MLS Chapter 20

To put it briefly, Lorena could not reclaim her wedding ring from the jeweler. The jeweler hesitated to comply with her request to return it.

<I recognized at first glance that this item originally belonged to you, Señora… However, if I hand it over to you, I would have no excuse to present to the Marquis. I doubt you’d want me to inform him that the Duchess of Levantes retrieved this item, would you?>

Lorena had no choice but to leave the jeweler, merely asking him to keep the ring’s ownership a secret.

‘Could it be that someone is looking for me?’

The thought lingered in her mind, but within a few days, it was pushed aside as public opinion about the Duke’s affair began to shift drastically.

On the fifteenth day since Lorena had exposed her husband’s infidelity, the Levantes family started taking serious action, naturally aiming to put an end to the disgraceful gossip surrounding the Duke.

Dora, with her twin blonde braids bouncing, energetically burst into the sitting room.

“Here’s today’s morning paper, Señora!”

As always, the front-page article was sensational. The headline read:

-The Queen of Alborada Weeps as She Apologizes to the Duchess!-

The centerpiece of the front page was a familiar face—Olivia Quintana. The woman whose affair with the Duke had been revealed was prominently featured.

Lorena, struck by disbelief, read through Olivia Quintana’s interview.

“It’s true that I was at the Alborada Hotel several times in His Grace’s company. However, Lord Diez, a close friend of His Grace, was also present on those occasions. The photographs were simply taken from an unfortunate angle. I swear to the heavens, I have never once had a private tryst with His Grace…”

“But I admit, such situations could easily be misunderstood. I deeply regret any distress this has caused the Duchess. If given the chance, I would like to meet her in person and offer my sincere apology.”

“Olivia Quintana isn’t enough, after all…”

Lorena clicked her tongue in frustration. Of the seven women Vaye had been involved with, Lorena had managed to reach only three. The other three had vanished without a trace, and the last one, Olivia Quintana, was already firmly under Levantes’ control.

‘Olivia’s testimony could have been crucial, but I had no way to contact her.’

She turned the page of the newspaper. The back page featured information about the three women she hadn’t managed to find. The interviews, either with the women themselves or their acquaintances, mostly denied any connection to the Duke.

Her maid, Dora, who had recently taken on the role of Lorena’s eyes and ears, diligently roamed the city gathering gossip.

“The Duke’s family has threatened to report anyone spreading baseless rumors. Now everyone’s keeping quiet. It seems like even the journalists who sided with you and criticized His Grace have faced pressure.”

If the Duke’s family was taking a hard stance, the scandal could easily be buried. Worse, the tide of criticism might turn against Lorena. The public loved juicy scandals, and the weaker side was always the easiest target.

In the end, while she had succeeded in tarnishing the Duke’s reputation, she had failed to bring down his fortress entirely. The Levantes’ influence was truly formidable.

Lorena rubbed her forehead, overwhelmed by a wave of emptiness.

* * *

That evening, Olivia Quintana really did come to see Lorena.

But she didn’t come alone. Trailing her were numerous reporters and photographers. In front of more than a dozen cameras, Olivia knocked on the door of the Klein residence.

Lorena silently studied the woman bowing her head before her. As if to emphasize her intention to apologize, Olivia wore a plain black dress devoid of any ornamentation. Her bare face, without a trace of makeup, made her look unrecognizable from the once radiant and confident woman she had been.

“Did the Duke order you to do this?”

“He didn’t say a word.”

“Then his lawyer must have suggested it.”

“…”

“Ah, lawyers, plural. There’s more than one, isn’t there?”

Lorena spoke indifferently. Without being invited to sit, Olivia remained standing in the middle of the drawing room. Lorena didn’t bother to extend her the courtesy of offering a chair.

“I thought our goals aligned. I let you have my husband, and you would take the position of Duchess. But the fact that you sided with Levantes means either his offer was more tempting or… he threatened you. Probably the latter.”

“…You understand quite well.”

“Of course. So let’s skip the meaningless apology and talk about what happened that day—the day Vaye returned from Soto.”

No matter how much she thought about it, there was something she couldn’t understand about that day. Lorena, nibbling on the tip of her pen, looked at Olivia with genuine confusion.

“Did he go to the hotel that day? I distinctly asked you to keep him there as long as possible.”

“He did come,” Olivia replied, her voice trembling slightly. It hurt her pride, but there was no helping it.

“He saw my face and turned right back around.”

“Why?”

“He must have had something more important to do.”

“He came back to the mansion. Went straight to the bedroom and lashed out at me for no reason. But that’s beside the point.”

“…”

“What I want to know is why you couldn’t hold on to him. Didn’t you say Vaye cared about you? That you provided him with valuable information? I believed you, Olivia.”

Lorena hadn’t truly thought Vaye Levantes cared about this woman. But she had assumed Olivia was at least an intriguing plaything—a toy to keep him entertained for a year. Olivia herself had been so full of confidence.

Lorena let out a sigh, looking at Olivia as if she were the most pitiful woman in the world.

