Chapter 369
Carissa decided not to address the issue immediately. She instructed the staff to prepare a meal for Helen first.
After Helen had finished eating, Carissa said, “Let me see the contract. We need to check for any hidden traps. If there are any, we must prepare in advance.”
Helen blinked through her tearful eyes. “What can we do if there are traps?”
“There are ways to deal with them. Just bring the contract to me first,” Carissa replied, avoiding Helen’s gaze, especially since she was crying.
So, Carissa turned to Gillian and asked her to retrieve the contract. Gillian knew exactly where the documents were kept. She quickly found the contract and brought it to Carissa.
Carissa read the contract three times from start to finish and found no issues—it was fair and impartial. However, Helen had used Gillian's name, while Jessica had used Eric's. Surprisingly, Eric was a household servant of the Winchester family.
For a lady from a prominent family engaged in outside business, using her own name was uncommon due to numerous bureaucratic procedures and the stigma of public involvement. Instead, they would use the name of a male family member or a trusted servant. Servants could hold the contracts and couldn't easily cause trouble, even if the property was registered in their names. Women typically used the latter method to manage their private property.
Helen and Jessica couldn't conduct business under their own names. In society, while money was appealing, merchants were considered lowly. Therefore, as long as they made money, the name on the documents didn't matter, as long as they controlled the contracts.
“Is everything alright? Do you see any problems?” Helen asked anxiously as Carissa repeatedly examined the document.
Carissa looked up at her with a meaningful gaze. “There are no problems.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Carissa seemed to be looking at her as if she were a fool, and Helen disliked such condescending looks. Carissa was sorely tempted to say, “It seems they didn’t even bother tampering with the contract, indicating how easily they thought they could manipulate you.”
Of course, she couldn’t say that aloud, or Helen would likely respond with anger and tears, claiming she was being unfairly treated.
“It’s a good thing!” Carissa put the contract away. “There’s no need to wait until tomorrow. I’ll visit Grand Princess Eleanor tonight. As for Eric, he should be detained tonight to prevent him from alerting anyone. Luke has already sent people to monitor The Gilded Tower, so the staff won’t be able to leave to send any messages.”
“So soon?” Helen was angry, but she seemed genuinely afraid of Eleanor and Jessica.
“We should strike while the iron is hot!” Carissa looked at Helen. Seeing Helen’s eyes well up with tears again, she unexpectedly softened her tone. “Alright, stop crying. I’ll accompany you. I’ll handle whatever comes up.”
Helen’s voice was hoarse and frail. “Then, I’m counting on you. Please also speak to Rafael on my behalf later. Don’t let him stay angry with me.”
Helen no longer spoke in the grandiose manner she used to, nor did she exhibit her previous haughtiness. The dislike that had once shown in her eyes when she looked at Carissa was gone, replaced by a hint of a sulky demeanor.
Seeing Helen in this state, Carissa couldn’t help but shiver. It was quite unsettling to see someone who used to be so authoritative now appearing so demure.
By evening, the accounting records were delivered to Carissa for her review. The current year’s profits were particularly impressive. After rounding off, they had made a substantial profit of seventy-three thousand silver coins. Adding the profits from previous years, The Gilded Tower had earned over two hundred thousand silver coins. The business, based on the designs of The Golden Tower, had proven extraordinarily lucrative. But that was also to be expected.
The cost of imitating designs was low, and the materials of the products weren’t as pure as The Golden Tower’s. Even though the imitations sold for less, profit was good, as using cheaper materials boosted sales and raised the brand’s visibility. As long as rich merchants and ordinary people saw The Gilded Tower as affordable and stylish, that was enough to drive the business.
Carissa reviewed the expenditures. The costs for raw materials and finished products were quite low. In other words, the so-called pure gold might not be as pure as claimed and could even be gold-plated. If the gold jewelry tarnished in three to five years, it would provoke a major outcry. Gillian, as the main stakeholder with a seventy percent share, would be directly accountable. Therefore, The Gilded Tower was definitely not worth keeping.