If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 113

Robert Courtney.

Among her family, her father had been the best of the lot.

Unlike Marianne, who never showed her a shred of warmth, and Willow, who did nothing but torment her, Robert had at least never directly harmed her.

Granted, he was rarely home, having squandered their inherited fortune on gambling, which meant they didn’t cross paths much. He went around bragging that he was educating her so he could sell her for a high price, but until she became an adult, nothing of the sort actually happened.

So, of the three family members, the only one who even resembled a normal person, in her eyes, had been Robert.

And yet—

Maybe it was because she had left that house—

Even now, when she faced him, she couldn’t greet him the way she once might have.

Dreams aside, now that she was face to face with family again, nothing about him felt like kin.

A round jaw lacking any sharpness, a nose that spread wide at the tip, and small eyes. Just like with Marianne, there wasn’t a single feature they shared.

Once again, Georgiana felt certain she wasn’t Georgiana Courtney.

“Georgiana, come back with me now.”

At Robert’s words, Georgiana’s face went pale.

She never wanted to return to that former life.

The days when she lived in constant fear of being sold off, when she had to hide the bruises left by Willow—just recalling them was horrific.

There wasn’t a single good memory from that house.

And it hadn’t even been her choice to receive that so-called education, so she felt no obligation to repay them. She believed she had long since paid them back in full through the abuse she endured and the housework she had done.

If they ever demanded payment for the education, she had resolved to save up and pay them off in cash instead.

“Is this someone you know?”

Sensing Georgiana’s tension, the guard stepped between them and asked her.

The guard stationed beside Angela was also watching attentively, ready to intervene at any moment.

Though reassured by this, Georgiana also worried that Angela might be caught up in the situation.

After a moment’s hesitation, she shook her head. “No. I don’t know him at all.”

At her firm response, Robert’s eyes bulged. “You—you—how can you say that? Say you don’t know me?”

Though Robert’s voice grew louder in his rising agitation, Georgiana said nothing more and turned her back.

At that moment, someone grabbed her shoulder forcefully.

Her body reacted to the familiar stench before her mind could.

“You bitch, how dare you ignore me? Don’t you even know the grace of being raised? Look, Father! Didn’t I tell you this bitch would be like this?”

The one gripping her arm and yelling viciously was Willow.

Her body trembled instinctively at the sight.

W-what is he doing here?

It made sense that she might run into Robert, who had come to the New World ahead of her, but for Willow to be here—it was unexpected.

Georgiana glanced at the shoulder she had shot with a gun.

If Willow had managed to come all the way here, then thankfully, she hadn’t become a murderer. But seeing him now brought back the fear she had almost forgotten.

She regretted, more than ever, stopping Locke from killing him back then.

Sensing that something was wrong, the guard immediately twisted Willow’s arm and dragged him away from her.

“Ow! Let go of me, damn it!”

Willow struggled on his knees, but he was no match for the guard, who was at least a head taller.

“Willow!”

As Robert tried to approach the guard who had subdued Willow, another guard—having handed Angela over to the returning shop clerk—came toward them.

“Hands up and back away.”

The muzzle of a pistol in the guard’s hand pointed directly at them.

“L-let’s talk this out.”

“She’s my daughter.”

“That’s right! She’s my runaway sister—we’re just trying to bring her back!”

At their words, the guard looked to Georgiana.

She immediately shook her head. “I don’t know these people. We should leave quickly.”

While one guard kept the two men at bay with a gun, the other ushered Georgiana and Angela to the carriage.

Just then, Raymond, having finished his business, approached the carriage.

“Leona, is something wrong?”

Seeing her pale face, Raymond immediately examined Georgiana’s condition in alarm. Bill, too, caught on from her clearly changed demeanor and glanced toward the guards.

One of them pointed toward the general store and reported, “There was a problem inside the shop. Suspicious individuals tried to take Lady Leona away, claiming to be her family. She said she didn’t know them, but they were so aggressive that John is still inside restraining them.”

“What?”

Raymond’s expression turned cold.

“Is that true?”

Just as he was about to rush into the store, Georgiana grabbed his arm.

“Raymond, let’s just go.”

“You want to just let the men who tried to take you go?”

“Angela’s here too. I don’t want to make a bigger scene. Nothing happened thanks to the guards. And… I’m just so tired.”

Looking at her weakened state, Raymond hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He then ordered Bill, “Tell John to release them, but to track their movements. They’re dangerous, so make sure we don’t lose sight of them.”

“Yes, understood.”

While Bill went into the store, Georgiana got into the carriage with Raymond.

Her hands were still trembling.

Watching her worriedly, Raymond quietly asked, so Angela wouldn’t hear, “Were those wretched relatives of yours?”

Since he already knew the truth about her background and family, there was no need to hide it.

With a pained look, Georgiana nodded.

“I don’t know how they found me.”

Her mind was in complete disarray.

She had been hiding so carefully from the bounty hunters, and only a handful of people even knew she was in Norfolk. Not even Locke or Henry had known before encountering her at the estate.

Yet Robert and Willow hadn’t looked at all surprised when they met her at the shop. It was clear they had either been following her or already knew she would be there.

Either way, it meant they knew her whereabouts. It was a bad sign.

Raymond, who seemed to have had the same thought, watched her seriously and said, “Don’t worry. With Bill on it, we’ll find out where they go soon enough.”

“What if they come to the mansion?”

“I’ll handle it. This isn’t a place where people like them can do as they please.”

With the number of guards at the mansion, his confidence was justified.

But there was one concern—if they somehow proved they were family and brought the authorities, there would be no legal way to stop them.

In both the Empire and here, daughters were often treated like property of the parents, with all rights belonging to them.

The only exception was if the daughter had formed her own household through marriage.

Without that, they could always show up and try to take her back. The image of Willow suddenly appearing and yanking her by the hair made her grimace.

Raymond shook his head and offered comfort. “I won’t let them near you, so don’t worry.”

Even with his reassurances, Georgiana couldn’t shake her unease.

Back at the mansion, she quickly finished her tasks and returned to her room, collapsing onto her bed.

It felt like a nightmare she had long forgotten had returned in full force, leaving her completely drained.

She didn’t even notice the sun had set—or that she was supposed to go see Locke.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, she didn’t even hear the repeated knocking.

A large figure eventually walked heavily toward her.

“What happened? You didn’t even hear the knocking—did something upset you that much?” Locke leaned halfway over her and asked. His expression, too, was unusually grim.

Her lips moved faintly, and she whispered, “They appeared in front of me.”

“Who?”

“Willow and my father. They found me at a store in town.”

“Ha.”

Locke wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

Without a word, he gently patted her back for a while before speaking softly, “You must have been terribly frightened.”

Once she was in his broad embrace, the tears she had held back began to pour out.