Chapter 58 The Betrayal of the Good: Lilith Suspects Heinrich…
Lilith hasn't had a nightmare in a long time.
After Cecilia left, Heinrich would sit by her bedside almost every night, reading stories to lull her to sleep. After finishing the Decameron, he began reading her the Nidrungkors, a national epic widely circulated in the German region. These past two days, Heinrich had just finished reading the first half, "The Death of Siegfried," and had begun reading the second half, "The Revenge of Krimhild."
However, Lilith had no interest in listening to the story properly, treating it merely as white noise to help her fall asleep. Her mind was constantly preoccupied with her sinful business and the decision she made amidst her hesitation. It wasn't a few lapses in moral judgment that drove her, but rather the fear of being discovered by the money changers, the fear of the desolation that would follow once the beautiful facade of peace and prosperity was shattered.
Two weeks had passed since the outbreak of war. After realizing that issuing bonds was not a viable option, Elena and Lilith held an emergency meeting. Even Aunt Elena, a seasoned businesswoman, was now overwhelmed by the impact on cash flow due to exchange rate fluctuations.
After a brief discussion, Elena immediately packed her bags and headed to Florence, attempting to stabilize the exchange transactions at the two branches in Florence and Rome in order to offset the losses faced by the Venice headquarters and the Zurich branch.
Lilith could never forget the way Elena's brow was furrowed. It was the first time she had ever seen such a troubled expression on this seemingly omnipotent and powerful woman's face. Elena was already in her forties, a seasoned veteran of the business world, having weathered countless storms, yet she had encountered an insurmountable crisis when collaborating with Lilith.
A suffocating pain, a tightness in her chest, mingled with unease and confusion, always lingered in Lilith's chest. This wasn't because she couldn't trust Elena's abilities; quite the opposite, she felt apologetic and wronged by her own powerlessness.
Even though she is the president of Knaro Bank, why does she still have to rely on her elders to help the bank overcome its difficulties?
Her lost green eyes gazed into Heinrich's calm, ocean-like blue eyes. Knowing full well it was an extremely risky path, she still chose to adopt his proposed strategy—to smuggle funds through black market channels to the military organization of the Duchy of Milan by disguising them as drafts.
From the moment she ordered Heinrich to put his ideas into practice, long-lost nightmares clung tightly to her frail body, robbing her of the power to fall asleep.
In the beginning of her dream, she was always rowing a boat. Beneath the dark gondola flowed the green lagoon water, and as she rowed, the sun set, and the lake transformed into a flowing river of gold. She crouched down, reaching out to scoop up the gold coins splashing on the boat, but was sucked into the water by an invisible force, and in an instant, everything around her turned crimson.
Thick, fresh blood stained her hands, the metallic smell filled her nostrils, and a sweet taste irritated her throat. She struggled to climb ashore, and someone offered her a hand.
She gripped the large hand clad in a leather glove and adorned with a sapphire ring, but he pulled her up forcefully, revealing only a ghostly black mask beneath the deep brim of his hat. She tried to break free, but the faceless man held her arm tightly, then choked her. Suddenly, tiny insects seemed to crawl across the black paper mask, tearing through flesh to reveal a gaping, blood-red maw—and within that maw, she saw the heads of those she had murdered.
Lilith woke with a start. Gasping for breath, she hysterically threw the Dutch rabbit doll Heinrich had just given her onto the floor. "What a cursed thing," she exclaimed. The two black tufts of fur around the rabbit's eyes reminded her of the unidentified masked man in her dream.
Yes, she didn't even know what the masked man who attacked her in Zurich was, whether he was a human or a ghost. Now this guy had even brazenly invaded her dreams, and she was completely helpless, like a fish on a chopping board, at his mercy.
Lilith felt something was amiss. She didn't believe in vengeful spirits, nor did she believe Lorenzo possessed the supernatural power to have harmed her to such an extent. She felt as if something was lurking in the shadows, watching her every move, sharing all her information with its rival, yet she had no idea who it was.
