The terribly bitter taste filled his mouth, but he preferred that. At least he could forget the pain for a while.
Think of something else, quickly. Think of something else.
To avoid being consumed by the pain, he tried to think of something unrelated. The report the secretary had given, yes, that would be good. Winston quickly replayed the contents he had heard over the phone. His mother was meeting a man. What could that mean?
The secretary had cautiously said that it seemed like a romantic atmosphere, but Winston thought differently. His mother would never give up her own interests. If she fell in love with someone and got married, she wouldn’t receive a penny of the inheritance. However, simply maintaining a romantic relationship was also unacceptable to her nature. Her reputation was more important than anything else in the world. She would never tolerate the slightest blemish on her reputation from engaging in such unchaste behavior as dating without marriage.
He had already ordered an investigation into the man, so he would soon be able to confirm whether his suspicions were correct. Until then, he would just have to wait and see. Then, until then, until then…
“…Mr. Campbell, Mr. Campbell.”
Winston barely opened his eyes at the call. He belatedly realized that he had lost consciousness for a moment. A familiar face was looking at him from across the desk. The first secretary, who had come in to report on business, was fidgeting with a look of obvious anxiety. No wonder, her superior was gasping for breath, his face as pale as a ghost, drenched in cold sweat.
“Um, is there anything you need?”
Winston barely opened his mouth to the secretary’s cautious question.
“…I’m fine.”
His voice was so hoarse that it sounded strange even to his own ears. Winston ignored it and continued.
“Bring me a cup of water.”
“Yes, sir.”
The secretary hurriedly turned and brought him water, which he emptied in one gulp. The cold water seemed to clear his head a little. Winston stared at the secretary with eyes that had finally regained focus.
“I’ll be going back tonight, so make preparations.”
“Yes, sir.”
The secretary gave the same answer again and began to report in a businesslike voice. Winston listened silently to her voice as she reported on the progress of the agenda from the previous day’s meeting.