Chapter 109: Ryker Causes Trouble Again

Defending, standing firm—these were foreign concepts to Clark. He sipped his coffee, unsure of what to say to Isolde. He felt that everything running through his mind, or anything he might say, would be utterly unsuitable for her. She would look down on him.

“Isolde, come out here now!” Martha’s sharp, furious voice rang out from beyond the door. Isolde set her coffee cup down and walked outside, only to see Martha, accompanied by two maids, fuming with anger.

“Did you get addicted to slapping me the last time? Looking for more of the same?” Isolde said coldly. Martha’s face turned bright red with fury. “I’m asking you—did you take the two bolts of cloud satin from the storeroom?”

Isolde’s expression remained indifferent. “I didn’t take them. And even if I had, it’s not for you to be shouting at me like this.”

Martha snapped, “Ryker says you took them. Why don’t you admit it? That satin was bought for me by my mother! What right do you have to take it?”

Isolde furrowed her brow. Ryker was still trying to stir up such petty squabbles? It seemed he was only getting more idle. Ever since Milton’s incident, she had given him a good talking-to. After that, he had kept his tail between his legs, thinking she’d let him off easy. But no, instead of letting go of a bigger scheme, he resorted to these childish tricks.

“Listen, first, I didn’t take it. Second, even if I had, you have no right to cause a scene here,” Isolde said, growing bored of the exchange. She motioned to Hattie and Hazel, saying, “Take her away.”

Hattie and Hazel weren’t gentle when escorting someone out. One grabbed each of Martha’s arms and roughly dragged her away.

“Isolde, you better give it back, or I’ll go tell my uncle, and he’ll punish you!” Martha yelled in anger.

Isolde turned to Noelle. “Tell Ryker to come see me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Noelle replied.

Ryker was quickly brought to her, head lowered, looking strangely odd without his two ears, his face unreadable. He muttered a quiet, “Isolde.”

“Did I take Martha’s cloud satin?” Isolde asked, her tone calm.

“No,” Ryker answered, his voice soft.

“But that’s what you told her, isn’t it?”

Ryker slowly raised his head and, with a resigned sigh, dropped to his knees. A bitter smile spread across his face. In other words, he was only following orders. Who else would still resort to such lowly tricks? Only that foolish Matilda. Isolde was curious to see what he was up to. This sort of petty scheme was unworthy of him, a waste of his talents.

“You should’ve been kicked out long ago. Do you know that?” Isolde asked.

“I know,” Ryker said quietly.

“But you’re still here.”

“Because of your grace, Miss Langley.”

“I don’t owe you any grace. I’m just too lazy to deal with you. If I hadn’t cut off your ears and you hadn’t been rejected by Matilda, you’d be nothing more than a stray dog by now.”

Matilda had long stopped trusting him, believing he had betrayed her at Montlins Manor. Now, Ryker was nothing more than a lackey, a runner for others. Even Prudence didn’t welcome him anymore.

Of course, now that Prudence was back, she needed to build up her own network. Ryker’s replacement was only a matter of time.

“I’m just a stray dog,” Ryker muttered softly.

“You were once the powerful Ryker, or now a pitiful stray dog—it all depends on me,” Isolde said coldly.

Ryker’s lips trembled, and he kowtowed again, begging, “Please, Isolde, have mercy.”

Isolde’s gaze remained sharp. “If you want mercy, show me your sincerity. I don’t keep useless people around.”

Ryker nodded. “Understood, Isolde.”

Isolde took a sip of her coffee, savoring it slowly before placing the cup down. She watched him quietly, her piercing eyes studying him as if dissecting his every move. Ryker didn’t dare look up, but he could feel the two sharp gazes slicing through his face, sending a chill through him. How had he once thought this girl, returning from Belleview Manor, would be weak and easy to deceive? He had made a huge mistake.

“Go find someone for me. Once you’ve found them, come back and ask for my mercy,” Isolde said coldly.

She gestured to Hattie. Hattie nodded. “Let’s go. You need to know who you’re looking for first.”

After Ryker left with Hattie, Clark asked, “Isolde, who are you looking for? I know some people in Argentum who might be able to help.”

Vance had originally lived in Argentum, but later, Geoffrey arranged for him to take a minor position in Caelmont, where he brought his family. Things hadn’t worked out, and when Prudence came to Caelmont, she helped him with some funds to start a business. Of course, that failed too, and he returned. When Geoffrey wrote to her, Prudence took the opportunity to bring them back—this letter served as the perfect excuse for a graceful exit. She wasn’t returning because she failed in Caelmont, but because she was here to manage the Duke’s estate.

“It’s not so much that I need to find someone—it’s just a little test for him,” Isolde said, offering only a vague response.

Clark nodded, sensing that she didn’t quite trust him. He felt that he didn’t have much worth trusting himself. Bored, he found an excuse to leave. Ryker wasn’t someone Isolde would easily trust. But there were some people who, though hard for others to find, might be able to track down for him. The events that happened at the Duke’s estate were mostly masterminded by Prudence and Matilda, and Ryker, having spent many years there, knew quite a bit about the dirty dealings that went on. He would probably know the whereabouts of her mother’s former associates, and even if he didn’t, he could still squeeze some useful information from the old servants.

The next day, Clark went with Prudence to inspect her shops. The shop Prunella’s mother had provided for her was mostly already in operation. Some of the stores were lucky, leased out to others, earning rent every year. Prunella was a natural at business, and under her care, the shops always ran smoothly. But after she died, they fell into Prudence’s hands. Prudence decided it was easier to just lease them out and collect rent rather than handle the profits and losses herself. Thus, most of Prudence’s shops were leased out, with only a few businesses running under her direct management—two coffee bean stores, two grain shops, an inn, and a restaurant. There were three estates on the outskirts of the city, and other estates were scattered across different states, all leased to others for five years at a time. Since the businesses were all profitable, Prudence took Clark to one of her stores in Eastville. This shop was up for lease soon, and Prudence planned to take it back and give it to Clark. The shop had a large frontage, and the owner sold alcohol. However, it was located in a corner of Eastville, so while alcohol sales did well due to word of mouth, it wasn’t an ideal spot for other kinds of businesses.

“How do you like it?” Prudence asked with a smile.

Clark lowered his eyes. “If you say it’s good, then it’s fine.”

“If you don’t like it, I have other places. Would you like to see them?” Prudence offered.

Clark felt that the location was too remote. If he had a choice, he would look around some more… “Alright,” he said.