Guidebook for the Dark Duke Chapter 28 - Talking about Problems

Chapter 28 - Talking about Problems

Evan went downstairs, he didn’t want his happy mood to be ruined by an unimportant person.
When he got downstairs, several ladies and gentlemen were already downstairs dining. Because of the large number of guests, the dinner was a buffet.
Evan didn’t see Duke Wilson. He thought about the sound he heard from Duke Wilson’s room before he came downstairs and guessed that he should be dealing with some matters now.
Evan took some salmon and butter bread from the buffet. When he returned to the table, he found that the atmosphere was a bit subtle. Next to where he was supposed to seat, there was a lady flirting with another man, with alluring eyes and ambiguous expressions. This caused a dilemma for Evan.
At this time, a gentleman sitting on the opposite side solved Evan’s dilemma.
“Reverend, come sit over here. There are vacant seats here.”
Evan looked over and saw an elegant middle-aged man, he looked ordinary but his aura was extraordinary. Evan remembers the people who were around him at the reception before, so he recalls this person’s name. He nodded gently, “Thank you, Count Martin.”
Count Martin nodded with a smile, looking at Evan with special meaning.
Evan didn’t notice this look, he strode to the Count’s side and sat down. Because he was thinking of something, his appetite was not very good. He ate only half of what was on his plate and stood up.
Quickly, Count Martin grabbed his arm and spoke, “Reverend, why didn’t you finish your meal?”
Evan’s movement was stagnant and he gave Count Martin a strange look. The expression on the Count’s face was hidden too late so Evan saw it. Evan felt disgusted. He was about to throw his hand off when he saw the duke coming down the stairs. Immediately, he changed his plan.
“Count,” His smile was polite and gentle, “I have a bad appetite, please forgive me for being rude.”
Although Evan said this, the count still held his wrist, with an ambiguous expression, “Oh my dear Reverend.” He rubbed Evan’s wrist ambiguously. Evan was so disgusted that he wanted to smash the plate directly on top of his half bald head.
“You’re so thin, you still need to eat more, or….”
“No need!” Before the count could finish his words, the duke’s cold voice suddenly came from the stairs.
He walked to where they were and without caring about the surprised expressions of the people around him, Duke Wilson pulled Evan’s wrist from the Count’s grasp, pulled Evan’s arm and quickly walked out.
Stunned, Count Martin stared at this scene and he felt uneasy. Could it be that this handsome priest belongs to the duke?Hadn’t he made a huge mistake today?
The Duke dragged Evan and walked out of the room. They passed through the gate, walked directly toward the courtyard and walked all the way to the lake before the duke let go of Evan’s arms. The duke looked angry as he stared at Evan.
His eyes were stern and red with anger, “How can you associate with that kind of person! How dare he touch your hand!”
Evan gave the duke an inexplicable look, “Lord Duke, what’s the matter with you? Is there something wrong with the count?”
Evan’s completely confused look made the duke somewhat unable to vent his anger. He looked at Evan, gritting his teeth. Looking at this handsome and holy face, he started having evil thoughts in his heart. If only this person could belong to him forever, he could only see him, talk only to him, laugh only with him and there would never be any irrelevant people like Alia and Count Martin appearing. It would only be the both of them.
This sudden thought swept the duke’s sanity like a whirlwind. He could hardly keep himself from stepping forward and grabbing Evan’s hand. He was completely frightened by his own madness.
Panting, Duke Wilson turned away. He couldn’t stay in this place otherwise he didn’t know what he would do.
“Martin…. Count Martin has special hobbies. You’re a decent person, don’t be fooled by him.” Duke Wilson said in a shaky tone.
Evan was really stunned. He was frightened by the look in the duke’s eyes. What a terrible look it was, like a cheetah watching his prey with a unique possessiveness. The madness in his eyes almost made him want to run away.
The Duke misunderstood Evan’s silence. He thought that Evan was frightened by such unethical things. For some reason, he was scared to face this righteous believer of the Lord. Obviously, the person he likes is a woman.
“Okay, that’s all. Please pay attention next time.” The duke threw this sentence down with a guilty conscience and ran away.
Evan was shocked and speechless as he watched the duke hurry away. What just happened? He had just wanted to test the duke, he didn’t expect the development of the matter to go out of his control. Does the duke’s reaction mean that he already has a lot of feelings for him? It’s just that with the way the duke behaved, he’s afraid the duke himself doesn’t know.
