Chapter 21: Personal Circumstances (6)

Chapter 21: Personal Circumstances (6)

But he spoke up again.

“If you ever have another problem, feel free to call me.”

He pulled out a business card and placed it beside my plate. It read:

[Meyer Taylor Detective Agency
We solve all your problems.
Suite 7-14, Suretown / T. 143-451-865]

What the… This wasn’t flirting. This was marketing.

Suddenly, I felt a flicker of sympathy. Ah… so this was freelance hustling.

I pocketed the card out of pity. Everyone’s just trying to make a living. If I’d graduated and gotten stuck in some intern gig, I probably would’ve been pushed to chase sales too, getting yelled at for missing quotas every day.

“Investigations, surveillance… sometimes just an extra set of hands. All services available for a small fee.”

“Right, right.”

Listening to him rattle off the list, I couldn’t help but think of those fantasy info guilds. You know, when the protagonist visits the biggest information guild in the capital, impresses the master with clever wordplay, and drops a pile of gold to request an epic quest.

The clichés are coming back to me now.

He really did seem like a hardworking freelancer, which was actually a good thing. A smaller-scale operation probably meant there wouldn’t be any huge complications. Still, out of courtesy, I decided to ask.

“Do you work alone?”

“I’m the only one in the office,” the young detective said with a shrug. “Well, even so, I can handle jobs that require more than one person. I’ve got a lot of friends, you see.”

Okay, noted. Mr. Social Butterfly…

“I’ve always thought it’d be nice to have a rich friend, too,” he added with a wink.

What the… Wait, is he talking about me? Of course. I’m a golden spoon now!

“Are you talking about me?”

“Of course. You’re wearing the most expensive necklace in this restaurant. Each stone looks to be about five carats… So, how does it feel to be wearing a mansion around your neck?”

I almost cricked my neck trying to look down, but managed to sneak a glance instead. Phew.

Anyway, the young detective’s tone wasn’t sarcastic or mocking, just genuine admiration and curiosity. Thanks to that, I could appreciate my necklace without any guilt. I’d assumed it was a mix of crystals, but apparently it’s all diamonds. If I ever have to flee in the middle of the night, this alone could probably buy me a place to live. Better keep that in mind.

“My name’s Meyer Taylor. It’s on the card, but it’s different hearing it in person, right? Would you mind telling me the name of the richest young lady I’ve ever met?”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

A cool voice cut clean through his sentence. At some point, my fiancé had returned and was now staring straight at the young detective.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” he said with a soft smile.

The young detective chuckled brightly.

“Are you with the young lady?”

“I’m her fiancé.”

“Ah, I see.”

So this is what it’s like when two male leads clash over the protagonist?

I watched them with mild anticipation… only to be disappointed. Well, obviously. They’d just met.

“Ah, sorry for sitting in your seat. Your fiancée was so witty, we ended up chatting. I’ll get going now.”

With that, he stood up with practiced ease. As he Rose, he gave a small nod of farewell, then the moment my fiancé turned his head away, the detective flashed a grin in my direction and mimed a phone call before disappearing down the stairs. Now that’s commitment to business.

My fiancé pushed his untouched dessert aside and lowered his gaze.

“This restaurant’s clientele seems less refined than I expected. Did he say anything inappropriate?”

I scooped a large spoonful of vanilla ice cream into my mouth and shrugged.

“No, he just seemed like he was trying to sell me something.”

“Excuse me?”

“He said I looked rich and started a conversation because of that.”

My fiancé looked momentarily confused, then let out a small sigh. He called a staff member over to clear away his dessert and ordered something new: a cream tart and black coffee.

“I’ll have the same, please,” I added.

“…”

Honestly, I’d been eyeing that one too. This place does dessert right. It’s a hidden gem for sweets.

“I hope everything was to your satisfaction,” he said with a strained smile, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Judging by the way he reacted back when I insisted on ordering a whole fried chicken to myself, it looked like he was finally adjusting to my appetite. A welcome development.

We left the restaurant, and by then it was completely dark outside. But the streets were lit up, and the crowd had only grown larger. My fiancé drove us toward the brightest and busiest building on the street. An indoor theme park, maybe?

As we got closer, I noticed something strange. People weren’t lining up to go in. Instead, they were hovering around the building, taking pictures and sneaking glances. I had no idea what kind of place this was.

At the entrance, my fiancé handed a card to an employee. The staff bowed politely and let the car through.

“Rose, doesn’t the logo look familiar?”

“Huh?”

Now that he mentioned it, the sign above the entrance did look familiar. Wait. Wasn’t that the logo on the front page of the stack of catalogs in my room?

“Sometimes, there’s joy in buying things in person.”

Oh. It’s a department store!

“I remembered you often looked through their catalog, so I thought I’d bring you here. Is that all right?”

“Absolutely!”

What thoughtful consideration! Yep, this guy is definitely the main male lead in this romance fantasy. My stock in him is solid.

But wait… did I ever tell him I looked through that catalog? Hmm. Maybe the original owner of this body did. Either way, I was excited. I’d finally get to see that camera I ordered in person!

Honestly, if I said I never wanted to point at a row of display windows and shout, ‘I’ll take everything from here to there,’ I’d be lying. So when I realized we were at a department store, I got a little giddy thinking maybe I’d get to say it.

In the end, that’s not what happened.

“Is there any other product line you’d like to see?”

“Rose, how about getting some new outfits tailored? I hear a designer from Callerta is here on the third floor.”

“Ha… ha… ha…”

So I’m not choosing from ready-to-wear. We’re summoning designers now. Got it.

As soon as we entered, a group of staff members escorted us to a spacious and luxurious private room. They brought out refreshments, and began presenting all sorts of high-end products, explaining them one by one.

It felt like… doing home shopping without a screen. This wasn’t the shopping experience I’d imagined. Instead of the joy of browsing, I was just getting overwhelmed by the pressure to buy after all the effort they put into their presentations. Maybe it’s because I used to work in service, I couldn’t stop empathizing with them.

Eventually, I decided to make a run for it.

“Excuse me… I need to freshen up.”

I wasn’t just saying I needed the bathroom. I genuinely wanted to splash my face with cold water. After listening to two straight hours of polite but relentless sales pitches, anyone would. I’d bet tonight’s dessert on it.

I stepped out with a few employees who insisted on escorting me, walking quickly across the marble hallway toward the restroom when something unexpected caught my eye.

“A payphone?”

It was made of dark polished wood and looked so elegant I nearly mistook it for a decoration. But looking closely, it really was a payphone booth.

That’s when I remembered the business card from earlier. What if I called that detective and asked him to look into my family background? It was an impulsive thought, but there didn’t seem to be any harm in trying.

I asked the employees for a moment, then quickly stepped into the booth. Thirty seconds later, I poked my head back out.

“Sorry… could I borrow some change?”

I promise I’ll pay you back double before the day’s over. Please!