Imperial College London.
When the morning classes ended, Russell stretched and let out a big yawn.
"Only four days left including today until it's over."
He said this, then turned to look at the girl beside him.
Mary was leisurely packing her things when she noticed his gaze. She turned her head and gave him a gentle smile.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was just looking at you."
Russell asked, "Why aren't you going back today?"
"Drawing?"
The girl paused for a moment, as if she didn't understand what he meant.
"I never imagined that an outstanding student at Imperial College London would be daydreaming and drawing all kinds of strange pictures during class."
Russell reached out, grabbed the notebook, and waved it at Mary.
Hearing this, Mary suddenly realized what was happening. After a moment of surprise, a clear flush spread across her white neck hidden under the beige turtleneck sweater, and even her small earlobes turned cherry-pink.
"You… saw that?"
She instinctively looked around to confirm that the students still in the classroom weren't paying attention to them, then leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice.
"It's not weird."
She said.
"You and Charlotte are really bored."
Russell sighed, then gently patted the notebook resting on the girl's head.
"Alright, let's go. Otherwise we'll have to line up at the cafeteria."
"Got it—"
Mary took the notebook, stood up, and followed Russell out of the classroom.
…
In the empty classroom.
Mary sat on Russell's lap as usual and stretched lazily in a coquettish manner.
"I'm so tired."
She said afterward, resting her head on Russell's shoulder and rubbing her head against his neck.
"I was dealing with letters and contracts until very late last night… I made several phone calls too. My throat is completely dry from talking so much."
"It must be tough work for a young woman who has only just taken on the heavy responsibility of the family."
Russell's hand naturally rested on the girl's slender waist. His tone was teasing, yet subtly showed indulgence toward her efforts from the previous night.
"It's…"
Mary groaned twice, but instead of sitting properly, she leaned even more of her weight onto him without restraint.
"If I didn't have to show my determination and sincerity before they make a move, I wouldn't have wanted to stay up until three in the morning…"
"That really does sound difficult."
Russell said.
"Yeah. Several times I wanted to force them to sign the contracts with your help."
Mary sighed.
"I don't know how long this will last. I feel like my hair is going to fall out."
"If you really can't take it anymore, take a break."
Russell said quietly. "Or find two trustworthy assistants."
"William has already taken over part of it for me."
Mary said. "But the rest of the decisions have to be made by me. Otherwise, what difference is there between being the head of this family and just an empty shell in other people's eyes?"
She paused for a moment, then continued.
"But at least once these four days of classes are over, I should still have enough energy left to deal with the company's affairs."
"Let's calculate. Starting from today, four days from now, there are still fifteen days until Christmas. In these ten-plus days, I should be able to wrap everything up and put this matter on hold for now. If anyone really tries to cause trouble for me during Christmas…"
"So what? Just show them the professor's methods."
"Of course. I'll have Mr. Moriarty deliver the Christmas presents."
Mary blinked.
"I'll have to work overtime on Christmas Day itself. Mr. Moriarty's appearance fee is very high, after all."
"Don't worry. I can afford it."
The girl smiled, then lightly turned around.
"If Mr. Moriarty wishes, I wouldn't mind paying a deposit right here."
"Naughty."
Russell pinched Mary's nose and rejected the invitation for a campus performance.
"Back to Christmas—Mrs. Hudson asked me to invite you to spend Christmas at the Baker Street house."
He looked at Mary and asked, "How does that sound?"
"Of course!"
Mary's eyes lit up. "Baker Street is much livelier than Kensington. It feels like my own home."
"Then it's settled."
"Deal."
Mary tilted her head back and gave Russell a sweet, light kiss on the lips.
She lightly jumped off Russell's lap, smoothed out her skirt, and her emerald-green eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future.
"I sincerely hope these four days pass quickly."
Amid the long, echoing school bell ringing across the snow-covered campus, under the dim light, another day at Imperial College London finally came to an end.
In London, the sun always sets unusually early in winter. After four in the afternoon, the brass gas lamps lining the streets lit up, casting warm but hazy orange light against the gray-blue snowy backdrop. In front of the school gate, the Morstan family's black carriage quietly stopped by the snow-covered roadside.
"Well then, let's part ways here, thief."
Mary stopped, turned around, and slightly raised the collar of Russell's dark gray coat to block the biting wind.
Her movements were extremely natural, like those of a long-married couple.
"Aren't you going to make me your secretary today?"
Russell joked, "Did I get fired on the first day?"
"There will be many opportunities in the future."
The girl smiled. "I have to make a detour to St. Thomas' Hospital today."
She said quietly. "As a daughter, I should visit my poor father lying in the hospital bed and fulfill my filial duty, right?"
