~Chapter 18~

Strangely enough, Egbert agreed to my request right away.
I had hoped to delay it a bit longer, but under Egbert’s pressure, I had no choice.
He claimed there would never be another opportunity if we didn’t meet now.

I was forced to leave the bank unprepared.

Apparently, he was staying at a hotel near the Graham estate.

Hearing that reminded me of the most daring rebellion Ella had ever committed in her life.

No wonder.
For Egbert, who had lived his entire life enjoying only the finest, that kind of “terror” must have been an unbearable humiliation.

Egbert designated the hotel’s restaurant as the meeting place.

It was supposed to be a lunch meeting, but the moment Egbert saw that I had brought Heres with me, he frowned.

“Who the hell is that guy?”

“He’s my secretary, Marquis.”

“Yeah, I figured that. But I’m asking why you brought him here.”

“This is a business discussion. It isn’t strange to bring a companion.”

“Business discussion?”

Egbert raised his eyebrows.

“Well, fine. If that’s the excuse you need. Still, having a meal with him makes me uncomfortable.”

“I’d rather get to the business talk before we eat.”

I spoke coldly. Egbert, now visibly irritated, glanced back and forth between Heres and me and let out a sigh.

He had been sitting in an arrogant pose, but now he called a waiter and asked them to hold the food service. Then he gestured his chin at me.

“Say what you came to say, Anais.”

I should be the one sighing. Anais, he said.
Hearing my name from his mouth makes my skin crawl.

“…I heard that the Marquis expressed concerns about our bank. That you no longer trust me. And because of that, the committee turned away from us.”

“That’s…”

Egbert rolled his eyes and said,

“Well, that’s not really important, Anna. It’ll be resolved soon enough, so don’t worry about it.”

That is the most important issue to me.
If not for that, there wouldn’t be any need for this meeting at all.
If the committee returned to our side, it could restore the bank’s reputation.

“If we got back together, there wouldn’t be any problems.
The bank would normalize, and the committee wouldn’t go against you anymore.”

Egbert smiled faintly.

What the hell is he talking about?
Did I mishear that?
Get back together? Who and who?!

“Anna, if you come back now, I’ll forgive you. I won’t ask anything.
I’m even willing to forgive you for spending time with another man.
I know what must have driven you to do it.”

Egbert leaned back in his chair, arms spread confidently.
At a glance, he looked composed—even dignified.

The sunlight pouring through the large glass windows lit him up like some kind of prince.

But to me, all of it felt like a farce.

I slowly turned my head. Heres also looked stunned.

“Heres, did I really just hear what I think I heard?”

“Honestly… I’m not sure myself…”

“Ha…”

I let out a dry laugh and pressed a hand to my forehead.

“I’m genuinely curious, Marquis—what made you think something like that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because you still have feelings for me.”

“You lunat—…”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing, Marquis. Please, go on. I really do want to know how you came to that conclusion.”

I smiled as brightly as I could.

Seriously, there’s no point in dealing with a madman.
I was starting to regret even setting up this meeting.
I should’ve just lived with the regret.

Egbert lifted his chin and declared:

“It’s obvious. What other reason would you have for hanging around that Constantine guy? That scumbag.”

He jabbed a thumb toward himself.

“You’re doing it to get my attention. I know it. You must miss me. Living without the Graham name can’t be easy. And it’s not like men like me come around often. Where else are you going to find someone this perfect?”

He puffed himself up proudly.
That smug demeanor—God, it was one of the things I despised most about him.

How could someone be this full of themselves? Truly impressive.

For a moment, I was speechless.
He really, truly believed I was seeing Baldwin to provoke him.

“I don’t think there’s anything left to say. Let’s go, Heres.”

“What kind of manners are these, Anais? You know I hate things like this.”

Egbert snapped as I stood from my seat.

“Sit down, right now.”

“I came here to discuss business. I even brought a formal proposal.
But clearly, the Marquis has no intention of discussing anything remotely professional.
So yes—leaving is the proper course of action.”

