Chapter 58

The light golden glossy dress sparkled just like the wings of a dragonfly under the autumn sun. Looking at the fabric alone, the overall ensemble did not seem much luxurious, but it did look a little excessive. However, the bodice and sleeves of the dress were made of a dark red velvet fabric, giving it a heavy sense of frivolity. The dark red velvet gloves, which were made of the same material, were pulled up to the elbows. Somehow it looked bewitching.

Raphael thought that Annette today looked just like a ripe cranberry in autumn. His mouth watered when he imagined the sour and ripe taste. At this point, all the thoughts about his mine vanished from his mind. He only wanted to pull down Annette’s dress, which sparkled like a high-end gift wrapper. He felt like he was going crazy.

Completely ignorant of the raging thoughts in Raphael’s head, Annette looked out of the carriage with a nervous look. The destination was getting closer. She opened her mouth as if she had suddenly remembered something and held both her hands anxiously.

“Thank you for letting me see your mine manager, Raphael…. The fact that you trust me enough to let me handle this work… I really appreciate it. I truly mean it.”

“You’re welcome.”

Raphael felt guilty. There was a pin prick feeling in his chest. In fact, he was really sorry for not trusting Annette sooner. But Annette still thanked him and treated him well without any resentment.

As a result, Raphael felt uncomfortable and his expression hardened. He wanted to treat Annette better, but he didn’t know what to do, as he had never been good to any woman in his life. In the midst of this, the carriage continued to move and finally stopped in front of Raphael’s mining office.

“Oh, we arrived earlier than I thought.”

Annette pressed her palms over her pounding heart. Annette had always led a passive life, like a flower in the greenhouse. Who would have thought that she was now going to cheat others to protect someone!

‘My heart is pounding.’

Annette took a deep breath. If she said she wasn’t scared, it would be a flat-out lie. But now, she had no choice but to trust herself and move forward. After taking Raphael’s hand, she got off the carriage and said goodbye to him. Annette’s voice was just as sweet as honey. She was really grateful that Raphael accompanied her to the destination.

“I’ll be right back, Raphael. Please wish me luck.

Raphael nodded. To avoid the possibility of getting caught, Raphael decided to go home and wait. But he kept on looking at her as if he had something to say. Raphael’s blue eyes darkened a little and his mouth moved. The words, which took a long time to come out, clumsily flowed out of his mouth.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Yes.”

Annette smiled brightly with her eyes curled like half moons. She turned around and stepped forward to enter the mining office. But Raphael didn’t let go of her hand. As he grasped her small hands in his large ones, an unknown lingering feeling arose inside him.

“Raphael…?

Annette looked back at him with her head slightly tilted. However, Raphael just blinked and looked at her dumbly. It seemed he didn’t realise that he was holding Annette’s hand. When Annette’s gaze moved down to their intertwined hands, Raphael got surprised and quickly let go.

“Well, good-bye.”

Raphael spat out the words and quickly turned away. His sudden actions seemed as if he disliked Annette. It looked even more so because of his cold-looking features and stubborn eyebrows. However, Annette had already experienced this Raphael in her previous life. If he really didn’t like her, he wouldn’t have held her hand or said goodbye.

‘Most of all, he wouldn’t have trusted me and let me handle this job.’

Annette was most pleased about that. The iron ore mine was now Raphael’s biggest asset. And the person aiming for it was none other than her own father, Allamand. In this situation, it was obvious how difficult it must have been for Raphael to leave this job to her. And that sceptical Raphael, who didn’t trust anyone, believed in her….

The more she thought about it, the more she felt like crying, so she decided to focus on what she should do now. She hurried her steps into the office without looking back. Now, she only wanted to focus on what was ahead. So Annette didn’t see with what kind of expression Raphael, who was left behind, was looking at her.

“Oh, ma’am! You came as promised. It is such an honor to have you here! It makes me feel like this dark mine has brightened up!! My name is Thomas Bradley. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

The middle-aged man, who ran out to the entrance, bent down in an excessively flattering manner. Annette grinned and looked up and down at him. His head was shiny as he didn’t have a lot of hair, but his beard was as thick and dark as a young man, which was really impressive. The hair roots were concentrated down his face. But it would have been much better if the condition of the top and bottom of his face was reversed. How unfortunate!

