novelraw Chapter 244 Madam, Your daughter and I are leaving.
Chapter 244 Madam, Your daughter and I are leaving.
Chapter 244 Madam, your daughter and I will be leaving for a moment.
"Looking for me? You, you stay away!"
Seeing Lorne's smile, Hazel instinctively took a step back, her eyes filled with panic.
He came to find me—what did he come to find me for?
Is it extortion? But seeing how well he and my mother were chatting, it doesn't seem like it. Oh right! I promised him I would do something for him!
She finally remembered their agreement from that day. James Scott would keep her secret, and in return, she would do something for him.
Although I promised you, but—how could you just come to my house like that! That's outrageous!
"How dare you come to my house!" A mixture of anger at the invasion of her safe zone and immense shame made Hazel, whose face was streaked with tears, temporarily suppress her fear and questioned him in a trembling voice.
"Cough cough—"
Before Lorne could answer, her mother Liana coughed, her voice tinged with obvious displeasure.
"Hazel, you're being very rude." Liana's gaze swept over her daughter's disheveled nightgown, her tone carrying a clear hint of reproach.
"What?" Hazel didn't react for a moment, her entire attention was focused on the uninvited "guest".
"Heh." Lorne couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at her bewildered expression.
The soft chuckle instantly jolted Hazel out of her reverie. When she saw Lorne's lips gradually part into a wide grin, she suddenly realized something.
The way he looked now—disheveled, wearing a nightgown, barefoot, with tear stains on his face—was the most embarrassing thing: he was completely exposed to James Scott!
"ah!!!"
A sharp scream burst from her throat.
A complex mix of emotions—shyness, embarrassment, and resentment—rushed into her mind like a burst dam, causing her brain to shut down instantly. She instinctively covered her face, abruptly squatted down, and wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.
It wouldn't be gentlemanly to keep looking—Lorne quickly suppressed his smile, turned his head away without making a sound, and gave the girl squatting on the ground a little space to maintain her self-respect.
Liana Macht was also slightly stunned by the sudden scene before her.
"Miss! Clothes! Clothes!" Fortunately, the maid reacted quickly and rushed over with a coat.
Hazel grasped at a straw, looked up, snatched the garment, and ran into the depths of the house without looking back.
"Um—Mr. Scott, I'm sorry to have made you laugh," Liana said somewhat awkwardly to Lorne, trying her best to maintain the composure of a hostess.
"It's alright, Miss Hazel is as beautiful as ever." Lorne gently shook his head, his tone sincere. Hazel had reacted much the same way he had the day he caught her red-handed. In a way, he was no longer surprised.
Seeing Lorne's calm demeanor, Liana Macht's curiosity grew even stronger.
The other party seemed to have seen a similar appearance before, and Hazel had looked like she had just been crying, and when she saw the other party, she was so eager that she forgot to change her clothes.
Could it be—
A bold idea quietly appeared in Liana's mind. She glanced over without making a sound and began to scrutinize the smiling, well-mannered young man before her.
My daughter has always been more mature than her peers—
Could they be—are—
"Ugh—I'm such an idiot!"
Hazel grabbed her clothes and ran back to her room in one breath. She slammed the door shut, buried her face in the blanket, and let out a suppressed, tearful wail: "How shameful! So shameful!" She had never been so humiliated in her life, and all of this had been witnessed by that bastard who had her weakness in his eyes!
Just then, the maid's voice came from outside the door.
"Sister, the guests are still waiting for you. My husband said that if it's inconvenient for you—"
"It's inconvenient! Make him leave!" Hazel interrupted before the maid could finish speaking, her voice trembling with tears.
"I—I understand," the maid replied timidly, seemingly startled.
"etc!"
Just as the maid was about to turn and leave, Hazel suddenly called her back.
She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and tried to make her voice sound steady: "You—you should make James Scott wait a little while. I—" She finally managed to say, reluctantly, "I, I'll be there soon."
After what had just happened, Hazel gradually calmed down and regained some of her rationality.
She knew very well that even if she chased James Scott away today, he would definitely come back next time if he didn't achieve his goal. Judging from how pleasantly he was talking with her mother earlier, he clearly wasn't planning on a complete falling out. If she chased him away now, he might resort to even more extreme methods next time.