“Business? There’s something more important than that, Anais!
What matters more is your lingering feelings for me—for the Grahams!
What matters is us! Our relationship!”

Egbert jumped up and stood in front of me, blocking my way.

“You’re not going anywhere until we talk this through.
We need to settle things about us!”

“I don’t know what you think there is to talk about, Marquis.
There is no ‘us.’
You and I—we’re strangers now.”

I don’t even want to categorize us together under the word ‘we.’

“Move aside.”

“Anais, you can be honest with me. If there’s something you want, I’ll consider giving it to you. Chris, Sophia… even pregnancy, or sex—whatever it is.”

That’s it. I’ve had enough.

“I have absolutely no intention of doing that.
Why would I ever go back to Graham?
Divorcing you, Marquis, was the best moment of my life! I have no desire to undo that. Now, move.”

At this point, I’d done all I could.

As soon as Egbert reached his hand toward me, I ground my teeth and shouted:

“Heres!”

“Yes, Madam!”

Heres grabbed Egbert’s wrist faster than he could react—twisting his arm behind his back and wrenching it up.

Violence must be met with force.

The exhilaration came not from being saved, but from the fact that I had prepared for this myself.

And once again, it was proven—Egbert was irredeemable trash.

No matter what I choose going forward, I’ll have no regrets.
Not even the thought: “Maybe I should’ve tried to persuade him.”

“A-Aaagh!”

Heres’s thick arm muscles flexed magnificently.
Off in the distance, I could see Sophia, pale as a ghost, staring between Egbert, Heres, and me.

I bent down and locked eyes with Egbert.

“You’d do well to remember the warning I gave you, Marquis.
Especially if you know what else Grandfather might have left me.”

“Anais—ugh!”

“And you should think about what I might still be capable of.”

I narrowed my eyes coldly.

“Don’t make me want to take what little you have left.
Do you understand me?”

Egbert trembled pitifully.

“Let him go, Heres. Too many eyes on us.”

Seeing Egbert squirm and scream as he was restrained felt oddly satisfying.

Heres’s arm strength was glorious.
Enough to make sure trash like Egbert could never lay a finger on me again.
And the same would go for any other troublesome men.

That thought alone lifted my mood.

* * *

Coincidentally, that day, there was also a scheduled meeting at the hotel with a yacht company—a negotiation to acquire a business specializing in small cruise ships.

“The business has been in the red for some time. If the price is right, I’m open to— Your Grace?”

Baldwin raised his left hand, cutting the man off mid-sentence.

The man looked puzzled but followed Baldwin’s gaze, which was fixed on something… someone.

A familiar woman appeared in his line of sight.
Anais—the woman who had once asked him for just one week.

Her silver hair was elegantly pinned up, revealing the cool lines of her neck.
Even more striking than the pearl necklace glittering around her throat were her eyes.

They sparkled under the chandelier’s light.

Then Baldwin noticed the man she was facing.

“Egbert.”

Anais’s ex-husband.

“Why?”

Had there been some unfinished business between them?
Baldwin knew that Egbert had influenced the Graham Committee.

Was that what this was about?
Was she… trying to change that man’s mind?

‘Right now, there’s no shortage of men in high society eyeing the seat beside Anais Barnaby. It’s Graham Bank, after all. While they may be hesitant because of the Marquis for now, soon enough, all those so-called gentlemen will come charging in.’

Baldwin subconsciously rubbed his lips with his thumb.

It wasn’t the suitors that concerned him.

Anais was merely a baron’s daughter.
Graham was a marquis family.

Graham Bank may have been powerful, but it wasn’t the only one of its kind.
Hedges Bank, which Baldwin worked with, was one of several major financial institutions.

As long as Egbert remained a threat, others would avoid Anais and her bank.
Unless she reconciled with the Marquis—or secured new backing.

That much was clear.

And yet… for some reason, he felt irritated.