Chapter 196 (1): You Don’t Have to Come Bearing Gifts

Night.

Wayne could now say from personal experience that Fawst’s air quality was ten thousand times better than Londan’s. Due to it being a port city, wind and water elements accounted for a large percentage of all the elements in the air.

After the shopping trip, Mona, Veronica, and Vera went into one single bedroom and got changed, their chattering filling the room. As a fashion designer, Wayne had wanted to give them pointers about coordinating clothes in person, but one of them rudely shut and locked the door, keeping the expert outside.

Vera had the habit of giving herself away for free, and Mona never locked any doors in his presence. It was obvious who it had been.

“It’s fine to be wary of perverts, but really? Shutting a gentleman out, too?”

Wayne petted his dog and owl, mumbling in protest. Suddenly, his brows furrowed. He looked over at the door leading outside, nose twitching. He smelled perfume.

Someone knocked.

Ever since they witnessed the ‘orgy’, the aunt and niece pair never knocked on Wayne’s door at night. Even if the hotel burned down, they wouldn’t see him until the next morning.

There were only so many women Wayne knew in Fawst. Among them, the three he knew the most intimately were getting changed in the bedroom, and the Saunders weren’t going to throw themselves at him. Wayne didn’t even have to think to figure out who the uninvited visitor was.

“Oh, freebie’s knocking.”

He opened the door to find Marion standing in the corridor, dressed to showcase her enthusiasm fully. What a nice wingwoman!

He had noticed how the noisy bedroom quieted the moment she knocked.

“Sir Wayne, apologies for the disturbance. I wonder if I may have the honor of inviting you to a musical.” Marion bent down to lower her briefcase to the floor slowly and gracefully, the deep V of her evening gown revealing her impressive assets. When she straightened herself, she tucked her long red hair behind her ear seductively, making it difficult to reject her.

Wayne didn’t turn her down. He put on white gloves and picked up the briefcase. “You didn’t have to come bearing gifts. Don’t do it again, or someone may falsely believe that I’m taking bribery!”

“I assure you, these are all local specialties that aren’t worth much,” Marion said. Seeing that Wayne appeared susceptible, she laid it on even more thickly and brought up the musical again.

Which musical can we possibly go to this late at night? And look at your whole getup and the lack of fabric to cover you wholly, you’re going to say that you’re the performer, aren’t you?

Wayne knew what Marion was proposing to perform for him. The musical sheet was drawn on her chest, and the performance would be done with wind instruments—specifically, brass instruments with either piston valves or rotary valves. Trumpets would come first, followed by trombones. Then the wind instruments would transition into percussion. It wouldn’t be a family-friendly show.

“I’m honored to be invited by you, Miss Marion. However...”

Before Wayne could finish, the bedroom door opened, and a hand reached out to beckon Wayne over. Then another hand appeared, followed by yet another.

Marion fell silent.

“As you can see, my condition does not allow me to do something as physical as watching a musical.” Wayne massaged his waist and spoke in a regretful tone. “Maybe another day. I have a full schedule tonight, so you should make an appointment with my secretary tomorrow. She’ll make the arrangement.”

Clack!

The door shut in Marion’s face. She heard cackling coming from inside the room: “Keke, here I come, babes!”

She scoffed, shaking her long hair off her face and stalking away in frustration.

She had completed half of her mission. While Wayne had kept her gifts, he didn’t keep her. Judging by the results alone, the honeytrap was undoubtedly a failure. It had nothing to do with her lack of charm, but the fact that Wayne couldn’t take any more companions for his health’s sake.

The failed attempt proved that honeytraps could work. The typical Londan man loved it!

However, why would someone bring his own food on a reimbursed trip rather than tasting the local delicacies? Those three couldn’t all be secretaries, could they?

Confused, Marion decided that Wayne had to be a freak.

***

Inside the suite, Wayne rubbed his hands together and was about to walk into the bedroom when one of the three beckoning hands slapped the other two away and shut the door, locking him outside once more. He huffed, unsurprised, migrating to the living room’s sofa with the briefcase.

There were thirty nicely packaged gift boxes inside, all containing luxurious jewelry.

“Whoa, this gem’s massive!” he marveled out loud.

The bedroom door opened, and Veronica popped her head out.

Wayne glanced at her. His master was right: Dragonbloods loved sparkly things.