"Please give my regards to Mr. Morstan."
Russell smiled meaningfully and reached out to brush the snowflakes off her shoulder.
"Be careful on the way. If you run into any problems you can't solve, don't hesitate to come find me at Baker Street."
"Got it."
Mary smiled and replied, then turned around like a light bird and got into the carriage running through the snow.
Bang.
The heavy carriage door closed, shutting out both the cold air and the view.
The moment the carriage rolled over the snow and slowly headed toward the south bank of the Thames.
…
St. Thomas' Hospital.
Mary, wearing a modest dark-colored coat, quietly walked down the long white corridor on the third floor.
She went to the reception desk and completed the usual registration procedures.
"Hello, I've come to visit my father, Arthur Morstan."
Mary stood in front of the nurses' station, slightly lifting the black veil attached to her hat from her head, revealing a somewhat pale and pitiful face.
Her long pale-yellow hair looked slightly dull under the cold light of the incandescent bulbs in the hospital corridor.
"Ah, Miss Morstan."
The young nurse looked up and immediately recognized the tragic heiress who had already become a household name in London through countless newspaper reports. Her tone instantly became incredibly gentle and sympathetic.
"Please come with me."
She stood up from her seat and led Mary to Arthur Morstan's room.
When the door to the ward was pushed open, a strong smell of medicine hit her nose.
Mary looked around the room. The chair had been moved, and the water in the vase had been changed. All signs indicated that someone had been here before her.
Judging from the attention to detail and the level of care shown, it was probably William.
The girl quietly looked away, then turned to the nurse and asked softly, "Excuse me, how is my father's condition?"
"Miss Morstan, please rest assured. Although your father cannot move at the moment, all his vital signs are stable."
The nurse said quietly.
"This morning, the butler William also came to visit. He changed Mr. Morstan's flowers and wiped his body."
"Mr. Morstan is truly fortunate to have such a loyal butler and such a filial daughter."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Mary nodded lightly and lowered her eyelids.
"Could you give me some time alone with my father?"
"Of course. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ring the bell by the bedside."
The nurse gave a slight bow and left the ward, quietly closing the heavy oak door behind her.
Click.
With the sound of the door being slightly locked, the ward instantly fell into a deathly silence.
The expression of grief and anxiety that had been on Mary's face just moments ago disappeared the instant the door closed.
She did not leave immediately. Instead of walking toward the hospital bed, she slowly and carefully removed her black lace gloves and elegantly placed them on the bedside table.
Then she pulled over the chair William had been sitting in and slowly sat down beside Arthur Morstan's bed.
"Hello, Father."
The girl's voice had a soft and beautiful tone, but there was not a trace of warmth left in it.
"It seems William has been taking good care of you. You look more energetic than I expected."
Arthur Morstan, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes the moment he heard that nightmarish voice.
He could not speak, but heavy, painful breaths once again escaped his throat like a broken bellows.
He desperately wanted to jump off this cursed hospital bed right now and strangle the woman who had ruined his life with his own hands!
He wanted to ask her more questions. Why was she still standing there unharmed?
Hadn't that bastard nephew who called himself Charles exposed her?!
However, when Arthur saw Mary standing beside the hospital bed, he was stunned.
The fire had severely affected his central nervous system, but it had not affected his vision.
He could see his surroundings clearly, but at this moment, he desperately wished there was something wrong with his eyesight.
That long pale-yellow hair and those emerald-green eyes… The moment Arthur saw them, the memory of that afternoon at the orphanage more than ten years ago resurfaced vividly.
How dare you… How dare you do such a thing…!
"It seems you still remember this face. I'm quite surprised. I thought you would have forgotten long ago."
Mary keenly sensed the sudden terror and shock in Arthur's eyes and elegantly crossed her legs, sitting deeply in the chair.
"Back then, you took me out of the orphanage and spent a fortune dyeing my hair that ridiculous silver color. You even had custom blue contact lenses made in Germany—lenses that would cause eye inflammation if worn for too long."
She extended her slender white hand and casually tidied the pale-yellow hair falling over her chest.
"It's a pity so many things were burned in the fire."
"William couldn't find any special hair dye or spare contact lenses, so I could only appear before you in this look."
"But don't worry. The perfect story has already been constructed."
"Now everyone in London knows that you missed your deceased wife so much that you made me imitate her."
"And I am the filial daughter who compromised to satisfy my father's morbid obsession."
"Thanks to this, you've gained quite the image of being devoted and loving. You don't need to thank me too much."
"...…"
Poisonous snake… This is a poisonous snake that can never be tamed!
He should have gotten rid of this illegitimate child on the very night his real daughter died!
