MLIIWTFL Chapter 138

 

 

 

“Sorry, I just wanted to announce our relationship quickly.”

 

“I understand how you feel, but in our family, even romance is part of marketing. If the jewelry side isn’t ready, we can’t announce it yet. The design needs to be completed first, so production, marketing, and everything else can be prepared. Let’s wait for Uncle and Lenny to handle it.”

 

“Ugh… Will that take long?”

 

“It’ll take some time. They’re expecting something on the level of ‘Tears of the Red Moon’ from our parents’ time.”

 

‘Tears of the Red Moon’ was the necklace Patrick had publicly gifted Camilla when he proposed. It was crafted with large, deep red rubies cut into teardrop shapes, adorned with small diamonds. Even now, it remained a steady bestseller.

 

So, it was inevitable that they expected a product of similar prestige for Letticia’s relationship announcement. Letticia understood that.

 

“So for now, just focus on dating Ezkhiel. According to Kenneth, Austin is only pretending to court you. If necessary, just have both of them around—go on dates with Ezkhiel while Austin hangs out with Kenneth.”

 

“Ugh… Fine. But what’s this accident you mentioned?”

 

“There was a mistake in the jewelry order list. They didn’t check for missing items and placed the order as it was. As a result, several types of gems are completely out of stock, and we’ve received orders for some of those unavailable ones.”

 

“And on top of that, a difficult customer showed up? What exactly happened for my brother, the deputy manager, to make that face? Who came?”

 

Letticia wondered if some high-ranking noble had shown up.

 

Lenard took another sip of the drink his butler had refilled before answering.

 

“Lady Averil and her brothers.”

 

“What the hell.”

 

“Hey, watch your expression.”

 

Lenard scolded her, saying a debutante shouldn’t make such a face, but Letticia was too shocked to care.

 

‘Those crazy bastards actually came to the jewelry store?!’

 

In the original novel, the Averil ducal family had also visited Sharon Jewelry. It was one of the few scenes where the store was explicitly mentioned.

 

‘Ariette was trying to choose some jewelry, and her brothers were trying to empty out the store’s inventory. She had to struggle to stop them.’

 

It was a typical shopping scene from an overprotective older brother story, but from the store’s perspective, such customers were nothing short of troublesome.

 

Unless they operated like Aner, catering to only a few high-paying clients, they couldn’t afford to focus on a single customer’s order. The social season was peak business time, and if one client wiped out the stock, they wouldn’t be able to fulfill other orders.

 

Letticia was sure Lenard handled the situation well, but it must have been stressful.

 

“Why did they even come to our store? Are they already preparing for the social debut?”

 

“Not exactly. Lady Averil made the reservation alone. Her brothers barged in later.”

 

Lenard sighed as he began explaining what had happened that day to his younger sister.

 

Holding another glass of liquor, refilled by the ever-attentive butler.

 

***

 

“Deputy Manager, Lady Averil has arrived.”

 

Lenard, who had been too busy receiving reports from his employees, frowned at the clerk’s words. Come to think of it, he had completely forgotten about today’s reservation.

 

During the boat ride with the Duke, Lenard had introduced the jewelry chains and suggested gifting one to Ariette.

 

The Duke disliked high society, but he hated seeing his daughter mocked even more. Lenard had anticipated that the Duke would buy whatever was trending for Ariette.

 

Fortunately, the Duke seemed intrigued by Lenard’s sales pitch and made a reservation. During his visit to the Duke’s estate, Lenard managed to sell nearly half of the jewelry chains in the catalog in one go.

 

He had assumed that would be the end of their interactions, but suddenly, Ariette made a reservation to visit the jewelry store herself.

 

She had specifically emphasized that she would come alone, which suggested she wanted to shop by herself. But knowing her and her family, Lenard was certain her brothers would either follow her or at least show up later.

 

‘I’d better get there quickly.’

 

The longer Ariette was allowed to shop alone, the more satisfied she would be.

 

With that in mind, Lenard quickly finished receiving reports and gave his staff instructions.

 

“Have the orders for the Southern Pearls and Wade Mountain Carnelian been placed?”

 

“Yes, we just received confirmation. They’ll be ready in three days.”

 

“Then notify the crafting team to start working on the new gems as soon as they arrive. Inform the design team as well so they can prepare. If the worst happens and there’s a delay on our end, we may need to apologize to the clients, so prepare for that just in case.”

