Chapter 54 Pet Collars, The Man Behind Lilith the Loan Shark…

"What is it?" Lilith asked through the door. Heinrich walked to the door and opened it after receiving Lilith's permission.

“It’s Mr. Condalini. He heard that Madam is returning to the city today, so he sent this over and asked me to give it to you immediately.” Tata said, while secretly glancing at Lilith’s room. She was holding an exquisitely crafted cloth box in her hands.

"Here we go again." Lilith frowned. She originally wanted to have Tata throw the box away, but then she remembered that she and Lorenzo still had an unpaid insurance contract, so she couldn't completely break off relations. She had no choice but to swallow her anger and have Tata put the box on her desk.

The first thing she saw upon opening the letter was a letter. Lilith violently cut open the sealing wax with the letter opener on the table. Lorenzo's ornate, cursive handwriting was written on custom-made paper engraved with the family crest; the ink seemed to be mixed with gold dust, making it far more exquisite than the letter she had sent to Zurich. The letter contained only perfunctory greetings, mostly rambling, without mentioning a single word about the claims process. Lilith glanced at it briefly and tossed it aside.

She continued opening the box. The second layer was a soft padded layer containing a pair of carved silver bracelets. Lilith held the bracelets in her hand, glanced at them, and suddenly threw them hard on the ground, deforming them instantly.

"Madam...? Don't you like the silver bracelet...?" Tata was shocked, completely bewildered by her mistress's sudden anger. She wondered if her own silver-threaded bracelet had also offended the mistress's wishes.

“If it were a gift from someone else, I could say it was perhaps an unintentional mistake.” Lilith’s eyes were filled with anger, but her voice was calm and restrained. “But if it’s that old fox Lorenzo, I can only interpret it as having ulterior motives. Is he issuing a challenge to me, or is he trying to test whether I’m a fool?”

“Perhaps it’s both.” Heinrich bent down and picked up the bracelet that Lilith had dropped on the ground.

"It's unlucky to look at. I'd rather take it to the mint and melt it down into silver coins of equal value." Lilith said irritably, telling Heinrich to take the bracelet and its box away from her sight.

"Why?" Tata still couldn't figure out the reason.

“If he gave me just one silver bracelet, that would be one thing, but giving me a pair? Isn’t that obviously a sign he wants to send me to jail? Handcuffs, you get it?” Lilith’s tone was impatient. “Everyone should be careful these days, lest he find something to use against us.”

"Yes, ma'am."

"This is so annoying. I have to meet him first thing tomorrow morning, just to argue about some trivial insurance claim." Lilith angrily dismissed them, "You all go home and get some rest. Goodnight."

Good night, madam.

Tata glanced at Heinrich with a disgruntled expression. Seeing his expressionless face, as if he were already used to the lady's anger, she felt a pang of resentment. She had clearly spent more time with the lady, so why was it Heinrich who knew better how to make her happy?

Suddenly, Tata noticed a dazzling flash of light before her. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the intense light, focusing on Heinrich's hand holding the box. She saw a huge, exquisitely colored sapphire—the very sapphire that had belonged to Lilith's husband.

/

The next morning, Lilith visited the Condalini Bank as arranged in their prior correspondence. It was more of a formality than a visit; she simply crossed the square with Heinrich, carrying documents and a gift, to the street directly opposite the Condalini Bank. Lorenzo wasn't present that day, supposedly on a business trip to Florence, so his subordinates received Lilith. The process went somewhat more smoothly than she had anticipated, but not by much; some haggling over the contract details was inevitable. Fortunately, the courthouse wasn't far away, and after Lilith's threat of a lawsuit, the bank dared not renege on its payment and had to comply with the contract terms.

However, when she came out of the bank after finishing her business, she heard vendors and people gathered around the fountain in the center of the square, winking at her and gossiping about her.

"That's Lilith the loan shark and her gigolo? Her husband's body isn't even cold yet, and she's swaggering around with her lover like that. She's utterly shameless!"

