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The Husband Who Is a Half-Closed-Eye Hidden Boss Is Troubling – Chapter 019
He brushed the crumbs off his hands and said.
“Thanks. It was delicious.”
“…I’m glad it suited your taste.”
“How do I pay for the cookies?”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Come to think of it, I don’t have any money either.”
Was that a joke?
To Diana, the man’s clothing looked far more expensive than what a commoner would wear.
His jaw, free of even a single stubble mark, and his glossy hair—so well-kept it almost looked like it had been treated with coconut oil—made it hard to believe he had no money at all.
On top of that, he was suspicious to an extreme degree.
“Do you want me to pick up some trash right now?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Then what do you like?”
“Well….”
Diana couldn’t immediately think of anything appropriate to demand in exchange for a jam cookie from a man she had just met.
As she hesitated, the man thought for a moment as well—then came up with his own answer.
“Then I’ll help you once when you need it.”
“Pardon?”
She was about to ask what he meant—
But the children, who had been playing noisily among themselves, suddenly screamed and ran toward the street.
“Mister! Orlando Uncle!”
“Uncle Orlando, we’ve got a customer! A pretty lady over there!”
“Look! That lady gave us cookies!”
Diana quickly stood up.
From the other side, a man wearing a worn frock coat and a bowler hat approached, shooing the children away only with words.
“…Huh? That’s my office. Are you here for a consultation?”
“Hello, Mr. Orlando. Yes, I came to request a commission.”
“Oh my, you’ve been waiting outside all this time?”
“I didn’t wait that long.”
“Welcome. You brats, stop making noise and go play over there!”
At Orlando’s loud scolding, the children—cookies in both hands—screamed as if pretending to be scared, laughing as they ran off.
The detective clicked his tongue and opened the office door, gesturing toward Diana.
“Please come inside.”
“Yes, thank you. …Ah.”
She nodded, but then—
Just as she was about to say goodbye to the man who had been beside her a moment ago, she realized he had vanished like a mirage.
“…What is it?”
“Um, the person who was just here….”
“Person? Who are you talking about?”
“….”
What?
How could a person disappear without making even the slightest sound?
Had she been dreaming while sitting there?
A chilling sensation crept up her spine, but the cookie crumbs on the ground confirmed that neither of her guesses made sense.
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Under Orlando’s suspicious gaze, Diana closed her mouth.
“Then excuse me.”
Ignoring her heart beating faster than usual, she stepped into the office.
The suspicious man was troubling, but her priority was the matter she had come here to resolve.
* * *
Orlando looked older than Diana had expected.
“I’m sorry for making you stand outside. Normally no one comes by at this hour, so….”
“It’s fine. I came without an appointment.”
Diana accepted the coffee he offered with gratitude.
The freshly ground aroma was distinctively rich.
‘He looks even older up close.’
His naturally square jaw gave him a familiar impression, but perhaps because of the worries of his job, the lines around his mouth were deeply etched.
“Did the children bother you at all?”
“You mean those kids from earlier?”
“That’s right. They cling to people as long as they don’t seem like they’ll hit them. Even if I tell them not to because customers get scared, they never listen.”
He let out a groan.
Though he complained, there was warmth hidden in his tone.
“Still, they’re not bad kids. Please be understanding. I apologize on their behalf.”
“No need to apologize. I’m glad I brought plenty of cookies. It’s nothing much, but this is a gift.”
“Eh? Oh my… something like this….”
Only then did Diana hand over two boxes of cookies, and Orlando awkwardly accepted them.
He even tried to stand up to bring out cookies of his own, leading to a pointless back-and-forth to stop him.
“Cookies are fine. Please just listen to my story.”
“Right. My apologies, I’ve lost my focus.”
The detective quickly put on his glasses and pulled out a notepad.
“I may look like this, but I’ve handled everything from tailing cheating spouses to catching fruit thieves. Confidentiality is guaranteed.”
“Hearing that makes me feel reassured. The reason I came is because I need to find some people.”
“People? Not just one person?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Diana nodded.
“I’m a bit late in introducing myself. I’m Diana Wellington, the new administrator of the Royal Casino.”
“…Royal Casino?”
A trace of unease crept into Orlando’s eyes.
Diana tried to finish her explanation before the coffee grew cold, but that proved more difficult than expected. There was simply too much to say.
“Everything I’m about to tell you must remain confidential.”
“Of course.”
She explained the current situation of the suspended Royal Casino, the former manager who had embezzled operational funds, and the fraud committed by dealers colluding with players—laying bare the difficulties of the operation.
The longer she spoke, the more Orlando merely stroked his beard with a low groan.
After listening to the client’s story in full, he finally spoke after a long silence.
“Hmm… you’ve taken on quite a complicated job. So, miss—no, Administrator—are you saying you believe the person in charge embezzled funds under the excuse of building repairs?”
“Please call me Diana. I’ve checked the ledgers myself, so I’m certain. I saw numbers written in absurdly large units.”
Her voice grew firm.
“There’s a lot to investigate. I need to track down the manager and the dealers’ whereabouts, and if necessary, meet them in person.”
Something flickered briefly in Orlando’s dark gray eyes, and Diana did not miss it.
“I’ve heard that you can find most people within two days.”
“Haha… those are just things the local kids say without thinking. You shouldn’t take them seriously.”
“That can’t be. Children’s instincts are very sharp.”
It was not a good sign.
Diana felt that Orlando was already considering stepping away before getting involved in anything complicated.
“I understand why you’ve come. But why specifically come to a private detective like me?”
Her intuition proved correct.
“People with the wealth of the Wellington family should have no trouble hiring information gatherers.”
“This isn’t a matter for the family business. It’s my personal matter. It’s not something I can assign to a butler or maid.”
“Does your family know about this?”
“They must never find out.”
If her mother learned that her daughter—whom she believed to be attending meetings with a minor duke—was roaming around casino streets, she would faint on the spot.
‘I need someone who can act as my hands and feet.’
And not just anyone—someone sharp enough to understand things instantly with minimal instruction.
To Diana, who had lived as a typical noble lady, information guild masters or shadow operatives were connections that belonged only in dreams.
With her limited freedom of movement, Orlando—the trustworthy supporting character from the original story—was a must-recruit asset.
“I’m worried I don’t have enough manpower to investigate this alone….”
“If you need it, I can mobilize trustworthy personnel. I will also pay them accordingly.”
Fortunately, she had saved up funds for emergencies.
It wasn’t nearly enough to rebuild the entire casino, but it was more than enough to hire people.
However, Orlando’s previously easy smile did not return.
She had expected him to readily accept, but instead, after a heavy sigh, his answer was unexpected.
“I’m sorry, but I must decline.”
