“Gordon! Come here, quickly. You’ve truly been through so much.”
Madam Campbell couldn’t hide her emotions at the sight of her eldest son’s haggard face. She walked up to him herself and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Gordon, who hugged his frail mother in return, opened his mouth with the same dark expression still on his face.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“Oh, no. You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s all because we took in someone so beneath our station—that’s what led to this mess. Ungrateful, despite all we’ve done for her.”
Her words, subtly blaming Charlotte, made Gordon let out a short, bitter scoff before he gently pulled away from his mother and dropped into the nearest chair. Seeing his steps falter, as if he were especially exhausted, filled Madam Campbell with aching sympathy. She moved across the room to sit gracefully on another sofa and lifted a delicate hand to press the bell.
“Bring us some tea.”
A short while later, a servant placed the tea on the table and quietly withdrew. Madam Campbell took a sip to moisten her lips before speaking again.
“So, how is your health?”
Gordon, who’d been glancing sideways at the maid’s retreating hips, reluctantly pulled his gaze back at the sound of his mother’s voice.
“I feel like shit.”
“Gordon.”
Madam Campbell immediately rebuked him in a stern tone.
“No matter how upset you are, you shouldn’t use such vulgar language. You must maintain your dignity.”
After scolding her son sharply, she let out a brief sigh.
“Though I suppose your heart must be in turmoil.”
She seemed to sympathize with him for a fleeting moment, but then her expression turned serious as she changed her tone.
“Still, it’s a bad habit to let your emotions show so plainly. You must act more rationally.”
Pretending to be coldly disapproving, she observed Gordon’s expression for a moment before shifting the subject.
“In any case, you’ve been through a lot. But now, you need to set the past aside and focus on what’s ahead.”
“You want me to just set it aside when I’m facing prison? Mother, I only got out on bail. That doesn’t mean I was cleared of anything.”
Gordon snapped, his tone sharp and irritable. It was deeply disrespectful, yet Madam Campbell restrained herself. Given her son’s current circumstances, she told herself she needed to be generous and understanding.
“I’m not saying to forget what’s going on. I meant to put aside the suffering for just a moment.”
Do I really need to explain even this? Madam Campbell clicked her tongue inwardly in frustration. How could Gordon be so unlike Winston, who always understood what she meant before she even said it?
The thought of Winston suddenly filled her with renewed irritation. If not for that lowly thing, Winston would never have started defying her like this.
If that had been the case, none of this would be happening now. Seol Yu-jin’s single flutter of the wings had turned into a raging hurricane, bearing down on the entire Campbell family.
Somehow, I have to calm this storm. Madam Campbell firmly believed she could. And she was just as certain that Yu-jin would never set foot near this family again.
“First, let’s host a party.”
“A party?”
Gordon blurted out in disbelief. He had no idea what his mother was planning. With practiced patience, Madam Campbell continued.
“You’ve returned safely, so we should celebrate. We need to show everyone that we’re still standing strong, don’t you think?”
Gordon scowled. Of course he wouldn’t understand—he’d just come out into the world again.
“There’s been an article.”
Madam Campbell handed him the newspaper she had placed on the table. Gordon took it with a deepening frown, and the moment he opened it, his face froze.
“What the fuck…”
His trembling voice was seething with rage. Madam Campbell silently lifted her teacup to her lips, but the fire of fury she held inside burned far hotter than her son’s.
***
<The Campbell Family Horror Show>
The prestigious Campbell family—long considered one of America’s most elite lineages—has become the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons. Eldest son Gordon Campbell, currently indicted on charges of rape and murder, had a notorious reputation as a womanizer since his college days. (……omitted……)
But the Campbell family’s sordid legacy goes back generations. The late Harold Campbell once underwent an intense federal tax investigation. It was later revealed he had funneled tens of millions of dollars into shell companies to evade taxes, leading to nationwide outrage. (……omitted……)
Meanwhile, the family’s only daughter, Catherine Campbell, now known as Lady Catherine, married a man who falsely claimed to be British nobility when she was only seventeen and still a minor. She returned to the United States two years later, but continues to refer to herself as Lady Catherine. She frequently indulges in luxury shopping sprees, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time—often without actually paying—causing her no end of trouble. Just recently, she purchased nearly a million dollars’ worth of jewelry from a luxury boutique and has yet to make payment. The store sent two formal notices to her, but received no response, and has now proceeded with legal action…
“How dare they!”
