socalfunplaces Chapter 300: Funds, Conversations, and Eavesdropping
Chapter 300: Funds, Conversations, and Eavesdropping
Chapter 300: Funds, Conversations, and Eavesdropping
stare----
Several gazes, each carrying a different meaning, fell simultaneously on Hazel as she entered the room, instantly making the previously relaxed office atmosphere somewhat tense.
From her slightly flushed cheeks, her flickering eyes, and her unconsciously twisted fingers, Lorne could read awkwardness, shyness, and unease.
How did she know about the party?
By the way, there will be church members and people from high society at the party. It's not surprising that Councilor Macht knows about this since he has close ties with the Church of the Night. Lorne quickly grasped the general outline of the situation.
"You, you—so there are other people here with you?" Hazel looked at Hugh and Fors beside her, her tone slightly hesitant.
Hugh and Fors also made no attempt to hide their scrutiny of this unexpected intruder. Her long, dark green hair was meticulously styled, and her clothes were exquisite and well-fitting; she was clearly a well-bred young lady from high society.
She just mentioned a party? She wants to go to a party with Scott?
A sudden, inexplicable sense of threat welled up in their hearts.
One was a short girl with messy hair and a very youthful appearance, while the other was quite good-looking, but her temperament was not as good as hers, and she was also older than her. Hazel was also quickly assessing the two "competitors" in front of her. After comparing them in her heart, she came to the conclusion that "the advantage is mine".
Wait! What nonsense am I thinking! She abruptly shook off these absurd thoughts.
"They are my friends," Lorne said with a slight nod.
"Let me introduce you, this is Hugh Deercha."
"This is Fors Wall."
At the same time, Lorne introduced to the other side, "This is Miss Hazel Macht, the investor of the factory."
Several girls slightly curtsied in a polite greeting.
But Hugh and Fors's gazes never left Hazel—
"Ms. Macht, are you here to discuss investment?" Lorne selectively ignored what the other party had mentioned about the party.
He had a premonition that if the conversation continued on this topic, the situation might get out of control.
"I heard from old Kohler and the others that you seemed to have been here some time ago."
"I—" Hazel bit her lip lightly, avoiding Lorne's gaze, "I heard you were arrested, so I came to check on you."
"If something happens to you, my investment will be wasted."
"I'm flattered that Miss Macht is so concerned about me," Lorne said with a smile. "But don't worry, business has stabilized recently, so your investment won't go down the drain."
He then changed the subject, implying that it was time to see the guest out: "If there's nothing else, please go back now. I'll visit you in person another day."
"I—" Lorne's sudden politeness made Hazel feel a little uncomfortable.
But she couldn't just leave like that; she hadn't yet told her father what he wanted to say.
"Could it be that you want to invest more?" Lorne suddenly had a look of realization on his face.
"What?" Hazel didn't react for a moment.
"You must have seen the news in the newspaper, right? My factory has been incredibly successful lately. Isn't it reasonable for you to want to invest more?"
"I—" These words made Hazel even more flustered. She lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her skirt. The Macht family's current financial situation was very bad; otherwise, she wouldn't have thought of asking for the thousand pounds she had invested before. Where would she get the money to invest more?
Why does it feel like this young lady is completely under Scott's thumb, without any resistance at all? Hugh and Fors, watching this scene, had the same thought in their minds.
"I...I have some personal matters I'd like to discuss with you," Hazel said hesitantly. "Could you perhaps let your friend's friend go first—"
"hiss--"
Seeing this, Lorne turned his head and smiled at Fors and Hugh.
Hearing about their private affairs, the two couldn't say anything and could only leave reluctantly.
However, as soon as the two went out and closed the door, Fors suddenly turned around and peered through the door, listening intently.
"Fors! What are you doing?!" Hugh whispered, nervously tugging at his friend's sleeve.
"Of course, we're listening to what they're saying," Fors said matter-of-factly.
"But, isn't that a bad idea—"
"What's wrong with that? She mentioned the party when she came in, right? It's obvious she's trying to steal our girl. And Hugh, aren't you curious—"
She paused, then added in a more inflammatory tone, "This kind of young lady is exactly like your character, you know. What if Scott chooses her for dance and etiquette? Aren't you afraid?"
"Why do I feel like you're the one who's scared?" Xiu rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything to stop her. After all, poaching someone's girlfriend directly was indeed going too far. She was, after all, a real noble lady.
"So, what's the matter?"
"You know about the party, right?" Hazel took a deep breath and brought up the topic again.
"I know, it's a charity gala, they're going to use Capin's assets to set up a foundation." Lorne shrugged, his tone flat. "What, do you want to be my dance partner?"
