Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

The St. Claire and the Leopold families did not have any prior business connections as their areas of expertise did not lay in the same sphere.

The Leopold family dealt with jewels, importing and exporting them to whoever bid them a good price.

On the other hand, the St. Claire family was majorly in the field of trading metals that were mined within their fief.

Therefore, the two families had not much contact as they did not deal with each other in the business world.

However, Lord Jonah Leopold had sent Rutherford a letter with a proposal a few weeks ago which had intrigued him.

If they could combine forces then they would be able to rake up a good amount of profit.

.....

Rutherford, being a true businessman, had not declined that proposal but had shown interest in it as it was to his benefit.

The mining business was established by his ancestors and he had been managing it in an excellent manner such that it was prosperous and had grown by leaps and bounds in the last many years.

However, gaining more profit was never a bad thing especially when the other person was the one approaching him and offering such a good deal to him.

Therefore, the two parties had decided to meet today at the Commercial District and discuss certain intricate details that needed to be agreed upon before they could form a business alliance.

“I have decided to move ahead with this deal and we will sign a contract in two days.” Earl Rutherford declared once he had reached the end of his explanation.

Though he had not mentioned what this new partnership with the Leopold family was, anyone with a functioning brain and basic knowledge of the noble families would be able to deduce what it could be.

The Leopold family worked in the precious gems industry and the St. Claire family owned mines from which they gained numerous metals.

Some of these mines were of precious metals too but the Earl had not yet commercialized them as it was kept for his family’s sake.

The existence of these mines was known to many who had an interest in learning about the topography of different fiefs but the precise location of these mines had been kept a secret.

Only those belonging to the St. Claire fief could ever set foot in those places.

Those who could work there were also trustworthy citizens of the St. Claire fief who placed all of their loyalty with the Earl.

Therefore, there was no chance of the location of these lands ever being leaked to any outsider.

In fact, even Raylene and the children had never been to these mines as their routes were tricky and dangerous.

Being located somewhere on a mountainous range, it would be troublesome to journey to such a place and hence the rest of the family had never visited it before.

Yvonne had long heard about her family’s business but had never paid too much attention to it.

Realizing that she knew nothing that others already did not know, she was intrigued to learn more about it.

Her elder brother was the same as he was the heir and needed to be educated about these matters as the responsibility to look after them would fall into his hands later on.

Therefore, when their father had briefly mentioned his reason for meeting the old man from the Leopold family, they had already decided what they would do next.

If Rutherford had seen their similar-looking expressions at this moment then alarms would have blared in his head.

Sadly, his eyes were fixed on his father-in-law and thus he had failed to catch the inquisitive look on his daughter’s face and the determination that had flashed across his son’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Valente was unable to even let out a grumble after what he had just heard.

Though his son-in-law had not hesitated before revealing such private information to him, he knew that this was not something he could interfere in.

The partnership was between the two noble families and bringing his past enmity into the picture would do them no good.

Not to mention that his son-in-law’s words made it clear that the partnership was almost settled and only the signing of their contracts was left which would be done soon as well.

Therefore, he pressed down his dissatisfaction and gave the Earl a quick nod.

Having nothing else to say, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

“Vonny hasn’t yet shown us the present your brother has given to you.” He diverted the direction of their conversation once he had received the answer he was looking for.

When Rutherford saw that the old man was not making things difficult for him by asking him to not cooperate with the Leopold family, he smiled at his wife as her family wasn’t as unreasonable as some other people.

The first example that came to his mind was Earl Blaise who had insisted that none of their relatives could purchase any goods sold by the St. Claire family.

That man had given out similar instructions regarding all of his competitors which also included CLOVER.

Therefore, until now, those who were related to the Blaise family could not purchase any of the goods that were from his business rivals.

Thankfully, Old man Valente knew how to keep personal issues away from business unlike a certain Earl who had failed to keep it professional, thus making things difficult for his relatives with his unnecessary demands.

While Rutherford was praising his wife’s family, that same woman glanced at her children with a look of surprise on her face.

Earlier today, when she had left for the appointment she had made with some other ladies, everyone was still at home.

However, when she had returned, she heard from the Butler that the Earl had left first and soon after the Young Miss’s classes with the Marquess, the children had gone outside as well.

Since their secret guards would be watching over the children, she did not think too much about it yet the fact that they had disappeared despite not having any plans previously had been surprising for her.

Rutherford sneaking out to deal with his business matters was something she had already expected but the same could not be said for her children.

Though Howard had been spending time outside with his friends ever since he had returned from the Academy, Yvonne was a complete recluse who enjoyed staying in the comfort of her home.

If it wasn’t needed then she wouldn’t even step out of her room.

In the past few days, she was only stepping outside when it was time to train with Captain Desmo, study with the Marquess, and finally eat with her family.

Outside these few instances, she also stayed in the Office with her father as the two sat in silence and worked on their individual tasks.

Therefore, it was understandable that the Countess was stunned to hear that Yvonne had accompanied her brother outside today.

Only when she heard that a gift was involved did she realize why her child had acted out of the ordinary.

‘Vonny and her presents.’ Raylene let out a chuckle before shaking her head.

When Yvonne caught that look of understanding flash across her mother’s eyes, it gave her a strange feeling but she did not know what it could have meant.

If she had known that her mother had already marked her as someone who loved receiving gifts and would follow anyone who gave her presents then she surely would have been miffed.

However, she did not have the time to ask about it as the rest were curious about the present that was mentioned earlier.

After all, when she and Howard had met the other men, she had concealed what she had obtained today and had declared that she would reveal it once they got home.

Now that the time had finally come for the gift to be unveiled, Yvonne smiled before glancing at one of the maids she had met earlier.

When the maid noticed this action, she hurried back into the mansion where this gift had been placed.

Until the gift could be brought out, Howard decided that this would be a good time to explain what had happened after his parents had left home this morning.