(3)">Chapter 53 [part 2] - (3) (1/2)

Chapter 53 [part 2]

(3)

As soon as Jerome heard the meeting was dismissed, he went into the conference room. Hugo sat at the head of the table, looking through documents.

To those new to this, it was a tense atmosphere but to those who busying around their day, it was as always. They all knew that the Duke had the habit of looking through the content of the meetings for around 30 minutes after it was over.

“Your Grace.” (Jerome)

“Mm.”

Hugo responded with a lift of the hand, signaling that he didn’t want tea.

“Fabian is here.”

“Tell him to come here.”

A while later, Fabian came in and turned in his report. Hugo glanced at Fabian and acknowledged him with a nod then took the report. As he was looking through it, he frowned. Why was the Countess of Falcon suddenly approaching his wife’s acquaintance, the novelist?

“…What the hell is this?”

Fabian tensed up at the Duke’s fierce reaction.

“It hasn’t been just once or twice since you’ve come in, yet you only bring this now?”

Fabian swallowed hard. If he didn’t bring it now, he’d really be in big trouble.

“I apologize. It was a lapse in judgement.”

Knowing the nature of his lord, Fabian readily admitted his fault. Several times, he’d witnessed the scene of other people making numerous excuses and having something fly at their head.

Hugo continued reading the report and  his expression grew more and more vicious. The additional report included that the Countess of Falcon had done a background check on Princess Vivian.

Due to lack of time, it was still under investigation as to how the Countess of Falcon tracked down the relationship between the female novelist and Princess Vivian.

“A background check?”

Hearing the Duke’s tone laced with threat, Fabian broke out in cold sweat.

“Who is in charge of investments? Send him in.”

A while later, Ashin came in. Ashin wasn’t the person in charge to be exact but he was in a position to understand the flow of investments and bookkeeping so he came in on behalf of the person who was absent today.

“Have we invested in any high market or business owned by Count Falcon?”

Hugo remembered asking the person in charge to review a business plan passed to him by the Countess of Falcon. If the plan was judged to be profitable, the person in charge was responsible for deciding whether to invest. Normally, Hugo left matters concerning investments to the manager and unless there was a loss reported, he didn’t get involved.

Ashin quickly combed through the documents he brought in and found the related document.

“Withdraw all investments. Immediately.” (Hugo)

“Do you mean…right away? At least a month’s notice in advance…” (Ashin)

“Right. Now.”

Hugo cracked his knuckles in emphasis and Ashin straightened up.

“Yes, sir. I’ll deal with it right away.”

After Ashin left the room with careful steps, Hugo commanded the nervous Fabian.

“Send down this warning. If such nonsense is ever repeated, it’ll be one’s head next time.”

Withdrawing investments and even sending a threat. For the first time, Fabian found the Countess of Falcon slightly pitiful. The Taran Family invested on quite the huge scale so to suddenly lose such a large amount of money, Count Falcon’s businesses would be shaken.

Still, to a woman he once shared intimacy with, it was truly ruthless. The Duke of Taran wasn’t one to pursue an investment turnover unless a loss had been suffered so it was Fabian’s first time seeing the Duke withdraw an investment for emotional reasons.

‘Should I ingratiate myself to the Duchess a little?’