Chapter 14

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Translated by: Miss Lassie

Judith swung the door open before the car could come to a complete stop.

“I’ll take care of myself, so I hope I don’t see you again, Mr. Heath Ardmore.”

Judith gritted her teeth, and the man didn’t even look back at her. Instead, he looked calm and said something even worse.

“You shouldn’t send out letters or telegrams anymore. There’s no certainty that they would get delivered to the right person.”

What he said utterly ridiculous, and without a second thought, Judith slammed the car door’s shut and walked off on her own.

She realized what the driver meant that the mansion was still a long way off when she had walked a kilometer before reaching the gate. A gatekeeper checked her, and a few minutes later, Willard Larson ran out with a pale face.

“Oh my goodness! Ms. Wortherford, didn’t I tell you to send a telegram before your arrival?’

“…You didn’t get my telegram?”

“Yes, I checked just this morning, and nothing came in… Oh my god! What happened to your wrist?”

“Ha…”

Judith looked dumbfounded for a moment, and then she laughed.

That crazy bastard stole her telegram.

“So you’ve met Mr. Ardmore.”

Willard said in an apologetic tone.

“He is indeed the Master’s business partner since General Curtis was formerly a gun manufacturing company, and it was common for gangs to raid factories and steal firearms.

Judith followed Willard down the hallway of the mansion on the first floor. He had wrapped an ice bag on Judith’s swollen wrist.

“To make sure it doesn’t happen to the company, Mr. Harry Curtis, the now-retired former owner of the company, hired another gang to subdue the other gangs, and it was Bowell. The partnership was passed down to the current owner, Master Rogeric.”

“Can’t we just let the police handle it? Why hire a gang?”

“Sometimes, the fist is stronger than the law.”

Judith couldn’t believe it had come out of a lawyer’s mouth. She looked at him with dismay, and he burst into laughter.

“It’s hard to find a businessman that doesn’t have any connections to a gang. Ms. Judith is still young, so you may not understand. But the Master only has a business relationship with Mr. Ardmore. You don’t have to worry since they are not personally close.”

“I see.

“I think the Master has entrusted your safety with him, but it seems that he had been too harsh on you. He shouldn’t have intercepted the telegram as well. I’ll assign Ms. Judith’s security to a professional company from now on.”

Willard assured Judith with the utmost kindness, and she suddenly felt like a very spoiled child.

There was nothing she could do about their business relationship. She was sure that there were some illegal dealings involved so that she could escape Eylans and move to Baja. Hence why, her sponsor sent her to Wortherford five years ago.

“I sincerely apologize for Mr. Ardmore’s rudeness. I’m not sure if this is comforting enough, but he’s rude to anyone regardless of age or gender. He is even cheeky to the Master, and I’m sure he wouldn’t think twice to use violence in front of him if he were so inclined. He had already been sued for defamation multiple times, and we have defended him through all of them. It’s better to ignore him.”

“…He’s a complete psychopath.”

Judith promised to write Rachel a letter after she unpacked her stuff. She could never understand why Heath turned out like that in a peaceful place like the Wortherford Orphanage since she grew up there too. Willard started talking again as if he had read Judith’s mind.

“Bowell is the only gang that gets the job done properly, and they are very influential all over Baja. It would be a considerable loss to cut ties with them. Their boss is extremely rude, but he’s good at what he does, except for his violent temper. Their organization’s system is well-established, and they don’t harm the citizens for no reason. He isn’t blinded by greed too.”

“A lot of people still seemed to fear him.”

“Well, a gang is still made up of thugs, but people more likely fear them now because of the shootout on Waltz Main Street a few years ago. Bowell had a new boss after that incident.”

Did that mean that the former boss’s head was the price whoever won became the next leader of the gang? The more she listened to the story, the more Judith couldn’t imagine what Heath had to do to reach his current position.

Judith’s wrist was bruised and swollen, the insides of her cheeks were bleeding, and there were finger marks on her face. It would be difficult to get a good impression of how she looks right now if she were about to meet her sponsor.

“Anyway, I’ll make sure Mr. Ardmore won’t be able to approach you so easily anymore.”

“Thank you.”

