Chapter 105 - Hundred And Five
George came back to the table, a single glass of water held carefully in his hand. He saw Anne hunched over the flimsy pamphlet, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. He took a quick peek at the headline as he neared the table.
He sat down and placed the glass of water in front of her with a soft click. "Looks like Duke Philip has gotten himself into another spot of trouble again," George said, his tone casual, trying to start a conversation.
Anne dropped the pamphlet, her full attention now on him. "Duke Philip? Another trouble?" she asked, her eyes sharp with a sudden, keen interest.
George nodded, pleased to finally have some information that she found valuable. "He has a reputation for it," he began to explain. "Always making bold, risky business moves. My father used to say that he was too ambitious for his own good..."
But Anne was no longer listening to him. Her mind was already racing, connecting the dots, seeing the potential in this new piece of information.
~ ••••• ~
At the grand headquarters of the Carson Textile Establishment, Dowager Duchess Elena was sitting in Duke Philip’s chair. She sat behind his large, imposing mahogany desk, her posture as straight and unyielding as the oak tree outside the window. Philip was standing in front of the desk like a young lad called to his father’s study, his hands clasped behind his back, ready to be reprimanded.
The air in his own study was thick with his grandmother’s silent, simmering fury.
"Did you bribe them?" Elena asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
Philip was silent. His gaze was fixed on a point just over her shoulder.