Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
The sound startled Helen awake. she looked at Eleanor with sleep-laden eyes, bewildered by the fury radiating from the latter.
Eleanor’s voice was filled with rage as she declared, “How dare that vile servant falsify accounts and embezzle Helen and Jessica’s money? I will make sure he is severely punished!”
Sophie released Helen and said, “It’s enough that we’ve settled the accounts. Since Eric is the one at Court to fault, there’s no need for you to get involved, Aunt Eleanor. I’ll have him sent to the Supreme recover all the embezzled funds.”
“Sophie!” Eleanor’s tone softened considerably as she sighed. “Jessica is at fault as well, for failing to supervise and not realizing so much money was embezzled. Since Eric is a servant from Ironridge Estate, making this a public scandal would be detrimental to both the Marquis of Ironridge’s family and your cousin-in-law.
“How about this? Hand him over to me, and I’ll make sure he returns the money. If he fails to do so, your cousin’s share of the 30% percent will be forfeited, and The entire Gilded Tower will be yours. You’re already aware of the profits The Gilded Tower has made over the years. It will continue to be profitable. You won’t be losing out if you control the entire business, right?”
*Not only are we not at a loss, but we also gain benefits. Sophie smiled. “However, families shouldn’t bicker. I can’t let my cousin-in-law suffer alone. Since Jessica manages The Gilded Tower, and the shopkeepers and staff were all appointed by her, it wouldn’t be prudent for us to take over the shop recklessly. We might end up with losses.
Continuing the partnership is also unnecessary. After such an incident, it’s hard to avoid lingering resentments. Relatives should ideally not go into business together to avoid tearing apart relationships and harming both families. So, we plan to withdraw our shares.”
Sophie took out the contract.
“If there were losses, we’d adjust according to the amount of our investment. However, since the shop is profitable, our share should naturally increase. But as I mentioned earlier, since we are relatives, there’s no need to be so calculative. We’ll just take back our investment and the profits from these years. As for the excess gains, we will forgo them.”
Jessica glanced at the total on the paper. It was over 260,000 silver coins!
It would be better if Sophie had simply asked for her life!
“No! I disagree!” Jessica’s face turned ashen. “Since it’s a partnership, neither party can decide who gets what unilaterally!”
“Then, it’s simple.” Sophie pushed the account books aside, and looked up. “We’ll sell the shop. Starting tomorrow, we’ll post notices about the sale. But before we do that, we need to settle how much money we’re each owed. Once the shop sells, we can split the profits seventy-thirty.”
Sell the shop?
Fine, Jessica had been hoping for that. The Gilded Tower had a bad reputation. Selling would fetch little.
“Fine, sell it,” Jessica said.
Sophie smiled. “It’s settled, then. As for the distribution of profits, would you prefer to have Eric sent to the Supreme Court first, or will you advance this amount?”
Helen was stunned. This wasn’t what had been agreed upon when they arrived. Hadn’t it been said that the shop would be given to them?
How had it turned into a sale now? Would they be able to recover their money from selling the shop?
Eleanor’s face was dark with displeasure. But since sending Eric to the Supreme Court was not an option, the money would have to come from her.
The amount was more than a hundred thousand silver coins.
That was a painful loss.
However, Eleanor had no choice but to grit her teeth and say, “Fetch the banknotes.”
Under the bright lights, Sophie carefully counted the banknotes. It was indeed the full amount of The Gilded Tower’s profits over the years, with not a single cent missing. She received the banknotes, along with some loose change.
Watching Sophie’s meticulous counting, Jessica felt a gnawing rage. But at least the matter was settled for now, and she let out a small sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Sophie said, “Tomorrow, we’ll proceed with selling the shop. I’ll have someone spread the word that Aunt Eleanor and Jessica managed the shop. With your reputations attached, many interested buyers are likely to come forward. We’ll set a minimum price of 250,000 silver coins. How does that sound?”
Jessica’s face turned ashen. “What? You want to say that my mother and I are managing the shop? Absolutely not!”
