True Tycoon Her Empire, Her Rules

For some reason, Winnie was feeling a tad guilty. 

It wasn’t because of the marital tie her master had arranged between them. 

Sure, her master had chosen her betrothed, but she refused to acknowledge it, and Drake was clueless about the true meaning of their bond, so she acted as if it didn’t exist. 

Her guilt stemmed more from having just lashed out at Parker. 

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t resort to her esoteric skills on an ordinary person. 

The last time she used a talisman was the first time she ever did such a thing, and that was on Suzan. 

This time, with Parker, was the second. But she had no choice. 

She preferred silencing someone with reality rather than reasoning. 

Thankfully, it seemed Drake hadn’t seen the recent incident. 

He simply pointed at the well–behaved little fox sitting at his feet, looking as disciplined as a military dog, and said, “Your fox, I’ve brought it back to you.” 

Winnie was slightly embarrassed; after all, it wasn’t the first time her little fox had wandered over to the Pattersons“. 

Not only did her fox like to cozy up to him, but her Ghost Baby did too, and even the spiritual energy from her Spirit Gathering Array seemed to gravitate towards him. Because of this, she often had to check his whereabouts to avoid any overlap in their schedules. 

Winnie didn’t like to be a bother, but she had indeed caused quite a few inconveniences for 

Drake. 

“I was just about to come and pick him up.” 

She paused, then added, “I’ll keep a closer eye on them, so they won’t trouble you again.” 

Drake’s face remained impassive as he hummed in acknowledgment. 

Something seemed to strike Winnie, and she continued, “I’ll be starting school in a month and a half, so there won’t be any need to adjust our schedules anymore.” 

At that, Drake’s brow seemed to twitch slightly. 

After a moment, he pulled a small box from his pocket and handed it to her. 

“I couldn’t make it to the Bryant family’s appreciation dinner today, so consider this a gift for your upcoming school year.” 

He hadn’t planned on coming so early today and had sent the gifts for the Bryant kids well in advance. But remembering the fateful connection he shared with her, despite his reluctance to 

acknowledge it, he felt compelled to offer some kind of gesture, especially with such an important milestone as her starting college. 

Winnie was surprised that Drake had thought to give her a gift for school, but she accepted it politely. Upon opening the box, she found a nine–tailed fox brooch, delicate and elegant. The craftsmanship was exquisite and unique, each tall tip adorned with a diamond, easily evoking. the image of a mythical creature. 

Winnie’s gaze instinctively moved from the brooch to the little fox at Drake’s feet. 

Unfortunately, her pet was just an ordinary fox, not a fabled nine–talled one. 

“Thank you, Mr. Patterson, it’s beautiful.” She carefully placed the box into her handbag and then asked him, “The dinner has just started, Mr. Patterson, would you like to join us?” 

Drake had only intended to deliver the gift and having met her outside, he was not inclined to go in. He remained silent, but his stance was clear. 

Winnie then bent down to pick up her fox from beside Drake’s feet, ready to say goodbye, but as she straightened up, Drake suddenly inquired, “What did you do to Mr. Robinson?” 

His voice was pleasant, cold yet not off–putting, but it was also difficult for others to gauge his emotions from it. 

Winnie merely pursed her lips in silence. So he had seen everything. 

Caught bullying an ordinary person, Winnie didn’t hide anything and simply said, “Nothing much, just help him to meet his ancestors.” 

Drake raised an eyebrow, “Meet his ancestors?” 

Winnie nodded with a smile, “Yes, the real ancestors.” 

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She knew from her last visit to the Robinsons‘ mansion that a couple of the family’s ancestors were still lingering there. 

Parker, having been tagged with a familial spirit charm by her, would have a fitting opportunity to have a heartfelt discussion with his own Robinson ancestors tonight. 

She was intimidated of the late Althea Robinson; otherwise, she would have sent a chill down Parker’s spine so strong he might have met a real ghost on his way home, potentially scaring him into a heart attack. 

Seeing her almost mischievous expression, as if she had played a prank, Drake found the girl in front of him a little more animated. 

Indeed, she was only eighteen, yet she often pretended to be indifferent to everything around her. Ultimately, it was because the Henderson family had failed her. 

With that thought, Drake unexpectedly showed a bit more patience towards his fiancée. 

His lips barely parted, and he said, “I won’t be at the villa much over the next few days, so you can stick to your own schedule for crafting your charms.” 

12:13 

He paused and then added, “Don’t stay up too late doing it.” 

Winnie knew he was referring to the conversation they had a few days back when she mentioned staving up all night to work on her charms. She had thought someone as busy as him wouldn’t remember such a trivial detail, but she felt a subtle warmth at his recollection. which disappeared as quickly as it came. 

She nodded and felt the need to explain. “I’m used to working on my charms overnight.” 

Especially when it came to engraving Amulets, she could be absorbed for four to five hours. straight. 

Daytime was always filled with distractions, and the night was much quieter. 

She intended to let him know that staying up was her routine and not because she was trying to take advantage of his absence. 

But Drake, hearing this, frowned slightly and his deep eyes swept over the area beneath her eyes as it checking for dark circles. 

Drake didn’t like dark circles. He wanted to tell her that burning the midnight oil was bad for her health, but then he remembered that even as an engaged couple, they were in a state of unacknowledged mutual denial. He had no right or place to lecture her. 

His lips, usually set in a thin line, held back the words that nearly escaped. Instead, he simply gave her a nonchalant nod and turned to leave. 

Winnie often found it hard to read his expressions, but something about the way he strode off made her feel like this man was somewhat upset. 

Her almond–shaped eyes betrayed her confusion. 

Had she said something wrong? Unable to figure it out, Winnie chose not to dwell on it. 

Holding Pretty, she made her way back to the Bryant Manor. 

She contemplated setting up some kind of… home protection system. It could keep the good vibes in and prevent Pretty and her mischievous Ghost Baby from annoying Drake with their occasional breakouts. 

But the idea faded as quickly as it came when she considered the sprawling grounds of the Bryant family estate. She wasn’t exactly overflowing with energy to set up such a system. She’d probably end up flat on her back from exhaustion day in, day out. 

Winnie turned the thought over in her head and tossed it aside along with Parker’s issues. 

Parker, having left the Bryant estate, had also pushed earlier events to the back of his mind, until he returned to the Robinson family’s villa. Rubbing his weary brow, he walked inside only to be met by an enthusiastic old man in a neat suit. 

“Ah, my grandson, you have finally returned!” 

Parker suddenly froze on the spot.