Melody of Strength novel

Carissa first sought out Luke to get a general understanding of the situation and the current status of The Gilded Tower.

Luke assured her that there was no need to worry. They had Eric in their custody and had sent some people to monitor The Gilded Tower, ensuring that no one could slip out to send a warning.

Feeling reassured, Carissa headed towards the accounting room.

Helen had not yet finished reviewing the accounts, but the entire room was filled with people kneeling in fear and anxiety. The place was in disarray–anything that could be thrown from the desk was thrown, except for the account books. Several cups had also been smashed.

Helen’s hair was a mess, and her face was pale with anger. Upon seeing Carissa, her feelings of grievance and humiliation reached its peak, and she burst into tears.

“How could they do this to me?!”

Carissa entered the room, and addressed everyone, “Please rise. Everyone except for the accounting staff, leave the room. Gillian, you too.”

There were quite a few accountants employed in Hell Monarch Estate, and there was also a head accountant. All of them were trembling on the ground, having never witnessed such fury from Helen before.

The servants, who had been waiting in the room, breathed a sigh of relief as they stood up and left. Eric, still on his knees, was also escorted out.

Carise

approached Helen, and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. “Have you finished reviewing all the accounts?”

“There are still this year’s accounts left,” Helen replied, taking the handkerchief to wipe her tears and runny nose.

Carissa’s return had calmed her somewhat, but her feeling of being insulted remained strong.

“Even if we don’t consider this year’s accounts, The Gilded Tower made a profit of thirteen thousand silver coins. Yet, she kept coming to the palace asking me for money, claiming continuous losses and needing to cover rent and wages for the workers.”

Carissa helped Helen to her feet. “Let’s get some coffee and eat something. Have the accounting staff finish the rest of the calculations. Once they’re done, I’ll review them. Then, prepare your contract and get ready to go to Harmony Palace to reconcile the accounts with Jessica.”

Recently, Jessica had been staying at Harmony Palace. She hadn’t appeared when Carissa went to retrieve the Mystic Pearls yesterday. But as she was in charge of The Gilded Tower, she had to come out to settle the accounts.

“Can we even get anything out of her, considering we’re practically entering a tiger’s den?” Helen asked resentfully.

“Of course. What belongs to us must be reclaimed.”

Helen wiped her nose and paused before adding, “If you can help me get it all back, I’ll give you half of it.”

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“Why would I want something that’s yours? What is rightfully yours is yours. The Gilded Tower is far more profitable than a makeup shop. Not only should you get what you’re owed, but since you hold the majority stake in The Gilded Tower, you should also be the one to manage it. Those women won’t be able to swindle even a single coin from you in the future if you do that,” Carissa said.

They retreated to the side hall. Even after drinking a cup of hot coffee, Helen remained aggrieved.

“How could they have lied to me like this? They’ve gone too far! All these years, I trusted and respected

them. I thought that if they made a profit, it wouldn’t matter if they took a bit more. I never expected them

to be so evil! Aren’t they afraid of their reputation being ruined?”

“That’s because when they deceived you, they never thought you would leave the palace and live outside. Otherwise, why would they let you take a 70% share of such an easy business? When investing, you had to contribute 70%. When there were losses, you also had to cover 70%, Carissa said.

“This is outrageous–absolutely outrageous!”

Helen’s anger was evident, but now she seemed at a loss as she looked at Carissa.

“What should we do? Besides the initial investment of several thousand, I later added several thousand more. At this point, I don’t care if I don’t get my share of profit back. I’d be content if I just got back the money I injected into the business. At most, I just won’t have any further dealings with them.”

Helen’s final words came with a hint of a sob, her voice full of grievance.

Carissa frowned.

They had talked about reclaiming everything just a few minutes ago. Why was Helen now saying she was willing to forgo the share of profit she was entitled to?

Helen’s outward show of strength was truly despicable, but her tearful state also evoked some sympathy. Carissa understood why Helen’s own family, the late king, and Victoria had been so indulgent with her. When Helen cried, she really did look pitiful. With her delicate bone structure, her wide–open eyes gave an Innocent impression, and tears welling up in them truly made one feel their heart break for her.

Carissa’s mother–in–law was so transparent with her emotions–joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness all clearly displayed on her face.

However, Helen had improved somewhat, having learned to put on a facade in front of Eleanor.