As a well-educated young lady, she still possesses basic analytical skills.
At present, the best option is to go out and see him; driving him away will only increase the uncertainty.
"Damn it—I will absolutely not give in!"
Hazel clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and began to change her clothes quickly.
In the living room.
Lorne picked up his coffee and took a small sip. Liana also picked up her black tea and sipped it gracefully.
The atmosphere had become somewhat awkward because of Hazel's brilliant "performance" just now. Neither of them took the initiative to speak, as if they were both waiting for something.
A short while later, Hazel, who had changed into a decent home dress, came over. Her hair was simply combed, but her eyes were still a little red and swollen.
Her face was tense, and she stared at Lorne with hostility.
"Hayor, you..." Lady Liana looked at her daughter, who was clearly suppressing her anger, and was about to speak up to smooth things over.
"Mom, could you please leave for a moment?" Hazel interrupted her directly.
"What?" Liana was somewhat surprised, not expecting her daughter's first words to her to be this. She had originally thought that her daughter would first explain her rudeness, after all, in an upper-class family like theirs, face was very important.
"I need to speak with James Scott alone." Ignoring her mother's surprise, Hazel pointed at Lorne, her lips barely moving as she practically forced out the words: "You—come with me."
"Clang!"
Lorne gently put down his coffee cup, stood up, and bowed slightly to Hazel.
"My pleasure."
He turned to look at Liana Macht, who was again covering her mouth in surprise, and said politely:
"Madam, please excuse us. Your daughter and I will be leaving for a moment."
Having said that, he strode over to Hazel's side: "Not in a good mood?"
"How could I possibly be in a good mood with you here?" Hazel replied through gritted teeth.
"Where to, your room?"
"snort--"
Although their conversation was soft, every word reached Lady Liana's ears.
She watched the two people walk away side by side, their perfect understanding striking, and stood there, slightly lost in thought.
Lorne followed Hazel through the corridor to a beautifully decorated but relatively small reception room.
"I thought you would take me straight to your room." Lorne looked around the small living room, a hint of deliberate disappointment in his voice.
"Hmph! I would never bring someone like you into my room!" Hazel slammed the heavy wooden door shut behind her, her tone unfriendly.
"If I were you, I wouldn't lock the door," Lorne said, his eyes narrowing slightly, his tone mocking. "If I really wanted to do something to you, you wouldn't even have anywhere to run."
"You—what do you want to do!" Hazel's body tensed instantly. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest and took a few steps back in terror. "I'm warning you, I have bodyguards at home!"
"Sigh," Lorne shrugged, "those bodyguards are just ordinary people. Even you might not be able to beat them, let alone me."
He took a step forward and lowered his voice:
What do you think?
"You—you! You didn't come here today just for—." Hazel trembled all over, and her eyes instantly reddened again.
"I—I will not give in! Don't even think about—don't even think about touching me!"
Clearly, she had come to regard Lorne as a pervert who liked to do certain things in other people's homes.
"Feed?! Did I seem that hungry?" Lorne's forehead creased with annoyance. He admitted that the atmosphere had been incredibly awkward; he had only intended to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but who knew it would scare the other person like this.
However—looking at her, both scared and angry, is quite amusing.
"Miss, you know quite a lot, don't you?" Lorne's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"You!" Hazel took a step forward, her anger and embarrassment palpable. "What are you thinking?! Just say it!"
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore." Lorne raised his hands in surrender. "I came here today to see your father, Congressman Macht."
"Unfortunately, he's not home today."
"Looking for my father?" Haleke became alert. "You really are here to blackmail me!"
"No, no, no." Lorne stretched out his index finger and waved it gently in front of him.
"I've come to invite you to join me in this endeavor."
"Business?" Hazel's face was full of confusion.
"That's right, business."
Lorne cut to the chase and explained that he had acquired a gun factory, urgently needed new sales channels, and wanted Congressman Macht to help him make connections. Furthermore, he very "sincerely" invited Hazel herself to invest in the business together.
"You want my father to pull strings for you? That's impossible!" Hazel refused without even thinking.