This guy must be more cunning and treacherous than the despicable and foolish Mauro, and more scheming than the wicked Lorenzo. He might even be posing as a trusted friend of Lilith's, lying low and biding his time by her side.
Lilith grew increasingly frightened as she thought about it, and began to carefully examine everyone around her.
Sophia was a childhood friend and relative, and had no reason to secretly sabotage her business. Aunt Elena had also invested a considerable sum in the Knarro Bank; they were in the same boat, and there was no possibility that she would deliberately cause trouble. Although Isolde was a new friend, he had lived alone in his secluded mountain castle for many years and was unaware of the bank's operations.
Now that outsiders have been ruled out as suspects, could the traitor be someone from within? Lilith took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She curled up in the soft blankets, increasingly afraid to think any further.
Sister Clara was her teacher and a close friend of Aunt Elena for decades. She held firm to her faith and wouldn't be easily swayed by petty gains. William Schmidl, on the other hand, might have motives to harm her. But Lilith had long been wary of his identity and had always excluded him from the bank's core decision-making circle. With the information he possessed, he couldn't possibly cause any significant trouble.
Having thought this through, she already knew the answer. Since Cecilia left, there was only one person in the entire bank who knew her every move and could even influence her decisions.
The image of the ring on the masked man's hand from her dream flashed into her mind. It was the ring that originally belonged to Heinrich Schmidl, but which she had personally given to her trusted subordinate, Heinrich.
Heinrich. It can only be Heinrich.
Lilith grew increasingly terrified, her body trembling uncontrollably. She belatedly realized that this slave, whose origins were shrouded in mystery, had only been bought four months prior, yet he had already been incorporated into the bank's core management, becoming a trusted confidant. It was utterly insane. His handsome appearance and exceptional talent had easily blinded her, and only now did she realize how terrifying it all was.
She still remembered the pitiful fear, terror, and bewilderment in Heinrich's eyes when she first bought him back; the trembling body he showed when he took the heavy dagger from her; and the shock and unease he felt upon learning of Maria's and the others' deaths.
He's changed. He's no longer the Heinrich he once was. He's become more and more like her, ruthless and cunning like her. Lilith had initially been quite pleased with the creation she'd made, but now she realized how suspicious he was.
Upon closer examination, Heinrich's abnormality began to emerge after the Mauro incident, coinciding perfectly with the time of Lilith and Lorenzo's confrontation. It was he who proposed burning down the Condalini family warehouse, and shortly afterward, Sherlock's tragic death enabled him to replace the bank's most senior accountant.
Later, she discovered that he had been hiding the fact that he spoke German from her, and that he had deliberately secluded himself in Zurich, as if intentionally avoiding someone. Later still, after returning to Venice, war broke out, and when Lilith was at a loss regarding the bank's crisis, it was Heinrich who first proposed a loan from the Duchy of Milan.
The scene of the blond man pulling her into his arms was still vivid in her mind. He spoke the most terrifying words in his gentlest voice—if anything happened, just pretend you knew nothing and shift all the blame onto the Schmidl family. Even Lilith found these words utterly depraved. Although her principle was to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to her, and she didn't mind using aggressive competitive methods for her career, scapegoating innocent people was a bottom line she would never easily cross.
But she still accepted Heinrich's proposal, for the sake of healthy cash flow, for profits, to live up to the trust of her clients, and for her crumbling self-esteem.
Lilith then realized she had fallen into a trap. The pain of betrayal and the regret of misjudging someone overwhelmed her, leaving her breathless with agony. She had once considered him her most trusted partner, her most important friend, and had even fantasized about doing things that lovers do together... but he had pushed her into the abyss.
Who exactly was Heinrich? What did he want to do?
