“The business, you say?”
Lady Catherine exclaimed in surprise. Winston gave a slight nod and continued.
“It’s a company that manages the family’s assets. More precisely, it’s a business to help us secure a larger share of what’s rightfully ours.”
He paused deliberately, then added with a calm tone.
“Of course, we’ll pay our taxes properly—but there’s no reason we should sacrifice more than necessary, right? As members of the family, it’s only natural that we receive our fair share of benefits. Don’t you agree?”
“Oh, of course. Absolutely.”
Lady Catherine agreed without hesitation.
“We’re not evading taxes, just, well, trying to save in a legal way, aren’t we?”
“Exactly. I knew you’d understand, Noona.”
When Winston offered the light compliment, her mouth fell open in surprise.
“You’re putting George in charge of that?”
Lady Catherine’s voice was brimming with excitement. Anyone would feel their heart race imagining thousands—no, hundreds of millions—of dollars changing hands right before their eyes. Winston nodded and replied.
“It’s about time George started taking on responsibilities for the family.”
“If anything, it’s overdue.”
Lady Catherine beamed and nodded approvingly.
“Smart thinking, Winston. That’s the perfect job for him. He’ll be happy to take it on.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Just as Lady Catherine turned to leave, clearly thrilled, Winston called out casually behind her.
“Oh, but there’s one issue.”
“What is it?”
Startled, she turned back around. Winston, wearing a deliberately serious expression, spoke with a measured voice.
“George already has something he’s working on right now. He’ll need to quit that. Do you think that’ll be alright?”
“Of course it will!”
She shouted without a second’s hesitation. Realizing her voice had come out far too loud, Lady Catherine cleared her throat with a prim little ahem, then gave a graceful smile.
“I was planning on wrapping that up soon anyway. This new role is far more worthwhile, don’t you think?”
To her question, Winston narrowed his eyes and gave a slow smile.
“I’m relieved to hear you see it that way.”
Lady Catherine flashed him a bright smile before turning to leave with a light wave of her hand.
“Oh, right.”
Just as she was about to open the door, she suddenly stopped, as if something had come to mind, and turned back around. When Winston—still seated behind his desk—looked up at her, Lady Catherine gave an awkward little smile and hesitantly spoke up.
“So, um… I heard a rather strange rumor.”
Caught in her younger brother’s unwavering gaze, as if asking what kind of rumor?, she shifted her eyes elsewhere and awkwardly continued.
“That rumor… it’s about how you supposedly went on vacation recently—with that—and even took along the clingy little larva that’s always stuck to it. Of course, I know that’s impossible. Someone must’ve been spouting nonsense again. Our family’s name has been dragged through enough dirt lately, so I figured…”
“It’s true.”
“Yes, of course. We all trust you, so I—wait, what?”
Lady Catherine, who had been rambling on, suddenly froze with her jaw hanging open in shock. Considering how ridiculously proper she usually acted, the expression on her face bordered on comical. But Winston didn’t laugh. Instead, he replied with an impassive face.
“The rumor’s true. I went skiing with Yu-jin. Naturally, the child came along too.”
His voice was calm, his pronunciation crisp and deliberate. Lady Catherine was left speechless, her mouth working silently like a fish out of water. She fumbled, clearly unable to hide her flustered expression, then finally stammered out a reply.
“Ah, well—of course. I mean, you can’t work all the time, can you? Everyone needs a vacation now and then… some rest… and time off… oh, I already said that. Anyway…”
Clearly rattled and unable to form a coherent sentence, she stumbled over her words. Winston, face still composed, spoke smoothly.
“Don’t worry. Nothing scandalous happened.”
She flinched as if he’d read her mind. He continued.
“The child is already conceived. All that’s left is to make it through the year. In the meantime, I just have to keep Yu-jin from getting any foolish ideas.”
“R-right, of course.”
Lady Catherine finally brightened, breaking into a wide smile.
