Ross’ Concern
Albert’s prompt actions proved that anxiety began to flourish inside him. He held a grandeur exhibition in name was conducted with the intent of revealing the fact that he no longer intended to be involved with the shares, thereby leading to the prices dropping. There were exquisite porcelain flower waves and sumptuous food and wine. The invitations had been sent out. All that was left to do was wait for tomorrow to come.
There were bound to be lots of visitors when the exhibition started owing to his family’s eminent background, at which point, it was all on Albert to make use of. He looked calm to the point that he was nonchalant about the whole affair. Perhaps he already had an idea to make it a success. One had to calm their nerves before events, even more so in this cenario. He certainly couldn’t show his anxiety; else, he’d look suspicious. In my opinion, acting natural in his situation was the best option.
I didn’t need to invest effort in the next phase. Come on. Would someone really not know how to spend money? The next step was simple hospitality. Once the price of the share prices dropped, he needed to buy more then go to the bank, and get a loan with the shipyard as collateral for cash to repay the three months’ worth. Then, he just had to leverage the shipyard for profit, repay his loan from the bank and voila. Should it all pan out according to plan, then Albert would have a happy ending as he’d have the money he wanted and the bank would have a chance of securing some steady income. Those who wanted to flip his porcelains for money could also do so. Everybody would have an abundant harvest. The prerequisite, however, was that Melissa didn’t come back for, if she did come back, then Albert was going to be enjoying a nightmare all on his own.
Ross came to my room to inquire, “Lord Lin, how long do you plan to wait here for?’
“I’m not certain. I’ll head back once I get my money.” I blew the letter I wrote and stamped it. To be honest, it didn’t matter if Ross saw the letter as it was addressed to Veirya. Veirya would probably come looking for me if she didn’t receive a letter from me after a long period of time. I asked, “What’s wrong, Ross? Did you want to stay here a little longer?”
Ross’ nod couldn’t hide his concern entirely. With a forced smile, he expressed, “Lord Lin, if it is possible, I hope you can stay a while longer… Sister… has not conceived yet. Sir Albert seems to have things under control… As for me… I am reluctant to leave now…”
“I know. It doesn’t matter, though, to be honest. If you’re worried about your sister, you can stay here until she gives birth. I don’t mind.”
“I cannot do that! I am your pupil. Before I graduate, I cannot take such a long vacation, so I… I hope you can stay a while longer… I want to step more time with my sister.”
“Ross, I’m not angry if you stay here, but I honestly can’t stay for long. I have to go back and marry Veirya. I promised her long ago, yet still haven’t fulfilled the promise. That’s why I must hurry back as soon as possible. You don’t need to feel guilty or worried. Just stay here with peace of mind.”
Ross nervously nodded. I scrubbed his head. I felt that he should spend more time with his family, as nobody knew what the future held. Albert might very well flee with his wife as he cowardly did in the imperial capital after killing Achilles’ lover, though I’d like to see where he could run to.
I gave Albert a way out because the money he collected for his endeavour wasn’t a loan from the bank or wealthy households. It would be pointless for him to flee after making money from them. Capital provides immeasurable power. If he truly attempted to flee, he might even have an arrest warrant out for him. This time, though, Albert collected the necessary money from the citizens via a crafty trick.
Whatever happened to the citizens’ money didn’t matter. At most, he’d have his name tarnished for false marketing, so the repercussions wouldn’t be particularly severe. The bank and wealthy families would turn a blind eye to it. He could resolve the issue if he just repaid the people, and he only had to sell his assets to repay it. The catch was that he would be a homeless businessman. Put another way, he would be a bankrupt businessman.
Albert had no idea what was coming. His actions led to Achilles eventual death, and then his child wouldn’t even have a home. I wanted to see how much mortification Albert could put up with. A man can take any sort of disgrace, shame and ridicule, but he can never accept his family still believing in him and suffering alongside him. Albert was going to have to live that life, shoulder that mental anguish and watch his family suffer without a house to live in. I wanted to see Albert’s despair. Death will be easy on the dead since they won’t know what happens after. Neither would they feel sadness or pain. I wanted Albert to live. Only the living can shoulder the meaning of pain
Ross’ ears twitched as he rubbed his hands: “Honestly… I want to continue learning from you, Lord Lin… Last time… you looked at me and sighed, which proves that I let you down… But I do not understand why you sighed… I… I still need to learn plenty, so I hope to continue learning from you!”
“You know, you don’t need to be sighing over that. I wasn’t sighing because you couldn’t come up with anything since I never had anything in mind to begin with. I sighed because I thought of Leah,” I lied with a smile as I rubbed Ross’ ears.
“Really?! So it was not because Ross is too stupid?!”
“I was just wondering when I’d be able to give Leah that much money. That’s why I sighed. It had nothing to do with you, Ross. Don’t worry.”
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