The Gilded Tower had a bad reputation, notorious for its poor quality and frequent cost-cutting. Spreading such news would tarnish both Jessica and Eleanor’s reputations.
Jessica was only interested in the money, and didn’t want to admit that The Gilded Tower was hers.
Sophie replied thoughtfully, “Oh, right. It’s true that you didn’t really run it. Since Eric is a servant from Ironridge Estate, we should just advertise it as an Ironridge Estate property. The Marquis of Ironridge’s family is a prestigious family with a long history, and with The Gilded Tower’s solid business, it should still attract plenty of potential buyers.”
“That’s even more unacceptable!” Jessica was furious. “Sophie, I know you’re up to something! What are you really trying to do here?”
Sophie feigned surprise. “A higher price means you get a larger share, doesn’t it? I don’t understand why you’re so upset.” Jessica was nearly driven to the brink by her. She couldn’t believe Sophie could be so ignorant, or at least pretended to be.
It was nauseating.
And there was Helen, acting like a fool. She should have been setting rules for her new daughter-in-law to follow, but instead, she joined Sophie in this money seeking scheme. Helen used to complain about Sophie all the time, but how?
Just moments ago, they had been snuggling up together! Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they were mother and daughter, not in-laws.
As Jessica fumed, Eleanor said, “Helen, come with me. I need to speak with you privately.”
Eleanor intended to have a private word with Helen, hoping to exploit the opportunity to sow discord. between her and Sophie. That would give her some leverage to maneuver the situation.
Sophie was acting overly unreasonable and was fixated on Eleanor due to the miniature chastity belt sculpture. There was no chance of having a proper discussion with her. Helen began to stand, only to be pulled back down by Sophie. Stunned, she met her daughter-in-law’s icy gaze and sat back down.
Holding her mother-in-law firmly, Sophie smiled and said, “Let’s discuss everything right here. After all, there are no secrets between my mother-in-law and I.”
Eleanor sneered. “What’s this?
Who’s in charge of the household now? Helen, you told me that you were in charge. Yet now, it seems you’re listening to everything your daughter-in-law says. If Dakota knew about this, she’d certainly have a good laugh at your expense!
Helen stiffened-Eleanor knew exactly how to hit her sore spots. Dakota was the person Helen despised most in her life, and she hated the idea of being a source of amusement for Dakota.
Sophie remained seated and chose to remain silent for the moment, watching to see if her naive mother-in-law would recover her senses or if she was beyond saving.
If a single word could successfully incite her, Sophie would have no more involvement in the matter-it wasn’t her money at stake, anyway.
“What does it matter who’s in charge? Whoever is capable should take charge: If Dakota wants to laugh, let her. I can still leave the net palace and live with my son, while she remains stuck in the depths of the palace,” Helen said.
Helen didn’t disappoint Sophie. After her expression shifted a few times, she managed to force a smile and finally say what needed to be said.
Eleanor’s face darkened. That tactic had always been effective with Helen. She had always tried to outdo Dakota, and would never be willing to let the latter have the last laugh. But now, Helen was actually holding back?
Sophie leaned back in her chair, her long legs and tall frame giving her an imposing presence.
A faint smile tugged at the comers of her lips, and her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. She was pleased Helen hadn’t fallen for Eleanor’s trap, even though her response had seemed rather forced. When Eleanor’s attempt to provoke failed, she simply smiled.
“Yes, those with capability should be in charge. But I seem to recall you once complained about this being Sophie’s second marriage and how she was unworthy of Rafael. And now, in just a few days, she’s got you wrapped around her finger. Quite the skillful move. Helen, I’m worried that if you stay in this estate, she’ll have you dancing to her tune in no time.”
Sophie’s smile faded, and she said coldly, “That’s enough. We’ll proceed as I’ve said. I’m done here. Goodbye.”
*Hold it!” Eleanor’s voice was sharp and commanding. “Sophie, don’t think you can just walk away!”