“You could’ve handled it better.”

“I’m sorry, Señora, but what do you mean by that…?”

“If it were me, I would’ve charmed him the moment I saw him.”

Olivia’s pupils trembled violently. Lorena’s words echoed exactly what Olivia had once dreamed of saying to the Duchess with smug satisfaction.

“Tears, smiles, perfume, that soft body of yours. You had so much at your disposal. If you’d just captivated him, you wouldn’t have to bow your head so pathetically before me like this.”

“…”

“If you had just tempted him for that one moment, just one night, you could have become the Duchess. But you couldn’t.”

If there had been even a single photograph of Olivia entering a hotel room with Vaye, Lorena wouldn’t have needed to engage in this messy public battle. The chance for a smooth divorce had slipped away right before her eyes.

As Lorena let out another deep sigh, as if dredging it up from her core, Olivia bit her lower lip in frustration. An indescribable humiliation surged within her.

That day, when Vaye returned from Soto, the Duke had stopped cold the moment he opened the door to Olivia’s hotel room. As Olivia cheerfully approached the door, his icy question struck her like a dagger.

<You?>

<Excuse me?>

<Are you the woman waiting for me at this hotel?>

<Yes, it’s me. I have something to discuss with you. A list of republicans frequenting Alborada…>

Olivia had intended to lure him into the room after opening with that. She was skilled at seduction and confident in her abilities. Vaye was ruthless to those he found useless but generous to those he deemed valuable. Olivia had been one of the latter, someone he trusted.

But the Duke didn’t step even a single foot inside the room. His gaze lingered on Olivia’s face for only a few seconds, just long enough to confirm her identity. Then, with a low, muttered curse, he turned away.

<Damn it. Even after returning, you still drive me insane.>

The words weren’t directed at Olivia. Without another word, he left the hotel.

Left alone in the room, Olivia immediately sensed where he was heading. The searing look of love and hatred in his eyes had already provided the answer.

Olivia clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.

“It was supposed to be you who was discarded. So why…?”

Since that day, Olivia hadn’t seen the Duke even once. The “Canary Operation” had completely fallen apart, and Olivia, who had once served as an informant for Vaye at the Alborada Hotel, was now deemed useless.

The moment the Duchess exposed the scandal, the Duke’s men came for Olivia. Without offering any explanation, they detained her and warned her that if she dared to speak about the Canary Operation or Levantes, her life would be at risk.

“Discarded? Me?”

The arrogant man had been shaken to his core by a woman who didn’t even realize what she meant to him. Olivia smirked bitterly.

“No one discards me, Olivia. I’ve grown sick of that.”

“…”

“Now it’s my turn to discard.”

And to do that, Lorena knew she needed to find a new path forward. Olivia Quintana was no longer a piece worth keeping in play. Lorena folded the weekly newspaper in half and handed it to Olivia.

“If you aren’t important to Vaye, then you’re not important to me either. After today, there’s no reason for us to meet again.”

“…”

“Would you leave now?”

It was a dismissal as cold and precise as it was final.

* * *

“Damn woman, insufferable wretch…!”

Olivia, her veil drawn down, stormed back to the hotel in a fit of rage, unable to calm herself for quite some time.

It had to be the busiest hour at the hotel. The news of her visit to the Klein residence to personally apologize to the Duchess had already spread among the gentlemen of the club.

Most ignored Olivia, unwilling to associate with someone embroiled in such scandal. A few vulgar, nouveau-riche types with no sense of decorum took the opportunity to taunt her.

“Well, well, the Queen of Alborada’s reputation has taken quite the fall, hasn’t it?”

“See? Flaunting your ties with Levantes isn’t always wise. Losing favor can happen in an instant!”

“Shut up and get lost!”

She spat back a sharp curse and stormed toward the lounge. The bar in the top-floor lounge was quieter than usual.

“Damn it…”

She couldn’t let things end like this. Somehow, she had to prove her worth to the Duke again. The only thing Olivia could confidently offer him was information.

Alborada was frequented by countless men: royals, nobles, politicians, bankers, merchants, nouveau riche, and even subversives dissatisfied with society’s structure.

‘Republicans won’t be enough. I’ll target foreigners. I just need to dig into a businessman well-acquainted with the current situation in Ingerd or Lenon.’

Then he’ll come looking for me again. Olivia scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to wipe away the humiliation she’d just endured. It was only then that she realized she was still barefaced, with no makeup on.

As she hastily smoothed her skirt and stood up, a long shadow fell over her.

A strangely stimulating musky scent wafted toward her. Her chest tightened with apprehension, thinking the Duke’s men had come for her again.

But no.

The moment she looked up and met a pair of eyes gazing down at her, Olivia caught her breath. Her heart thudded in shock—once at his appearance, and twice at his identity.

“Hello.”

The man smirked, his lips curling upward as his sharp eyes glinted with a dangerous light, studying Olivia intently.

“So, you’re the little rat spying in my hotel?”