If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 59

“Then I’ll come to pick you up before the party starts.”

Lockwood had arranged his meeting with Isabella to coincide with Georgiana’s disembarkation. Isabella had returned to her cabin with an excited face when he said he would escort her. Moreover, she had brought up the very thing he wanted—taking her to a gathering attended only by close acquaintances.

By that time, Henry and Georgiana would have left the ship, so he had to approach as close as possible, take the shot at Edmund, and escape, even if it was risky.

However, before the onboard party, Georgiana, who was supposed to follow Henry off the ship, was near Isabella’s cabin—something he hadn’t anticipated at all.

Her face, filled with shock, remained etched in his mind.

At that moment, Lockwood had to suppress the urge to throw away Isabella’s hand he was holding.

Isabella was watching him intently. If he missed this opportunity, the only way left would be to forcefully enter the cabin.

That was why Lockwood ignored Georgiana, lying in the hallway, and spoke even more coldly to her.

“Weren’t you supposed to be with Henry?”

As he questioned her, Georgiana sank deeper into despair. Her emotions were clear on her face. It weighed heavily on Lockwood’s heart, but he convinced himself that in just a few hours, he would explain everything to her, and forced himself to leave.

Even during the banquet, her pale face kept surfacing in his mind, breaking his focus.

Did she arrive safely?

Henry, though outwardly a bit sloppy, was reliable when it came to getting things done.

If Georgiana had asked Henry about what happened, perhaps the misunderstanding had already been cleared up. He hoped she understood that he had no other choice.

No matter what, whether it was to apologize or resolve things, surviving and returning was the top priority.

Lockwood put on a worried expression on purpose for Isabella, who was watching him.

“I’m sorry for my lack of focus. We’re nearing the New World, and the fact that I haven’t sought forgiveness from Mr. Edmund still bothers me. As a businessman, it feels like I’ve taken a huge risk, and I regret doubting you at that time, Lady Isabella.”

Isabella jumped up, saying it was alright. She had enjoyed the banquet enough and pulled him along, suggesting they go to her father.

Lockwood hoped that when this plan succeeded, Isabella would live in guilt for the rest of her life. He wanted her to pay for what she had done to Georgiana.

He walked with Isabella, ready to pull the gun hidden inside his coat at any moment.

While descending to the seventh-floor banquet hall, he saw Henry—who shouldn’t have been there at that time. Alarmed, Lockwood quickly turned his head to look around, but Georgiana was nowhere to be seen.

Lockwood’s face hardened more than ever. Henry, looking just as confused, saw him holding Isabella’s hand.

“Lady Isabella, could you wait here for a moment? It seems my servant has come to me with urgent news. I’ll talk to him briefly and send him on his way.”

Isabella followed his gaze, saw Henry, and nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll stay here.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Lockwood’s heart pounded with a sense of foreboding as he approached Henry.

Had something happened to Georgiana? If not, Henry wouldn’t be alone like this.

Lockwood grabbed Henry’s collar and dragged him against the wall.

“Why are you still on the ship? Did you fail to escape? Then where is Georgiana?”

“Ugh! Let go of me so I can speak.”

Henry’s face, now red, barely managed to escape Lockwood’s grip.

“The young lady arrived safely, and I escorted her to the inn.”

“What?! I told you to stay with her.”

He almost shouted but managed to lower his voice.

“The young lady was very adamant that I return to fetch you, Captain, I couldn’t resist. She said not to worry and that she would be waiting at the inn.”

“Georgiana said that?”

A chilling feeling grew stronger.

She had left after witnessing that scene between him and Isabella, and now she was telling him not to worry and had sent Henry back? To stay alone in an unfamiliar place?

Something felt terribly wrong.

“Did she say anything else?”

“No, other than saying she would wait, she didn’t say anything special. But you, Captain—what were you doing? Even if you need to get closer to Lady Isabella, holding her hand is too much, isn’t it? Surely, you didn’t let Miss Georgiana see that, did you?”

“……”

Lockwood’s silence in response made Henry frown and clutch his head.

“No wonder the young lady seemed down. Finish your business quickly and go back to apologize.”

“I was already planning to, even without your advice. Don’t worry about here—just go back. If I don’t return after midnight, take Georgiana and run. If I can’t contact you, meet me at the Norfolk unit.”

The Northwest port city was large, but its size meant more guards and a higher chance of exposure. Norfolk, being quieter and close to Raymond’s plantation, had many trustworthy members. Commander Rossmann often visited that area instead of other places for that reason.

“No. Now that I’m here, I’ll stay until you finish your mission. I wonder if Kyle even delivered the message properly. There’s no sign of reinforcements, not even a fishing boat nearby. I’ll have to question him later, but for now, it seems I’ll need to use the lifeboat myself to get you out.”

“No. I’m fine—go to Georgiana. I have a bad feeling.”

“Even if I risk getting fired, I can’t obey that order. I’ve taken the young lady to a safe place, so now it’s time for me to assist you.”

“Henry Marker!”

“Even if you call my name a hundred times, I’m staying.”

No matter how much Lockwood threatened, Henry wouldn’t budge. Despite his easygoing demeanor, once he was determined, no one in his family could sway him. That’s why the Marker family couldn’t stop their only son from volunteering for the military.

Eventually, grinding his teeth, Lockwood instructed Henry to wait near the lifeboat and returned to Isabella. His only thought was to kill Edmund quickly and return to Georgiana.

The place Isabella led him to was none other than the seventh floor’s darkened banquet hall. It was the day of the onboard party, so the banquet hall was closed. He wondered why they had come here.

There was no sign of anyone inside the banquet hall.

As they approached, a servant holding a lamp appeared from somewhere and guided them inside.

The servant pushed aside a wall adorned with dozens of wine bottles, revealing a lavishly decorated space with far more splendid lighting than the banquet hall.

Lockwood had never imagined that such a place existed behind the banquet hall.

It seemed to be a secret meeting place, and without a guide, it would have been impossible to find. If he had tried to find Edmund on his own, he surely would have failed.

Passing through the bright corridor and further inside, they entered a reception area with several velvet sofas. The soundproofing was so effective that one had to leave the door wide open just to hear people’s conversations.

Surrounding Edmund were key members of the Senate. Anthony, who was sitting at the end, waved at Lockwood, then looked puzzled to see Isabella with him.

Conversation ceased abruptly as they entered.

“Isabella, what brings you here? I told you to only come in emergencies.”

Even with his daughter interrupting, Edmund didn’t get angry.

Known for his ruthlessness toward enemies, he couldn’t be harsh with his beloved child. When Isabella insisted on coming to the New World alone, he reluctantly brought her, despite not allowing his wife or other children to follow.

Though she was of marriageable age, he had expected her to bring her nanny and chaperone. Instead, she had left everyone behind and appeared on the ship with only a few handmaidens, much to his dismay.

To her, the New World seemed no different from a store she was visiting for the first time.

Her immature nature only made her seem younger.

Seeing his cherished daughter infatuated with Lockwood, a businessman he barely knew, Edmund planned to send Isabella back to the empire as soon as they reached the New World.

To Edmund, Lockwood was not an easy man to read. He disliked the fact that Lockwood was married, and even more so, his attitude toward Isabella.

That a married man was escorting his daughter only made Edmund more suspicious of his intentions.

Edmund looked up at Lockwood with sharp eyes.