When the sun quietly peeked out from behind the tower, the early morning sunlight slowly penetrated the glass and fell into the large bedroom.
As if feeling the touch of the sun, Edmond Dantès slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, he was lying on a comfortable big bed, and the furniture and furnishings around him were quite luxurious. Of course, this was not a high-end hotel, but his bedroom.
Previously, through Mr. Bowen, he created a financial turmoil, defeated Tanglar Bank, and also took advantage of the situation to obtain the mansion that originally belonged to him from his enemies.
Edmund wanted revenge, so after he got the mansion, he had no interest in spending any more money to make major improvements and kept it as it was.
In addition, he usually does not live here, but lives in the house that the Marquis of Treville introduced to him and bought - on the one hand, it is remote enough for him to carry out his own secret activities; on the other hand, this mansion
It was too big and had to hire multiple servants, so it was impossible to ensure that everyone was trustworthy and he didn't dare to handle his own affairs here.
Therefore, he just put this huge and luxurious trophy on the shelf. Occasionally, he would secretly come to the mansion he bought and listen to his "adopted daughter" Eugenie singing to him to soothe his tense nerves and relax.
body and mind.
Because Tanglar was disgusted, he did not sleep in the bedroom that belonged to the owner, but stayed in the original guest room. However, as a banker, of course Tanglar had the habit of showing off his wealth and spending money like water, so even an ordinary guest room
The suites are also extremely luxurious and comfortable.
Of course, Tanglar's original bedroom was not vacant, and Mrs. Tanglar's wife Emily lived there.
Edmund felt that his eyes were a little sore, so he blinked hard a few times and gradually regained consciousness, and then he struggled to get up.
At this moment, a clear singing voice came from between the doors.
The singing voice was soft and melodious, and the lyrics were also very fresh and lively, making people feel extremely comfortable. Edmund suddenly became energetic, as if his heart had been nourished.
Although it cost a lot of money to save the mother and daughter, the singing made Edmund feel that it was worth the money.
He stretched his waist, put on his clothes, and walked out of the door.
He came only once every few days, and in order not to attract the attention of others, he lived in seclusion. Every time he would secretly take a carriage to the mansion at night, and leave after breakfast the next morning.
Such a strange way of action certainly aroused the suspicion of the servants, but their suspicion was very characteristic of the times - after private exchanges, they determined that the generous master was a foreign nobleman, maybe even a Russian prince.
, he kept Lady Emily and her daughter here as his mistresses, and every once in a while he would come over for entertainment without telling his family and subordinates.
In this bizarre city, this kind of thing is not uncommon. No one even thinks it is immoral. They have long been accustomed to it. Naturally, no one is bored enough to explore the truth behind it.
After washing up, Edmond Dantès came to the dining room. At this time, the servants had already served breakfast, and Lady Emily was waiting there.
Although it was an ordinary day, Emily was still dressed up carefully, showing off the most beautiful charm of a lady.
As a noble lady, Emily worked hard to maintain her beauty. She carefully maintained her skin every day and put on makeup after getting up early to make herself a fresh flower in the vase.
But even in the heyday of her beauty at the age of thirty, she could still feel the pressure that time had brought to her. She knew clearly that there would not be much time left for her.
She also knew that no one in the upper class who knew her true story would favor this lady who had been married twice and had a child.
Because of this, she is determined to find a place for herself before she gets old and loses her beauty - or in other words, a long-term meal ticket.
After careful calculation, Edmund naturally became her last hope.
Therefore, every time Edmund comes over, she will dress up carefully and receive him with the greatest enthusiasm, hoping to capture this wealthy man with his beauty. She will not even lock the door of her bedroom, but only needs a gentle push...
...you can taste the bliss of the world.
However, what disappointed her was that no matter how hard she tried, the Earl seemed unmoved.
She had accumulated a lot of self-confidence through her years of entertainment, but it was hard for her to understand that so many romantic tricks disappeared like waves hitting a stone and had no effect after meeting the earl.
Am I not good-looking and charming enough? My wife fell into severe frustration and self-doubt.
Of course, she did not intend to give up. The fear of the future gave her endless motivation. She believed that as long as she persevered, even the stone would melt.
"Morning, Madam." Edmund greeted after seeing Madam.
"Edmund, good morning." When Emily saw Edmund, she greeted him with a smile on her face, but she felt a little bitter in her heart.
At present, Danglars has "absconded with money" and his whereabouts are unknown. As his wife, Emily cannot dissolve the marriage between the two of them for a while, and can only continue to bear this title that makes her feel burdensome - for some people,
This may add interest, but it seems to have only a negative effect on the count.
The two had breakfast together, and Eugenie continued to practice singing, using her singing voice to accompany the count's breakfast.
Edmund listened to this soft singing while dining, while Lady Emily chatted with him to relieve his boredom. For a moment, his heart was filled with the warmth of family.
Although this "family" was bought with money and had no actual relationship, and they were even the family members of his enemies, Edmund was moved and nostalgic by the long-lost warmth in his heart.
All of this is worth protecting, he thought to himself.
At this moment, the servant suddenly knocked on the door and announced that a Madame de Treville was visiting.
"Mrs. Treville?" Edmund was stunned.
"Mrs. Treville?" Emily was also a little surprised.
Edmund was surprised because few people knew that this place belonged to him, so naturally no one came here to visit him. The last time was the Marquis of Treville, and this time Mrs. de Treville...
…Didn’t the general’s wife pass away long ago?
It took him a moment to realize that it was the general's daughter-in-law, Lady Alice - presumably, she also learned this information from the general.
Wait, didn't Lady Alice go to visit His Majesty with her husband before? Could it be that they are back?