With a loud crunch, Lady Catherine crumpled the newspaper in her hands, breathing heavily with fury. Her husband, George, stood up from his seat in alarm, rushing to calm her down.
“Please, calm down—it’s bad for your health. What if you faint again?”
“That little bastard wrote a load of nonsense!”
Lady Catherine’s face was flushed crimson, and she shouted furiously.
“I only didn’t pay right away because I brought the wrong card, okay? Of all times, I had to bring the one with the stupid low limit!”
“But the collection notices—were they real? Why didn’t you just go fix it right away?”
At George’s question, Lady Catherine flinched—then raised her voice defensively.
“I’ve just been too busy! You know that, don’t you? Charity galas to attend, Pilates classes, and lunch appointments out the wazoo…”
But the moment she caught sight of her husband’s expression, she gave up and groaned in frustration.
“I wanted to pay, okay? But what was I supposed to do when there was nothing in my account? This is all your fault! If you made more money, I wouldn’t be in this ridiculous situation!”
George looked like the life had drained right out of him. His eyes glazed over, and he stood there in stunned silence. Lady Catherine suddenly realized she’d crossed a line and clamped a hand over her mouth—but it was too late. Her husband hung his head, shoulders slumped, and slowly trudged out of the living room. She opened her mouth as if to call him back, her hand half-extended—but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she lowered her hand with hesitation and turned her seething anger back to the newspaper. Glaring at the headline, she clenched it in frustration—then paused, rethinking her next move.
There was only one way to fix this. With no time for overthinking, she called for the butler and ordered him to prepare the car.
“Where are you going, ma’am?”
At the perfectly reasonable question, Lady Catherine answered while hastily getting ready to leave.
“To Winston’s office.”
***
Lady Catherine rushed to the office, making it there in a single breath, and ended up waiting nearly two hours in the reception area before she was finally allowed to see Winston. When she stepped into his office, trying hard to mask her anxiety, Winston greeted her with calm indifference.
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
His usual demeanor made Lady Catherine clear her throat with a forced cough. Normally, she would’ve scolded him—What, no greeting? Aren’t you going to ask how I’ve been?—but she didn’t have the luxury of time. Before she’d entered the office, his secretary had warned her: You’ve got exactly fifteen minutes. A meeting was scheduled after that.
Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke.
“Did you see the newspaper?”
At her uneasy opening, Winston’s brow furrowed. He looked at his visibly tense older sister and asked,
“What’s this about being sued?”
“You have no idea how unfair this is.”
Lady Catherine jumped right in, as if waiting for the chance to spill.
“I meant to pay them as soon as Father’s inheritance came in. But now they’re saying it’ll take a few more months! You don’t know how hard this has been for me. How can you be so cold…”
Her voice wavered as if she were about to cry—but her eyes remained completely dry. Winston looked at her and replied calmly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pay the bill.”
“Really?”
Lady Catherine, who had just buried her face in her hands pretending to cry, immediately looked up. Winston gave her a gentle smile and nodded.
“Of course. If things are that hard for you, I’ll take care of it.”
“Oh, Winston. You truly are such a generous soul.”
Lady Catherine quickly changed her tone, showering Winston with praise. But of course, that wasn’t all she was after.
“If it’s not too much to ask… could you give me a bit more money? And while we’re at it, maybe you could invest in George’s business too? You know how rough things have been for him lately. But if we can just get through this hump, everything will turn around soon.”
Not missing the chance to push for more, she made her request without hesitation. Winston, however, maintained his expression and calmly asked,
“Instead of writing a check… how about letting George hand over the business to me?”