“I told you, as long as I take you on a trip, even if nothing actually happens between us, people will definitely gossip about us.” Lilith laughed and whispered in Heinrich’s ear on tiptoe, “If I cared about their gossip, I would have been furious by now.”

Heinrich said nothing, but continued to listen attentively.

"But doesn't she own a very big bank? I heard that Lorenzo, the eldest son of the Condalini family, proposed to her, but she refused!"

"What do you know? She didn't accept the proposal just to continue her wild and unrestrained life! What abilities does she have? If it weren't for the man behind her working tirelessly for her, how could she have achieved what she has today? The idea of ​​women in charge is just a sensational marketing strategy!"

"That's true. What does a woman know about how banks operate? It's all just hype! Once someone offers a higher price to poach her people, let's see how arrogant she'll be then!"

Heinrich turned his head to observe Lilith's reaction and found that his mistress's face had turned ashen.

“Let’s not listen to this anymore.” Lilith took a deep breath. “Work is important, work is important. Work is important. I can’t listen to this anymore, we have to do something.”

“Didn’t you say not to pay attention to what they say?” Heinrich couldn’t help but smile.

"Are spreading rumors about me the same as questioning my abilities?" Lilith rolled her eyes at him. "The former might increase our exposure, while the latter will only affect our bank's reputation."

She walked quickly back to the bank, took Heinrich back to her office, and called Tata over to ask her for advice.

"Do you know how to stop rumors from spreading?" Lilith asked, her hands resting on the desk, looking ready for anything.

"Perhaps it's a clarification?" Tata answered timidly. Ever since she had repeatedly said the wrong thing in front of the lady, she had become somewhat afraid to express her own thoughts.

"No, that would only make things worse. The Mauro incident made me realize that rumors only go as far as bigger and more sensational rumors. When Mauro accused me of being a prostitute and a witch, no amount of evidence I presented was convincing. But when you pointed out that he was framing me because he owed money, the situation immediately reversed. People need something else to distract them."

"Do you think those things you heard might have been rumors spread by Lorenzo?" Heinrich asked.

"Very likely. After all, if he smears my reputation as a competitor and causes me any losses, it will benefit him greatly. He'd love for me to be driven to a mental breakdown by the rumors and then come to him for a 'heroic rescue.' But I will absolutely not give him the chance. Doesn't he like to spread rumors about me and Heinrich? Well, I'll spread rumors about him too. Tata, go find out the name of his most trusted maid... Oh no, not a maid, but a man, a servant or an accountant, it has to be a man, and say they act intimately, like a married couple!"

"Pfft." Heinrich couldn't help but laugh. Tata, however, frowned deeply.

"Oh right, let's add one more thing: say that the reason Lilith, the loan shark, rejected him was because he had illicit relationships with several men, and she suspected that he didn't like women at all." Lilith smiled smugly and continued to embellish the story.

"Madam, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to smear him like this? You told us yesterday to be careful and not to give him any leverage..." Tata said cautiously, her voice very soft, but she still mustered up the courage to speak up, "What if he finds out that we're the ones who leaked it?"

“As long as he can’t find any evidence, he can’t pin the blame on us. If he comes out in person to clarify the matter, then in the public’s mind, the rumor will be truly confirmed. But you’re right, we have to be careful with this. Can you do it? If there’s pressure, we can hand it over to Heinrich.”

“I can do it!” Tata answered quickly. “Leave it to me.”

“Very good. I believe you.” Lilith smiled with satisfaction. “Then you can go ahead and get back to work, Heinrich. Go and continue reading the letter to me.”

"Yes, ma'am."

Since the exchange business began, Lilith's daily work has revolved largely around letters and calculations. She broke down the process of reading letters, calculating, and replying. All letters were initially reviewed by Heinrich, who selected those requiring calculation and handed them over to William for preliminary calculations. Then, Sister Clara reviewed them, Lilith approved the replies, Tata went out to conduct transactions or deliver the letters, and finally, after the market closed, Heinrich kept the books to ensure the daily accounts were balanced.