Edmond Dantès was surprised and a little happy.
"Let her go to the reception room, I'll be there right away."
As for Lady Emily, she had been married to Danglars for so many years, and of course she had a lot of dealings with Duke Nordlyon's family (of course, it was mainly because she came to flatter the Duke's family and maintain a good relationship between the two families).
So, of course she knew sisters Alice and Agnes, and she also knew that Alice was married to Edgar de Treville.
In the past, Emily and Alice had had some contact - because Emily was older, she had taken Alice to social events.
However, since she got married, Miss Alice has almost stopped interacting with the Duke. In order not to offend the Duke, Emily no longer interacts with Alice.
Unexpectedly, the two people actually bumped into each other again today, and both of them had completely changed their minds. Thinking of this, Emily felt a little sour.
At the same time, seeing Edmund react like this, she couldn't help but feel curious - and a little bit of a sense of crisis. A lady was involved with the earl, which was not good news for her.
She stood up immediately, "Sir, it's rare for a visitor to come over. I'll lead the lady over..."
Edmund was shocked and nodded.
Emily immediately walked downstairs, then came to the door and saw the lady.
As soon as she saw her, Emily fell into memories of the past - Alice was still as beautiful as ever. Perhaps because of her marriage, she had more of a mature woman's charm. Even if she didn't dress up very deliberately,
It's also charming enough, especially those rippling blue eyes, which are simply intoxicating.
Emily, who had always been extremely conceited about her beauty, now felt a little ashamed when she saw the graceful Alice.
It was impossible to say that she was not jealous of Alice. At first, she was secretly glad that Alice was forced to withdraw from society because she married Edgar, but she did not expect that a few years later, she would also become a forgotten person.
the residue of...
She had so many grievances and emotions in her heart that she didn't know what to say for a while.
But after all, she had been in the social world for so many years and had already learned how to conceal herself, so she quickly concealed her frustration.
"Alice, it is indeed you!" She smiled and then saluted Alice.
"Good morning, madam." Alice opposite, perhaps knowing the secret, deliberately did not call Emily by her current surname to avoid irritating her, but greeted her cordially. "I see that you are still in good spirits.
Not bad, I feel relieved."
"We've already reached this point, what's the use of being discouraged?" Emily replied with a wry smile, "Instead of complaining about everything, it's better to find a way to survive."
Alice knew what happened to her and understood her current situation, so she could only sigh secretly.
As soon as she returned to Paris, she asked her father-in-law, the Marquis de Treville, about the current situation of the Count of Monte Cristo, and then learned the unexpected news - Danglars went bankrupt and absconded with his money, leaving his wife and daughter at the mercy of fate.
, finally, the Count of Monte Cristo came forward to buy the mansion where they originally lived, and then settled the mother and daughter here again.
Alice knew that this was a great blessing among misfortunes. She knew Edmond Dantès as a person and knew that he would never do anything evil... However, how many people would be in this situation?
How about being lucky enough to be rescued by Edmund?
Without the help of the Count of Monte Cristo, the fate of Emily and her daughter would have been unclear.
When she thought of this, Alice fell into a chilling fear.
If she puts herself in her shoes, if she falls into this situation, alone and with only her daughter by her side, what should she do? She can't think of the answer.
If she can endure suffering for the sake of her family, then she is absolutely unwilling to see her daughter suffer such a misfortune - for Alice, it may be even more uncomfortable than death.
So... we must not fall to this point no matter what. We must control our destiny and never let go for a moment.
Lady Emily's experience seemed to be a sobering agent, making Alice face the cruelty and ruthlessness of fate.
Rather than expecting to be rescued by some angel after being in trouble, it is better to rise up on your own, control your own destiny, and avoid being manipulated by others.
No matter how good the master is, he is still a master. He is destined to be under the control of others and be manipulated by others. What is there to envy?
The two people looked at each other quietly. They had no friendship at first, but at this moment, perhaps because of the trick of fate, there was a little more resonance between them.
"Sir, I would be happy to receive you. Please come with me." After a moment, Emily broke the silence and looked at the other party with a friendly smile.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Alice just looked at Emily with a kind smile, "I know that my sudden visit may make you and sir a little hasty, and I am very sorry for that."
"Where are you talking? You are a guest and we are willing to receive you at any time." Emily replied with a smile.
Then, she sighed sadly, "Well, since the previous turmoil, we have rarely had guests come here. It would be a good thing if it could be more lively."
"I know that you encountered a disaster in which you clearly did nothing wrong, but unfortunately became the punching bag of others. I think this is extremely unfair." Alice comforted Emily with a gentle word, "
If there is anything I can do for you, I will be happy to do it for you."
Humph, what can you do? Emily thought sarcastically in her heart.
However, after encountering such a disaster, everyone she once knew was afraid of avoiding her, and was even afraid of being implicated in debts by her, so now she was rarely comforted by others, and she felt a lot more comfortable.
"Thank you, I will remember your words." So she nodded slightly to greet Alice.
Then, she slowly led the way and brought Alice to the reception room, where Edmund was already waiting.
"Madam - good morning." Edmund looked at Alice with some confusion, "What do you want?"
In fact, what he didn't understand even more was why she chose this place to see him.
"Good morning, Earl." The smile on Alice's face remained unchanged, and she still looked at the Earl gently.
But at this time, there was something different in her eyes.
"I have something important to talk to you about. Is it convenient for you to spare the time?"
Edmund was a little shocked.
But judging from Alice's solemn expression, he knew that this must be something big.
Did your Majesty have any instructions? He murmured in his heart.
Then, he winked at Lady Emily and signaled her to leave first.
"Please speak, madam, I am all ears." He replied solemnly after Emily left.