Chapter 368

Carissa first sought out Luke to understand the situation and the current status of The Gilded Tower. Luke assured her there was no need to worry. They had Eric in custody and had sent people to monitor The Gilded Tower, preventing anyone from escaping to send a warning.

Feeling reassured, Carissa went to the accounting room. Helen hadn't finished reviewing the accounts, but the room was filled with people kneeling in fear and anxiety. The place was in disarray—everything throwable had been thrown, except the account books. Several cups were smashed.

Helen's hair was a mess, and her face was pale with anger. Seeing Carissa, her grievance and humiliation peaked, and she burst into tears. "How could they do this to me?!"

Carissa entered the room and addressed everyone: "Please rise. Everyone except the accounting staff, leave the room. Gillian, you too."

Many accountants worked at Hell Monarch Estate, including a head accountant. All trembled, having never witnessed such fury from Helen before. The servants, waiting in the room, sighed in relief as they stood and left. Eric, still on his knees, was also escorted out.

Carissa approached Helen and offered a handkerchief to wipe her tears. "Have you finished reviewing all the accounts?"

"This year's accounts are still left," Helen replied, using the handkerchief to wipe her tears and runny nose. Carissa's return had calmed her somewhat, but her feelings of insult remained strong.

"Even without this year's accounts, The Gilded Tower made a profit of thirteen thousand silver coins. Yet, she kept coming to the palace asking me for money, claiming continuous losses and needing to cover rent and wages."

Carissa helped Helen to her feet. "Let's get some coffee and something to eat. Have the accounting staff finish the calculations. Once they're done, I'll review them. Then, prepare your contract and get ready to go to Harmony Palace to reconcile the accounts with Jessica."

Jessica had been staying at Harmony Palace. She hadn't appeared when Carissa retrieved the Mystic Pearls yesterday. But as she was in charge of The Gilded Tower, she had to come to settle the accounts.

"Can we even get anything out of her, considering we're practically entering a tiger's den?" Helen asked resentfully.

"Of course. What belongs to us must be reclaimed."

Helen wiped her nose and paused before adding, "If you can help me get it all back, I'll give you half of it."

Chapter 368 #25 BONUS

"Why would I want something that's yours? What is rightfully yours is yours. The Gilded Tower is far more profitable than a makeup shop. Not only should you get what you're owed, but since you hold the majority stake, you should also manage it. Those women won't be able to swindle even a single coin from you in the future if you do that," Carissa said.

They retreated to the side hall. Even after drinking hot coffee, Helen remained aggrieved.

"How could they lie to me like this? They've gone too far! All these years, I trusted and respected them. I thought that if they made a profit, it wouldn't matter if they took a bit more. I never expected them to be so evil! Aren't they afraid of their reputation being ruined?"

"That's because when they deceived you, they never thought you would leave the palace and live outside. Otherwise, why would they let you take a 70% share of such an easy business? When investing, you had to contribute 70%. When there were losses, you also had to cover 70%," Carissa said.

"This is outrageous—absolutely outrageous!"

Helen's anger was evident, but she seemed at a loss as she looked at Carissa.

"What should we do? Besides the initial investment of several thousand, I later added several thousand more. At this point, I don't care if I don't get my share of profit back. I'd be content if I just got back the money I injected into the business. At most, I just won't have any further dealings with them."

Helen's final words came with a hint of a sob, her voice full of grievance. Carissa frowned.

They had talked about reclaiming everything a few minutes ago. Why was Helen now saying she was willing to forgo her share of the profit?

Helen's outward show of strength was despicable, but her tearful state also evoked sympathy. Carissa understood why Helen's own family, the late king, and Victoria had been so indulgent with her. When Helen cried, she really did look pitiful. With her delicate bone structure, her wide-open eyes gave an innocent impression, and tears welling up truly made one's heart break for her.

Carissa's mother-in-law was so transparent with her emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness all clearly displayed on her face. However, Helen had improved somewhat, having learned to put on a facade in front of Eleanor.