Mistaken by the Billionaire Marquess

CHAPTER 36: The Plan

– LIA –

MY HANDS found its way to the red roses in front of me. They all look so healthy, and the colors are vibrant that it pops in my eyes. I want to pick one and smell it, but these flowers aren’t mine.

I leaned forward to smell the flowers. A sweet aroma entered my nose as I inhaled it.

“Do you want those flowers, mi amor?” Kelleon asked as he helped me stand straight again.

“I do, but I don’t have the heart to pluck them. They look so comfortable in that place,” I answered. “I am fine with just staring and smelling them.”

He motioned his hand to the other side of the garden. “Those plants were bought by Mama from Singapore,” he spoke.

I walked towards those plants. They look so healthy, just like the other things in the garden. I noticed some droplets of water on the leaves. Someone had just watered these plants.

I looked around, amazed at how this huge garden was taken care of. I also have a garden at the back of my house, but it is as huge as this. The plants I’m taking care of are the usual in my country such as snake plants, sampaguita, lemon grass, cactus, and roses.

“Papa said that the only thing that Mama likes to spend on are plants and flowers. When he’s still courting Mama, he will bring her pots of plants instead of the usual bouquet and chocolate,” Kelleon told me while we were walking in the garden, looking at every plant in it.

I chuckled. “That’s actually good. Some flowers in bouquets can’t live even if you plant them again, but those plants in pots will grow. You can even sell them!”

We stopped in front of a secluded area in the garden. A gazebo is standing in the middle of it. Inside that gazebo are different kinds of pot plants. The pots are not just simple because they have a lot of golden engravings. Every pot has a different design, but they all look grand.

Kelleon touched one of the pots. “This plant is the first one that Papa gave to Mama. She treasured it a lot because it reminded her of their first meeting.”

I turned my head to him. “They met because of a plant?” I asked.

“You could say that,” he answered. “Papa was about to go home after a meeting when he saw Mama looking at this plant. Mama can’t buy them that time, so Papa bought them for her,” he continued with a smile on his lips.

“That’s so sweet,” I commented. “Papa doesn’t know Mama that time, but he bought it for her.”

We walked inside the gazebo. One of the plants caught my attention. It’s an unusual plant because of it’s color. The leaves have the colors green and white fighting for space. I pointed it out before speaking.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“How about that plant?”

“This is Variegated Monstera, one of the most expensive plants in the world,” he said. “Papa gave it as a gift for Mama during their 20th anniversary.”

My lips formed an o-shape. I have heard of this plant on the internet. This costs around $38, 000. That amount is too expensive for me for a plant.

We continued to talk about the plants, and Kelleon told me the backstory of each of them. We’re in the middle of discussing the plants when someone comes inside the garden.

“Your Highness,” Cloud greeted Kelleon while bowing. “Lady Lia.”

I tried my best to stop myself from wrinkling my face. People in the mansion started calling me “Lady” when I stayed here. It’s not that I hate being called like that, I’m just not used to hearing it.

Kelleon motioned us to sit at an outdoor table in the garden. As we sat, they both went straight to the topic.

“Just like what you instructed, we already talked to your connections in Italy about Count Alejandro,” Cloud reported.

Kelleon nodded. “Now that he’s out of the way, we can now capture Denisse,” he said.

I furrowed my eyebrows because I didn’t have any idea of what they were talking about.

“What happened to that Alejandro?” I asked. “And how can you be so sure that we can now seize Denisse?”

Kelleon touched my back while pouring the juice that the maid brought here earlier.

“You told me that I should destroy Alejandro first, right?” he asked.

I nodded at him. I remember saying that. “Yeah. Did you already work on it?”

He told me that he was going to bribe his enemy’s investors, but he didn’t tell me more after that.

His eyes made a glint that I hadn’t seen on him before, but I had already seen that glint in Detective Javier’s eyes whenever our case was moving.

“I did,” he said before taking a sip on my own glass. “Do you want to know how I destroyed him?”

“Yes,” I answered. “It seems like you want to boast about it after all.”

He grinned and put the glass back on the table. “After I bribed his investors, I spread negative comments about this business. I gathered all of his previous customers with complaints and strengthened their narratives,” he started.

