Chapter 27 The Death of the Innocent, Besieged on All Sides
"Because of this fire, our family has lost at least a thousand ducats!" a portly middle-aged man shouted angrily at Lorenzo. Lilith glanced at him, vaguely remembering seeing this fat man at a social banquet, but she didn't know him well and he shouldn't be a member of one of the eight ancient families of Venice.
“Mr. Orso, I completely understand you,” Lorenzo replied calmly, his voice elegant and composed, his face showing empathy. “The Condalini family has borne the brunt of the losses, and we fully understand the pain you have endured.”
Upon hearing the surname "Orso," Lilith's suspicions were confirmed once again. This man came from a newly wealthy family that had only risen to prominence in recent years; no wonder even the head of the family would be so ill-mannered as to shout and yell during meetings.
Lilith suddenly remembered her fiancé, Heinrich Schmidl, who also belonged to a relatively new family that had been wealthy for less than three generations, not to mention that he came from a remote and undeveloped region like Germany. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, once again thankful that she hadn't actually married him off to such a remote place.
"No, you can't understand! This batch of top-grade cloves was meant to be presented to the French royal family! Now it's gone from your warehouse, how am I supposed to explain this to His Majesty the King!"
“Please be patient.” Lorenzo gestured for a servant to pour Mr. Orso a glass of fine Burgundy red wine, while he himself remained serious, composed, and elegant before the head of the table at the very center.
"I am about to announce our solution to this fire. Spices are very valuable commodities with a very high value. Sixty percent of the spices in the warehouse belong to the Condalini family, so our losses amount to tens of thousands of ducats."
"Our warehouse was supposed to protect the goods, but due to negligence, this disaster has occurred. Such a basic mistake is a disgrace to the Condalini family. I am not only saddened by the loss of our wealth, but also deeply remorseful for my own negligence."
"Therefore, the Condalini family will actively take responsibility for making up for this loss in order to regain everyone's trust. All cargo owners present today will receive compensation equivalent to the value of the deposited goods, and the specific details are stated in the contract in front of each person."
Lilith took a roll of parchment from the waiter and skimmed through the regulations written on it. …Compensation would be paid in cash equivalent to the market price of the spices on the day they were received, and this amount would be added to the minimum 100 ducats of time deposit margin that the customer had deposited with the Condalini Bank… Wait, the Condalini Bank? What does this mean?
“After this battle, we suffered heavy losses and deeply realized the importance of commercial insurance. Therefore, the Condalini family has decided to open a family bank to officially operate storage, remittance, and insurance businesses. The compensation amount will be verified by our staff and deposited into your bank accounts, and you will also receive additional discounts on your insurance services.” Lorenzo explained to everyone while confidently observing their reactions.
"What? We've already suffered such huge losses, and we're still being forced to deposit 100 ducats? This is practically robbery!" Mr. Orso asked the question that everyone present, including Lilith, wanted to ask. He was quite drunk, his round face as red as a ripe tomato about to burst with juice, but his mind was remarkably clear:
"Moreover, paying cash instead of goods of equivalent value based on the price on the day of deposit means that we, the futures traders, have to bear the losses caused by the price difference. The price of spices has increased several times over. Goods that cost the same a week ago now cost several times more in gold coins to meet the demands of our clients!"
The portly man was right. Lilith blinked, silently analyzing Lorenzo's motives behind his actions. The agreed-upon compensation amount was a number written in the accounts, but the 100 ducats deposited in the bank were real cash. On the surface, the Condalini family was assuming responsibility for the compensation; in reality, they were using this opportunity to force the noble families of Venice, both large and small, to open accounts in their banks and inject funds. This not only helped the Condalini family solidify its cash flow but also gained a large pool of potential future customers who might continue to use their banking services.
“I am truly sorry,” Lorenzo adjusted his glasses and announced calmly, “Given the enormous amount of compensation required, coupled with the substantial losses already incurred by the Condalini family, we simply cannot immediately come up with that much cash to cover the costs. This solution is the maximum concession we could make after our overnight meeting. This fire has been a catastrophe for everyone, and we sincerely hope that you can all stand with us through this difficult time. My assistant will schedule individual meetings with each of you later to discuss the details.”
The meeting ended hastily amidst hushed whispers. Lilith's spice stash here was worth less than 100 ducats, so she would never be so kind as to waste her already scarce cash to solve the Condalini family's financial crisis. From the moment she decided to set the fire, this small loss was already factored into the cost of her pursuit of greater profits.
Cecilia was waiting for her at the conference room door. Lilith, arm in arm with Cecilia, was about to go home when a gentle male voice called her back. She turned around and saw Lorenzo standing behind her, giving her a friendly smile.
"Mrs. Schmidl. I've long admired your name."
“Mr. Condalini.” Lilith released her hand, lifted her skirt and bowed to Lorenzo. “I am just a reclusive little girl, how could I be worthy of your kind words?”
“You are the renowned ‘Lilith the Lender,’ the financial miracle worker who revived a bank on the verge of bankruptcy through acquisition and restructuring. How could I not know you?” Lorenzo gently took Lilith’s hand and left a kiss on the back of her hand through her black lace glove. “Just call me Lorenzo. I was worried about not having time to visit your newly opened bank, but thankfully you came in person. You are even more beautiful than I’ve heard.”