Lilith limped out of bed. She lit a candle, opened a locked drawer, and took out a dagger Cecilia had left her. She hesitated when her fingertips touched the cold hilt. She was no match for Heinrich in combat. In this precarious situation, beset by internal and external troubles, she couldn't afford to act rashly, much less alert the enemy. She needed a safer approach. So she put down the dagger and instead grasped a small vial of poison Isolde had given her.
/
July 31st was Heinrich's birthday. Lilith had originally planned to throw a grand banquet for him, just as she had done for the birthdays of all her close confidants. However, due to the dire financial situation, the birthday dinner had to be extremely sparse.
In Lilith's small villa, Heinrich and Lilith sat facing each other across the dining table. Tata and William sat on either side of them, bewildered and silent.
Heinrich keenly noticed Lilith's unusual behavior. Whether it was the burden of her work taking its toll or the nervous tension following her serious crime, she looked listless, yet she still managed a forced smile to celebrate Heinrich's nineteenth birthday. She personally brought out a beautiful little cream cake from the kitchen and placed it in front of Heinrich.
“I made this for you myself.” Lilith smiled sweetly, but her eyes were full of fatigue, and her double eyelids were a little swollen, as if she had been crying. “It’s just for you. Happy birthday, Heinrich.”
Heinrich was somewhat worried about Lilith's health. But amidst the well wishes, he blew out the candles and picked up a spoon to eat the cake. Suddenly, everyone heard a loud knocking on the door. Tata ran to the door and opened it, only to see Lorenzo storming in with two servants, heading straight for Lilith's table. Heinrich instinctively stood up to shield Lilith.
"What are you trying to do?!" Lilith shouted angrily at Lorenzo.
"What do I want to do? How dare you ask me what I want to do?" Lorenzo retorted angrily. "Lilith, I didn't want to break ties with you. You know what you've done. I was even able to be kind and considerate of your hardships as an illegitimate child, and propose to you without holding a grudge. Honestly, it was a good deal for both of us. But did you have to push me to this point?"
"What did I do?" Lilith couldn't understand why he was so angry. Logically speaking, Lorenzo had started the war and made a fortune through insurance and bond businesses, while Lilith was always getting the short end of the stick. What more could he possibly want?
"Don't treat me like a fool. Lilith, I've known all along what you've done in the dark. You sent people to burn down the Condalini's spice warehouse, you sent people to kill your own brother's widow, and you even went after your fiancé whom you'd never met. You heartless woman, if it weren't for you, Antonio wouldn't have been suspected!"
Antonio…? Lilith pondered the unfamiliar name for a long time before realizing it was the name of another “male protagonist” in the story she had sent to spread rumors about Lorenzo and his male subordinates. Why was Lorenzo bringing this up?
Lilith's mind was in turmoil, astonished at how Lorenzo had learned all this. Had Heinrich told him? But Heinrich now stood solemnly before her, staring intently at her with eyes full of hatred.
“Nonsense,” Lilith retorted, trying to appear calm.
"Still trying to deny it? Heh." Lorenzo chuckled, his icy gaze suddenly falling on Tata. "I'm not making this up. I only know all this thanks to Miss Tata."
"You liar!" Tata burst into tears, stood up abruptly, pointed at Lorenzo's nose, and shouted angrily, "Didn't you promise me you'd never tell the lady? You scoundrel!"
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Author's Note: The plot has taken a dramatic turn, it's so exciting!!
I'll be a paid reader tomorrow at 00:30 AM! The daily 10,000 words will be available starting from Chapter 21, and there will be no anti-piracy measures. Please give me your support!
Since Volume 2 ends at Chapter 60, tomorrow's update will include Chapters 59, 60, and 61! Volume 3 should be around 30 chapters long. So, we've now updated about two-thirds of the entire story! The chapters that have been censored will be updated this month, so please look forward to it!!
In the next ranking period, besides the 3 chapters that will be available for purchase (VIP), I'll update 3 more chapters, for a total of 6 chapters!! I've been working, moving, and writing like crazy in my spare time lately, so I hope you enjoy reading...
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