"Please don't look at me with such murderous eyes, Father. To borrow your words, that would be a disgrace to the Morstan family."
Mary said quietly.
"At least you're still alive and can receive William's meticulous care in the most luxurious private room at St. Thomas' Hospital. You should consider yourself lucky."
She slowly stood up, bent down, placed her hands on the iron railing of the hospital bed, and stared closely at Arthur's haggard face.
"While you were away, the house has been quite lively these past few days."
Mary spoke in a light and casual tone, as though having an ordinary conversation with someone.
"Do you know how many letters I received today?"
"Your brothers and sisters, distant relatives I haven't seen in over ten years, relatives whose full names I can't even remember."
"They're like hyenas that have caught the scent of blood, desperately trying to tear off pieces of meat from your still-warm body."
"Uncle George wanted to move into the mansion under the pretext of taking care of me, but in reality, he wanted to take over the textile factory in the East End."
"You should really be grateful. If I hadn't stood up and endured the pressure from both inside and outside the family, how much of the Morstan family's assets would still be in your name right now?"
Arthur's breathing quickened. Of course he knew what kind of people his relatives were.
If he hadn't ruled with an iron fist all these years, Morstan Enterprises would have long since been drained of funds by those fools.
But what did any of this have to do with her?
If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be in this situation!
"This was all your own choice, Father."
Mary said, as though she could see what Arthur was trying to say just by looking into his eyes.
"The factory manager of the East End factory has been replaced with an obedient young man, and warnings have been issued to those in charge of several important positions at South Bank Shipping."
"Oh, and by the way, I used Uncle George's twenty-thousand-pound promissory note to keep him in Yorkshire and make sure he never sets foot in London again."
The girl gazed at Arthur's eyes, which had widened in shock, and a beautiful smile appeared on her bright face.
"And those restless rivals at South Bank have already begun feeling the pressure."
With every word the girl spoke, the despair and disbelief in Arthur's eyes deepened.
When had this doll, whom he had thought was completely useless except for playing the piano and imitating his late wife, turned into a monster that could devour the entire Morstan family?
"Surprised?"
Seeing Arthur's eyes that looked as though they were about to burst, Mary's smile grew even more blatant.
"You remember praising me yourself, don't you?"
She said to him gently.
"You used to say that my only strength was that I had a good memory."
She smiled and said.
"Father, you don't need to worry about the family business collapsing."
"On the contrary, I'll make it even bigger and stronger than when you were in power."
"And you can lie here quietly and become a silent mascot."
"Ah—!"
"Shh."
Mary extended her slender white index finger and gently pressed it against her lipstick-covered lips in a gesture telling him to be quiet.
The girl leaned forward slightly. In that instant, her delicate face enlarged infinitely, like a vengeful ghost coming to claim a life.
"You must stay quiet in the hospital, Father."
"If you get too excited and your heart rate rises, the nurses might come and administer sedatives."
"I don't think you'll like that taste."
She sat back down again and elegantly crossed her legs, speaking in detail about the events of the past few days as though reporting her achievements.
"Ah, that's right. And Russell. That poor man you always disliked."
She seemed to remember something, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"Thanks to your devoted efforts, our relationship has grown even deeper."
"Although the responsibility of the Morstan family now rests on my shoulders, I'm still a woman, aren't I?"
"A large family always needs a man to lead it… I think he's quite good, of course. The idea of him changing his surname has been rejected."
"Actually, I quite like the surname Watson. Don't you think it sounds better than Morstan?"
The moment she finished speaking, the man lying on the hospital bed let out a terrifying, heavy breath, as though his lungs were about to burst.
For this tycoon who would stop at nothing to gain power and wealth, physical torture was far less fatal than this kind of mental torment.
The business empire he had worked half his life to build, and the Morstan surname he had been so proud of, would ultimately not only fall into the hands of the orphan he had considered worthless, but would even be given the surname of a poor man!
He glared at the girl before him. He knew that the man calling himself Charles already knew the truth, but it was all useless.
After all, the two of them were birds of a feather.
"It seems you also think this is a good idea. Your heart is pounding with excitement."
Seeing Arthur's desperate, life-or-death situation, a flash of joy appeared in Mary's eyes.
She slowly stood up from the chair, straightened her coat, then put her gloves back on.
"Rest in peace, beloved father."
Mary, wearing gloves, covered Arthur with a blanket with utmost gentleness despite her extreme disgust.
"You must live well. Until the day I get married."
…
Baker Street 221B..
When Russell opened the door, the sweet aroma of freshly baked butter cookies from Mrs. Hudson greeted him.
"Welcome back, Russell."
