Inside the Mahert family manor.
"What's wrong?" Liana asked, looking at her haggard husband with concern.
"If it's about money, I can talk to my father and the others, you don't have to—"
Before she could finish, Councilor Macht waved his hand to interrupt her.
"It's not about money," Councilor Macht sighed. "I'm already working on the financial situation.
You've worked hard during this time."
"Mhm." Liana nodded gently as she watched her husband try to pull himself together, her eyes still filled with worry.
She could sense that her husband's troubles weren't solely economic.
After a moment, Councilor Macht couldn't help but sigh again.
"What exactly is it? Is there something else bothering you?" Liana pressed, sitting down beside her husband.
"It's... about Hairuier," Councilor Macht rubbed his brow. "You remember Hairuier's... friend, don't you? That young man who visited our home twice before."
"James Scott?" Liana immediately remembered, her tone even carrying a hint of imperceptible excitement. "Of course I remember him! He's become quite famous recently; the newspapers are calling him the 'east district hero.' He's a household name in Backlund now." She paused, then guessed, "Could it be... you want to ask him for help, to stand for you in your upcoming constituency activities?"
Inviting famous figures to help with campaigning was a common tactic for politicians.
"Actually..." Councilor Macht's expression became somewhat complex. "I already asked Hairuier to go and talk to him—"
"Hairuier—" Liana frowned slightly. Having her daughter ask for a favor was somewhat hard for her to accept. But thinking of her daughter's "intimate" relationship with him, she didn't say more, only asking, "How did the talk go? Did he agree?"
Seeing her husband's heavy expression, her heart skipped a beat. She asked tentatively, "What? Could it be that he... knows about our family's predicament and wants to break up with Hairuier?" If that were the case, this so-called "hero" would be far too fickle and cold-hearted, truly despicable.
"No, it's not that." Councilor Macht shook his head, looking somewhat helpless.
"He gave Hairuier a 'gift,' but... it's not quite what I expected."
"What do you mean?" Liana was puzzled.
"You know about the police department holding a charity gala, right? Actually—" Councilor Macht told his wife about the Charity Foundation, and how Hairuier had relayed Scott's wish for her to work at or even manage the foundation.
"..." After hearing her husband's account, Liana's expression also became a bit strange.
"To be honest," Councilor Macht gave a self-deprecating smile, "I had originally hoped to get involved myself and help him handle the foundation's affairs; that would have been beneficial for me too. But I didn't expect him to bypass me directly and choose Hairuier."
There was a hint of indescribable disappointment in his tone. "Could it be... because of my failed investment this time, he thinks I'm unreliable and looks down on my abilities?"
"Well... he and Hairuier are a couple, so doing this is actually quite reasonable," Liana analyzed. "What does Hairuier think herself?"
"Her—" Councilor Macht sighed. "She's as stubborn as ever, saying she's unwilling and doesn't want to be ordered around by him. But I can sense that in her heart... she's actually a bit moved. The significance and independence of that foundation are attractive to her." As a father, he read his daughter's mind quite accurately.
"It's just... Hairuier is still too young. I don't really want her getting involved in political matters so early."
"Managing a foundation should be fine. Besides, aren't there people from the Church investing in it too?" Liana said after thinking it over.
Her husband had a close relationship with Bishop Electra of the Night Church. With the Church involved, the foundation shouldn't be too dark.
"Besides, our daughter has grown up." She gave a helpless laugh, trying to look on the bright side. "She even went behind our backs and found a boyfriend herself."
"Actually... if it's James Scott, I'm not opposed to it," Councilor Macht rubbed his chin, his tone softening. "His strength—at least in terms of finances—seems much stronger than we previously imagined."
"What do you mean?" Liana asked in confusion. "Isn't he just the owner of that small Gun Factory? Even if he's famous now, his assets should be limited, right?"
Faced with his wife's puzzled gaze, Councilor Macht recounted what he had recently gathered about Scott acquiring multiple factories, as well as Hairuier's account of his plan to make additional investments in the foundation.
"That additional investment is at least nearly ten thousand pounds; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to control the foundation's operations at all."
Councilor Macht analyzed.
"That much?" Liana covered her mouth in surprise. "I didn't expect this Scott... to be so capable and bold? And all without any family help—"
Hearing this information, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Actually, her husband had been a typical rags-to-riches success story back then. But she didn't expect to see someone even more impressive now.
"So, what exactly are your thoughts now?" She threw the question back to her husband.
Councilor Macht was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Although it's different from the way I originally envisioned—getting directly involved myself—this outcome, in the long run, might not be bad.
If Hairuier really can participate in or even manage this foundation using her own abilities, it will have a positive impact on her personal growth, her future social status, and even our family's influence."
He changed the subject, worry surfacing on his face again. "But... in that case, we, especially Hairuier, will owe James Scott a huge favor. It's one thing for me—mutual exploitation between politicians and businessmen is common—but for Hairuier... I'm afraid she'll be controlled by others in the future or be at a disadvantage in the relationship."
"Dear," Liana's eyes suddenly lit up as she proposed a romantic scenario, "do you think it's possible that James Scott did all this, including giving the foundation's management to Hairuier, just to prove himself to you and our family?"
"What do you mean?" Councilor Macht didn't react for a moment.
"Dating Hairuier, he must know the status gap between himself and our family. So, he gave this 'gift' to Hairuier hoping to gain our family's recognition and prove that he's completely worthy of her?"
"This—"
Although it made sense logically, Councilor Macht still felt it was a bit strange.
"What's wrong? Didn't you do something similar back then?" Liana remembered the past and suddenly smiled. "Although your starting point was higher than his back then, the 'gift' you gave wasn't as substantial as this one."
"We both know our daughter has a very proud personality; she would never look twice at a conventional gift. Only a special 'gift' like this, which can bring a sense of accomplishment, could catch her eye."
"From this perspective, their relationship is indeed very close. At least, that James Scott understands our daughter's character very well."
"..." Councilor Macht fell into a long silence.
Although he wasn't opposed to his daughter's freedom in love and hoped she would find true love, if possible, he still hoped Hairuier's partner would have a higher social status, be a member of high society, and preferably a noble with a title. James Scott's initial conditions were somewhat...
However, on second thought, James Scott possessed many advantages that typical wealthy sons lacked.
He was very famous now; it could be said that almost everyone in Backlund knew him. This would be a great help to his own political career. Furthermore, the official establishment of the foundation to support Scott showed that he had successfully connected with the official circles, making his future entry into high society a certainty.
He acquired so many factories, which meant he had ample financial resources to help him deal with his current lack of funds.
Although his act of saving people alone was a bit reckless, which Councilor Macht found fault with, it also demonstrated his extraordinary courage, didn't it?
Most importantly, he was alone with no complex family background. This meant that if he and Hairuier were to unite, there would be no risk of being swallowed or infiltrated by other families; instead, he would become a solid support for the Mahert family.
Wealthy, capable, famous, and with official backing—this was practically a son-in-law tailor-made for him!
The more Councilor Macht thought about it, the more he felt it was unstoppable.
Famous, wealthy, with a clean background, a growth stock, and no threat of family annexation—
He was a total catch! Not to mention himself, probably many noble families would be satisfied with James Scott.
Most importantly, he and Hairuier were mutually in love.
"Perhaps... we can wait until Hairuier joins the foundation's management, then have them get engaged," Councilor Macht proposed after a long silence.
"When the time comes, we'll give Hairuier a surprise."