Chapter 259: Councilor Macht's Investment
"Woof—Woof woof—"
Susie trotted along happily, tongue lolling out, leisurely strolling through the streets of Empress Borough.
Although she was now a talking 'Spectator' dog with extraordinary intelligence, sometimes, she truly enjoyed the feeling of being an ordinary dog.
That kind of unrestrained, carefree comfort was something humans found hard to experience.
"Meow~"
A lazy yet strangely alluring meow suddenly came from nearby, catching her attention.
?
"Meow~ He—llo~ there~"
"Woof! Woof woof!" (Who are you? Where are you?)
Susie immediately became alert. She could feel that 'someone' was talking to her, but she couldn't see them.
She twitched her nose, sniffing the air intently.
Then, she looked up and saw an entirely orange cat perched on a nearby tree branch, looking down at her. Its amber cat eyes seemed to hold a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"Meow~"
Meanwhile, inside Councilor Macht's mansion.
These past two days, the atmosphere at home was finally not as tense as before.
Since Hazel had finally agreed to see the doctor, the huge misunderstanding between her and her parents was resolved—but not completely.
The examination results proved that Hazel had not reached that "final step," which indeed greatly relieved Liana.
But to say that she and that young man named James Scott were merely friends? Liana absolutely didn't believe it.
Putting everything else aside, even now, Hazel hadn't explained why she had risked climbing over the wall that night. No matter how much they asked her, she would always be evasive and hesitant, clearly hiding something.
"My daughter, I know you've always had your own opinions and trusted your judgment, but—what if you've been deceived this time?" Liana said, sitting on her daughter's bed, full of worry.
"So, you want Dad to help Scott, right?" In the study, Councilor Macht looked at his daughter and asked directly.
"Yes, Dad." Hazel lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt.
Despite her extreme reluctance, considering her "deal" with James Scott and his impending visit, she had to bite the bullet and seek her father's help.
"Hazel, are you sure that you and that young man named James Scott are just ordinary friends?" Councilor Macht's gaze sharpened. "Are you coming to me now purely out of friendship?"
"Uh—of course, Dad! What else could it be?!" Hazel's body seemed a bit stiff, and her eyes involuntarily drifted elsewhere.
"Really?" Councilor Macht's tone rose slightly.
"You—you don't believe your daughter anymore?" Hazel's voice was clearly uncomfortable and lacked confidence.
"Alright, alright, I trust your judgment." Councilor Macht sighed, choosing to back down.
"What?! Dad!" Hazel's face instantly flushed red, and she retorted excitedly, "I've explained it to you and Mom many times! I'm not in love!"
"Yes, yes, I know, I know." Councilor Macht nodded perfunctorily.
"What?! Dad." Hazel felt her cheeks burning, both annoyed and anxious. "—And, Mom—Mom even had a doctor examine me, didn't she—"
"Hmph!" Thinking of this, she got angry. It was one thing for Mom to suspect her and that annoying Scott were in that kind of relationship, but she actually thought she had already—
What made her even more depressed was that for the past two days, even the maids at home looked at her with a strange, knowing pity!
This feeling of doing nothing but being believed by everyone to have done it was truly awful!
Because of this, she had been depressed for several days.
Alas, if her teacher were here, she would surely have a way to help her solve these troubles.
Teacher, where on earth did you go—Hazel sighed in her heart.
Ever since her last attempt to climb over the wall at night was discovered by the bodyguards, Liana had strengthened the security measures at home, especially the area below her room. Now, let alone a person, not even a cat could sneak over silently.
She couldn't get out, and her teacher didn't actively come to find her, leaving her with no one to consult with now.
"Damn it! It's all James Scott's fault!"
Hmm, there's definitely something fishy—Seeing her daughter's blushing, shy expression, Mori Macht became even more convinced of his speculation.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that Hazel, a girl who knew nothing about firearms or business, would suddenly be interested in a firearms factory was inherently suspicious. Although his daughter was precocious, her interests had always remained within the scope of most girls her age.
Suddenly being interested in the firearms industry and claiming to have invested her pocket money. No matter how he thought about it, it was suspicious.
Clearly, in Councilor Macht's eyes, Hazel said and did all this to help her little boyfriend, that young man named James Scott.
"Alas, how could his daughter's little schemes deceive her old father?" Councilor Macht sighed inwardly, then his eyes became somewhat sharp again.
He was someone who had seen his share of storms in politics and the military. If it was just simple romance between young men and women, then the problem wasn't too big, as long as they were a bit discreet and didn't cause any scandals.
What he truly feared was that the young man named James Scott had impure motives. That he already knew about his military connections and therefore specifically approached Hazel.
Although, from Liana's account and Hazel's own words, their acquaintance seemed to be just an accident.
But, no matter what, he still needed to talk to the other party face-to-face and see for himself before making a judgment.
"Cough cough—"
Councilor Macht's cough pulled Hazel back to reality from her thoughts.
"Since it's my darling daughter's first investment, then I, your father, will definitely help—"
"Really?" Hazel's eyes lit up, temporarily ignoring the teasing in her father's tone.
"Of course." Councilor Macht nodded. "However, I hope to have a good talk with James Scott about this matter face-to-face."
"Okay!" Hazel breathed a sigh of relief.
She had done everything she could. If James Scott couldn't convince her father himself, then she couldn't do anything either.
"However, Dad must make it clear," Councilor Macht added, "I will not invest in your business. Recently, the family—does not have extra funds that can be used for this."
"Understood, Dad, you don't need to invest." Hazel quickly assured him.
But her father's words also piqued her curiosity: "But why doesn't the family have funds recently? Did something happen?"
Councilor Macht pondered for a moment, thinking that perhaps his daughter could know about this, so he explained: "Do you still remember Uncle John?"
"Is that your friend from the army, Dad?"
"?"
"Yes, that's him." Councilor Macht continued, "He is now an officer in the colony on the Southern Continent."
"Recently, a newly established mining company in Backlund reportedly discovered a gold mine with huge reserves there on the Southern Continent. I have already asked John to verify it on site, and it is indeed true."
His voice lowered a few degrees, with a hint of excitement: "Not many people know about this. I have a few friends who want to team up and plan to buy a large number of stocks and shares of this company before this matter becomes public."
"Is that your friend from the army, Dad?"
"Yes, that's him." Councilor Macht continued, "He is now an officer in the colony on the Southern Continent."
"Recently, a newly established mining company in Backlund reportedly discovered a gold mine with huge reserves there on the Southern Continent. I have already asked John to verify it on site, and it is indeed true."
His voice lowered a few degrees, with a hint of excitement: "Not many people know about this. I have a few friends who want to team up and plan to buy a large number of stocks and shares of this company before this matter becomes public."
"Hazel, this could be a good opportunity for our family to take another step forward."