Mrs. Hudson's voice came from the kitchen.
"Perfect timing. I just finished baking cookies. There's still time before dinner, so you can have a little snack. Take some to Charlotte too while you're at it."
"Charlotte came here today?"
Russell asked with interest.
"Why are you asking that… Well, she seemed to have been upstairs all day."
"I invited her to lunch, but she didn't come."
Mrs. Hudson frowned. "Has this girl run into another strange case again?"
"They're probably thinking about the medical question of how much water loss is needed for a person to die of dehydration."
Russell smiled, took a cookie from the table, and under Mrs. Hudson's puzzled gaze, walked lightly upstairs.
When he pushed open the door to the room, the famous detective was wrapped in a thick blanket, curled up on the sofa, glaring resentfully at Russell standing in the doorway.
"Has the dehydration crisis passed?"
Russell walked calmly to the sofa holding a tray with cookies and black tea and placed the tray on the table.
"Mrs. Hudson said you haven't eaten anything all day, so eat something first."
"Thanks to you, I spent the entire day struggling to solve a physiological mystery."
Charlotte gritted her teeth and glared at him. Her voice was still slightly hoarse because she hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Ah, that's true."
Russell sat down beside her and picked up a cookie.
"Studying whether the human brain can forcibly control the body and complete the simple action of getting out of bed while the lumbar spine and legs are almost completely paralyzed."
She gave Russell a disgusted look, then leaned back deeply into the sofa to ease the pain in her back.
"How did the experiment turn out?"
Russell put the cookie in his mouth, then took another and brought it to her lips.
"The experimental results show that the bipedal feline animal named Russell Watson displays ridiculously monstrous stamina in bed."
Charlotte unceremoniously opened her mouth and bit into the cookie, leaving a light but firm tooth mark on Russell's finger in retaliation.
The cookie was perfectly baked. The crisp texture and sweet butter aroma greatly soothed her stomach, which had been empty all day.
"Charlotte, you're much calmer than before."
Russell shrugged, then poured her a cup of black tea.
"I was going to give up, but you provoked me, so I couldn't."
Charlotte glared at him, then laboriously reached out and took the teacup from the tray.
After calming down a little, the girl's eyes finally regained their usual sharpness and composure.
Although her body still wasn't functioning normally, at least her brain had finally returned to normal function.
"You came home quite early today."
Charlotte asked, "Why didn't you go to Kensington?"
"Mary was planning to visit Arthur Morstan at the hospital today, so I didn't accompany her to avoid agitating the patient."
"Perfect, isn't it? He's such a worrier, so it's only natural for Mary to take over."
Charlotte said.
"He can't die in front of me."
Russell shrugged.
"Besides, in his current miserable state, being alive is more useful than being dead."
He said this, then took a sip of black tea.
"As long as Arthur Morstan is alive, legally speaking, he remains the absolute rightful owner of Morstan Enterprises."
"Mary, as the only direct relative and legal guardian, is in a position to legitimately exercise all his authority. However, once this matter is resolved, executors, lawyers, and will executors will intervene under the pretext of asset liquidation and gain legal grounds to get involved. In that case, even if she is the sole heir, she will be dragged into a quagmire by those cunning old foxes through complicated legal procedures and stock exchanges."
"That's why she goes to St. Thomas' Hospital every few days, playing the role of the filial daughter who is becoming more and more haggard because of her father."
Charlotte said.
"As long as she continues to play that role perfectly, public opinion will be her strongest shield."
"However, in England, there are as many men as you like who specialize in digging up other people's secrets on the streets."
"For example?"
Russell raised one eyebrow.
"For example, those who hold the weaknesses of nobles and officials and use them as blackmail material."
"Victims often choose to remain silent because the perpetrators hold inside information that could damage their reputation."
"There are many such people. Compared to political opponents, these people are much more troublesome for Mycroft."
Charlotte said.
"This also applies to our professor."
She paused for a moment, then said to him.
"It's best if no one ever knows about the other face hidden under that mask."
"Otherwise, this change of power wouldn't have gone so peacefully."
"It probably won't get that bad."
Russell muttered.
"Right now, across all of London, the only person digging up other people's shameful secrets is probably me."
"Ah, you're probably the only one in London who's this bored."
Charlotte still avoided giving a direct answer.
"Then what about places outside London?"
She pressed.
"What do you mean?"
Russell looked puzzled.
"Arthur Morstan's relatives."
Charlotte said.
"Not all of them live in London. No matter how much influence you spread, would it reach Birmingham, Sheffield, and Manchester?"
She reminded him.
Hearing this, Russell frowned.
"That doesn't seem like much of a coincidence, does it?"