"How could that be—" Hazel instinctively retorted, but swallowed the words back halfway through.
She recalled her meaningful conversation with her father in the study earlier. He had hinted that she should talk more with her "boyfriend," Scott, about the party and the fund, even subtly suggesting that the Macht family could—
To "help" Scott better manage and operate that fund.
She was speechless. First, she had said many times that James Scott, that bastard, was not her boyfriend, so why wouldn't her father believe her? Second, she understood that her father saw the political value of the foundation and wanted to use it to get rid of the Macht family's recent bad situation. But she didn't have any right to approach him, and he had something on her.
"I'm just—I'm just worried that since it's your first time attending such a high-society event, you'll be inexperienced and make a fool of yourself." Hazel forced herself to maintain her last bit of pride, turning her head away. "Backlund's high society is very particular about every detail. If you—if you're willing to beg me properly, I might be able to teach you some basic etiquette and dance."
"You're overthinking it," Lorne waved his hand. "I've already found a suitable teacher to teach me."
"Huh? Who is it?"
Lorne glanced at the doorway.
"Is it Fors Wall?"
"No." Lorne shook his head.
"It's Xiu."
"Huh? That short guy." Hazel was a little surprised. Was it a bit of a stretch for the other person to be a teacher? With Hugh's height, it would probably be difficult for him to dance with Lorne. Even making eye contact might require Lorne to lower his head.
"Did you hear that, Hugh? She's looking down on you," Fors said indignantly from the corner.
"Uh—" Hugh lowered her head in frustration, unable to refute some of the points.
Speaking solely of dance, compared to myself at around 1.5 meters—no, wait, 1.6 meters—Ms. Macht's height seems more suitable for teaching Scott dance. It's a matter of physical attributes, after all.
"Hugh has extensive social experience and could easily be a teacher. As for the party, I'd like Fors to accompany me," Lorne said frankly.
"Unless you have a better suggestion."
"I... I can be your dance partner too," Hazel's voice trailed off.
"If I'm not mistaken, your father will be attending that party too, right?" Lorne looked at Hazel's slightly flushed face. "You're attending as my date, especially in a public place. Aren't you afraid of causing misunderstandings?"
"I—" Hazel stammered, lowered her head, and after a long while said in a defiant tone, "Anyway, I've already been misunderstood."
"Oh?" Lorne raised an eyebrow, his tone playful. "Is it like what Emperor Roselle said, 'The more debts you have, the less you worry'?" He paused deliberately. "Or do you really want something to happen between us?"
"My reputation is pretty high now!"
"Aren't you going to reconsider?"
"How could this happen? How could Scott take the initiative? How could he do this—" Outside the door, Fors pressed herself against the door panel, stamping her feet anxiously, with an urge to immediately "open the door" and rush in to watch the battle up close.
Huh? Scott took the initiative to get up—this, this—Hugh couldn't contain his curiosity and went to the other side of the door to eavesdrop.
"How could I possibly be interested in you! I—" Hazel retorted with her usual arrogance, but when she saw Lorne's smiling eyes, she was instinctively afraid.
This reminded her of the day she was caught stealing, when the other person had the same knowing look on their face.
"Sigh—I didn't expect you to have such high standards. I thought the title of 'East District Hero' was already prestigious enough." Lorne sighed, then changed the subject.
"However, I have another suggestion—would you like to work for me?"
"Work?" Hazel was a little confused; the sudden shift in the topic caught her off guard. "I'm not really interested in weapons or factory management."
"I was referring to the fund," Lorne explained.
"You've probably heard that the authorities plan to hand over the fund to me for management."
Seeing Hazel nod slightly, Lorne continued, "I plan to make another investment myself to increase my share and influence in the fund, and I intend to expand the scope of funding beyond the victims of the Kapin case to help more women and children in need in Backlund."
"However," he shrugged, a helpless expression on his face, "I simply haven't been able to spare much time and energy to manage the fund myself lately. I'm also not comfortable handing it over entirely to outsiders, given the significant interests and influence involved."
"So, Miss Hazel, are you interested?"
"I—I don't want to work for you."
This was her true thought. James Scott held leverage over her; her previous investments and asking her father for help had been somewhat coerced. If she were to work for him now, wouldn't that be tantamount to offering herself up and being completely controlled by him?
"You don't want to?"
"This is a great job," Lorne shrugged. "Like I said before, with a job you're an independent woman, and then you'll have the right to choose your own life."
"Instead of being like many rich young ladies who, although they have no worries about food and clothing, have their life paths already clearly arranged by their families, and may end up marrying a man they don't like at all just for the sake of profit, becoming a seemingly glamorous but actually empty socialite."