I leaned forward, waiting for him to continue speaking.

“Fate must be with me,” he grinned wider. “There are three of his previous investors who didn’t receive the full amount of their money when they pulled out. Being a good samaritan, I helped them file a case against him.”

“Oooh!” I exclaimed and slapped the table because of amusement. “Slay!”

He chuckled at my reaction. “I used my connections to speed up the process of that case. In the end, he was penalized by almost 20 million euros, plus he needed to pay each of those investors the remaining amount of their investment, which was about 38 million euros.”

My eyes widened. That Alejandro stole so much money from his investors! 38 million is already big in pesos, what more in euros?

“To make things short, he’s going broke. That’s why he went to Italy to ask for help from his connections there,” he said.

Cloud continued his master’s speech. “But Your Highness has more power and connection than him,” he said like a proud friend.

“Of course!” Typhoon Kelleon swept the whole of Barcelona because of his arrogance.

Kelleon winked at me while I gave him a disgusted face. This man is already drowned in his own arrogance. I can say that he’s doing that to impress me.

Well, it’s working. But minus points for being too boastful.

“I made my friends there to prevent Alejandro from leaving Italy. That way, he can’t come here, and we will have the time we need to capture Denisse,” he spoke.

I nodded, amused that he was about to do that in just a short span of days. That’s a lot of work, effort, and money, but it looked so easy on him.

“What do you plan to do next?” I asked. The next part will be the most crucial of all.

Cloud answered on Kelleon’s behalf. “Lady Lia, Your Highness and I decided to use one of Count Alejandro’s men to capture Denisse.”

Kelleon continued. “We bribed one of his indoor guards,” he started.

“And he accepted your money that easy? It’s suspicious,” I commented.

Kelleon caressed my back. “Relax, mi amor. We used his daughter.”

I glared at him. “That’s not bribery! That’s blackmailing!” I exclaimed.

He just chuckled at me. “His daughter is in the hospital. They need financial support for her chemotherapy,” he explained. “I told him that I will pay for all of the sessions, plus the therapy and other bills, in exchange for information from the mansion and Denisse.”

“Oh,” I said. I judge it too quickly. I was about to be relaxed when I thought of something.

“What will you do next? Task that guard to kidnap Denisse and bring her to you?” I asked with my furrowed eyebrows.

“Yes,” he answered without blinking, and he still looked so confident of his plan.

“You can’t do that,” I said.

He stared at me, waiting for what I would say next. I can also feel Cloud’s stare.

“You said that there are a lot of guards inside and outside of the mansion. If he’s the only one who will move, there is a high chance that he will get caught,” I started explaining. I saw Cloud nodding from my peripheral vision.

“Once that happened, Alejandro will surely know about this and strengthen the security of the house. Much worse, he can ask someone to transfer Denisse to another place! We will go back to zero after that!”

“Plus, the guard’s life will be also in trouble. If someone will be hurt in this case, then it’s either Denisse or Alejandro, not the innocent people who have nothing to do with this,” I explained.

Kelleon nodded. He agreed with what I said. It makes a lot of sense, after all.

“Do you have a suggestion?” he asked.

I nodded, grinning at him. “Yes, and I’m a hundred percent sure that this will work.”

He looked amused and moved his chair closer to me. “Fire away. ”

I took a sip from my juice before talking.

“The easiest way is to lay a trap,” I started before turning my head to Kelleon.

“Cariño, you told me that in the letter she gave to you, she chose Alejandro because he is willing to marry her regardless of her success in life, right?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Well, we’re going to use that information. Denisse only married Alejandro because it’s convenient for her, but the truth is, she wants to marry you, cariño. It’s just you don’t want it,” I said before looking at both of them.

“I’m sure that once Kelleon decides that he wants to marry Denisse, she will run here and leave his husband. She wants to marry a richer guy after all.”

Kelleon spoke. “So, what’s the plan?”

I pushed my chin up, looking at my boyfriend, before saying my plan with full confidence.

“I will disguise myself as Denisse,” I said, earning disapproved reactions from them.

“Kelleon and I will go out there and show the world that we’re going to get married. People just need to make noise about it, a noise loud enough to reach Denisse’s ears. Once that happened, I’m that the bitch will run to claim her spot.”