In the Lawrence family's current commercial empire, significant investments had been made in the fashion industry, particularly in luxury goods.
After all, women's and children's money was easiest to earn, and all with huge profit margins.
This held true in every country.
Luxury conglomerates like LVMH, Kering, and Richemont now all have Lawrence family investments, holding considerable shares. Most designers invited today came from these companies, alongside renowned independent designers - an impressive lineup.
They didn't meet the designers immediately; instead, they treated the company like a shopping mall. Many clothes displayed were unreleased haute couture or private custom pieces for celebrities.
Wayne wasn't particularly interested, viewing them merely as money-making tools.
After browsing briefly, he found a meeting room to slack off and rest, while Sakura and Tomoyo enthusiastically followed the staff.
Normally, Sakura was just shy, since many of Tomoyo's designs were... eccentric, making her embarrassed to wear them outside.
Here, things were more conventional, though plenty of abstract pieces existed too, but those could simply be ignored.
Both girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
It wasn't until noon that the long-waiting designers finally met them.
No finished products - not even final drafts - would appear today. The session aimed to let designers understand the girls' requirements and styles, with repeated revisions needed for satisfactory results.
Actual garment production would begin only one month before use, since both Sakura and Tomoyo were still developing physically - several months would bring noticeable changes, making current measurements suboptimal.
They spent the entire afternoon discussing with the designers, only boarding the car home at dusk.
Noticing Tomoyo's hesitant expression, Wayne smiled: "Speak your mind. What's holding you back?"
Tomoyo said softly, "I want to learn from them for a while, then design our dresses myself."
Wayne wasn't surprised - Tomoyo's discussions had clearly headed this direction. He'd guessed the girl's thoughts and nodded immediately.
"No problem. You've still got time before returning anyway."
Tomoyo smiled brightly. "I'll design a handsome outfit for you."
"Me too?" Wayne was taken aback. He'd assumed when Tomoyo said "us" earlier, she meant just herself and Sakura.
"Of course," Tomoyo said earnestly. "Consider it a thank-you gift for your hospitality."
Sakura lowered her head sheepishly.
Unlike the multitalented Tomoyo, who took beautiful photos and could sew clothes, she only excelled at sports and making Clow Cards.
Perhaps... she could demonstrate catching the Golden Snitch for Wayne?
Returning home, Sakura reluctantly went to change clothes under Wayne's enthusiastic prompting.
But when she came downstairs wearing an oriental-style qipao with her hair in twin buns, she froze at the sight of Tomoyo's camera.
"Wayne, you said no photos!"
Wayne spread his hands innocently. "I'm not taking any. What Tomoyo does has nothing to do with me."
"Oh," he added, turning to Tomoyo, "remember to make an extra copy of the photos."
"Of course~"
Sakura stared at her friend in disbelief. "Tomoyo! You've betrayed me again!"
Tomoyo patted the girl's head sympathetically. "I thought you'd get used to it after a few times..."
Sakura: "..."
...
The next morning, Tomoyo left early with her driver to study at the company headquarters.
Wayne stayed home with Sakura.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the view, Wayne wouldn't shortchange Sakura either. Starting today, he would teach her to make several new Clow Cards.
The first was the Fly card.
Compared to Flying Potions, the Fly card was faster and more agile, though considerably harder to make. There was no way Sakura could master it in just a few days.
So Wayne simply explained the steps and gave her the standard answers. After a few simple attempts to confirm no major issues, he let her practice on her own.
Next were the Power and Snow cards, which Sakura hadn't quite mastered yet, though she was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Despite having lost their bet, Wayne still taught her everything without reservation, which deeply moved Sakura.
Thus, every day after Tomoyo left, she would shyly change into those special outfits to give Wayne his fill of delightful views.
Feeling the boy's gaze frequently sweeping over her, Sakura felt not only shyness and a warmth spreading through her body, but also a quiet happiness in her heart.
At least it proved she was attractive.
Even though she knew Wayne already had many "wings," she couldn't help but think this way.