There was a meaningful smile in Evan’s eyes. This is very good. Although it happened faster than he expected, it was better than nothing. His plans were about to be adjusted as Evan had another idea.
Evan returned to the castle by himself. When he got to the hall, the men and women who were talking all turned to look at him with vague looks. With all the eyes looking at him, he walked upstairs with his head held high and there was no hesitation in his expression, just like a genuine gentleman with a magnanimous heart with nothing to hide.
Evan sneered in his heart. In this era, the relationship between him and Duke Wilson must not be known, otherwise he will be the only one who will die.
Evan went upstairs but instead of going to his room, he went to Mr Johnson’s room. Politely, he knocked on the door but no one answered for a while.
“Please, please come in.” Mr Johnson’s voice was short.
Frowning, Evan pushed the door open and walked in. When he entered, Mr Johnson was sitting awkwardly at the table while the beautiful young man was sitting on the sofa with an impatient look.
Evan just pretended to not see him, smiled and nodded to Mr Johnson, “I heard that you want to see me, I don’t know why?”
Mr Johnson glanced at Rael in a panic and laughed awkwardly, “Yes… it’s about the church’s land.”
Rael probably got a hint from Mr Johnson and slowly stood up, “Since you guys want to talk about things, then I’ll leave first.”
Ignoring their reaction, he turned and left the room.
Seeing Evan frowning, Mr Johnson was embarrassed, “I’m really sorry, I made you laugh. Rael has just been trained as a secretary and he’s not perfect.”
Evan thought to himself. This is just not perfect, it’s simply a lack of professionalism. If such a person can become a secretary, then all the bosses in this world will be mad.
“You don’t have to be sorry. Let’s talk about business first.” Evan’s tone was very cold.
With such a disrespectful secretary, Mr Johnson’s life must not be easy.
Mr Johnson was relieved to see that Evan didn’t pursue the matter and he began to talk about the issue of the church’s land.
At first, what he said was normal. He briefly talked about the prospects and profits of the church’s land, but as he went on, Evan started feeling that something was wrong.
Mr Johnson began to throw out a large number of terms as if to completely stun Evan. He kept trying to invite Evan to sell part of the church’s land. What kind of person would the duke be to build a textile factory in the suburbs. This would pollute the land so that the land cannot be harvested, or because of legal problems, the church would lose ownership of the land after a few years and it would be worthless.
At first, Evan was indeed a little dizzy but as he went on, Evan’s thinking became clearer.
It’s true that the duke wants to build a textile factory, the duke had mentioned it to him. But if he remembers the story correctly, the duke built the factory north of Delanlier, and the church’s land was to the south of Delanlier. Even a fool knows how far apart these two places are.
As for the ownership of the land, even if, as Mr Johnson said, the church would lose its ownership after many years but by the time that happens, Evan’s bones would have turned to ashes. It was simply too early to worry about this issue now.
Mr Johnson also mentioned these things but they were just mentioned in passing, and most of what he said was his opinion as he encouraged Evan to sell the land.
“Reverend Bruce, please listen to me, the price of the land at this time is probably the best price, you can’t find a better time to earn more money for the church. This is not good for the whole church. It is the best choice for you, of course, this is just my personal opinion, you still need to make a decision on this matter.” Mr Johnson looked different from his embarrassing appearance before and he completely turned into a smart lawyer. He looked at Evan with a very confident look, as if Evan would agree with what he said in the next instant.
Evan sneered as he looked at Mr Johnson, thanks to this fact, he had guessed that the poor old master calculated the church’s money. He finally understood that the person who misappropriated the property of the church and deceived priest Ross. It was the handsome Mr Johnson sitting in front of him.
He really didn’t know who this gentleman took him to be. The honest and opinionated priest Ross? Really interesting.
Evan stood up slowly, directly ignoring the look of expectation in Mr Johnson’s face and spoke coldly, “Please, don’t repeat this kind of thing again, you won’t want to hear my answer.”
Mr Johnson’s expression instantly changed, first into disbelief, then into panic. He hurriedly stood up and wanted to say more.
But Evan interrupted him, “By the way, I forgot to tell you, the person sent by the church to check the accounts will be here soon. Please, prepare first.”
This sentence completely stopped Mr Johnson from any further action. If there was a word to describe his look, that word would be despair.