“I knew you had a plan. Honestly, I never doubted you. You’d never forget how that thing treated you, after all.”
At her words, Yu-jin’s eyes narrowed. The expression carried layers of meaning—but of course, Lady Catherine was oblivious to all of it.
“Aaah…”
Letting out a long, wistful sigh, Winston murmured as if to himself.
“Of course I remember. Everything.”
Then he smiled. With the kindest, most innocent expression in the world, he turned to his sister and said,
“Don’t worry, Catherine. Just make sure George gets the details about the company.”
“Oh, absolutely. Leave that to me.”
Reassured, Lady Catherine beamed once more.
“Thanks for the good news, Winston. I’ll get going now. Sorry for interrupting.”
She placed one hand over her chest with a graceful smile, then turned to leave—but stopped in her tracks again.
“Oh, right.”
With a wry smile, Lady Catherine turned back toward her brother.
“You know Mother’s throwing a party, right? You have to come—it’s to celebrate Gordon’s release.”
She gave a little scrunch of her nose and added pointedly,
“Just family, so let’s leave out the extras.”
There was no need to explain who the “extras” referred to. Winston simply smiled, clearly understanding, and Lady Catherine stepped out without a trace of hesitation. Her steps were far lighter than when she had entered the office.
***
“The company? For me? Money from the family? Campbell family money?!”
George’s voice shot up in a near-screech as he reacted with utter shock. Lady Catherine shot him a sharp glare.
“Keep your voice down—servants have ears too, you know.”
Chastised by his wife’s fierce tone, George immediately hunched his shoulders and glanced around nervously. It wasn’t that Lady Catherine took pleasure in seeing her husband cower like this—not at all. In truth, George was usually a good husband. And above all, divorcing a second time was simply unthinkable. It would be a stain on her honor. Now, with an enormous sum of money about to come their way, she could afford to be more generous.
“George, there’s nothing to worry about. Winston made the offer himself. Do you really think he’d put us in a risky position? All you’re doing is managing the family’s assets—it’s hardly difficult.”
And running that company meant they’d be handling a significant portion of the Campbell fortune. Even if she were to skim off a little—just a modest allowance, so to speak—as a management fee, no one would ever know. After all, they were the ones managing the money!
The very thought filled her chest with pride. She had to physically clamp her hand over her mouth to keep from smiling too wide. Just then, George came back into her field of vision, still hunched over, gripping his head in despair. This time, Lady Catherine sat beside him and began to soothe him gently.
“You really don’t have to worry, I promise. It’s perfectly safe. The company’s been around since Father’s generation. Even after all those brutal audits, none of the money that passed through it was ever discovered.”
Only then did George slowly lower the hands clutching his head.
“Truly? You’re sure we’ll be safe?”
“Absolutely.”
Lady Catherine gave a radiant smile.
“From now on, the Campbell fortune is practically ours.”
***
“Welcome, my dear.”
Madam Campbell couldn’t hide her affection as she embraced her beloved son. Winston returned the hug with polite formality, then gently pulled away. Still, Madam Campbell paid it no mind and continued speaking warmly.
“Has everything been alright? It sounds like the company’s been keeping you terribly busy—you’ve lost weight.”
“I’m fine.”
Winston answered indifferently, brushing off her concern. His curt tone and detached demeanor weren’t anything unusual, so Madam Campbell didn’t press further. There were far more important matters today.
“Why did you come so late? Do you know how long we’ve all been waiting?”
Madam Campbell naturally slipped her arm through her son’s and began guiding him toward the hall where the party was underway.
“There’s someone you need to meet.”
Her face was alight with a smile she couldn’t hide, but Winston felt a creeping sense of unease instead.
No way.
The thought struck him suddenly, and his brow furrowed deeply. He stifled a groan in his throat, his expression tightening—yet in front of her troubled son, Madam Campbell spoke with bright cheer.
“Evelyn, come here, dear. Winston’s arrived!”
