Chapter 110

Athena had just turned to return to the manor when a sudden flurry of hurried footsteps rang out.

She looked up and saw a squad of officers and soldiers rushing over, completely surrounding the Delight Tavern.

Leading them was a man dressed in black official robes. His eyes were sharp and piercing as he shouted, "No one is allowed to enter or leave! Everyone inside, come out for inspection!"

Startled, Athena instinctively shrank back into the carriage, but her eyes stayed fixed on the soldiers' every move.

The soldiers, armed with long spears and looking highly alert, blocked both the front and back entrances of the restaurant tightly. The noise inside instantly fell silent, replaced by a deathly stillness.

Soon, the doors slowly opened. A few staff members came out, followed by some terrified-looking customers.

"Who is the manager here?" the officer demanded.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to answer.

Just then, a plump, middle-aged man hurried out of the restaurant, bowing and scraping. "Officer, I’m the manager. I don’t know what happened to warrant your visit, sir,"

The officer snorted coldly. "Someone reported that your establishment is involved in illicit activities. We’re here to investigate. Everyone had better behave. If anyone dares hide anything, they won’t be treated kindly."

With a wave of his hand, the soldiers charged in like wolves.

Before long, the restaurant echoed with the shrieks of women and cries of men begging for mercy. "Spare me, officer! I didn’t do anything! Please…"

"Save it. Take them all away!"

"Sir, please…"

The restaurant doors swung wide open, and everyone inside was dragged out.

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd outside.

The women were barely dressed, making for a rather alluring and scandalous sight.

The men covered their faces, half-naked, with telltale marks left from acts of passion still on their bodies.

It was more than obvious what had been going on inside.

"Good! Serves them right!" a woman in the crowd stepped forward and said with satisfaction. "This place should’ve been shut down long ago. They only let men in and not women. Clearly, this wasn’t a legitimate business!"

As she spoke, more officers carried loads of gambling equipment out.

The confiscated coins were piled high like a mountain.

The onlookers buzzed with outrage. "No wonder business was booming here! Turns out there were women and gambling behind the scenes. No wonder some men became rich overnight, while others lost everything!"

"Our empire enforces strict laws. Gambling is forbidden. These people dared to defy the law? They must have powerful backers, or they’ve completely disregarded His Majesty!"

The crowd grew agitated, and in their anger, they started throwing whatever they had at the restaurant.

Watching from her carriage, Athena sneered in amusement. Eloise and Willow had really caused a major scandal. She wondered whether the old Duke could withstand this blow.

The news quickly reached the duke’s estate, throwing the household into chaos.

Inside the room, Eloise paced anxiously, constantly receiving messages from coming and going servants.

Just then, Nicolas entered. Eloise rushed forward. "Nicolas, thank goodness you’re here!"

Nicolas’s face darkened, his eyes burning with rage.

He stormed up beside Eloise and dropped onto a chair, his voice filled with reproach. "Mother, how could you be so foolish? How could you open such a place and keep it from us?"

“I… I had no other choice." Eloise was already panicking, feeling dizzy and close to fainting.

As she wept and rambled in defense, she sobbed. "It was the servants acting behind my back. I had no idea what they were doing in secret."

"No idea?" Nicolas suddenly raised his voice. "Do you think I believe that? That manager is a distant relative of yours and has always worked for you. Without your orders, would he have dared do such things?"

He continued, "And now? The authorities have shut the place down. At such a crucial moment, how is the duke’s estate supposed to recover from this?"

Eloise burst into tears, lips trembling, but she had no words to respond.

Just then, a maid’s voice called from outside, "Lady Willow, you can’t g-"

The door was suddenly pushed open. Willow entered with red-rimmed eyes.

Seeing her, Eloise immediately waved at the maid to leave and close the door behind her.

Willow dropped to her knees before Nicolas, her voice trembling with desperation. "Nicolas, please, don’t blame Mother anymore. The tavern was all my doing."

Nicolas’s brows furrowed tightly as he stared at her in disbelief. "How could you? His Majesty has strictly forbidden gambling, yet you opened an underground casino? Now that it’s exposed, what are we supposed to do?"

Surprisingly, Willow showed no fear. Instead, she looked calm and spoke firmly. "Nicolas, please don’t be angry. I did this for you. Where else could I get that much money in such a short time? It was a risky move, yes, but effective, wasn’t it?"

Rather than feeling guilty, she looked quite proud. "In just half a month, we made a lot. If we ran a proper business, how long would it take to earn that much?"

Nicolas’s brows slowly relaxed as he muttered, "At least seven or eight years."

Willow said, "I dared to do it because I already had safeguards in place. Neither Mother nor I signed anything official, just verbal agreements. Even if the authorities investigate, they won’t trace it to us."

She continued, "And even if they did, all you have to do is pull a few strings. With your connections, the duke’s estate will remain untouched; it’ll even ease some of your burdens."

Nicolas stared at Willow in shock, as though seeing her for the first time.

Fearing her son might lash out, Eloise quickly pulled Willow behind her to shield her.

Her son had always been upright and principled. He might strike Willow in anger.

"Nicolas, blame me instead. I’m the one who started this. Willow only did it for me!" Eloisa sobbed uncontrollably, "I can’t take full responsibility. I won’t drag you both down.”

Nicolas shouted angrily, "Mother, as the Duke's wife, how could you take the fall alone? If anything happens to you, we will be the laughingstock of Indence City!"

"Mother and I only did this to help the household through hard times. Please. Forgive me just this once," Willow pleaded tearfully.

Nicolas looked at their red, tear-streaked faces and finally softened his tone. "You two stay in the manor and wait. I’ll go see what I can find out."

Eloise and Willow both let out a sigh of relief. Eloise then handed him a box of silver notes. "Take these for the necessary arrangements."

Nicolas hesitated, then accepted the box. Without another word, he turned and left.