area51novel Chapter 245 Could it be that the two of them are already...?
Chapter 245 Could it be that the two of them are already...?
Chapter 245 Could it be that the two of them are already...?
As she watched Lorne's figure disappear through the gates of the mansion, Liana Macht fell into deep thought.
"Just... ordinary friends?" she murmured to herself, staring at the empty living room.
Clearly, she didn't believe Lorne's story at all.
Thinking of her daughter's haggard appearance, as if she had just cried, and the complex reaction she had when she saw the other person—a mixture of panic, shame, and a hint of shyness—Liana knew that their relationship was definitely not as simple as "ordinary friends."
Could a mere friend elicit such a strong reaction from my usually proud daughter?
How is that possible?
As a mother, she knew her daughter's personality all too well. Hazel had always been more mature and proud than her peers, especially in recent months, when that pride had almost turned into arrogance.
She had very few male friends, let alone female friends, and even very few female friends she could talk to. But now, a male friend with whom she had a very close relationship has suddenly appeared.
This is too suspicious—
Hazel was well past the age where she would develop curiosity and interest in the opposite sex. She had always attended a strictly managed girls' public school, with almost no opportunities to interact with boys her own age. Who knew that a chance encounter might lead to love at first sight, and then—
Liana's mind involuntarily recalled Lorne's various behaviors just now.
Although he didn't seem to be of noble birth, his manners were impeccable, his appearance was quite good, and he knew how to please people without being overly obsequious. This type of young man was indeed very attractive to young girls who were inexperienced in the ways of the world and had a bit of an admiration for the strong.
Maybe my daughter really does like this type.
This suddenly reminded her of something. Just a few days before her daughter locked herself in her room, she had heard from the family's bodyguard that Hazel had tried to climb over the wall in the middle of the night, but apparently in her haste, she made a noise and was discovered by the patrolling bodyguard.
She originally planned to ask her daughter what had happened the next day, but to her surprise, her daughter locked herself in her room and refused to come out.
Moreover, according to the bodyguard, Miss Hazel may not have done this for the first time.
In the dead of night, climbing over the wall to go out, and not for the first time—these keywords combined inevitably made Liana's mind wander.
Although their entire family were devout followers of the Goddess of Night, neither the followers of the Goddess of Night nor the followers of the God of Steam and Machinery believed that lovers must remain chaste before marriage, unlike the more conservative followers of the Lord of Storms. However—as an upper-class family, especially one involved in politics, they were extremely concerned about their reputation! If any bad rumors were to spread—
If you want to do that kind of thing, you should at least wait until you're engaged! Or at the very least, wait until you're an adult!
and many more!
A terrifying possibility suddenly flashed through Liana's mind.
My daughter's recent unusual and huge mood swings, the obvious signs of crying, loss of appetite, and locking herself in her room—it seems very similar to the early stages of some kind of special condition!
Good heavens! Could it be—she has already—
"No! I need to have a serious talk with Hazel!" Once this thought formed, it was impossible to suppress. "No, that's not right, I should go straight to the hospital for a checkup!"
Liana could no longer sit still. Lifting her skirt, she hurried to Hazel's room and pushed the door open forcefully. Fortunately, this time her daughter hadn't locked it.
"Mother?"
Hazel was a little dazed when her mother suddenly barged into her room. She was still processing what Lorne had just said, and her mind was still a bit of a mess.
Why did you come in without knocking?
"I—." Liana stared intently at her daughter, her expression urgent, her eyes filled with worry and scrutiny, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know how to begin.
"Never mind." Hazel was in a state of turmoil and didn't pay much attention to her mother's unusual behavior. She sighed and took the initiative to speak, "Mom, I happen to have something I want to discuss with you."
Liana's pupils dilated slightly. Was her daughter finally going to confess to her?
"Mom," Hazel said hesitantly, her voice lowering, "could you—give me an advance on a year's allowance?"
"what?"
Liana was completely stunned, frozen in place. Her daughter suddenly wanted so much money, could it be—she wanted to—
"Mom? Mom?" Seeing her mother standing there, her face changing unpredictably, Hazel called out softly.
"Anything is fine with me!" Liana snapped back to reality, grabbed Hazel's arm, and pulled her outside.
"Mom! What are you doing?!"
"Go to the hospital!"
Clearly, the misunderstanding has deepened.
"I'll visit Congressman Tsemacht another day."
After agreeing on a time to visit Hazel again, Lorne walked back in a very good mood.
"However, Hazel's embarrassed look was quite amusing." Recalling Hazel's embarrassed, angry, and helpless expression just now, Lorne couldn't help but chuckle.
He suddenly discovered that he felt more joyful and relaxed when playing the role of "James Scott".
Whether it was the conversation with Hazel just now, or the way he interacted with Hugh before, it was very different from when he was Lorne Disenke.
Ultimately, Scott's persona is still the best—he thought to himself.
This online persona, free from many moral burdens and constraints, allows him to be more unrestrained, releasing emotions and quirky interests that he usually needs to suppress. In a way, this can be considered a form of alternative stress relief, like playing some kind of simulation game.
"Let's go to the Gathering of Extraordinary Ones first and see if there's any news about any materials," Lorne thought to himself, planning the next steps.
"At Mr. A's gathering before, someone was selling Dark Lurker's poison sacs. Let's see if they have any Demonthroat Honeydew Hearts this time. If so, we'll have Laki's potions too. Sigh—it's been several days since I've been back—"
"I'll have to write a letter to the captain and the others later to talk about the weapons sales—the gun factory is finally on track."
There are also the scattered shares I inherited, as well as the factory's profits.
Raw materials, labor, and freight costs—there's still a lot of money to be spent. Ten thousand pounds won't take too long to resolve.
"Well, as long as Backlund doesn't suddenly experience a large-scale financial crisis, the supply chain shouldn't be a problem."