THIBV - Chapter 134

Meanwhile, Isaac was having just as much fun each day as Josh.

They brought back Eli, who had been kidnapped by Bridget, and Utah and Chloe's marriage negotiations went smoothly.

And with that marriage proposal, he even got close to the Duke of Linchester!

Yesterday Isaac also enjoyed dinner with the Duke of Linchester.

As the wine began to take effect, the Duke told Isaac some surprising secret stories.

Last night, drinking with such powerful men and laughing at their lame jokes, seemed like a dream.

His shoulders shrugged.

He felt like something was possible.

"Eli! Haha! You've gained a lot of weight!"

Isaac happily picked up Eli and began to dance, bending and straightening his knees.

"This father will bring honor to our family! And this family will all be yours! Haha! How is it, aren't you happy? Yes?"

But before Isaac's stomach ailment could even be cured, his joy was shattered one day by the arrival of a letter.

"What? The trade route is closed..."

It was a letter circulated to investors by someone who had invested together in the Cartania trade.

The war broke out when the fleet of the Kingdom of Lumion attacked the navy of the Kingdom of Cartania.

As a result, all of the maritime trade routes of the Kingdom of Cartania were blocked, and many trading ships were attacked or captured.

No one has been able to contact the Hawk Group, in which Isaac invested.

So the letter was asking investors to get together and discuss what to do about this situation.

"What... nonsense... nonsense!!"

Isaac opened his eyes wide, trembling, and read the letter two or three times before grabbing the back of his neck.

"Ugh!"

"Are you okay?"

Cedric clicked his tongue and pretended to hold Isaac.

Isaac slumped down in his chair.

His limbs were trembling.

"Dream, this must be a dream. Yes, this must be a dream. Ah, argh!"

His stomach, which had been aching for a long time, felt like it was going to burst.

"Butler, the attending doctor..."

"Your doctor left a few months ago because you couldn't pay him."

Bridget was paying the salaries of Cedric and a few other employees needed to maintain the mansion.

The doctor was the first to send Cedric away, as Isaa had no intention of keeping a high-level staff member, such as a doctor, who would only work for Isaac's health.

"Then go outside and find another doctor!"

"Master, hold on tight. If you collapse now, you could die before the outside doctor arrives."

Isaac felt like he was going to faint, but Cedric's firm words brought him, back to his senses.

"Go to bed and lie down."

"Ugh."

Isaac crawled into the bedroom, clutching his stomach and the back of his neck.

Cedric had no choice but to have his servant call a doctor.

He was worried about money, but if he could sell even one of the expensive pieces of furniture in the mansion, he would have enough money to pay the doctor. After all, it was Isaac's fortune.

Isaac lay on his bed, curled up on his back like a shrimp, sobbing.

"My Investment. Sob, sob. My investment..."

Tears soaked the pillow.

Soon he was flailing his limbs like an overturned turtle, pounding the mattress.

"This is ridiculous! War!! War all of a sudden!"

Originally, wars broke out suddenly.

The Western Continent, where the Kingdom of Baltak is located, had about thirteen kingdoms bordering each other.

Kingdoms with intricately intertwined blood ties between royalty and nobles fought wars from time to time.

The Kingdom of Cartania was no exception.

Isaac lay in bed for three days without eating or sleeping properly, and then, perhaps thinking that he couldn't go on like this, he started wandering around looking like a skeleton.

He met with investors who had suffered similar losses, looked around to see if there was anywhere they could turn for help, and even sued the top domestic branch of Hawk.

However, there was no proper place to receive compensation for the financial damage caused by the war.

Isaac's estate was seized faster than the problem could be resolved. Needless to say, the Winston mansion, the pinnacle of luxury, was put up for auction.

Thanks to Bridget's advance arrangements, the mansion's employees, including Cedric, were transferred to the new owner and were able to remain in the mansion.

Cedric was impressed that Bridget had prepared everything as if she had known this would happen.

"I want Cedric to be my eyes, If you do, I will reward you with a satisfactory reward."

Bridget kept her promise.

Isaac was the only one who had to leave Winston Manor.

Isaac sat down in the empty bedroom, hugging Eli.

In a few days, a new owner would be appointed, and now he would never be able to enter the mansion again.

"Why... Why?"

Isaac couldn't understand why this was happening to him.

For some time now, he has been seeing visions of moneybags sprouting wings and flying away.

"My money! My money...!"

He waved his hands in the air, trying to grab his purse.

But there was nothing tangible.

His hands were empty, and that was reality.

When he lost everything, the only person he could think of was Bridget.

"Bridget...!"

Bridget, who had encouraged investment in the Cartania trade, was also held responsible.

'If only Bridget hadn't told me to invest more money to save up my pride in front of the nobles, I wouldn't have invested so much!'

He could not accept that Bridget was spending her days at ease in the palace while he was suffering such humiliation.

Isaac took out a copy of Chloe's slave contract that Josh had given him and kept for him.

"Yes, God arranged this for me for this day."

The idea of Chloe catching Bridget's ankle was brilliant.

It's still too early to be discouraged.

All he has to do is have Bridget repair all the damage.

Josh happened to come to see Isaac. The timing was perfect.

"Hey, have you not resolved your trade Investment Issue yet?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of that."

Isaac was just annoyed that Josh, who was no help at all, was asking such things.

"But isn't Chloe's debt due date just a few days away?"

"Actually, that's why I came to see you."

Josh was nervous.

Isaac's situation was so dire that Josh couldn't sleep, worried that he might change his mind and ignore Chloe's problem.

'I didn't think Isaac would be ruined. In an instant like this. What on earth happened?'

If Chloe got married quickly, the Lennox family might at least protect her.

But no matter how quickly he prepared, the wedding date could not come before the debt repayment date.

"Isaac, are you sure Chloe's problem is going to be taken care of?"

"I was thinking of going to see Bridget anyway."

Josh remembered the fight he had with Lauren a while ago over Bridget.

He belatedly regretted not having sent a letter of apology to Bridget at the time, pretending not to be able to overcome his mother's anger.

'I guess it's okay since my mother wrote a letter to Bridget.'

Lauren thought she had sent Josh the letters without telling him, but he knew full well what she was doing.

"Please, try to convince Bridget. There are thugs from that moneylender stationed in front of our house right now. When you come back from the palace, be sure to stop by me. Got it?"

Unlike his usual loud voice towards Lauren, Josh was stern towards Isaac.

Isaac said, "Oh, don't worry about it!". in the same tone, Josh had used to Lauren and left Eli in Cedric's care as he headed straight for the palace.

He had no idea what he was going to hear from Bridget.

***

"You're going to let Chloe be sold into slavery?"

Isaac was so embarrassed that he couldn't continue speaking.

"You're not serious, are you?"

Bridget didn't even blink.

"That's Josh's job to solve. Chloe wouldn't have gone to the loan shark alone, Josh would have had to instigate her."

"Bridget, this is no joke. Thugs are waiting in front of Josh's house right now, waiting to take Chloe away. If what I'm saying is true, send someone..."

"I don't think it's a lie. What's surprising about this?"

"...?"

"...Josh sold me out to you. Why can't you sell Chloe out?"

Isaac stared blankly at Bridget, his mouth open.

'Oh, this isn't it...'

His eyes were spinning because he hadn't swallowed anything all day.

'Did I hear something wrong?"

Isaac stumbled and fell into the chair next to him.

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