If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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If the Villain’s Secretary Suits Me
Chapter 33
Randolph froze, his gaze piercing through the business card I extended toward him.
Laklan slowly added a remark to him, who showed no intention of exchanging cards.
“Does Noel’s representative not carry business cards, or simply lack business etiquette?”
“You—Iliana is the head secretary?”
“It appears to be both. Let’s move inside now; no need to waste further time.”
“Yes, Branch Manager.”
Passing by Randolph, whose mouth hung agape, I made my way toward the entrance, turning over his words in my mind.
He’d said “came down to the Southern Region.”
If he believed I still lived in Sirena in the southeastern territories, he would never have used such phrasing.
He knew I had relocated to the Capital City.
‘He must have heard it from Jack. So Randolph was the one who orchestrated my kidnapping.’
The moment suspicion crystallized into certainty.
As my rage reached its peak, my blood ran cold instead. I thought with crystalline clarity.
Part of me wanted to tear out every strand of that greasy hair, but that would be mere catharsis.
What would be the most effective way to make Noel’s representative, Randolph, regret his existence?
‘I have one more reason now to take that land from Julius.’
Yes. The land was the priority.
With renewed determination, I knocked on Julius’s front door.
“Good day, Julius. I’ve come from La Mar. Do you have a moment to speak?”
“Haven’t seen you before. Well… sure, come in.”
Before I could even register how easily the door opened…
“So you’ve brought the 10 billion gold?”
“I’m afraid not. As you’ve surely heard, La Mar has a set compensation ceiling.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I wanted to hear your story. You must treasure this house greatly if you won’t exchange it for anything less than 10 billion gold. I was curious what your reason might be.”
“What? Treasure? This decrepit, termite-eaten hovel? Nonsense!”
“…Pardon?”
“Did you think I had some bittersweet memory, or a promise with my dead wife, something like that? Ha! Not a chance! I’ve simply been waiting for the day when some national project or other would explode and rain money down upon me!”
Now I understood why Laklan had suggested I hear this directly.
“As you can see, this property’s location is absolutely prime. I—thirty years ago, no less—predicted the development and claimed this land in advance! Kahahaha, that’s what you call foresight.”
“…”
“It’s my lottery ticket after more than thirty years of waiting. I won’t sell it for anything less than 10 billion, not after all this time holding on!”
Julius Noel was pure, one-hundred-percent money-obsessed.
***
Laklan glanced at the CEO’s secretary.
A question formed in my mind—but not about Iliana Grecia. It was about Aden, the CEO himself.
During last night’s all-nighter meeting, Laklan had handed over a document. It was information he’d obtained while investigating the servants of the Noel Marquis House.
“There’s Randolph Maurel, the advisor who attached himself to the Marquis’s second son after his death. But apparently, Maurel wasn’t his original surname.”
“Is that so.”
Aden, who had been elegantly deflecting the unspoken question of “what does that matter?”, raised an eyebrow at what came next.
“Before marriage, his name was Randolph Grecia. His current surname comes from his wife’s family—he married into it as a son-in-law.”
“Grecia, you say.”
“Yes. Considering his age and background, I suspect he might be around the secretary’s uncle. I’ve encountered that advisor once before, and there are similarities in their appearance as well.”
Laklan had been about to add something.
That perhaps it would be better to exclude Iliana from this matter.
Not that he suspected her of being a spy—suspicion was Aden’s specialty, not his field of expertise.
Laklan had merely mentioned it because family relationships could become awkward, and he couldn’t exactly reconcile them afterward.
“Useful information indeed. I’ll keep it in mind.”
But the way Aden cut off the conversation, his eyes turned chillingly cold. More so than usual, even.
Did the CEO already know something? I’d wondered, but seeing him today, it became clear.
‘The relationship has long since rotted away, not merely damaged.’
Randolph’s behavior was absolutely not something one would show to their own niece.
It wasn’t simply rudeness toward a subordinate—it was the attitude of someone treating another as far beneath them, as someone lacking and deficient.
As if it were acceptable to treat them that way.
Yet despite what must have been anger, Iliana handled it remarkably cleanly.
“Then is there significance to the figure of ten billion gold?”
“Of course there is. A round number is perfect for bragging about to others.”
“Ah, I suppose so. Both are large sums, but nine billion and ten billion do feel different, don’t they? The number of digits alone is different.”
“What does a young lady know!”
…I couldn’t fathom why Julius’s nonsense had been tolerated for dozens of minutes now.
