Chapter 781: Chapter 251 Daily Life going to Black Gold City_2
Leonard watched her serious expression, smiling silently.
But what he was thinking about was something else entirely.
How much longer could he stay?
His intuition told him
that he couldn’t possibly stay long in this wonderful journey through time.
And as his “weakened state” gradually improved, this feeling became stronger.
Lost in thought, Vera, noticing his somewhat melancholic mood, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Leonard shook his head.
Vera’s eyes twinkled with intelligence as she said, “Hmm… I’ve noticed you often seem distracted.”
Leonard offered an explanation, “Oh. Just thinking about things, got a bit lost in thought.”
Just then, the sound of a train whistle came from outside the carriage.
The train had entered a bustling station.
Black Gold City, they had arrived.
The carriage door opened, and Vera, like a qualified tour guide, announced, “Welcome Mr. Leonard Churchill to my hometown—Black Gold City!”
With that, she naturally took Leonard’s arm, ready to lead him off together.
But as soon as the door opened and she saw the group of people waiting outside to greet them, the young Miss Williams immediately shrank back, releasing Leonard’s arm like she had been electrocuted.
She tried her best to hide the blush on her cheeks and greeted the group, “Aunt Rosie, Uncle John, Cousin Alice, Eighth Uncle… what brings you all here?”
As Leonard listened to the string of titles for relatives, his expression remained unchanged, but he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
It seemed this group must have heard something.
Normally, receiving guests was a servant’s job.
But now, many relatives from the Williams Family had come.
Although none of them were particularly important figures, it was obvious that they were all very enthusiastic about Vera, fussing over her with concern.
“Oh, uncle heard you went to Bolton Town? There’s a war going on there; it’s too dangerous. Such risky affairs should be assigned to servants…”
“I heard from your mother that you survived a highwayman’s assassination? My goodness, that’s terrifying. Vera, don’t go to those remote places again, the law and order is too chaotic. But it’s good that you’re back safely…”
“I heard there’s been some trouble within the Rose Chamber of Commerce? What exactly is going on? Tell me, and I will stand up for you!”
“Vera, your cousin Harlan just graduated from the Federal Military Academy. He hasn’t seen his cousin in so long and wants to invite you to see a play tomorrow…”
Despite these folks dressing like proper upper-class society gentlemen and ladies, they are nothing but second-rate rich people in the eyes of the Williams Family.
Moreover, those who can shamelessly ask for favors in the face of interests are the ones who will gain more benefits.
After all, they all knew Vera was a kind-hearted girl who, with just a few nice words, could easily be persuaded to give them advantages.
Just like Aunt Mela, wasn’t she thick-faced and everywhere she went, reaping big benefits?
Now that they’re catching on, it’s not too late.
Oh, to hear that fat lady died, there could be no better news.
The commotion in Bolton Town not only disturbed the internal affairs of the Williams Family but even caught the attention of the Dragon City Federal Parliament.
The vampire incident was contained by the operatives of the X Bureau.
But other details began to spread.
To investigate the contamination, the X Bureau and various forces conducted a thorough check of those involved from Bolton City.
This inevitably led to an examination of personnel, comings and goings, accounts, and so on.
It wasn’t a big deal until they started checking.
The investigators were surprised to find that the Rose Chamber of Commerce was so wealthy?
In the span of a few days, the existence of the “Rose Chamber of Commerce” began to rise discreetly into the sight of those in the higher echelons through various channels.
The old generations of merchants couldn’t understand how those they considered “poor ghosts” at the bottom could squeeze out so much wealth.
But the fact was, this “Vera Williams” was now the most famous young tycoon in Black Gold City.
And the Williams Family caught wind of this right away.
The older generation within the family, who had dismissed Vera completely, suddenly came to a realization.
They discovered that the small-time business, which they had once scorned, had amassed a huge fortune that could make anyone envious by the time they came to their senses.
After a prolonged greeting, Vera finally extricated herself from the enthusiastically welcoming relatives.
She saw Leonard, who was still waiting in the carriage.
She hurried onto the train.
As the door closed, the world went quiet.
If it were before, she might have actually believed that the family elders were concerned for her.
Even knowing they had ulterior motives, she would have thought it didn’t matter since they were family.
But having gone through her Third Uncle hiring assassins and her aunt’s instigations, she felt differently about these so-called family members who were now currying favor.
Vera looked at Leonard with a sense of resignation: “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Leonard was completely unconcerned: “It’s alright.”
The two shared a knowing smile.
Thinking about the recent turn of events, Leonard added, “However, with your return this time, you might be quite busy.”
Vera pursed her lips faintly and nodded gently, “Ah… yes. Suddenly, I find this kind of socializing really annoying. But they are family, after all, so I can’t avoid it.”
The incident in Bolton City made her feel as though she had grown up a lot.
The truths she had been unable to understand before, now seemed crystal clear at once.
She didn’t hide her feelings from Leonard, speaking resignedly, “When I opposed the arranged marriage and was expelled from the family, all those uncles and aunts mocked me with scornful words, as if by not considering the family’s interests, I was depriving them of their benefits. But I can’t understand why they expect me to maintain their interests with an arranged marriage. Clearly, wealth is something you create for yourself… of course, they were more afraid I might borrow money from them… oh, you know it’s hard getting a business started, I did seek a lot of help at that time, but few were really willing to assist me…”