The next time the carriage came to a halt, it was right before the Valente Mansion.

Rutherford and Yvonne were the first to get off the carriage following which Marcus soon followed after them.

Turning to the side, they found the boys out of the carriage as well.

'They are still sulking.' The little girl surmised after taking a single look at the three boys who were glaring at their fathers.

Rutherford and Marcus deserved the glares as they had not only snatched their seats with Yvonne in her carriage but they had also thrown them onto the other carriage which was less comfortable.

Having the taste of the finer things made one cherish them more after they are taken away.

The boys who had left the Valente Mansion in the comfortable carriage carefully prepared for Yvonne had to return in Viscount Valente's regular carriage which gave them the deluxe experience of the bumpy ride.

Thus, their annoyance was valid and even justified.

The two Fief Lords who had taken a look at their expressions did not indulge them as the ride wasn't too long nor was it too rough.

They had bigger matters to focus on right now.

"I shall have to discuss this matter with Father so please excuse me." Marcus Valente announced as he nodded at his brother-in-law.

Following this statement, he smiled at Yvonne then at Howard after which he glanced at his sons who straightened their backs.

Yvonne watched as Marcus began walking towards the Mansion with the twins rushing to keep up with him.

Since Howard was not in the same carriage as her, he had no idea about the conversation that had taken place between the two men and the little girl.

Thus, he stood in silence, confused, and wondering what was going on.

The little girl felt her father's gaze fall on her and looked up to meet his eyes.

"We have a lot to accomplish as well." Rutherford reminded her with vague words which she understood right away.

Once again, Howard was left out and alternated his gaze between them.

"Let's go." The father announced and looked at his son this time, implying that he should follow them as well after which he began walking away.

A wide smile took over the young St. Claire's face as he gave his father an eager nod and ran to catch up with the big man whose feet were able to take longer strides.

Rutherford slowed down just a bit until Howard could reach them and the family of three entered the Mansion together.

Inside the Mansion, the Butler informed them that Raylene and Trisha had gone to visit the vegetable garden that Old man Valente planted during his youth days with his wife.

The women were planning to pick fresh vegetables for dinner and thus, were not at home right now.

They were also told that Old man Valente was speaking with his son and grandsons about a certain matter and could not be disturbed at this moment.

Rutherford and Yvonne knew very well what their meeting was regarding and they nodded before the family of three walked away.

Instead of going back to their individual rooms, the Earl brought them to his room where a small study room was attached to it.

This study room was where they were seated right now.

Yvonne looked at her father and then at her curious big brother who was eager to know what had taken place while he was in the other carriage with their cousins.

"What do you propose?" Rutherford inquired, bringing their attention towards him.

The little girl rubbed her chin to mull over the question posed while the boy continued to remain clueless.

"Father, Vonny! What did I miss!?" Howard finally interrogated as he was done feeling left out and wished to be included in what was going on right now.

This made the father and daughter share a glance before giving him a brief summarization of what had taken place on their carriage ride home.

___

During their carriage ride back to the Valente estate, Viscount Valente had finally interrogated them about what he had been most inquisitive about.

"Why did you not speak a word there!?" He scowled at Rutherford who had shirked all responsibility and made his little girl do all the work for him.

At this question, Rutherford did not speak a word but looked at his child to see what she would do.

This made Yvonne think hard about what her next move would be and after a few moments, she had come to a conclusion.

'When we were dealing with Baron MacIntyre about the deal for the cupcakes, he did all the talking and only gave me a chance to speak at the very end.' She recalled what had taken place in the past.

However, this time, Rutherford knew the reason why she was doing this so he did not interfere as she needed to work towards her goals by using her own strengths.

Yvonne knew well what he was trying to achieve by doing this.

'He was testing whether I would be able to negotiate properly or would ask him to step in.' She glanced at her father who indeed had remained silent with the intention of seeing what she was capable of doing without his assistance.

Seeing the result of their meeting today, the father was pleased with the way she had handled things as she had not once asked him to step in for her and finish the task on her behalf.

However, there was still something that she was curious about and did not hide her thoughts before her father and uncle.

"Papa, why did you allow me to negotiate freely? Aren't you worried that word would spread about me?" She inquired while tilting her head in an adorable fashion.

The Viscount who had been confused throughout their conversation was also seen nodding his head as that would be detrimental, considering how she had just gotten rid of a vicious rumor about her failing health.

In reply, the doting father patted her head and smiled.

"The Capital is filled with mouths that I cannot control." He spoke euphemistically and looked out the window.

"But here, a simple commoner family?" He halted his words as they had already grasped the meanings of his words.

He could not control nobles due to their power and title but to silence a commoner and his family if they dared to speak nonsense about her would not be a tedious task for him to complete.

Yvonne nodded as this was understandable before turning her gaze towards her uncle.

"So why did you not stop me when Uncle was still around?" She prodded because Marcus Valente was also a noble.

Rutherford was stunned for a moment before he regained his composure.

Looking the Viscount in the eye, he uttered a single statement.

"Because Ray trusts him." He reminded her of her mother who trusted her brother so he chose to do the same as well.

Marcus was still oblivious concerning the conversation between the father and daughter but hearing this confession made his ears redden.

His sister trusted him even after all these years which made his heart melt in an instant.

Later on, he reminded them that they still hadn't answered his question which prompted Yvonne to reveal everything to him.

Matters concerning her future plans, her preparation to lay down the strong foundation for CLOVER, and her decision to build up an empire for herself and her business.

'Since Mama and Papa trust you then so will I.' She decided and stuck to her gut with this decision.

Marcus was shocked at first to hear such ambitious words coming from his niece.

However, thinking of how his mother, Hannah Valente's blood was coursing through her veins, he was sure that she was just as brave and courageous as the deceased Matriarch of the Valente family.

As Rutherford had expected, instead of trying to hinder her path and discourage her, Marcus offered to lend his support and aid her in any way that he could.

For this proposal of his, Yvonne was not shy and accepted it without hesitation.

'I need all the connections I can make to secure my future.' She was realistic in her dreams and chose to accept his help.

There was only one thing that she needed her Uncle to help her out with and that was connected to the Hagen family and their safety.

'Considering Earl Blaise, he will make his move once he hears news about this.' Yvonne's eyes flashed while thinking of the despicable man and the extent that he would go to make sure that his position in the business world remained secure.