It was meaningless. Even Luther, the supposed problem-solver, had thrown in the towel—just a greedy old man.
How was one supposed to negotiate with someone who answered “absolutely ten billion!” no matter what was said?
That’s why I’d shifted direction to negotiate directly with the Noel Marquis House, to which Julius belonged.
‘Well, no one else has ever tolerated this tedious money chant to this extent.’
Laklan watched the two of them with a sense of curiosity about how far this would go.
Then the recording pen—a pen that doubled as a recorder—wedged into the document folder Iliana held glinted.
Was she recording this nonsense?
“You recognized the value of this land more than thirty years ago. Haven’t you invested in other places with that same foresight?”
“I have! …But well, I didn’t get particularly good results.”
“Where did you invest?”
“Over there, the Kona Marble Mine in the Western Region. I bought it, but… I didn’t make any profit.”
The moment he heard this, Laklan let out a silent laugh internally.
Being a former mine worker, he knew well.
The Kona Mine was different from ordinary mines—its ore veins were exposed on the surface. Beautiful to look at perhaps, but the profitability was abysmal; an open-pit mine. The quality of the marble produced was bottom-tier, making extraction costs exceed the yield.
‘An investment that yields nothing but losses, with the only gain being the ability to boast about owning a mine.’
“Ah, the Kona Marble Mine, then.”
Yet for some reason, Iliana’s eyes sparkled at those words. What was that about?
“One last question, if I may. Earlier, the advisor mentioned that all you need to do is hold firm—does that mean the Noel Marquis House has agreed to pay ten billion gold in case of emergency?”
“Exactly. That’s why I don’t need to sell to La Mar at a reduced price.”
“Forgive me, but did you receive a contract or a promissory note?”
“Of course! I’m not fool enough to trust a mere verbal agreement.”
“Would it be possible to show us? We need to understand the exact conditions guaranteed by the Noel side so we can discuss this anew.”
“That shouldn’t be difficult.”
Julius shrugged and produced a crumpled confirmation document.
After examining it carefully, Iliana exchanged a glance with Laklan and rose with a slight smile.
“I understand your firm resolve regarding the ten billion gold, Julius. I’ll bring this up with the Merchant Guild again.”
“Yes, yes. Next time, bring the ten billion gold, understood?”
The moment the door closed, Laklan and Iliana spoke simultaneously.
“He’s been swindled.”
“Completely swindled.”
“There was no clear payment date specified. It wasn’t even an Empire-standard confirmation document.”
“Right. But even if it were, the Noel Marquis House doesn’t have ten billion gold in available assets anyway.”
“Have you mentioned that fact to him?”
“Of course I tried, but he wouldn’t listen. That old man must have been convinced by his advisor that there are secret personal funds or hidden assets. He trusts that advisor Randolph implicitly.”
Laklan added with a tone of exasperation.
“Both the Marquis’s wife and his illegitimate son claim they want to protect this house, but their true intentions are actually quite different.”
“In what way?”
“The Marquis’s wife inherited the late Marquis’s wishes. She’s determined to protect this house because if a harbor is built in Cassis, the Noel Harbor will suffer.”
“Then what about the illegitimate son….”
“Right. Victor, the son, probably won’t care much how the harbor turns out. His only thought is to somehow subdue the Marquis’s wife and become the Marquis himself. And he will likely…”
He frowned.
“demand that La Mar join hands with him in exchange for acquiescing to whatever happens to this house. He’ll want us to use our information network to completely remove the Marquis’s wife from power.”
Laklan hadn’t forgotten Aden’s chilling gaze.
Yet he thought that if their interests aligned, Aden might set aside his hostility and join hands with Victor and Randolph.
But if that happened….
‘Iliana would have to keep facing her Uncle.’
Would that be alright? he wondered.
As he thought this, Laklan glanced at Iliana and raised one eyebrow.
She had seemed absorbed in thought throughout the conversation.
“Branch Director. Do you happen to know much about the Kona Mine that Julius mentioned earlier?”
“I’d know more than most. I was born a mine worker.”
“Perfect! Then could you tell me what you know about that mine?”
Iliana’s eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence as she asked.
I had no idea why she was suddenly asking about the mine.
‘Was I worrying over nothing?’
Perhaps she had already moved past any lingering thoughts of that petty Uncle long ago.
Laklan let out a hollow laugh at the thought.
‘It seems the one who should fear facing her again is that Uncle, not the other way around.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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