~Chapter 113~
A few days after Tez’s visit, Harriet found herself sipping champagne with him in the gardens behind Alberman Bank’s main building, where their famous spring picnic was being held.
“I’d heard the rumors, but there really are a lot of people here,” Harriet said.
“Well, this is one of the few chances you get to meet the real heavyweights,” Tez replied.
The spacious garden was crowded with people. What impressed Harriet was that despite the numbers, no one shouted or acted rowdy.
Under the canopies were plenty of couches where guests could rest. Every few steps stood tables, never empty of champagne, drinks, or bite-sized finger food, always being replenished.
The event carried the bright, cheerful air of a picnic, but the expressions of the people in conversation were serious, even fierce.
Tez nudged Harriet’s shoulder with his own and murmured,
“Even just eavesdropping on their conversations will be a huge learning experience for you. Shall we?”
With that, he led her toward his acquaintances.
“Oh, Tez! Long time no see.”
“Didn’t expect you here. Have you finally straightened yourself out? Hahaha!”
“And this beautiful partner beside you is… oh?”
One man was about to ask for an introduction when he suddenly paused, recognizing Harriet. Before he could say anything awkward, Tez quickly stepped in.
“This is my friend, Miss Harriet Listerwell. Harriet, these gentlemen are Sir Josh Coburn, Sir Oliver Green, and Sir Jack Wells. We all root for the same polo team.”
The men recovered, smiling brightly.
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss.”
“An honor, Lady Listerwell.”
Harriet smiled politely, pretending not to notice, but she understood immediately—they recognized her, and it wasn’t in a good way.
She couldn’t help it. Her reputation as the “scandal maker” still clung to her.
After that, Harriet listened closely to the conversations Tez had with them. Some parts she barely understood; at times their sudden laughter left her bewildered. Still, she tried hard to pick up any useful meaning—this opportunity was too rare to waste.
But every time she caught one of them looking her up and down, her energy drained away.
‘Of course—they’re Tez Roark’s friends. But still, isn’t this too much?’
The sophisticated first impression of the picnic was crumbling fast.
Worse, once Tez started talking with them, he seemed to forget she even existed. All they did was flatter each other with empty compliments—how could that be fun? Harriet felt her time was being wasted. Worse yet, she felt like nothing more than a pretty ornament at Tez’s side.
When Sir Josh Coburn raked his eyes over her for the third time, Harriet couldn’t stand it. She poked Tez.
“Excuse me, I need to step away for a moment.”
He looked a little surprised but quickly smiled and nodded.
Harriet didn’t need to guess what they would talk about once she left, but she couldn’t endure being a smiling doll in the background any longer. She hurried away—though, truth be told, she did also need the restroom.
“Surely people didn’t come all this way just to polish each other’s egos?”
She sighed as she washed her hands afterward.
What am I even doing here? The thought pressed down on her.
‘Maybe I should just wander around and start conversations on my own.’
If all she was going to do at Tez’s side was stand and smile without contributing, then following him here had no purpose.
As she walked slowly, considering her options, she heard a familiar sound—laughter.
‘Huh? Cedric Kailas?’
There he was, standing with someone, laughing in conversation. His blond hair sparkled in the spring sunlight, so bright it almost seemed like a mirage.
‘Why do I keep running into this man? Is he following me?’
The thought was absurd, and she laughed at herself when she realized the truth.
‘He’s not following me. I’m the one drifting into the places where he belongs.’
For Cedric, a man of wealth and influence, being at auctions or events like this was natural. She, with her meager resources, was the odd one out.
If he spotted her, it would surely surprise him. And she wanted no part of that look. She should slip away before he noticed.
But strangely, her feet wouldn’t move. Maybe it was because his smile dazzled her. Or maybe it was because the person he was speaking to was a young, pretty woman.
“So, Lady Spence, you’ll be inheriting the Spence family’s jewelry business?”
“Yes, though technically, it’ll be my future husband managing it.”
Or maybe it was because Cedric’s way of speaking to that woman was so different from how he spoke to her. Their conversation seemed like it belonged to a world completely separate from hers.
‘What am I even doing here?’
Once again, doubt and self-reproach weighed on her.
And then—Cedric’s gaze swept around and landed right on her. Their eyes met.
His expression stiffened slightly.
‘No. I didn’t see him. I didn’t.’
Panicked, Harriet quickly turned away and hurried off.
* * *
To Cedric, Alberman Bank’s spring picnic was a boring but important event.
Much of the Kailas family’s wealth was tied up with Alberman and its subsidiaries, so the bank treated them like royalty. Declining their invitations wasn’t an option.
Besides, this was one of the few chances to see people who otherwise appeared only once a year. It was a good opportunity to maintain connections.
He didn’t mind the business talks. What annoyed him were those who approached with other motives.
Like now—the woman chattering as if trivial nonsense were some grand topic.
‘What is the Earl of Spence thinking, leaving his jewelry business to this daughter? She doesn’t know a thing. The only point she can make is that her future husband will run it for her.’
It had been over a decade since the law allowed daughters to inherit titles and businesses, and the culture was slowly shifting. But clearly, some women still hadn’t caught up.
‘Some women, on the other hand, can fight and reclaim property that was taken from them. If they were all like her, lawsuits would triple overnight.’
Thinking of Harriet in such a setting made him chuckle at himself. But it was natural. Harriet was the boldest, sharpest businesswoman he knew.
Compared to her, Lady Spence was… well, there was nothing left to say. His gaze drifted around—
‘What…?’
At first, he thought he was hallucinating. He’d been thinking of Harriet, and suddenly—there she was.
But it was real. Their eyes met. And then she snapped her head away and walked off.
‘Harriet!’
He nearly followed her on impulse. But Lady Spence, oblivious, kept talking to him, and he restrained himself.
He couldn’t just chase after her without thought.
He checked where Harriet was heading, then scanned the area, thinking quickly.
‘How on earth did she get in here?’
She couldn’t possibly have received an invitation herself. Which meant she had come as someone’s guest. But it wasn’t Trisha—she hadn’t attended such events in years.
Then it struck him. He borrowed a small opera glass from Lady Spence—thank goodness she had brought one.
He peered through it, following Harriet’s path. Sure enough, she was heading toward none other than Tez Roark, who was chatting loudly with his group.
‘Why is she always tangled up with that man?’
He couldn’t see anything romantic between them—but still, why?
Irritation flared. His eyes swept over Tez’s companions. He knew them well.
‘Those bastards…!’
They were the same men who, during every polo match, could talk of nothing but women. He had found them disgusting, and their faces stuck in his memory.
Cedric wanted to believe Harriet had come with someone else. But no—the only familiar person nearby was Tez Roark.
And now, Harriet’s steps back toward them had slowed. She looked around, as though hoping to find someone else to speak to instead.
