'Please let Patricia make the smart decision.'
But of course, I couldn’t reveal my true thoughts.
Once the hunt ended and we returned to the mansion, I made a show of being friendly with Harold in front of the second group.
"Thank you so much for today. It felt overwhelming at first, but I managed thanks to your help. You saved my life."
"Haha, I wouldn’t go that far..."
"I’m serious. The fact that both my legs are intact is a miracle."
I made sure to say it loud enough for Patricia to hear, then subtly checked her expression.
As expected, her face had gone completely stiff.
She must’ve been worried that I might actually give the Oracle of Delphi position to Harold.
Well, she needed that sense of urgency to make a wise choice.
But.
Despite the calm words I spoke...
Inside, I was thinking:
'Please accept the offer.'
After the hunt was over.
Patricia and Harold headed to Rupert’s study.
It was ti to report today’s results.
“How did it go?”
Rupert imdiately turned his gaze to Harold.
As always, he gave him the chance to report first.
“We made very significant progress. If only you’d seen how highly Ha Si-heon thinks of .”
Harold, as usual, exaggerated his achievents.
“Especially the mont by the stream—it was truly symbolic! The decisive mont when Ha Si-heon’s judgnt faltered! I stepped in swiftly to help him! He was so grateful, he even called his ‘life saver!’ Ha ha!”
Patricia clenched her fists.
Normally, she would have dismissed all of this as Harold’s typical bluster.
But after the hunt, she had actually seen him chatting amiably with Ha Si-heon.
‘No way… has he already struck a deal with him?’
Ha Si-heon had said he was also considering Harold as a candidate for the think tank director position.
If sothing during the hunt had brought them closer?
If they had already exchanged proposals as a result?
“To begin with, I successfully established a psychological bond of trust. The advice I gave subtly seems to have taken root in his thinking—it’s already manifesting as a sense of distance from Raymond. This clearly proves my words carry significant weight with him.”
“Really? What kind of advice did you give?”
“That was…”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Harold hesitated for a mont, then mumbled his response.
“It wasn’t so much specific advice yet, more like sharing a general sense of direction. As you know, relationships like this require gradual rather than drastic shifts. Most importantly, building psychological rapport was the first step, and now that’s done, I believe it’s ti to move on to the next phase.”
Patricia let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He was talking at length, but in the end, it ant he hadn’t achieved much of anything.
Of course, there was still a possibility he was hiding a ‘proposal’ he had received.
But Patricia didn’t think Harold was sharp enough to do sothing like that.
In any case, Rupert smiled in apparent satisfaction after hearing his report.
“Yes, you’re good at dealing with people, so I trust you’ll manage it well.”
“Rest assured. I’ll deepen my connection with Ha Si-heon at tonight’s dinner party and try to uncover his true intentions and persuade him to co to your side.”
“Can you manage that by tonight?”
“Of course! Once Ha Si-heon feels the full weight of the Marquis family’s prestige, he’ll naturally shift his stance.”
An entirely substance-less conversation.
Patricia gave a bitter smile internally.
‘Sotis being incompetent is better.’
When subordinates were too competent, Rupert often beca anxious, fearing they might one day challenge his position.
Of course, there was a reason for this paranoia.
‘Was it because of what happened with his brother Desmond?’
Originally, as the eldest son, Rupert had been expected to inherit all of the Marquis family’s business ventures.
But back when their brotherly bond was still strong, he had made a suggestion to their father.
—How about letting Desmond handle the pet industry? That way I can focus more on the confectionery business.
But things went in an unexpected direction.
The confectionery business Rupert led ended in disaster.
The new products he ambitiously launched were widely rejected by consurs, while competitors like Nettlé and Hershey's rapidly rose to dominance.
In contrast, the pet industry Desmond was handed grew rapidly thanks to the booming market.
As a result, the family’s reputation beca split.
—The eldest son is incompetent, the younger son is capable.
In the end, their father stripped Rupert of his authority and split it between the two brothers.
Since that day, Rupert began to obsessively distrust subordinates who were more capable than him, surrounding himself only with the incompetent for comfort.
One incident had scarred him deeply.
‘If only I had pretended to be dumb from the start…’
If she had, maybe by now she’d be sitting in the chair of the committee director.
But she had been too greedy.
She had already shown her sharp side a few tis and, as a result, had been used thoroughly without ever earning real trust.
“How about you?”
As Rupert’s gaze turned to her, Patricia took a breath and began to speak.
“I found out what kind of deal Ha Si-heon and Raymond made.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Ha Si-heon is planning to establish a policy research institute using his algorithm, and Raymond promised to support it. If Gerrard becos CEO, the plan is to use the Marquis family’s political infrastructure to solidify the institute’s position.”
