The Elder Sister Who Ran Away After Being Cheated by Her Fiancé and Younger Sister - Chapter 18:

Apparently, Patrick had finally made a huge mistake.

It wasn’t just a mistake, it was fraud.

Carelessly, he had fallen for a particularly nasty scam and dug himself into a massive financial hole.

If things continued like this, next term would be disastrous.

Even Patrick had panicked, which was why he had learned about Estelle and come to see her.

Indeed, on paper, the numbers looked normal for now.

But once next term arrived, everything would fall apart, and their business partners would grow wary.

I understand why he’s desperate.

—But does that justify his attitude? Forget having the makings of a merchant. Isn’t he just a failure as a human being?

On a side note, Teresa sought stress relief through gourmet food, which turned into overeating, and her husband’s mistress followed suit, competing in indulgence and overeating as well.

As a result, the mansion now housed two Teresa-level figures, which seemed to wear down my father’s spirits. And of course, the food expenses skyrocketed.

The gist of my mother’s plea was, “If this continues, Heinny will collapse! Estelle, come back and save us!”

Even Estelle didn’t want to see it fail, of course.

After all, it wasn’t just about our family—many employees, artisans, independent peddlers, suppliers, and others were involved.

But Estelle doubted that her returning alone would solve anything.

Her parents had steadfastly protected Heinny Trading until now. Though the succession issue was troubling, they would have to continue managing it together and straighten out Patrick’s attitude. They weren’t old enough to retire yet.

But even if they asked Estelle to take on that role, she didn’t think it would work out. In fact, she thought it was more likely she’d end up strangling Patrick in a fit of rage especially since she now had the skills to do it.

Even without that, Estelle knew herself to be someone who prioritized rationality.

—Wouldn’t it be faster to hire someone from Hollander’s “back alleys” to make Patrick and his mistress disappear?

That’s the kind of thought that crossed her mind.

Estelle believed that people like him shouldn’t be left in charge alone.

It might work if two people shared the helm, like her parents did.

But Estelle was alone. She had long passed marriageable age. She had once declared, “I’ll become the first female division head!” and was laughed at, but she didn’t think aiming for that was a bad thing.

“Returning to Heinny” was not part of Estelle’s future plans.

While Estelle was lost in thought, Teresa’s conversation shifted to the Petrak family. At some point, Teresa had even finished Estelle’s coffee.

Estelle had heard about Theo’s movements from Fretes, and surprisingly or perhaps unsurprisingly. Theo’s actions seemed to be known to both families.

Mr. Bosak had gone missing. Estelle figured he probably couldn’t show his face after what he had done.

Mr. Bosak’s family was a branch of the Petrak family, but relations had apparently turned quite hostile.

From the Petrak family’s perspective, Clara was under their control, and it would have been better for their reputation if she had just stayed holed up in Hollander.

Theo’s frequent visits were an unnecessary expense, but he was actively working to secure business deals in the capital.

Once Clara had a child, they could bring her back to the main residence. Surely, she would settle down once she was pregnant.

More importantly, recovering the money Mr. Bosak had stolen and which Clara had squandered in her lavish lifestyle was the priority.

While things seemed to have calmed down from the Petrak family’s perspective, from the Heinny family’s point of view, the reality remained unchanged: Clara was being confined by members of the Petrak family.

“It never occurred to me they were such people! Poor Clara!” her mother Teresa wept.

Estelle watched her with a cold detachment.

That night, Estelle arranged for her mother to stay in a guest room at the dormitory.

“Why are you so cold? We’re family!” her mother cried, but Estelle couldn’t bring herself to let her into her own room.

The elderly dorm supervisor, taking pity, explained, “It’s against the rules to allow anyone, even family, into your private room.” Reluctantly, Teresa retreated to the guest room.

“Thank you for everything. I’m truly sorry for the trouble,” Estelle said.

“Not at all, it’s my job,” the supervisor replied.

After thanking him, Estelle returned to her room.

She felt utterly drained.

Tomorrow, she would have to deal with all that again.

Am I a cold person? Estelle asked herself.

Her ex-lover, her half-brother, her mother.

Every one of them was nothing but a nuisance.

She hadn’t felt that way when she lived at home.

Back then, she had genuinely loved Theo. Even though he betrayed her, she wanted to acknowledge that she had loved someone, worked hard for it, and grown stronger in the process.

It hadn’t borne fruit, but she didn’t want to deny the journey itself.

Could she ever work that hard again?

But when she asked herself if she could work hard for the sake of Heinny family or Heinny Trading, Estelle knew it was impossible.

She loved the military. Sure, there were occasional snide remarks and harassment, but fundamentally, it was a meritocracy. She didn’t know about noble officers, but among commoners, things didn’t get too complicated.

Having grown accustomed to that environment, Estelle knew she couldn’t return to the intense, entangled relationships of the borderlands and she honestly didn’t want to.

Moreover, as one of the first female volunteer soldiers, her every move was being watched. For the sake of the juniors who would follow, she didn’t want to give up easily.

But she also couldn’t just stand by and watch Heinny Trading collapse.

She didn’t care about her parents or brother, but the employees didn’t deserve to suffer the consequences. The thought of their lives being upended by this was too much to bear.

Estelle agonized all night but found no clear answer.

◇

The next morning, Estelle went to a nearby restaurant with her mother Teresa and had breakfast together.

Even in the morning light, Teresa’s skin had a healthy glow. Perhaps her idea of “gourmet” was more about efficacy than taste. Still, Estelle thought she’d be better off slimming down.

After managing to shake off Teresa’s pleas to return together, Estelle put her on a carriage. While it was possible to travel to the borderlands by changing carriages, using the canal was faster. The Heinny family owned a small boat, and Teresa had probably hitched a ride on it.

Seeing Teresa off, Estelle let out a heavy sigh.

What should I do?

Estelle couldn’t think of anyone she could consult in a situation like this.

Falcon would probably listen, but she had no idea where he was now, and it wasn’t worth summoning him all the way to the capital.

What should I really do?

Estelle was at a complete loss.