After all... just like in the capital markets, the principle of "winner takes all" applied to love as well. The so-called monogamy was merely a system designed to protect the vast majority of ordinary people.
For exceptional individuals, even if someone had already staked a claim on them, many others would still unconsciously gravitate toward them.
...
By Saturday, Tomoyo had gone out, and Wayne was in the laboratory, guiding Sakura's hands as she engraved magical runes. Today, the young girl was dressed in an "Alice in Wonderland" themed outfit—a turquoise dress paired with red shoes, making her look exceptionally adorable.
With his broad, firm chest pressed against her back, how could the girl possibly focus on the runes?
"Gardevoir!"
Suddenly, Gardevoir Disapparated beside them, causing Wayne to pause momentarily.
"I understand. Let them wait."
Gardevoir nodded and vanished again.
Only after completing the engraving of the Mist card did Wayne release her delicate, boneless hand.
"We have guests at home. Practice on your own for a while."
"Mm, I understand." Sakura nodded obediently. Wayne smiled, ruffled her hair, and left the room.
In the living room, the two "guests" who had arrived today were not seated but stood awkwardly. Upon seeing Wayne, old Selwyn immediately knelt, while the other man bowed deeply.
"My lord."
Wayne took the seat of honour before allowing Selwyn to rise and find a place to sit. His gaze then shifted to the man still bowing.
"Mr Malfoy, we're old acquaintances. There's no need for such formalities, is there?"
Lucius Malfoy's voice trembled slightly. "M-Mr Lawrence, I've come to offer my sincerest apologies..."
He could swear he had never felt this nervous, not even in front of Dumbledore.
As the saying went, a gentleman could be deceived by principles. Though Lucius Malfoy had never heard this phrase, he understood its meaning. Dumbledore was a gentleman—bound by rules, rarely concerning himself with matters outside the school, and unwilling to interfere with the Ministry of Magic's judgments.
No matter how much he provoked the headmaster, his life was never at risk.
But the young man before him was different.
Unlike Dumbledore, and unlike Voldemort, this was someone who mainly chose to abide by the rules yet was exceptionally skilled at leveraging his noble status to break them when necessary.
Such a person was even more troublesome than the previous two...
Because you never knew when he might flip the table—just like that night.
"Oh?" Wayne picked up the black tea Gardevoir had prepared, took a sip, and still made no move to let Lucius Malfoy straighten up. "What wrongdoing has Mr Malfoy committed that requires an apology to me?"
"I should not have taken pleasure in tormenting Muggles, nor should I have organised that riot back then."
Lucius Malfoy's sweat dripped onto the carpet. "Please, Mr Lawrence, for Draco's sake, accept my apology. I am willing to provide a complete copy of the Malfoy Family's library and unconditionally transfer my shares in the dragon reserve to Selwyn."
Wayne glanced at Selwyn. "That dragon reserve—you and the Malfoy Family co-own it?"
"No." Selwyn shook his head repeatedly. "The other shares are held by various individuals, but that day Lucius approached me, saying he'd acquired all remaining shares. Only then did I dare bring him to meet you."
Wayne gave a noncommittal nod. "Get up."
Lucius Malfoy staggered slightly before straightening with difficulty.
"You're an intelligent man, yet why do you always act foolishly?" Wayne observed his long hair – identical to Draco Malfoy's – and remarked quietly:
"Had you not come here today, Draco would have found more common ground with Harry when term starts..."
Malfoy instantly broke into a cold sweat.
Common ground with Potter? That meant becoming an orphan.
"Are you satisfied with Lucius's proposed compensation?" Selwyn ventured cautiously.
Wayne shook his head lightly. "No."
Lucius Malfoy's legs nearly gave way. "Please state any additional requirements you may have."
Wayne said offhandedly, "Hand over all the compromising material you hold on Ministry of Magic employees."
Through Crouch, he'd learned why the Malfoy Family wielded such influence without holding Ministry positions.
Beyond conventional bribery, they amassed extensive blackmail material, frequently using threats for profit.
Wayne's move aimed to undermine them completely.
Without these leverage points, the Malfoy Family's Ministry influence would plummet, along with their income.