That part was true.
However—
“Ha Si-heon planned to appoint Raymond as the director of that institute.”
“Raymond?”
“Yes. I don’t know the exact nature of the institute yet, but I saw it as a troubling sign and intervened. I convinced him that Raymond was not soone to be trusted, and fortunately, he retracted the plan.”
This part was a complete fabrication.
Ha Si-heon had never intended to appoint Raymond as director.
If Ha Si-heon ever spoke with Rupert directly, the lie might be exposed…
‘But that’s unlikely.’
“You’re saying he changed his mind because of your words?”
“Yes. And more than that… he offered the director position.”
That part was true.
Ha Si-heon really had made the offer.
Rupert narrowed his eyes and studied her carefully.
“To you? Why?”
“I don’t know the exact reason. I said I’d consider it for now, but I’ll follow your judgnt.”
Here, Patricia’s intentions were clear.
‘If possible, I want to keep a foot in both camps.’
Ha Si-heon’s offer was undeniably attractive—but it ca with many uncertainties.
It wouldn’t be wise to go against Rupert, with whom she had spent eight years preparing for that position.
Until things beca clearer, it was best to keep both options open.
To do that, only one thing was necessary.
She needed Rupert to instruct her to accept the position himself.
“What if you turn down the offer?”
“Then it’s likely he’ll go back to offering it to Raymond. I think it would be better for to take the role. I can block Raymond’s actions and possibly even create division between them.”
Rupert tapped his desk with a contemplative look.
He enjoyed monts where he held the power to decide.
So, surely again, he’d give the order as if it were his own brilliant idea.
Tap, tap.
But this ti, the silence dragged on longer than usual.
A mont later—
Patricia realized her mistake.
“If there’s any fault, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Rupert loved making decisions, but he hated dealing with the consequences.
Only once she gave him a way to shift the bla did he finally nod.
“Fine. I’ll leave it to you.”
###
The dinner party was held at Desmond’s estate.
More specifically, at the lake house attached to the main building.
The interior of the glass-walled building was lavishly decorated with grand marble staircases and an enormous chandelier.
The excessive extravagance was almost an eyesore—but the view outside was sothing to behold.
Beyond the wide glass windows, the golden twilight lit the lake surface, and a few boats drifted serenely across the water.
It was like a painting.
However, Rachel, standing beside , seed unable to appreciate the beautiful scene at all.
Her face was as pale as the white dress she wore.
Even her fingertips were trembling slightly.
“Will you be alright?”
At Gerrard’s concerned question, Rachel took a deep breath and forced a smile.
“I’ll be fine. It’s not my first ti.”
Suddenly, an old story flashed through my mind—an accident where Rachel almost drowned.
Didn’t the caretaker who jumped in to save her lose his life?
Could this lake be the very place where that tragedy happened?
Then again, whether this was the exact spot or not probably didn’t matter.
If Rachel carried a trauma, she’d react the sa way around any lake.
Just like how I freeze up at any hospital, even if it isn’t the one where I died…
“You don’t look well. Maybe you should go back.”
At my suggestion, Rachel shook her head.
“I can’t.”
Gerrard leaned closer and explained in a low voice.
“If Rachel skips out on an event hosted by our uncle, it’ll look like we’ve completely sided with the other uncle. Especially in a sensitive ti like this, we have to be extra cautious.”
Her absence wouldn’t be seen as a personal matter—it could be interpreted as a political gesture.
‘This damn family…’
In my past life, I’d interacted with my share of wealthy people, but none were quite as peculiar as the Marquises.
‘Is this the difference between hedge fund wealth and old money?’
Most of the rich people I knew had built their wealth themselves.
Naturally, they were more aggressive.
Whenever they gathered, they competed, provoked, and constantly searched for weaknesses in each other.
But those who inherited wealth were different.
They focused on defense, not offense.
The problem with defensive people is that they’re rarely at ease.
Always fearing an attack from anywhere, they develop a near-paranoid level of suspicion.
Gaslighting was standard, and they obsessed over the aning of every little action—constantly watching one another.
“Lovely evening, isn’t it?”
Rachel forced a smile as she greeted the guests, but her complexion grew increasingly pale.
I waited until she had made a round of the hall and finished her greetings, then quietly approached her.
“That should be enough to make your presence known, right?”
“Huh?”
“I think it’s ti for you to head ho.”
“But, as I said earlier…”
Before Rachel could finish her sentence, I acted quickly.
“Ah!”
I subtly tilted the wine glass in my right hand, and the red liquid spilled over her pure white dress.
But I didn’t stop there.
