My face turned pale. However, I managed to muster superhuman self-control and barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth in a smile. “Hahaha. Of course. Please wait a moment.”
A chill ran down my spine. Did the main branch’s vault still have that much gold left? We haven’t replenished the gold withdrawn yesterday!
Gold reserves are usually replenished once a week. In fact, there were often that wasn’t even replenished. Because there was always plenty of gold. There had never been a shortage!
“Here is gold worth one trillion Fran.”
Thud! Heavy bags of gold were piled up in front of the counter.
“You may count it yourself, Lady Danae.”
I hid a sight of relief. Somehow, I barely managed to fill it. Of course, I had scrounged up the gold even from the personal safes of the bank’s employees! It’s okay. This news will make the front page of the newspaper again.
When I was scraping the gold together, I wondered what I was doing, but now it seemed like a good decision. This would certainly solidify Liten Bank’s reputation for having a large gold reserve!
“Thank you. I will use your services again.”
“Hahaha, anytime!”
After Lady Danae left, I urgently commanded. “Quickly send a message to Marquis Liten! The gold reserve is completely depleted! Ask for an urgent replenishment!”
“Yes.”
“And you, go to the branch on Rosel Street and ask them to lend us some gold!”
However,
“I-I’m sorry, but they said immediate replenishment isn’t possible.”
“What?”
“The Rosel branch of Liten Bank is also out of gold.”
What?
My expression went blank.
Other branches were also out of gold?
“This morning, someone from the Windsor family exchanged all the money for gold coins.”
“!”
At that moment, my face twisted, and I realized. She did that on purpose! Danae Windsor was sweeping all the gold coins from the nearby Liten Banks!
No, wait a minute. If a major customer comes now and requests a gold exchange…
“Branch Manager! There’s trouble!” An employee rushed in. “A request came in to exchange for gold coins! This time, 200 billion Fran…!”
Why do ominous premonitions never fail?
I quickly rose from my chair and ordered. “Go to Marquis Liten’s house immediately! Explain the situation to him and get the gold coins!”
After sending the employee, I hurried to the customer lobby. “200 billion Fran, you said? Did they ask for exactly 200 billion Fran?”
“Yes. But…”
“Dam in, who in their right mind would request such a huge amount at once!”
“It’s Lady Danae.”
I stopped dead in the hallway. What did you say?
“Lady Danae has requested an exchange for gold coins.”
* * *
Dana’s POV
“What kind of joke is this?”
As expected, he was angry. The branch manager’s businesslike face suddenly became distorted.
“It’s no joke. I just came to exchange for gold.”
“100 billion Fran last evening. Another 100 billion Fran this morning. And now 200 billion Fran in the afternoon?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Lady Danae. No customer in history has ever exchanged gold overnight like this!”
I pretended not to understand his meaning and tilted my head. “Branch Manager, did I give you trouble?”
“Of course, Lady Danae. This is serious business interference!”
“Only this much?”
“Pardon?”
“You told me Liten Bank has the most gold in the world.”
“That…”
“So I used it, and you said I interfered with your business interference?” I raised my voice and laughed mockingly. “Did you think I would bring only a small amount of money?”
The branch manager was at a loss for words.
“Didn’t you know I’m wealthy?”
Liten Bank’s Branch Manager’s POV
How could I not know? The heiress of a legendary treasure island, Danae Windsor, is one of the richest people on the continent!
“So, I naturally thought you could handle this amount.”
Glances were felt all around. Unfortunately, many customers had flocked in today. This incident would certainly spread by word of mouth.
“That can’t be.” So, I forced a friendly smile. “Liten Bank can certainly provide the amount of gold you want. Please wait in the VIP room for a moment…”
“How long?”
“Pardon?”
“How long do I have to wait?”
“That…”
My mind raced. How long did it take to get from the bank to Marquis Liten’s house? No, could Marquis Liten prepare 100 billion Fran right away? What if Marquis Liten isn’t at his house?
“You don’t even know how long I have to wait? I’m a very busy person, Branch Manager.”
“That, it’s a huge amount. We’re being extra cautious in preparing. Please wait in the VIP room…”
“Didn’t I already say I’m very busy?” The smile vanished from Danae’s face. “You know what I’m going to do with that money, but you’re telling me to just wait indefinitely?”
“T-That’s…”
“Didn’t you say credit is about time? You didn’t mean just because the bank has been established for a long time, did you?”
“O-Of course not.”
“I thought it meant you value the customer’s time.”
At that moment, I realized. How I handled this would change the perception of Liten Bank. People would think if you couldn’t handle wealthy customers like Danae Windsor, then you’re a bank for the middle class!
Should I just kick her out? But then, Liten Bank would be branded as unable to handle the wealth of someone like Danae Windsor!
She’s doing this on purpose. This damn woman!
I was certain. Windsor was attacking Liten, with Danae Windsor at the forefront. And she wasn’t even trying to hide it. Rather, she was flaunting it!
“Okay. I’ll wait here then.”
I thought she would leave immediately, but unexpectedly, Danae crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair.
“I hope it arrives before the bank closes.”
From then on, I started praying internally. Please, God Ramun. Let Marquis Liten provide the gold coins immediately.
Tick, tock. Time passed. Each second felt like an eternity. How long had it been?
“Branch Manager.”
He’s here! I rose to greet the returning employee.
“Milord said it’s impossible to replenish the gold.”
What?!
“Currently, all branches in the capital are requesting gold replenishment from Milord.”
“What? All branches?”
“Yes. People from Windsor are requesting gold exchange at all branches. Liten Bank’s gold reserves are completely depleted!”
“…”
“All branches will take at least several days to replenish. So it’s impossible right now…”
Impossible…
I was completely deflated, gazing blankly at Lady Danae. A madwoman robbing all the gold from Liten Bank like a highway robber.
“Ah, that’s me. I requested it.”
And this madwoman didn’t even hide her trickery.
“I urgently needed gold coins. Gold coin is accepted everywhere on the continent.”
“…”
“The Windsor family’s checks are being doubted, so I rushed to convert everything into gold out of anxiety.”
“…”
“Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the days following, I’ll come to convert all my wealth into gold coins. Ah, and by the way.”
Lady Danae looked straight into my eyes and asked. “Can I continue to use Liten Bank in the future?”
No. Don’t come. Liten Bank can’t handle your wealth!
Declaring that would diminish Liten’s status.
What to do? How should I handle this?!
“Branch Manager.” Then, an employee’s whisper came to my ear. “Milord said to negotiate with her.”
I wanted to scream in relief. Well done, Milord! It was best not to engage with such a crazy woman.
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Good chapter!