For Douglas, there was only one thought in his mind now.
Do everything possible to make his daughter cling tightly to Ryuji.
As a man deeply versed in human nature... no, as a capitalist who was well versed in human nature, Douglas was certain that Ryuji had not told the truth about the cost of reviving him.
The cost of reviving him was definitely not as great as Ryuji had claimed. If he truly wanted, he could absolutely bring him back completely and even let him live in this world until his seventies or eighties!
But the reason he didn't do that, to put it bluntly, was because he had his eyes on his daughter… and his family business.
Through Helena, he had also learned about Mai's family situation and after checking on the computer, confirmed that her family had long since died.
So, he was certain that if his daughter could please Ryuji, and if he himself was sensible enough, then perhaps during holidays he could even come out from hell and reunite with his daughter.
He didn't expect Ryuji to fully revive him. After all, the things Ryuji wanted, he would never hand them over if he were alive.
So, he had to make sure his daughter could properly make use of everything he left behind.
And there was still opportunity. Douglas understood this very clearly, whether it was smartphones or wireless networks, all of it was an advantage given to the Douglas family. So, the best response was for his daughter to lead the entire Douglas family to side with Ryuji!
Turn the Douglas empire into something almost belonging to Ryuji. Only then could the Douglas family advance further!
This was the opportunity.
And without Ryuji's protection, his daughter simply couldn't protect the family business. Even if she did, she would still be forced into a political marriage. So, why not just choose Ryuji directly?
And maybe in the future, if the chance came, his daughter could even ask Ryuji to bring him back to life again.
Under such circumstances, what did it matter to offer his daughter, to give a "gift"?
"Helena, I admit I neglected you in the past. But things are different now."
Douglas sighed.
"Do you think that if she leaves you… her ending will be a good one?"
Helena froze for a moment, instinctively wanting to say yes, but Douglas cut her off before she could speak.
"Do you think the secrets Mr. Ryuji holds can be allowed to leak out? Are these documents something Marie Rose is even supposed to know? Even if Marie Rose can keep it a secret, after you let her go, can you guarantee that others won't use her family to blackmail her into attacking you or steal those secrets? And even if your friendship transcends life and death, what about Marie Rose's future children? Her husband? Or what if they capture Marie Rose and brainwash her? Do you think she could still resist?"
Douglas's words shattered Helena's defenses instantly, because everything he said were things that could truly happen; he wasn't deceiving her.
Just moments ago, a large portion of her own bodyguards had betrayed her. Among them were people who should never have betrayed her, but they still did.
Because their families had been taken hostage.
Under such circumstances, she truly couldn't guarantee that Marie Rose wouldn't suffer the same fate.
As for naive ideas like keeping Marie Rose by her side forever, Helena didn't even dare to say them. She understood just how valuable Marie Rose was. And if Marie Rose fell in love with someone else, that would also create problems.
"But… but…"
Marie Rose is my friend!
Helena cried out in her heart. But even as she struggled, she knew she had already made her choice.
If it were only herself, she would never choose to listen to her father.
But she still had her mother. Someone she had to protect.
She could sacrifice herself for her friend…
But she couldn't sacrifice her mother for her friend.
"I…"
Douglas looked at his daughter with both pride and helplessness.
"I know what you want to say. But Helena, Marie Rose might fall for Mr. Ryuji even before you do."
Douglas didn't know much about Ryuji's character, but he knew Marie Rose very well.
Because of how much Marie Rose cared about Helena, she would naturally pay attention to anyone who treated Helena well. And once she paid attention to someone, her personality made it easy for her to fall in love.
That was why he had the confidence to say what he said before.
"In any case, you just need to let things take their course. There's no need to worry about it. In fact, only this way can your friendship continue."
Douglas's sharp words laid out Marie Rose's situation clearly. Not knowing how to refute him, Helena could only lower her head in silence.
Helena's mother looked at her current state and simply sighed. Families like theirs lived in luxury, but that didn't mean there was no cost. Compared to ordinary people, their lives were already unimaginable.
Her daughter was simply having trouble accepting it for the time being. When faced with reality, she would make the right choice.
They had spoiled her too much before.
"I understand, Father… But if Marie Rose doesn't fall for Mr. Ryuji, I won't force this."
Helena agreed but felt as if something inside her had been hollowed out. And after agreeing to this, she felt that a part of herself had changed.
And the dream she had hidden deep in her heart, of marrying the man she truly loved was completely shattered, no longer holding any attraction for her.
But…
Strictly speaking, maybe it's not completely shattered, is it?
She couldn't help but recall the scene she had just witnessed: Ryuji wielding his greatsword, resolving her crisis with a wave of his hand and even temporarily reviving her father so that he could help arrange their future.
~~~~~~~~~~
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