Besides serving existing clients and handling crisis management in the face of rumors, Lilith also needs to work tirelessly to acquire new customers. After closing time, she must immediately go home, dress up, and attend various social parties. In this respect, her status as a widow offers her many advantages. Unlike unmarried girls who are treated as potential marriage partners and picked over, she is not subject to her husband's control and unable to communicate freely with others.

Despite the gossip, Lilith still brought Heinrich to the banquet. This was partly because Cecilia hadn't returned yet, and Lilith simply didn't have a better choice. Clara, as a nun, wasn't suitable to attend; she didn't know William at all; Tata, though capable, wasn't familiar with high society etiquette; and Ivanka's primary task was security for the slush fund, so she wouldn't leave home unless absolutely necessary.

Some noble ladies, having heard rumors about Heinrich's good looks and competence, gathered around to see him. Before they knew it, Lilith had persuaded them all to register savings accounts with her bank.

After a long day of work, Lilith disembarked and returned home, so exhausted she could barely stand. Attending social dances was pure physical exertion; one had to stand, walk, and dance for hours without a break, and the snacks and wine were hardly enough to fill her stomach.

"Would you like me to carry you upstairs?" Heinrich asked Lilith, opening his arms and whispering in her ear.

"No. I want to go eat the late-night snack Ivanka made."

"Okay, then I'll go and arrange your room."

Lilith kicked off her leather shoes, which weren't exactly rubbing but were still tiring to wear after a while, and changed into more comfortable shoes to go find something to eat. She also vented to Ivanka about the unpleasant things that had happened to her that day. By the time she returned to her bedroom door, it was already late. She pushed open the door and saw Heinrich kneeling before her in a thin shirt, holding Lilith's black riding crop in his hands.

“Master,” Heinrich raised his head, looking up at her with expectant eyes, “Please punish me.”

"I'm not in the mood today." Lilith glanced at him, but her attention was immediately drawn to Heinrich's large, watery blue eyes, and she couldn't help but feel excited. However, she still pretended to be indifferent, deliberately avoiding looking at him, and walked past him directly to the dressing table, where she sat down in front of the mirror to comb her hair.

"Master, please, please punish me."

Lilith pretended not to hear, not even glancing at him. Heinrich had no choice but to put the whip in his mouth and crawl on all fours like a dog to Lilith's side, rubbing against her legs and making whimpering noises. At this point, Lilith simply couldn't ignore this annoying little devil kneeling at her feet. So she reached out, hooked the necklace with the sapphire ring that Heinrich had hidden in his shirt, tightened the necklace around his neck, and then suddenly lashed out with the whip, striking him hard across the body.

"Is this what you wanted? Tell me, why should I punish you?"

“I’ve made you the target of rumors.” Heinrich’s broad shoulders trembled violently as he was struck. “I’ve troubled you.”

"What would they say if they knew that the 'man' behind the so-called 'lending Lilith' was actually a dog wagging its tail and begging for its mistress?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another lash struck Heinrich's arm.

"If those noble ladies surrounding you saw you begging me to torture you with a whip in your mouth, would they still praise you?"

"No, Master, they will reject me, and only you, Master, can accept me."

“You look best when you’re kneeling.” Lilith suddenly pinched his chin, scrutinizing Heinrich’s handsome face, a hint of sadness flashing across her face. “I really want to lock you up and make you my pet, just my pet, and only I can see your face. But I can’t. I still have to make you do other things for me, things that are troublesome and tiring. I’m tired, Heinrich. Let’s stop here for today.”

“Yes, madam.” Heinrich stood up sensibly.

"Thank you, Heinrich. Get some rest and keep up the good work tomorrow."

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Author's note: This is the last time Xiao Yin will act like a dog with tears in her eyes for a long time ^_^ I won't say what exciting things will happen after this.

Next update on Friday! Extra update on Thursday if there's a good ranking. God bless me with another good ranking! [cheering emoji] Last week's ranking climb was amazing, I miss it so much!