Annette knew his face. Of course, she had seen some things about him in Railin’s report, but Annette had known Thomas before that. There was no way she wouldn’t remember such a man with such a sad hairline.

‘Yes, he’s one of my father’s servants. I remember seeing him go in and out of the mansion before.”

It was fortunate that Allamand had underestimated his daughter. He didn’t tell Annette publicly about his “business,” but he also didn’t hide it. It was because he didn’t feel the need to do so in the first place. Allamand only thought of the obedient Annette as his possession. Thanks to him, Annette knew more than he thought.

‘Thomas Bradley? It’s probably not his real name.’

Annette blinked and looked at Thomas. She wondered if he would recognize her as Allamand’s daughter. But Thomas was also not an easy opponent. She couldn’t read anything from his grinning face. So Annette smiled brightly and said hello.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bradley. I heard you’re quite good at your job. I’m glad to have an informative conversation today with you about the direction of the mine’s business. Now that I’ve seen you in person, you’re so manly and wonderful!”

Annette’s attitude for dealing with employees was too friendly. She looked at Thomas as if she was seeing her first love in ten years. Thomas felt a little embarrassed, but he soon recovered his composure and answered back.

“Of course! I must do well for the Marquis, who entrusted me with this mine. It’s an honor to know that my hard work is appreciated.”

Thomas was not an easy man either. He was the man that Raphael had hired to manage the mine shortly after he received it. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Raphael’s iron ore mine was now in Thomas’s hands.

Raphael was a man who had won the title of a nobleman on his own, but the problems in this situation only came forward afterwards. Becoming an aristocrat was much more difficult than he thought. Especially as he was an emerging aristocrat who had just created a new family name.

Raphael had to make a lot of decisions as a new aristocrat—where his mansion would be built, how large it should be, how many employees should be hired, how the land would be managed, how the tax rate would be applied, and etc. On top of that,  he also had to manage the mines that he had received. It was literally impossible to manage all this alone. Raphael, who had only wielded the sword throughout his life, could not manage the matters regarding the daily mining volume of the mine, the supplier, and the profitability of the business.

So Raphael decided to hire a manager to take care of the diamond mine and iron ore mine he received. And the problem started from there.

‘Since then, my father has already planted his people.’

Annette, who pretended to know nothing in front of Thomas, smiled at him. At that time, diamonds were far more precious than iron ore. So, Raphael only focused on the diamond mine. Because of this, the manager of the iron ore mine was selected ‘appropriately’. Thomas, who was so chosen, was none other than Allamand’s servant.

“Come on, let’s go inside! I’ve prepared a very nice tea for today’s special conversation. We also have various kinds of scones that are good to eat with it! I really hope you have a fun time today.”

“Oh, how kind of you! Then I’ll gratefully accept the invitation. Shall we go?”

Annette grinned as she looked at Thomas’ bald head gleaming in the sun. Perhaps because of the glare from the reflective surface, the corners of her eyes curved more naturally. Thomas, who didn’t know anything, relaxed at seeing Annette’s amiable expression.

Annette followed him into his private parlour. The office attached with a reception room was quite spacious and tidy. From its decor, Thomas looked like an upright person. However, Annette looked carefully around the room and found a door in the back of the parlour. Her eyes glistened on seeing it.

‘If I want to hide something, I would definitely hide it there.’

Annette, who pretended to be innocent, chatted with Thomas in a consistent friendly manner. Seeing her subtle and outspoken demeanor, Thomas almost asked her ‘Are you interested in me?’ After exchanging some chatter with each other, Thomas finally got to the main topic.

“By the way, ma’am, why do you have questions about the mining business? I apologize if this question is rude. But most people like you, are generally not interested in mines like this…….”

Finally, the question that Annette had been waiting for came up. The important thing began from now on. Annette, who shrugged her shoulders, leaned back on the sofa and made an unusually arrogant face. The corners of her eyes curled a little, giving a crafty look to Thomas.

“Oh, no I’m actually very interested. Especially when it comes to his mines.”

Annette, who lowered her voice, whispered greedily. Just like a woman who coveted her husband’s mines.