"You flatter me too much." Lilith was a little embarrassed by the compliment. She had only ever received skepticism before, and this was the first time she had received praise. For a moment, she didn't know whether to admit it or be modest. "It's just a small, insignificant business. How can it compare to yours? I should also congratulate Condalini Bank on its grand opening."
“You’re a smart woman. It’s obvious at a glance that opening a bank at this time is just a desperate measure due to my current crisis.” He suddenly leaned closer and whispered in Lilith’s ear with a hint of grievance, “That Mr. Orso is throwing a tantrum in my private meeting room! He keeps threatening me with the delivery contract with the French royal family, and I don’t know what to do.”
“It must be tough dealing with such a troublesome fellow…” Lilith felt that subtle discomfort again, even though everything Lorenzo did didn’t seem to be impolite.
“I’ve heard that one of your ships, laden with spices, is about to arrive in port.” Lorenzo suddenly lowered his voice, but his face was still smiling. “If you could sell me that ship of spices at market price, it would be a huge favor to me, and you would surely make a fortune.”
Lilith fell silent. She had never mentioned the transfer of the spices from Elena's to hers to anyone outside the company. How could Condarini possibly know? Had Elena leaked the information? Lilith suddenly felt a pang of guilt. It was one thing for the deal to be leaked, but if Lorenzo found out that Lilith was the mastermind behind the fire, deliberately driving up spice prices, she would be finished.
"No, no, that's not true. You must be mistaken." Lilith chuckled awkwardly, trying to brush it off. "It's actually my aunt Elena's goods. She's in a hurry to get back to Florence, so she asked me to look after them for her. But I don't have the authority to handle them directly, so I really can't help you. I'm so sorry."
“Oh, I see.” Lorenzo’s tone revealed obvious disappointment. “I was presumptuous. The women of the Knarro family are truly talented.”
"I'm still too young, how could I possibly compare to Aunt Elena... I still have a lot to learn from my elders."
“Since you put it that way, let me, as your senior, give you a word of advice. The most important thing in business is risk control. Especially since you’re in the foreign exchange business, there are many uncontrollable risks.” Lorenzo gave a knowing smile. “Just like my warehouse suddenly caught fire, your bank also needs to pay close attention to risk control.”
"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Condalini." Lilith kept telling herself that he was just bluffing and there was nothing to be afraid of. She must not give herself away. "It's getting late. I have some business at the bank that I need to go back to handle. Please excuse me."
"Until we meet again, Mrs. Schmidl. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."
"goodbye."
Lilith, trying to appear calm, took Elena's hand and hurriedly left the Condalini's office. She only breathed a sigh of relief after they had crossed several intersections.
"Cecilia, don't you think Lorenzo's gaze towards me is strange?"
"He's alright, he always seems to have that same smiling face."
"Don't you feel there's some inexplicable horror behind that smiling face?"
"After all, he is your competitor, so it's reasonable for him to be polite to you while also being wary of you."
"These men are really... each one is eccentric in their own way."
"I think Heinrich has been acting stranger these past few days than Lorenzo."
“What do you mean?” Lilith frowned. “Don’t you think his suggestion this time went too far?”
“His methods are unpredictable,” Cecilia analyzed. “He’s usually quiet, but last time with Mauro, he suddenly took it upon himself to invite some casino owner. Although the outcome was good last time, this time it’s far too risky…”
“I criticized him for what happened last time,” Lilith interrupted. “Although this was his idea, it was ultimately my decision. I need some radical subordinates like him to take the lead, just as I need subordinates like you who can help me with risk control and question my decisions.”
"Your subordinate dares not."
"There's nothing I'm afraid of. I'll think carefully about what you said."
They walked until they reached the bank entrance. Heinrich heard the sound and immediately stood up to greet his mistress. Lilith gave him a cold look, said nothing, and headed upstairs to the CEO's office. Heinrich, not knowing what he had done to offend her again, could only follow her upstairs, bowing and scraping.
"How is it going? Is everything going smoothly?" Heinrich asked after entering the office and closing the door.
“Heinrich,” Lilith called out to him sternly, “you didn’t leave any traces when you did it, did you?”
“Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” Heinrich said firmly. “I can guarantee it with my life.”
“Your life is worth only 50 ducats,” Lilith scoffed. “Go tell Sherlock and Tata that the spice shipment that arrives this evening should be reported as just some wine ordered by the Knarro family. Unload it after nightfall and distribute it to black market retailers in batches. Remember, only accept ducats in cash, no credit. Sherlock has experience with this, let him handle it. Don’t get involved.”
"Yes, sir." Heinrich was already used to Lilith's mouth, which sounded like it had been laced with poison, and remained completely unmoved.
"Keep a low profile for the next few days," Lilith said impatiently, staring at him. "I'm broke right now; I wouldn't even part with 50 ducats. Let's avoid any mishaps."
"Don't worry."
"Alright, let's get back to work."
Lilith was still very worried. Lorenzo's gaze made her very uneasy. Although her reason told her that nothing would happen, her heart had a bad feeling.
The constant pressure kept her awake at night, her mind preoccupied with the transactions at the docks. The next morning, she got out of bed with dark circles under her eyes and saw Cecilia standing beside her, looking terrified.
"What's wrong?" Lilith rubbed her eyes, her head throbbing.
"Sherlock... he's dead."
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Author's Note: This week, there will still be four chapters in red text. The next update will be on Sunday.
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