What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 43

Ideon, the eldest son and heir of the House of Orlov, was a chosen individual.

After all, among the Orlov children, Ideon was the only boy. He was special. He was different from the three girls.

Therefore, it was only natural for Ideon to be treated with privilege. It was only natural for his sisters to devote themselves to him.

His eldest sister, Cassandra, was glamorous and well-connected. She was very useful regarding Ideon’s social standing. His youngest sister, Mirella, was adorable; just being with her made him feel pleasant.

But Luce, the middle sister, was different.

She was always shabby.

Her habit of constantly reading people’s expressions irritated him. She was an ill-mannered, dull-witted sister. He was so ashamed, so utterly embarrassed, that she was his sibling.

Even his parents treated Luce as if she didn’t matter. Thus, Ideon followed their lead.

He never once questioned why only Luce was treated that way. Because that was simply how things had always been, it was nothing but the natural order of things.

When she finally got married and left the house, he felt a tremendous sense of refreshment.

Ever since Luce disappeared, everything had been going perfectly for the Orlov family. She must have been the one attracting misfortune.

His father’s business succeeded, and the family became wealthy.

They shed their previously shabby appearance; the entire family wore glamorous outfits and frequented first-class establishments.

And Ideon began to be invited to gatherings that only exceptionally talented young men could attend. Feeling that his luck was on the rise, Ideon grew increasingly conceited.

Surely, from now on, he would be celebrated in high society as the head of the prestigious House of Orlov.

Klaus curled the corner of his lip as he looked at the newspaper.

The article described a massive investment scam taking place in the Royal Capital. The perpetrators used silver-tongued promises of profit to lure the sons of nobles and merchant guilds, swindling them out of their money.

It was a textbook tactic.

Klaus’s grandfather had strictly hammered into him: “Never trust anyone who brings you a deal to make money.” If there was money to be made, they would just do it themselves. The idea of recommending it to someone else was inconceivable.

His grandfather had only drilled the philosophy of management into Klaus; he never taught him exactly how to make money. He told Klaus to figure that part out for himself.

—”I’m giving this all to you, so I won’t complain even if you ruin it all.”

That had been his grandfather’s favorite saying. However, he also added that if Klaus ended up penniless and came crawling back crying because he couldn’t marry the Orlov girl, he wouldn’t help him.

Therefore, Klaus dealt cautiously with anyone bringing him investment opportunities.

Klaus had once been invited to those gatherings for “promising young men.” However, he found them so incredibly fishy that he didn’t give them the time of day.

Still, among his business associates, there were those who had been invited and participated. Since it would be problematic if it affected his own business, he had done some independent investigating.

The gathering Ideon, Luce’s brother, had participated in was likely the one run by these scammers.

Judging by that overbearing attitude Ideon had shown when they met at the restaurant, it was clear he was convinced of his own “specialness.” To scammers, he was undoubtedly the perfect mark.

The reason the Orlov family had been flush with cash was that they had embezzled the check Klaus provided as a marriage settlement instead of using it for Luce. To Klaus, it wasn’t a significant amount as long as Luce came to be his wife.

Still, to the Orlovs, it should have been a substantial sum of money.

If they spent it as they pleased and then got caught in an investment scam, that family would have no money left. They would surely come swarming to Klaus. However, there was no longer any reason to pay that family a single cent.

He thought it was truly fortunate that Luce had suggested leaving the Royal Capital before things became troublesome.

Klaus had no attachment to living in the Capital. He had only been there because Luce was there.

The further they moved away from the Capital, the less need there was to involve themselves with those people.

He didn’t care at all whether Ideon had actually been scammed.

Klaus placed the newspaper he had been reading on the table.

He had only been reading it to kill time until Luce finished getting ready; he no longer had any interest in it.