Lucius's expression fluctuated, but thoughts of those buried 'human crystals' made survival instincts prevail, and he acquiesced.
...
Having achieved his objective, Wayne prepared to leave and find Sakura. Noticing neither man showed signs of departing, he frowned impatiently:
"Planning to stay for dinner?"
"No, no." Selwyn shook his head hurriedly, then steeled himself. "Lucius wishes to beg... beg your mercy for Crabbe and Goyle."
"Those two offer no value." Wayne wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Feeble-minded imbeciles hardly qualify as useful dogs."
Lucius Malfoy kept his head lowered. "They'll surrender all family assets. I'll contribute half my own fortune to beg your leniency."
"Seriously? You'd pay so dearly for two fools?" Wayne asked incredulously.
He'd never observed such closeness between Lucius and these men.
Lucius's explanation came wearily: "Their sons were chosen as Draco's companions..."
Parental devotion knew no bounds. Without Draco's needs, Lucius wouldn't pay this price.
But... would these dullards remember his kindness?
He distinctly recalled Crabbe becoming Voldemort's pawn to monitor Draco – an outright betrayal.
Still, if Lucius willingly paid the price, he'd oblige.
"Inform Crouch then. Who's your third candidate?"
Selwyn answered respectfully: "Travers. He's pledged absolute obedience and offered half his assets, though I haven't revealed your involvement."
"Have him duplicate his family's library collection, too." Wayne waved dismissively. "Leave now."
Lucius and Selwyn exchanged a glance before withdrawing respectfully.
Wayne had no intention of winning Malfoy over—the old man was beyond redemption. He wanted to see if Draco still had potential for reform.
If the boy proved as hopeless as his father, then he shouldn't blame Wayne for showing no mercy in the future...
...
While Wayne spent his days surrounded by beautiful women, the Ministry of Magic was brewing an even more terrifying storm.
Several of the foreign ministries whose citizens had died sent letters of condemnation, accusing Britain of failing to protect their people. Crouch rebuffed them harshly.
He even published the victims' detailed records and crimes in the newspapers, humiliating those ministries on an international scale.
External pressure was manageable—Britain's relations with other countries had never been stellar, and these complaints wouldn't threaten Fudge's position as Minister for Magic.
The real problem lay within.
Setting aside the awaiting Death Eaters, eight of the deceased (seven killed by Wayne, one struck by Flint's Killing Curse) were no ordinary casualties.
Three hailed from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, while the rest were influential pure-bloods.
Only their current heads had perished—their families remained intact.
By the next day, furious relatives stormed the Ministry, demanding Fudge hand over the murderer, their curses vile and loud.
They never even made it past the Aurors, who drove them back.
Several who shouted "Mudblood" were detained.
A sudden shift had taken hold at the Ministry: hostility toward Muggle-born wizards or Muggles themselves was now deemed unacceptable, grounds for social ostracism.
Some even lost their jobs, with their descendants barred from future Ministry employment.
Pulling these strings from the shadows was Wayne.
He was employing tactics akin to those of certain lobbying groups, turning pro-Muggle sentiment into political correctness.
With control over the media, connections, and a significant portion of the Ministry staff, achieving this wasn't difficult.
The power of his influence network was beginning to show. He was gradually cultivating his own allies—though their positions weren't yet high-ranking, given time, they'd mirror the U.S. Congress system: oppose him, and true authority would remain forever out of reach.
On the day of sentencing, the surviving Death Eaters—except Crabbe, Goyle, and Travers—received the harshest penalties.
Sentences ranged from ten to thirty years in Azkaban, with no objections voiced. The Daily Prophet praised Fudge and the Wizengamot for their fairness.
But the pure-blood families suffered. With their strongest members imprisoned, only the elderly and children remained—would they even retain their estates?
Thus, summer drew quietly to a close.
With three days until term began, Sakura and Tomoyo prepared to return for school.
On their final day in Britain, Tomoyo stayed home rather than visiting the company.
That afternoon, Newt—absent for so long—suddenly arrived at Wayne's residence with Tina in tow.