"No, my parents will respect my choice," Hazel retorted.
"Is that so?" Lorne asked meaningfully, looking directly into her eyes. "Then why are you here today—?"
"I—I—" Hazel was speechless for a moment, her cheeks turning bright red.
Dad did send me today—but, but that's because Dad mistakenly thought you were my boyfriend! That's why he sent me to "communicate"!
She screamed inwardly. She firmly believed that even if the family fell into trouble, her father would never make her deliberately ingratiate herself with a man she didn't like in order to gain benefits.
The key issue is that, in Senator Macht's eyes, Scott and Heyole were "lovers" or at least close friends, so it seemed reasonable for him to have his daughter communicate with them.
For Hazel, this misunderstanding put her in an extremely awkward situation. If she told the truth, "My father asked me to come and find you, my boyfriend," the situation would be incredibly embarrassing.
But if she doesn't say anything, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting what Lorne said about the possibility that she might not be able to control her own destiny and would ultimately become a tool for family marriage?
"So, your arrival today," Lorne softened his tone, asking tentatively, "is it because you genuinely want to help me, as a friend?"
"Who said you're my friend?!" Hazel retorted stubbornly, turning her face away awkwardly, but her confidence was clearly waning.
Just as I thought—looking at the other person's expression, Lorne understood.
It is estimated that MP Macht saw the political interests behind the fund, so he sent Hazel to investigate.
Lorne had no doubt about the other party's political acumen, given that MP Macht belonged to the more progressive New Party, whose issues were more focused on improving people's livelihoods than those of the Conservatives. Therefore, the East End, with its large number of workers and the worst environment, was clearly their primary focus.
His reputation as a hero in the East District, coupled with the nature of the foundation, would definitely have an impact on the East District; Congressman Macht probably saw that as his advantage.
"Working for a charity foundation is a great way to help people, and it also gives you enough social status to make others not dare to look down on you. It's a win-win situation," Lorne persuaded patiently.
He didn't object to MP Macht wanting to get involved, since they already had a cooperative relationship and might need each other's help in political matters in the future.
However, if MP Macht were to directly intervene in the management, given that he is a professional politician, Lorne worried that he would not have enough time and energy to check and balance him.
In contrast, entrusting the specific tasks to Hazel, who is relatively simple-minded and whose weaknesses he holds, is a safer choice. For the sake of his daughter's future and the success of the foundation, Congressman Macht will naturally spare no effort in providing support and resources, which indirectly achieves the goal of cooperation.
"I—" Hazel was somewhat tempted. Although what Lorne said was a little different from what her father wanted, it didn't seem bad either—
"The specific details of the fund haven't been finalized yet, and there will likely be some wrangling involved. This is just my initial thought—"
"You can go back to Congressman Macht and talk to him about this, hear his thoughts before making a decision."
As he spoke, Lorne stood up, deliberately making his footsteps light and quietly walked to the office door.
With a ripping sound, he suddenly pulled the door open inwards!
"Ah—2"
Outside the door, Hugh and Fors, who were eavesdropping close to the door, were caught off guard and cried out in surprise, losing their balance and about to fall forward.
Lorne reacted swiftly, spreading his arms to catch them both, one in each hand, and gently pulled them into his embrace. Looking down at the two flushed, flustered ladies in his arms, a smile played on his lips: "Ladies, eavesdropping on other people's work conversations isn't exactly ladylike behavior, you know~"
"Hey—" Fors tried to get away with it by being cute.
Hugh blushed so deeply that even the roots of his ears turned red, and he almost buried his head in his chest, unable to utter a single word.
After much persuasion, Lorne finally managed to send the three young ladies away.
"What a hassle—"
Lorne let out a long sigh and slumped back into his chair, looking somewhat exhausted. He picked up the slightly cooled coffee on the table and took a sip.
"Forget it, I'll just go to the party by myself."
? !
My spiritual intuition was slightly touched.
He turned his head to look diagonally behind him, and a figure dressed in a long court dress slowly appeared.
Sharon, as exquisite as a doll, looked down at him, her azure eyes filled with a peculiar emotion.
"Ms. Sharon, you didn't leave?"
"You're just telling me to stay away." Sharon's voice was cold and unreadable.
"Uh—so you've been here the whole time?"
Sharon didn't answer, but said expressionlessly, "I also know dance and etiquette."
"Ah, then you can—"
Sharon interrupted Lorne before he could finish speaking.
"But I won't teach you."
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure became transparent again and disappeared from the spot.
This time, I couldn't feel anything in the room.