Judith never wanted to see Heath again, and Mr. Larson showed a brief moment of sympathy before his expression changed again.

“The Master’s schedule has been delayed, so he won’t be here until a few more days.”

“Oh, so he isn’t in the mansion?”

“Yes, there was a problem in the western factory, so he had to leave for an urgent business trip yesterday. I will inform him that you have arrived.”

“That’s fine.”

Judith felt relieved that she didn’t have to see her sponsor right away since it would’ve been hard to chat and laugh with him in her current condition.

She followed Mr. Larson up the grand staircase in the middle of the house.

The Curtis Mansion boasted a grandeur comparable to the Kilgeny Palace, which remained in her memory. Perhaps her sponsor preferred a Baroque-style house since paintings of famous artists hung on the luxurious-looking walls.

“The third floor is the guest room, and if you go upstairs using the far right entrance on the first floor, it will lead you straight to this hallway. Ms. Judith, this is your room.”

Two maids were waiting in front of her room with their hands politely put together.

“Macy and Sarah will help you with all your needs, Ms. Judith.”

Judith thought the addition of personal maids for her was unnecessary, but she wasn’t in the position to refuse, so she greeted them awkwardly. They both looked very attentive, and Judith felt like a wealthy lady.

“Is there anything I should be careful about? Any area that is off-limits?”

“Well, aside from the Master’s bedroom or his private study, nothing else is off-limits to you. The Master wants you to have a pleasant and comfortable stay here. You can also go shopping in the city, go to a theater, or have a party here in the mansion. You just have to say anything you want, and it will be yours.”

Judith, who was eager to go for a walk on the beach, was starting to get tired from today’s events and the overwhelming flood of information coming out of Mr. Larson’s mouth. The wealth and splendor of her sponsor were bedazzling at best. At this point, she wouldn’t be surprised if he thought she looked tacky.

“Oh, if you want to use the yacht, you have to tell the butler an hour in advance so he can check the engine.”

“Alright.”

Judith was mentally admiring the existence of a private yacht when a sluggish voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Roger?”

She heard a loud, drowsy voice, slightly hoarse and languid.

“Did you leave something behind? It takes a week to…”

The stranger fell silent and was speechless. Perhaps he became aware that another person was standing in the hallway, so his leisurely footsteps stopped abruptly.

“Oh my god.”

Mr. Larson turned to the left side of the stairs and let out a short groan. Judith’s head naturally followed that way.

A man stood on the central staircase where the late afternoon sun streamed through the front window and fell in a grid pattern. Her dark brown eyes widened in surprise.

Funny enough, the man had the same reaction, and silence fell over them for a moment, then the man murmured softly.

“…so it wasn’t Roger.”

Was it even possible to hold a person’s gaze for so long?

His hair was the brightest and most beautiful blonde Judith had ever seen in her life. Even though it looked like he had just roughly tousled it with his hand, he looked like a son of a royal family who had stayed up all night drinking and partying. She didn’t think a beautiful person like him existed.

He looked like he walked straight out of a masterpiece painting displayed in museums or cathedrals. Judith thought maybe it would have been the painting of the century if he had only been appropriately dressed.

Judith accidentally lowered her eyes and was terribly surprised by the casual display of flesh. Mr. Larson let out another groan again.

“Oh god, I’ve told you so many times to please dress modestly…”

Judith wasn’t surprised to see a man’s bottoms since it was casual wear for men during summer. But what shocked her was that the loose sleeping robe he wore didn’t even cover his naked torso.

The waist straps dangled at the sides, showing his finely sculpted six-pack abs. The thin fabric of his summer robe outlined his broad shoulders and strong muscles.

Judith, who was never interested in the ideal proportions of men, thought that his body looked great. She probably would have blushed if she hadn’t gotten used to seeing boys taking off their shirts after physical training lessons at Wortherford Orphanage.

“I didn’t know that the guest was a lady.”

The man stuck his hands inside his pants pockets and descended the stairs at a languid pace. His footsteps were light and soundless, but he walked with a sense of weight. Mr. Larson hurriedly stepped in front of Judith.

“You shouldn’t look at him, Ms. Judith!”

Was it such a big deal? Judith was about to say that but swallowed her words instead.

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