SMR | Chapter 91

~Chapter 91~ 

John’s eyes were wide with fury. He had been just this close to claiming the land at Perilas, and now it had slipped through his fingers. His face was red with rage, and he could barely think straight.

“To the Pellon estate! Now!” he shouted.

“I’m sorry, sir,” said his coachman, nervous. “Even if we go as fast as we can, we won’t get there before sunset…”

“Shut up and drive!”

John’s angry voice sounded almost inhuman. He looked like a demon from an old religious painting. Terrified, the coachman, Terry, had no choice but to wave the whip and urge the already exhausted horses forward.

“That filthy little rat! How dare she steal what’s mine?!” John growled.

To him, the land in Perilas was already his. He had been seconds away from securing it. And now it was gone. His mind couldn’t accept it.

Across from him in the carriage sat Lily—the woman he had hired to impersonate Harriet. She didn’t dare say a word. She swallowed hard, nervous that his anger might suddenly turn on her.

I quit my job at the bar for this? What a disaster, she thought bitterly. Just my luck to get involved in this mess.

She sat still, barely even breathing, as the carriage rocked back and forth over the rough roads.

The only small relief was that John was so caught up in his rage, he’d completely forgotten Lily was even there. Eventually, they reached the outskirts of Genoa.

When the carriage stopped near the city gates, John finally noticed her again.

“I’ll say this once. If you ever speak of what happened today, anywhere, to anyone—I’ll tear you apart. Got it? If you care at all about keeping that worthless little life of yours, keep your mouth shut.”

With a clinking sound, he tossed a small pouch at her.

Lily quickly opened it and felt the coins inside. But instead of gold, they were silver—each worth 100 Dirhams. There were five of them.

‘Just 500 Dirhams?’ she thought, disappointed.

It wasn’t a bad sum for three days of work, but after all the talk of nobility and inheritance, she had expected more generosity. Still, she knew better than to argue.

She bowed her head politely, tucking the pouch into her clothes.

“Oh, thank you, noble sir. I was so lucky to ride in your fine carriage today. I’ll be going now.”

Lily was sharp. She knew exactly what kind of words would satisfy John. Thanks to her careful tone and quick exit, she managed to leave safely.

But Terry, the coachman, wasn’t so lucky.

He had to take John all the way to the Pellon estate—and he was sweating. He couldn’t stop wondering if John had somehow figured out that he was the one who had secretly told someone about Harriet’s location.

When they finally reached the estate, John jumped out of the carriage and stormed to the front door. He didn’t even glance at Terry, who nervously waited outside.

Ding-ding-ding!

He rang the bell with force.

“Damn fools! What took you so long to answer?!”

Even though he could see the servants hurrying over, John gritted his teeth. Just the sight of them made his blood boil. He couldn’t stand anyone in this house—especially Harriet and the old lady Trisha who protected her.

***

Inside the estate, Harriet, Trisha, and Roxana were enjoying dinner together when a servant whispered that a visitor had arrived.

“Who is it?” Trisha asked, raising a brow.

“It’s… Lord John.”

They all paused for a second—and then Trisha frowned.

“Well, if he’s come at this hour, I think it’s clear. He must’ve just returned from Perilas.”

She set down her fork. It had been one of the rare nights when Trisha had come down to the dining room to eat with them, and she wasn’t happy about the interruption.

Harriet noticed Trisha’s irritation and quickly stood up, putting on a cheerful expression.

“Well, since we’ve been waiting for him, we should greet him properly. But please, you stay and finish dinner.”

“You make it sound like I’m a child who needs to stay put,” Trisha grumbled.

“Of course not, Grandmother,” Harriet smiled.

Just as Harriet was about to leave the room, Roxana spoke.

“If he’s angry enough to come here in the evening, who knows what he might do? It’s too dangerous for you to meet him alone.”

“She’s right,” Trisha agreed. “Your bravery can be a fault sometimes.”

She dabbed her mouth with a napkin and sighed.

“The moment I heard his name, I lost my appetite. Come on—let’s see what kind of nonsense he’s come to spill this time.”

In the end, Harriet didn’t go alone. She was accompanied by Trisha, Roxana, the butler Andre, and the newly hired bodyguards.

