Chapter 49: Driven Out of Leysin

Desire is a double-edged sword.

Had it not been for desire, Vilark would never have chosen to risk coming to Leysin. Yet because of desire, he was sinking deeper and deeper. He understood that while wealth accumulated at a frenzied pace, risks increased synchronously.

His greatest reliance in daring to come here was knowing everything related to him that would happen in the next two months, as well as being thoroughly familiar with every single person. In this lifetime, having already caused too many events to deviate from their course, the advantage this reliance could provide was steadily diminishing. Fortunately, as one waxed the other waned, and his ultimate trump cards for survival were now largely in place.

As long as he played his hand, even if the Thomas family wanted him dead, they would not dare to act rashly. However, once the facade was torn away, it would become even harder to escape, and the slightest misstep in maintaining that delicate balance would mean certain death.

Now, his carefully laid plans faced the possibility of collapse. If Elizabeth truly knew about the Equality Society, and the Equality Society discovered that Vilark was a fake Chris, then stripped of his trump cards, Vilark would be entirely at their mercy.

Therefore, even though Elizabeth's current situation remained unknown, Vilark had to confront the worst-case scenario. Leaving in advance was the primary consideration at the moment, the final bolt on his safety.

Yet, because of the recent theft of the archives, security at the Thomas estate had been tightened, reducing Vilark's chances of slipping out undetected to near zero. At the very least, he would have to wait until Carmine relaxed his surveillance before he could create an opportunity to leave.

This created a deadlock.

For Carmine to loosen his guard, it would at least require the matter with Elizabeth to come to a close, but Vilark needed to arrange his escape route precisely before that matter reached a conclusion.

"Sigh..." Vilark, eyes closed in deep thought, let out a soft sigh.

Without a legitimate opportunity to go out, Vilark could certainly still leave on his own, but it wouldn't take long for Carmine to discover it, drastically shortening his window for escape. Still, if desperate times called for desperate measures, that would be his only option.

Half an hour later, Carmine came downstairs. Seeing Vilark sitting on the sofa in the main hall, he said, "Chris, go on upstairs. Colin is waiting for you."

"Yes, Father." Vilark stood up and hurried upstairs.

"You're finally here." Seeing Vilark enter, Colin, who had been sprawled across the bedroom sofa, sat up. "Mr. Carmine grilled me for ages. I never felt this agonized during school exams."

Vilark cut straight to the point: "What did the two of you talk about?"

"Mr. Carmine beat around the bush asking about you and Elizabeth, so I laid it all out for him clearly. I even took the opportunity to put in a good word for you with Mr. Carmine, and he agreed to invite Elizabeth over tonight so we can all have a proper talk." Colin puffed out his chest, looking immensely pleased with himself as if seeking praise.

"What did you say?" Vilark's eyes widened. "You're going to invite Elizabeth over tonight?"

"That's right. After my persuasion, Mr. Carmine decided to meet Elizabeth tonight and settle your lifelong affairs once and for all," Colin said. "With such a huge merit, you'd better reward me well."

Vilark said in agitation, "You told my father everything I said to you?!"

"Of course. I had to let him know how serious and devoted you are to this love," Colin replied matter-of-factly.

If Colin had merely mentioned that his travels were an attempt to escape marriage, the matter would be trivial—nothing more than failing to deceive Colin with the cover story Carmine had fabricated. But it sounded like things were far from that simple.

"You told him about us doing business together too?!" Vilark glared, his eyes wide with fury, as if he wanted to tear Colin to shreds.

If Colin had spilled that secret, everything Vilark had done would be in vain. Carmine would tighten his grip on him and would never again view him as an ordinary, harmless person. The situation would only grow worse.

"Well, I didn't go that far." Colin was startled by Vilark's fierce expression. "Am I that stupid? In case Mr. Carmine still rejected your marriage in the end, wouldn't that leave you with no way out?"

"...That's good." Vilark let out a breath, his body collapsing back onto the sofa.

"Don't be so high-strung. Just think about what you're going to say tonight. I feel like Mr. Carmine is actually quite reasonable. Once everything is laid out in the open and you make it clear that you only love Elizabeth, I think this can work out," Colin comforted the desolate-looking Vilark.

Vilark waved a hand, and after recovering slightly, asked with exhaustion, "...Tell me in detail what the two of you discussed."

Colin recounted the entire conversation from start to finish.

Right after Carmine entered, the straightforward Colin had taken the initiative to speak. Realizing that Vilark had not used the excuses he had instructed to brush Colin off, Carmine simply went along with the flow and ultimately followed Colin's suggestion to arrange a meeting with Elizabeth for that evening.

Though Vilark didn't know what Carmine was thinking, it was obvious that Carmine had displayed his decisive and bold business style, resolving to settle the matter tonight. After all, dragging it out only made things more troublesome.

After listening to Colin's account, Vilark relaxed considerably upon reflection.

Since Carmine dared to invite Elizabeth, he must have made the corresponding preparations.

If Elizabeth knew nothing of the Equality Society, Carmine would handle it, and everyone would be happy.

If Elizabeth knew, Vilark would run for the hills immediately.

Everything would be decided tonight.

"Thanks, Colin. I hope the outcome turns out the way I want," Vilark said. "You should head back first. If there are any updates, I'll let you know."

"Alright, anyway, I'll support you no matter what." Colin didn't plan on lingering. "I'll go find Elizabeth right now and set up a meeting for her to see you both at eight o'clock tonight."

"Okay." Vilark saw Colin to the door, watched him leave by car, and then turned back to see Carmine.

"Is Colin gone?" Carmine asked in the study, smoking a cigar.

"Yes, Mr. Carmine," Vilark answered respectfully, standing before the desk.

Carmine exhaled a plume of smoke, narrowing his eyes as he asked coldly, "Why didn't you explain things to Colin using the reason I gave you?"

"I originally intended to, but Colin immediately connected the dots to Elizabeth, so I had no choice but to roll with it." Vilark shifted the blame onto Colin.

"Elizabeth is coming tonight," Carmine said, stubbing out his cigar. "When Fletcher gets back, he will brief you on the compiled information regarding Elizabeth and her history with Chris. You need to memorize all of it before eight o'clock. Not a single mistake can be made when you meet tonight."

"Understood, Mr. Carmine." Vilark nodded, then asked, "However... what if I am recognized?"

"Then we state it outright," Carmine said, his tone heavy with lofty authority. "If Elizabeth still fails to appreciate what's good for her, I don't mind driving her out of Leysin."