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nYvonne groaned when she heard his inquisitive words and wondered what to do next.

n'I remember that he was close to that woman while he stayed at home.' She recalled and wondered how he would take the news that was related to the question he had asked.

nHoward took his seat on one of the chairs which were by the table and gestured for her to do the same.

nHaving been left with no other option, she accepted this offer and decided to spill the beans before him.

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"I was punished for disobeying Mama's words.

" She stated the main cause for being grounded.

nConfusion only rose in Howard's mind after listening to what she had just said as this could most certainly not be true.

nHe knew his mother too well and was aware of her kind-hearted personality, hence he was skeptical of what she had just said.

n'Mother is never angry no matter what she does.' He glanced at her suspiciously, wondering what might have taken place in his absence.

n'He's looking at me as though I did something wrong!' She scoffed at his misconception.

nIf anything, she was the one who had orchestrated everything to save this mansion by exposing the maid's schemes yet here he was looking at her with suspicion laced in his gaze.

nSneering at him, she decided to let him know what had truly taken place on that day.

n'He will know it sooner or later.' She shrugged and began retelling the same story to him.

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"Did you notice how Paula was not with Mama today?

" She inquired to initiate this conversation and saw him nod in agreement.

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"That was because Mama sent her away.

" She revealed and watched as his eyes widened in surprise.

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"Paula has been serving Mama since I was a little boy so why would she do that to her maid?

" Howard was shocked at his mother's strange behavior.

nYvonne rolled her eyes when she heard what he was bothered about and realized that the maid had a place in his heart just like she had one in her mother's heart.

nThis was true as he had spent more time with Paula and his mother while Yvonne spent time with her nanny as a toddler.

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"I do not know why but Mama was crying on the day we returned home from the Inn close to your Academy.

" She disclosed bits and pieces so as to not appear to be cognizant of everything.

nWhen he heard that the maid was the reason for his mother's tears, the earlier anger at the injustice done to the maid was now directed at Paula for what she had done.

nPaula had been good to him over the years but this did not mean that her position in his heart was higher than his mother's.

nTherefore, when he heard that she had caused his mother pain for whatever reason it might be, hostility rose in his heart towards her.

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"Why did Mama cry?

" He investigated further about the things he had missed.

nYvonne did not wish to reveal everything she knew but only chose to divulge enough information to let him have a gist of what had taken place.

nTo achieve this, the little girl rubbed her chin while pretending to recollect what had transpired that day.

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"Papa said that he loves Mama and no one else.

" She muttered and then paused as though she had forgotten the rest.

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"Oh! And Mama said that Paula broke her trust.

" Her poorly worded narration was more than enough to get the work done.

nHoward was old enough to make sense of the broken pieces of information that he had received from her.

n'So Paula tried to do something with Papa and Mama caught her…' He gritted his teeth that he had once defended that maid when his mother was about to punish her.

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"Where is she now?

" He interrogated with his eyes darkening.

nHowever, in answer, all he got was a shake of the head from his sister.

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"Vonny has no clue. Papa and Butler Limo sent her away.

" She lied even when she knew what had taken place after that thanks to her Spy Limo.

nThough annoyed, he did not press her on as she was just a child and decided to talk to someone else about this.

nHowever, there was something else that had come to his mind.

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"And in all of this, where exactly is the explanation for you being punished?

" He inquired with his brows raised at her.

n'Isn't he a sharp cookie?' Yvonne rolled her eyes after lowering her head as though she was embarrassed to reveal this part of the story.

nAmusement appeared in his eyes as he waited to hear her answer.

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"Vonny was caught sneaking around to see what was happening on that day.

" She whispered in the softest voice that he might have missed if he wasn't paying attention to her.

nThis sentence explained why she was punished and also how she had gained knowledge about the events of that day.

nHoward nodded his head at her cute behavior but halted when he recalled what had taken place during lunch.

nHe was seeing new sides of his sister which he had never noticed before.

nHer cute appearance now, her intellectual side which gives smart ideas that even the King of the land appreciated, and the calculative side which made the deal with Baron MacIntyre.

nTherefore, he decided to place before her the one important question that had been on his mind since this afternoon.

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"Is Papa not giving you enough money?

" His question threw her off course as that had come out of nowhere.

n'We were talking about Paula and my punishment so how exactly is this associated with that?' She furrowed her brows and tilted her head to the side.

nHoward realized his folly for shifting their conversation too abruptly and scratched his head.

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"Why do you need to earn money from the deal with the Baron?

" He reiterated his words to help her understand his question.

nYvonne finally understood what he was trying to say but before she could answer, he spoke again.

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"What would you do with all that money? Doesn't Papa have enough already?

" He interrogated as their father was already considered to be the richest nobleman after the Royal family.

nThe little girl paused for a while to decide what her answer would be.

n'I guess it would be better if I told him about my plans.' She thought to herself and reached a conclusion on what needed to be done.

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"I want the money to start my own business.

" She disclosed her future plans and truthfully answered him without hiding anything.

nConfusion and even suspicion appeared on the young boy's face which made her sigh as this was a given.

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"Why?

" He questioned through his puzzlement at what she had said.

nNo girl had ever thought of running her own business but his sister was known to have desires that none of the others could even think of.

nHowever, his appreciation for her uniqueness faltered when another thought entered his mind.

n'Is she still bent on snatching away the title of the heir from me by proving that she is better at business?' His eyes widened in surprise at this threatening thought.

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