Veronica came to the living room with a frown, opening the boxes and saying, “The Snow family just bribed the leader of the investigation team. Your accepting the bribery will effectively be a promise to protect them. Her Majesty won’t let you off the hook once she learns of it.”

Vera and Mona came over, joining in the fun of opening the gifts.

“Good. Her Majesty will be happy to learn about the bribery.”

Wayne took out a key to a bank deposit box from the briefcase before pushing it toward the three women, telling them to help themselves to everything without worries.

“Why would Her Majesty be happy?” Veronica asked in confusion, fussing over the gems and finally picking a decent one.

“Because this proves that I have materialistic desires,” Wayne said simply. Someone with no apparent desires was either someone with a great ambition and a greater pursuit, or a lout who didn’t seek to achieve anything. The former would be a threat, while the latter wasn’t worth the trouble to cultivate; neither would be ideal for a leader.

A good subordinate should make themselves seem materialistic, whether they had base desires or not, and they should hand their weaknesses to their leader on a silver platter. Only then would their leader value and support them.

Were the leader in question the sovereign of the nation, the hidden rule would be invaluable.

Veronica listened with a frown, saying dismissively, “You’re acting, and Her Majesty knows that you’re acting. She’s not a fool and has no reason to buy your act.”

“It’s the attitude that matters. Someone who refuses to go along with the unlawful deeds around them will be shunned by their colleagues, and someone who doesn’t give their leader leverage against them will never be valued.”

Wayne sat back, laying out the facts. “So even though I’m no pervert, I have to bring a secretary with me no matter where I go. This time, I even brought three. This way, the clerk will tell Her Majesty that Sir Wayne has weaknesses and desires, making him easy to manipulate.”

“Oh, right. During the drive today, I flirted with the clerk and told her that she’s my favorite type.”

Yeah, how difficult it must have been for you!

Veronica groused.

There were so many things wrong with his explanation that she struggled to get any words out. After a moment, she said, “So, has Mr. Lando been bringing Megan around for the same reason?”

“No, they are actually messing around.” Wayne lowered his voice and curled his finger at Veronica. Once she was close enough, he whispered, “I asked. Auston wasn’t acting. He had bedded Megan more than once. You should keep it to yourself and not tell Master, though. I’ve promised him to keep his secret.”

“How dare he?!” Veronica gritted her teeth, swearing to tell her mother once she returned. The next second, she mumbled in puzzlement, “Why would Mr. Lando tell you that? You aren’t his superior. You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

“Ha, just ask around. His reputation is terrible enough as it is. I’m actually making him seem better by talking behind his back.” Wayne scoffed, throwing Veronica a mocking glance. “He only told me because he was jealous of my integrity and goodness. He told me to follow his example and bring a secretary everywhere.”

Veronica was starting to believe it. She pictured herself punching Auston. That damn scum. Had he even considered her feelings before giving Wayne that piece of advice? How could he?!

“And Auston said that it was for your own good,” Wayne said.

“Huh?!” Veronica couldn’t believe it. How was it for her good? She didn’t feel good at all.

“As the heir of the Lando family, I’ll meet many more beautiful women who throw themselves at me, just like Miss Marion from earlier. She didn’t visit me tonight only to bribe me.”

Wayne weaved truths with lies to mislead Veronica. “Bribery will only solve the problems the Snow family faces right now, but what about later? Without the protection of the Ministry of Magic, how are they going to continue trampling over others?”

Stunned, Veronica mumbled, “By getting the support of Sir Wayne. You’re the heir of a Tulip Family. If Marion becomes your lover, the Snow family will have a new benefactor in Londan.”

“That’s right.” Wayne snapped his fingers, suddenly standing up and grabbing her shoulders. “Auston was wrong. You are smart. You can fit into this immoral world with some guidance.”

Veronica looked away. She was happy to be recognized, but she didn’t want to become part of that world.

“Now, the second question.” Wayne pointed at Vera. “If she is a seductress trying to tempt me, and you aren’t around, how am I going to extract myself?”

Veronica looked around in confusion, her eyes finding Mona.

“Yes, she’s the answer.” Wayne reached out to pull Mona into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder without missing a beat. “That’s why I have a secretary with me. When someone comes to seduce me, my secretary can drive them away, just like how the three of you keep Marion out.”

His explanation fit perfectly with what had happened in reality, so much so that Veronica couldn’t come up with a counterargument. However...

“Bastard, how much longer are you going to keep holding her?”