When John entered the drawing room, he looked ready to explode. But the moment he saw so many people gathered behind Harriet, he hesitated. He almost seemed small in that moment.

Still, Harriet greeted him with a bright smile.

“Welcome, Uncle. It’s been a while.”

John looked around nervously, then coughed.

“Ahem! I came to speak to you, not your entire household! It’s not polite to drag out your elders like this—”

“Oh, so I can’t even look at an uninvited guest in my own house now?” Trisha’s sharp voice cut him off.

John flinched. It wasn’t the first time he’d shrunk in the face of someone stronger. He always talked big—but only when no one could challenge him.

Harriet held back a smirk and kept her polite tone.

“You know I’m just a guest in this house, Uncle. If the owner wants to welcome a guest herself, I couldn’t stop her. Please, have a seat.”

John sat across from Harriet, his eyes darting around.

Trisha’s expression was cold, but it didn’t look like she’d get up to fight him. The others seemed like ordinary staff.

That gave him just enough confidence to speak.

“Why have you come at this hour?” Harriet asked calmly.

John’s eyes narrowed. His temper flared up again.

“You! You went behind my back and claimed the land and house in Perilas! Where did you learn such disrespect? You know the Listerwell family’s rule—no one sells or moves a single patch of land without my permission!”

“The Listerwell family’s property?” Harriet asked.

“Of course! You’re still part of this family. You should follow my orders. Just because you don’t live in the house anymore doesn’t mean you can cut ties!”

Harriet had expected this, but his shamelessness was still shocking. She didn’t even know where to begin responding.

Sensing her hesitation, John softened his tone, acting like he was being generous.

“Look, you’re still young. I’ll be kind and not take this further. Just come with me tomorrow and we’ll go to Perilas together. Transfer the ownership, and I’ll even give you a little spending money.”

“And if I say no?” Harriet asked.

“No? Are you really thinking of dragging this into a court case? You think you can beat me in court?”

Trisha suddenly burst out laughing.

“Oh my! I didn’t think I’d live to see something this funny. Ha ha ha!”

John turned red. “T-This isn’t funny, Aunt! Isn’t it the family head’s job to manage family property? You know that better than anyone!”

“Oh, I do know,” Trisha said, wiping away her smile. “But you’ve been the family head for over ten years and still don’t know the basics.”

Her tone turned icy.

“If all the family’s land really belongs to the Listerwell house, then how did you inherit the land in Bovex? Arthur gave it to you when he became the new head of the house, remember?”

“T-That’s different! I was married then, and I was his only brother!”

“What difference does that make? You do remember that two years before Arthur died, the empire eliminated the sons-only inheritance law, right?”

Trisha turned to Roxana with a scoff.

“What made me laugh the most was when he said he’d take her to court. Who here really doesn’t know how the law works?”

“Indeed,” Roxana said with a small smile. “Even if we were generous, Harriet’s chances of winning in court would be at least 99%.”

“I’ll make sure the other 1% doesn’t happen. So that makes her chances a perfect 100%,” Trisha added.

John felt his blood boil. He knew they were mocking him, but he couldn’t lash out at Trisha—he’d gain nothing. So he turned his attention back to Harriet.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Harriet was quicker.

“Uncle,” she said quietly. “Do you really think the land in Perilas belongs to you?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then why did you try to steal it in secret? If it were really yours, you wouldn’t have needed to trick Mr. Scott. You wouldn’t have needed someone to forge my signature.”

Her voice was calm but firm, her eyes locked onto his without fear.

John stammered, “I-I only did that because I knew you’d make a fuss and get greedy again! Aunt, I told you, this girl has always had a habit of taking things that don’t belong to her!”

Harriet felt nauseous. Even now, he was lying—pretending she was the one trying to steal what wasn’t hers.

“I’ve never once tried to take something that wasn’t mine. And you know that.”

“What are you saying now?”

“Last year, at the end of June, you rushed to the convent to get me, remember? Right after you visited Perilas. If none of that land business concerned me, why were you in such a hurry to drag me away back then?”

Back then, John had suddenly appeared and tried to take her away from the convent, calling it an urgent matter.

She had never understood why—until Howard mentioned the land.

John’s eyes went wide.

“You… you…!”

John was cornered. And for the first time, he realized Harriet wasn’t the scared little girl he used to manipulate.

She was no longer under his control.