 

“Understood.”

 

With all orders given, Lenard headed to the room where Ariette was waiting.

 

“Where have you seated the lady?”

 

“She has been escorted to the VIP room and is being served Eflor tea.”

 

“And her guards and maid?”

 

“They are waiting inside the room with her. Their weapons are concealed.”

 

“Good. I’m glad they complied with that.”

 

Having armed guards roaming inside a jewelry store was not a good look.

 

Sharon Jewelry did not prohibit guards or weapons outright, but they always requested that they remain discreet.

 

It seemed even that overprotective family was willing to comply with such a request, Lenard mused as he stopped in front of the room.

 

Just in case, he adjusted his tie once more, then put on his practiced ‘prince-like’ smile—the one he always used with customers—before stepping inside.

 

“Ah, Lord Sharon!”

 

At the sound of the door opening, Ariette turned around. The moment she saw Lenard, she beamed and stood up from her seat.

 

Her outing dress was made of chiffon—a fabric currently difficult to obtain—and was adorned with sapphire and pearl chains on the sleeves, with a topaz chain draped around her waist.

 

‘If even Lady Averil is dressed like this, I guess Letty’s fashion is truly trending. And considering she managed to get chiffon… As expected from the Averil Ducal family.’

 

Letticia had previously bought up all the high-quality chiffon in the market, making it nearly impossible for anyone else in high society to wear a chiffon dress.

 

Yet, Ariette’s dress was clearly of equal quality to Letticia’s. It wasn’t something leftover from the market—her family must have gone out of their way to source chiffon separately.

 

After assessing her attire, Lenard put on the same charming smile he used to make countless female customers blush and purchase more jewelry than they originally intended.

 

“Welcome, Lady Averil. It is truly an honor to have you visit our store.”

 

“Ah, hello, Lord Sharon! But you don’t have to say it’s an honor.”

 

“Not at all. If our jewelry can enhance the beauty of a lady such as yourself, there is no greater joy for a jeweler.”

 

As Lenard flashed a smile, Ariette—and even the maid behind her—blushed slightly.

 

In truth, he hated saying such cringeworthy lines, but after witnessing firsthand how a well-timed smile and a bit of flattery could significantly boost sales, he had mastered the art of delivering them effortlessly.

 

‘It’s a good thing I take after my father.’

 

His father, Patrick, had been so handsome in his youth that people joked he looked like a prince from a fairy tale. The delicate and elegant features Lenard inherited from him had always helped him earn favor with women.

 

Of course, just as there were advantages, there were also downsides.

 

Unlike women, many men harbored resentment toward Lenard because of his appearance.

 

Even the bodyguard standing behind Ariette was glaring at him with the same look of disdain one might give a frivolous playboy.

 

But Lenard didn’t care how the bodyguard felt—Ariette was the one making the purchase. Ignoring the rude stare, he turned to her and asked in a kind voice.

 

“So, may I ask what brings you to our store today?”

 

“Ah, well…”

 

Ariette hesitated for a moment before glancing back at her maid and bodyguard.

 

“Marsha, Sir Bio, could you both step outside for a moment?”

 

“That’s impossible, my lady!”

 

“We cannot leave you alone!”

 

At the immediate refusal from both her maid and bodyguard, Lenard furrowed his brows. How could employees openly defy their mistress’s request?

 

“Please. I just want to shop alone for a bit.”

 

“Then please just pretend we aren’t here, my lady!”

 

“Exactly! We’ll stay completely silent!”

 

Ariette wanted them to leave, but her maid and bodyguard insisted on staying by her side.

 

Feeling like he was watching a comedic skit, Lenard cleared his throat to draw their attention.

 

“Lady Ariette, there is a private lounge right next to this room where attendants can wait while their masters shop in peace. Why not have them wait there?”

 

“A private lounge?”

 

“Yes. It’s closer than sending them all the way back to the main hall, so your maid and bodyguard can still stay near you and feel reassured.”

 

At Lenard’s suggestion, Ariette turned back to her attendants.

 

“Did you hear that? Please wait for me in that lounge. I want to shop alone today.”

 

“But my lady….”

 

Though both the maid and the bodyguard still seemed reluctant, Ariette was firm in her decision. In the end, they had no choice but to comply and head to the lounge.

 

Once the door closed behind them, Ariette finally let out a relieved sigh and turned back to Lenard.