Free Web NovelChapter 256: Chapter Two Hundred And Fifty Five
Out on the street, a loud, growing noise began to echo. It sounded like a crowd of people approaching quickly.
Allen opened his eyes. He looked out the large glass windows.
His jaw dropped open.
A huge wave of people was rushing directly toward their store. There were wealthy nobles stepping out of expensive carriages. There were poor commoners running down the street. There were merchants, maids, and tailors.
Damon’s rumor campaign had worked with terrifying efficiency. The entire capital city had heard the news. They had heard about a new store that treated poor people with respect and offered the finest silks to the rich. Everyone wanted to see it with their own eyes.
The crowd reached the building. They flooded through the wide open front doors like an unstoppable river.
"Welcome!" the workers shouted, suddenly scrambling to greet the massive influx of customers.
In no time at all, the large fabric store was full. The open aisles were packed with people. The resting chairs were fully occupied. The sound of happy chatter, loud negotiations, and excited gasps filled the entire room.
Allen was shocked. He quickly snapped out of his defeated mood. He ran behind the main counter, grabbing his thick leather ledger and his feather quill.
"I need three yards of the green silk!" a wealthy lord shouted, holding up a roll of fabric.
"I will take five yards of the thick winter linen!" a commoner called out happily, holding his copper coins.
The workers moved with lightning speed. They measured the fabrics, cut the cloth with sharp scissors, and folded the pieces neatly.
Camilla stood behind the cash counter.
As the first pile of gold and silver coins was placed onto the wooden counter, her flat expression twitched just a tiny fraction.
She picked up the coins. The cold metal felt incredibly good in her pale hands. She dropped the coins into the large wooden lockbox.
The sound of the money hitting the bottom of the box was beautiful.
More people came to the counter. More coins were dropped. Gold, silver, and copper piled up rapidly.
Clink. Clink. Clank.
The line of customers never seemed to end. They bought and bought without stopping. The heavy rolls of fabric on the wooden shelves began to disappear very quickly. The inventory was flying out the door.
Camilla’s hands moved perfectly. She counted the money, handed back exact change, and wrote the numbers in a small book. She worked tirelessly for hours.
As the lockbox became full of gold, the thick, cold wall of ice inside Camilla’s mind began to slowly crack.
The strict assassin rule—Rule 67—could not survive the overwhelming wave of financial success. The sheer joy of making a massive profit was slowly warming her frozen heart. She loved money, and she loved seeing her brilliant business plan work perfectly.
The crazy, busy rush lasted for the entire afternoon.
Finally, the sun began to set over the capital city. The bright sky turned into a deep shade of dark blue and purple.
The last few patrons paid for their final pieces of cloth and walked happily out the front doors. The workers gently pulled the doors shut, locking them securely for the night.
The store was finally quiet again.
Allen stood behind the table. He was panting heavily, his clothes covered in small pieces of loose thread and lint.
He looked around the store.
The sturdy wooden shelves, which had been packed with hundreds of rolls of fabric that morning, were now almost empty. Only a few small, lonely pieces of cloth remained. They had sold almost their entire inventory in a single day.
It was a mind-blowing success.
Allen let out a loud, breathless laugh of disbelief. He threw his arms up into the air.
"We did it!" Allen shouted happily to the empty room. "We actually did it! We sold everything!"
He turned his head quickly to look at his business partner.
Camilla was standing behind the cash counter. She was looking down at the overflowing wooden box of gold and silver coins.
She slowly raised her head. She looked at Allen.
The blank, cold mask of stone was gone from her face.
A very wide smile was plastered perfectly across her pink lips. Her eyes were no longer empty; they were sparkling brightly with joy.
It was the very first genuine smile Allen had seen on her face all day.
"Yes, we did, Allen," Camilla replied. Her voice was no longer flat. It was warm and soft. "We made a fortune today."
Allen felt a wave of relief. Seeing her smile made him feel incredibly proud.
"We must celebrate this!" Allen declared enthusiastically.
He turned to a young male servant who was sweeping the floor near the back door.
"Boy," Allen called out cheerfully. He reached into his own pocket and pulled out two silver coins. He tossed the coins to the servant.
"Run to the streets immediately. Buy a box of the sweetest mango pastries you can find. And buy a large, beautiful bouquet of flowers. We need to celebrate our successful grand opening properly!"
"Right away, sir!" the servant boy caught the coins, smiled, and ran quickly out the back door into the dark alley.
Allen turned back to the counter. He reached under the desk and pulled out a tall, dusty green glass bottle.
"I kept this bottle of fine red wine hidden for a special occasion," Allen explained happily, setting the bottle on the table. He pulled out clean crystal glasses from a small cabinet.
He grabbed a metal corkscrew and popped the cork out with a loud thwump. He poured the dark red wine carefully into the glasses.
"To a brilliant business partner," Allen toasted softly, holding a glass out toward Camilla.
Camilla walked out from behind the counter. She took the crystal glass from his hand. She looked at the dark red liquid, her smile still shining brightly. She felt tired but happy.
"To our success," Camilla replied warmly, raising her glass slightly.
A few minutes later, the back door of the store opened.
The servant boy came running back inside. He was panting slightly from the fast run. He walked over to the table and carefully dropped a small white box of pastries and a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers onto the wood.
"Here you go, sir," the boy said, bowing quickly.
"Thank you," Allen smiled, handing the boy a small copper coin for his trouble.
Allen picked up his glass of wine again. He turned to Camilla, preparing to make a formal, happy toast to their incredible day of sales.
But as Allen raised his glass, Camilla did not look at him.
Camilla’s eyes were looking past Allen’s shoulder. She was looking toward the front of the store.
Standing still right outside the glass doors, looking into the bright store, was a tall figure.
Camilla froze. She slowly lowered her crystal glass of wine.
The bright smile on her face faltered for a tiny second. She stared through the glass.
The man outside was wearing a dark blue military coat. His broad shoulders looked imposing in the dark night. In his large left hand, he was holding a beautiful, large bouquet of expensive red roses. In his right hand, he held a neat white box tied with a silk ribbon.
It was Damon.
He had ridden straight from the military camp after a report from Kade made him come this late. He had seen the bright, genuine, beautiful smile on her face.
Damon felt a strange mixture of emotions in his chest. He was incredibly happy that she was smiling again. The cold, dead wall of ice had broken. But he was also deeply sad that he was not the one standing inside the room making her smile.
Damon slowly raised his hand. He gently pushed the door open.
The door creaked softly in the quiet store.
Damon stepped inside. His boots made a slow sound against the clean wooden floorboards. He stood near the entrance, holding the flowers and the pastries, looking exactly like a man who was terribly afraid of ruining a happy moment.
Allen turned his head around. He saw his cousin standing in the doorway. Allen quickly put his wine glass down on the table and bowed his head respectfully.
Camilla stared at the tall man. She looked at the flowers in his hand. She looked at his dark, serious brown eyes.
She did not feel her icy mask returning. She just felt deeply surprised.
"Damon?" Camilla spoke out loud. Her voice was soft, carrying a clear tone of genuine confusion into the quiet room.