I bumped the plate in my left hand into her shoulder, dumping food all over her, then exclaid loudly for everyone to hear.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! That was a mistake!”
Rachel’s eyes widened.
She looked down at herself in shock, covered in food and wine, then seed to realize what was happening and whispered softly.
“Could it be… Sean?”
Ignoring her, I quickly pulled out a handkerchief.
“I’m terribly sorry! I must’ve lost my grip from riding after so long…”
“N-No, it’s okay. It was just an accident…”
“But still, what a ss.”
Pretending to wipe caviar from her sleeve, I actually made the stain worse.
Soon enough, people began gathering around us.
“Oh dear, Rachel. You’ll need a shower right away…”
“I’ll go in first.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
As the adults fussed over her and helped her out, I scanned the surroundings.
Even the guests at a distance were sneaking glances our way.
This should be enough to imprint Rachel’s attendance in everyone’s mory—along with the impression that her departure wasn’t by choice.
“I’ll escort you to the car.”
I took off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders, then accompanied her outside.
As soon as we reached a quiet spot with no people around, Rachel suddenly burst into laughter.
Her complexion had already returned to normal.
“I feel like I just helped with a con job.”
Smiling at her playful remark, I brought a finger to my lips.
There could still be ears around.
Rachel imdiately closed her mouth but then leaned slightly toward and whispered.
“I feel like I’m always indebted to you, Sean.”
“Let’s call it even. If it weren’t for you today, I’d probably be walking around with a broken leg.”
I thought back to what happened by the water earlier in the day.
Rembering Harold’s irresponsible behavior, my blood pressure spiked again.
If Rachel hadn’t helped , I might have shattered my leg—or worse, suffered a life-long back injury.
“Thanks to you, I can still walk just fine.”
Just then, Rachel’s gaze shifted past .
“Patricia?”
I turned around to see Patricia standing behind .
It seed she had followed us after seeing us leave.
Rachel seed to understand the situation and gave a small nod.
“I’ll head in first. Don’t dwell too much on what happened tonight. Oh, and since you’re out here already, why not take a walk by the lake? The view is really beautiful.”
With a glance that seed to ask Patricia to take care of , she got into the car.
###
After Rachel left.
Patricia and I began walking quietly along the lake.
“Have you thought about the proposal?”
I got straight to the point.
But her reply was unexpected.
“Since you and I haven’t had the chance to work together, making a decision now might be premature for both of us. So, how about a trial period?”
“You’re suggesting a probationary period?”
“Yes. I’ll serve as acting director for now, and if we’re both confident later, we can formalize the partnership.”
She wanted to sit in the director’s chair first, then transfer the actual decision-making authority later.
In short, she was deferring the decision.
I hadn’t anticipated a counteroffer like this, and it piqued my interest.
“You want to better understand what kind of position this is before committing?”
“This isn’t a one-sided test. I’m also asking to be tested by you. If you think I’m unfit during that ti, feel free to remove .”
Surprisingly confident.
“But will Rupert allow that kind of half-commitnt?”
“I already got his approval.”
So she had already coordinated with Rupert.
That was unexpected.
‘She’s sharper than I thought.’
She wasn’t just better than Harold—objectively, she was pretty clever.
“If you’re not comfortable, we can forget the whole thing.”
And she knew how to negotiate, too.
But then she said sothing that didn’t quite sit right with .
“Maybe it’s more comfortable for you to work with soone incompetent.”
“What kind of logic is that?”
“An incompetent person is less of a threat, relatively speaking.”
I let out a soft laugh.
“I think you misunderstood what I said earlier. I obviously want capable people.”
Imagine a reckless president being advised by a dimwit like Harold.
‘Just the thought is horrifying.’
Whatever the case, Patricia was a better choice than Harold.
“Alright. A trial period, then. Let’s give it a shot.”
When I agreed without hesitation, she hesitated for a mont, then asked cautiously.
“Are you… okay with this?”
“With what?”
“With the possibility that I might be using you.”
“…? So what?”
She looked puzzled.
Probably because she was from an old money background, used to defensive thinking.
I answered with a light smile.
“Everyone uses everyone. I prefer win-win arrangents where both sides get sothing.”
People on Wall Street actually welco being used.
The clearer the other person’s motives are, the easier they are to control.
‘It’s actually harder when it’s the opposite.’
Soone who doesn’t try to use at all.
Soone who acts with pure intent, without any hidden agenda.
That kind of person is much harder to deal with.
Like Rachel…
People like that act solely based on their own convictions and goodwill.
But Patricia, with her clear desires, was much easier to handle.
“Your first day is next Monday.”
“N-Next Monday?”
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