Chapter 798 - Knox's Confession

When the children returned to the Valente estate, as expected the twins received an earful for snatching away their chance of wishing the birthday girl first.

However, Yvonne's intervention stopped any further chaos from ensuing and the entire family had a grand time at their breakfast.

When it was time for the presents to be distributed, only the adults were left as the twins had already brought out what they had prepared for her.

The three remaining members of the Valente family had given her one gift as a whole but Yvonne was ecstatic when she received it.

A greenhouse had been constructed utilizing a large area of land at a distance away from the hustle and bustle of the main town of the Valente fief which was where they were right now.

Its structure had been focused to fulfill a single purpose and upon hearing what it was, the Earl was impressed as well.

The greenhouse had been specifically created as an area for cultivating flowers.

It had been constructed back when the Lockdown was prevalent and by now, large amounts of flowers had been harvested already.

"Tim often asks for these flowers for his research and importing them from other vendors was beginning to get expensive." Viscount Marcus revealed his reason for constructing this new structure.

He had gotten employees who specialized in floriculture or flower farming to look after the place.

When he first received requests from Tim Hagen, he had not hesitated to acquire them from external means.

However, the plague was an eye-opener for them, revealing that they could not depend on outsiders for such raw materials.

Thus he had spoken to his father and the Old man also agreed with his thoughts.

Therefore, for the last year or so, every time Tim asked for a new kind of flower for his research, he had relayed that message to the gardener at this greenhouse who would procure its seeds to cultivate it in this place.

Yvonne was grateful for their forethought as she had not realized its importance in the past.

Now that Tim was instructed to focus on the newer formulations of his soap, this greenhouse would come to their aid in many ways.

Thus she did not forget to express her gratitude to the elders who had given it much thought to making things easy for her and her business.

"Don't worry about it, Vonny." Marcus smiled when he saw her this way.

If CLOVER succeeded then, he would also gain profits as a partner and also the fief Lord.

Where one business takes off, everything related to it would soon follow.

He believed in this statement and thus was willing to do what was best for CLOVER as that would be the best for him and his fief as well.

When Yvonne heard his words, she nodded as he was right and no longer felt guilty for their efforts.

She also secretly vowed to ensure that the Valente fief reaped maximum benefits for the support they have lent until now and for the same in the future as well.

Marcus smirked at his brother-in-law when he saw how happy the child was, indicating that he had won this round.

However, Earl Rutherford was not one to back down as he had made proper preparations before coming to the Valente fief.

"Vonna, these are from Mama and Papa." He announced before smiling at his wife, gesturing that she hand over their gift to the child.

Yvonne already knew of his competitive nature and seeing that he was still confident after what Uncle Marcus and his family had given, she was curious to know what they had for her.

Accepting the folder from her mother, she pulled out what seemed to be official documents and widened her eyes at what she found inside.

In the folder were three sets of legal documents but they had certain parts of them which were similar in each.

"Store deeds?" She raised her brow before glancing at her parents who nodded at the same time.

The papers in her hands were legal documents that stated that an individual known as VC was now the owner of three street-front stores located in the Commercial District.

If that wasn't all then the exact location of each of these stores was in close proximity to influential stores in the noble market which would be great for any business that operated through these stores.

"For when CLOVER is ready to enter the noble market," Rutherford added once she read through the papers.

CLOVER only needed one store but her parents had gotten her three which was a little confusing to her.

"Vonny, you can rent those stores to other businesses and earn passive income." Raylene educated her child about how their world worked.

It would be tough for a woman to own property but she did not have to worry too much about it as the land deed was in the name of VC who most thought to be a man.

In the future, she would not have to be troubled for her funds as the rent for these locations would be a good sum for a month.

Yvonne fixed her eyes on the papers and new ideas began churning in her mind.

Since these ideas might take time to turn into reality, she nodded at her mother's suggestion, realizing that they were the best option for the moment.

The child was exuberant after receiving this present and Rutherford had a gloating look on his face when he turned towards his brother-in-law.

However, before he could rub his victory in Marcus's face, he realized that he had also defeated his father-in-law who sat with a dull expression, causing him to cough and look away in the next instant.

Yvonne had not noticed this as she was focusing on the papers in her hand and hence had lost the chance to have a good laugh.

When breakfast came to an end, the family retired to their rooms, and the twins headed to meet their father.

After what had taken place this morning with Yvonne at the lake, certain matters needed to be discussed.

Since this was related to the future of the entire fief, Trisha and Old man Valente were also asked to join them in the Viscount's office.

The St. Claire's family, however, had no clue of what was taking place right now but they soon would.

Inside the Office, Trisha was anxious when she saw the troubled look on her second son's face.

She shot her firstborn an inquisitive glance but received no reply from him except a reassuring nod.

While they were sneaking peeks at each other, the old man was the first to break the silence.

"What is it?" He interrogated as he alternated his gaze between the twins.

Marcus could sense that they had something important to say so he only sat there in silence while waiting for them to speak up.

It took Knox many minutes before he was granted a smack on his shoulder for delaying them.

He gritted his teeth at his elder brother who was rushing him but did not dare to waste any further time.

"I want to be a painter!" He blurted out the only thought that was on his mind.

In the next second, Roman smacked his forehead, lamenting that his little brother had no tact at all.

The declaration that was yelled out just now made the elders widen their eyes while trying to assimilate this information.

Knox lowered his head when he was met with silence and grimaced at the thought of them rejecting his desires.

Unable to watch his brother's struggle, Roman decided to step in as he revealed Knox's talents for painting and just how good he had become through years of practice.

"Even our professors loved his pieces." He added in an attempt to cheer his brother up.

Roman stopped once their parents and grandfather finally focused their eyes on Knox who was seated beside him.

"Where do you think your paint supplies come from every time you finish them?" The Viscount rolled his eyes at his sons who were just ignorant children before him.

Trisha chuckled and shook her head before patting her husband's shoulder.

"Baby, did you forget where your Academy is located?" She questioned with a smile.

This query brought a shocked expression to their faces before they realized what their mother had meant.

Sonete Academy was located in the Apen fief, their mother's maiden fief where her elder brother was the Baron there.

Her words suggested that Knox's talent for painting was something they had already known about for a long time now.

In fact, their father had brought the best art supplies every time Knox's servants informed that he was about to run out of them.

It was just that he had kept his actions hidden which made Knox assume that the art supplies had been brought by his servants from the local store.

However, the truth was that his supplies were of the best quality, and the amount of money he often gave his servants to fetch them would not be sufficient for a single vial of paint.

Not just Knox but even Roman was surprised to hear about the secret actions of their parents.

"Little Knox, since you have made up your mind, you should persevere in your ways." The old man finally spoke up, chuckling when he saw his grandson tearing up before them.

He had seen his wife climbing tall trees to pluck its fruits so to him, Knox's unexpected announcement was not surprising in the least bit.

'For children with Hannah's blood, being quirky and unique is a must..' He smiled and his joy was evident in his aged eyes.