"No, I just hope to get in touch with the military. Besides," Lorne said in the calmest tone, yet with the most lethal words, "your father is just a member of the House of Commons. Even if he really wanted to pull strings, his rank probably wouldn't be high enough."
"You—" Hazel was speechless, only able to angrily turn her head away, "Anyway, I'm not investing in your gun factory!"
"Why not? Or is your plan simply to inherit the family business and then live off it all?" Lorne adopted a provocative tone, his eyes filled with a hint of "regret." "Or perhaps, to find a suitable nobleman or wealthy merchant to marry early on and become a lowly noblewoman with no ambition?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Hazel was proud, and although she herself was not clear about her future plans, Lorne's words seemed to be saying that she was a worthless vase, which made her anger flare up instantly.
"Isn't this how women from families like yours plan their lives? Relying on your family and depending on your husband—"
"—." Hazel bit her lip, unable to refute it. Although it was somewhat of a generalization, it was indeed a certain fact.
"Sis, I'm doing this for your own good."
"For my own good?"
"I'm here today to ask you, and your father, to cooperate with me. You see, I'm the weaker party—."
Lorne paused, his smile becoming meaningful: "Actually, I could have just come here with those photos and forced your father to cooperate with me."
Even if he doesn't consider his own political career, he'll have to consider your reputation, his precious daughter's, right? Therefore, he'll most likely choose to cooperate with me. In that case, I'll be in a completely advantageous position.
Seeing Hazel's face turn deathly pale, Lorne knew he had fooled her.
"Young Miss, I've been very generous to you." He spread his hands, looking like he was the one who had been taken advantage of.
"I not only gave you an investment opportunity, giving you more options for the future, but I also humbled myself so much."
"Think about it, if I use photos to threaten your father and cause him to get into trouble, then his connections will definitely be thwarted, which is not in my interest."
So my decision to cooperate with you now is like placing an insurance policy in your hands.
"Once you invest, you can legitimately oversee the project and make all the necessary preparations."
"Look, your interests and my interests have both been taken into account."
Hazel fell into a long silence, not uttering a single word.
While Lorne's words contained an element of sophistry, she had to admit there was some truth to them. At the same time, she felt a chill of fear. She was afraid that if she didn't agree to help, the other party would really use those photos to blackmail her father, which would only put their family in an even more passive position.
"That—investment, how much money do you need?" she asked, her head bowed, in a voice barely audible.
"Not too much, just a thousand or two pounds will do," Lorne replied with a smile.
"I—" Hazel fell silent.
"What's wrong?"
"I—I don't have that much money." Hazel raised her head, her voice weak like a deflated balloon.
It seems that politicians are not as wealthy as businessmen.
"Alright, Miss, for the sake of our 'friendship,' I'll give you a discount."
The two then briefly discussed details such as investment ratios, possible profit sharing, and how to approach Congressman Macht.
"Let me be humble first, I can't guarantee that my father will definitely help," Hazel finally emphasized, still unwilling to give up.
"It's alright, you did your best, Ling," Lorne replied with a light laugh.
He walked to the door, unlocked it, and before leaving, he suddenly turned around, winked at Hazel, and reminded her:
"Hayr".
"Hmm?" Hazel subconsciously looked up.
"We met at church mass, don't forget!"
"Hey! Who gave you permission to call me by my name without my permission?!"
After Hazel turned around, a voice filled with shame and anger immediately came from behind her.
"lady."
Not far from the reception room, Lorne saw Liana Macht at the corner of the corridor.
Seeing Lorne suddenly appear, the other party seemed a little embarrassed, his eyes darting away.
Clearly, she had come over to eavesdrop out of curiosity. Unfortunately, their house was too well soundproofed, and she didn't hear anything useful.
All that could be seen was this young man, who emerged from the reception room with a beaming smile.
Seeing this, Lorne simply bowed slightly to indicate his intention to take his leave.
Lady Liana nodded with composure, but just as Lorne was about to turn and leave, she suddenly called out to him.
"Mr. Scott—" she said hesitantly.
"You—you and Hazel, are you really—just ordinary friends?"
"Of course, madam."
"Otherwise, what other kind of relationship do you think we could have?"
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