She is a natural disaster.

Chapter 65 Acting Willfully

For the next few days, Montague Manor remained peaceful and quiet.

Bill Montagu said he was going to do something terrible, but he's been staying home doing nothing these past few days.

As a rising star in Gloria and a well-known capitalist, Bill Montagu turned down all work and social engagements and began his early retirement.

Every morning, Bill would get up early and take a walk in the flower-filled, tree-lined courtyard.

Next, Bill would go to the stables to tend to the fine racehorses, feeding them hay, washing them, and doing everything himself, even repairing their hooves.

After lunch, the energetic Bill finally stopped messing around outdoors and would pull Mike into the study to play chess.

Old Montague was not a very good player, but fortunately, young Montague was also a terrible player. The father and son, who were evenly matched, fought to a standstill.

In the evening, Bill would gather everyone together to chat, sometimes reminiscing about the past, and sometimes dreaming about the future.

Iniz and Mike, the uncle and nephew, noticed Bill's unusual behavior, but they didn't know why.

Bill, of course, wouldn't say much. Whenever Iniz and Mike asked him, Bill would say that he just wanted to spend more time with Mike and mend the rift between father and son.

Anastasia saw all of this. She noticed Bill's unusual behavior and Iniz and Mike's deep confusion, but Anastasia didn't say or do anything unnecessary.

During these few days, Anastasia lived a more leisurely and comfortable life than the estate owner, Bill Montagu.

As dawn breaks, she would leave the honey-colored manor house on time, go alone to the shore of Swan Lake, and cast her fishing rod into the calm water.

If Bill Montagu has recently become obsessed with chess, Anastasia Angel is obsessed with fishing.

As the sun rises higher, Anastasia will carry her fishing rod back indoors. Although she will be empty-handed, she will not be without a catch.

She was simply enjoying the process of fishing; the greedy fish that leaped out of the water would be thrown back into the lake by her.

Back indoors, Anastasia would use Bill's study, climbing up and down the walls in search of books that interested her. Anastasia read very quickly; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she could read ten lines at a glance.

After lunch, Anastasia would leave the study and return to her own suite to continue reading, leaving the study to the two terrible chess players to battle it out.

The reading time usually lasts until evening, at which point Anastasia will pick up her fishing rod again and head to Swan Lake to continue fishing.

Mike had also asked Anastasia out of curiosity why she was so engrossed in such a boring activity as fishing at such a young age.

Anastasia's answer was quite high-sounding: "Fishing is also a form of spiritual practice, dear Mike. It's a way of being with yourself and it brings peace of mind."

Mike could sense that his father Bill was acting strangely, but he couldn't detect that Anastasia also harbored a secret, because Anastasia acted perfectly normally.

If a person wants to keep a secret, the best way to do so is to make it appear as if they have no secrets at all.

The eerie calm at Montague Manor continued until the night of the fifth day.

That evening, as usual, Bill Montague gathered everyone together for a chat.

The evening conversation was very pleasant. Bill was a talkative man who was very good at controlling the pace of the conversation. As long as he was there, there would be no shortage of topics.

But as the conversation drew to a close, Bill Montagu suddenly dropped a bombshell, instantly turning the previously pleasant atmosphere to freezing point.

"What?!" Mike Tenn jumped to his feet. "You're going to meet with Lonkinswatt!"

Bill nodded calmly; Mike's surprise was within his expectations.

"I disagree!" Mike said. "Lonkinswatt is our enemy; it's too dangerous to meet with him!"

Under Lonkins's instructions, Mike was attacked twice. How could he possibly let his father meet with such a dangerous person?

“I disagree,” Iniz Blatt said. “Lonkinswait is a gambler. He won’t give up until he’s lost all his chips. He’ll keep fighting us.”

Bill nodded calmly again; Iniz made a good point.

The gambling addict Lonkinswain wouldn't give up the game; he would keep gambling until he either won everything or went bankrupt.

"Besides, even if we propose a settlement and are truly sincere, will Lonkinswit believe us?" Iniz Blatt continued, "Bill, what's wrong with you these past few days? How could you come up with such a foolish idea?"

If the conflict between Bill Montagu and Lonkinswit is a business matter, both sides can compromise for the sake of their own interests, set aside their disputes, and jointly develop the project.

However, the conflict between the two sides had long since transcended the realm of business. From the moment Mike was attacked for the first time, the two sides were irreconcilable.

The possibility of a reconciliation between Montagu and Lonkinswait cannot be said to be entirely nonexistent, but it can only be described as extremely slim.

Unless Bill Montague is a complete coward and Lonkinswain is a brainless idiot, there is no possibility that the two can resolve their hatred and reach a reconciliation.

Is Bill Montagu a coward?

The answer is no. If he were a coward, Montagu would not have become a new Gloria tycoon.

Is Lonkins Witt a brainless idiot?

The answer is still no. You can say Lonkinswain is bad, but you absolutely cannot say he's bad.

Longin Kingsweet, a gambling addict, must have been a shrewd man; otherwise, the long-haired Dulles wouldn't have been so afraid of him.

That's why Mike and Iniz, the uncle and nephew, vehemently opposed the meeting; there was no possibility of reconciliation between them, and naturally, no need for them to meet.

"The request for a meeting was initiated by Lonkinswit.," Bill Montagu said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Mike and Iniz, who were opposed to the idea, exchanged a glance, and the uncle and nephew saw the same doubt in each other's eyes—

Is Lonkins Waiter out of his mind? How could he come up with such a naive idea?

On Montague's side, the sole heir is repeatedly attacked, and on Lonkinswait's side, successive defeats have resulted in heavy losses. It would be a miracle if they could reconcile!

"I still disagree!" Mike said. "If Lonkinswain isn't up to no good, I'll boil and eat the shoes he wore!"

“I think Mike is right,” Eniz Blatt said. “Meeting with Lonkinswit will only expose us to his blade; he will definitely have an ambush set up beforehand.”

"Iniz," Bill said, glancing at his brother-in-law, "Mike," he said, glancing at his son, "I know what you're worried about, so I arranged the meeting at Montagu Estate."

"Even so, I still disagree," Mike said angrily. "I won't agree no matter what you say!"

Although the meeting place was arranged on his own territory, Mike still felt the risk was too great.

Montague Estate is just an estate, not a military facility like a fortress.

Furthermore, even the seemingly impregnable bastion fortress has been breached before, and the manor's wrought-iron gates cannot stop those who surpass it.

“I think Mike is right,” Eniz Blatt repeated. “These two attacks have cost Lonkinswait dearly, and he’s capable of anything now.”

“I know, I’m aware of all the risks you’re talking about,” Bill Montagu said calmly. “That’s why I also invited people from the Bureau of Anomalies to act as intermediaries for this meeting.”

Bill suggested that the Bureau of Anomalies act as a bridge in the negotiations, and Lonkinswait readily agreed.

"Unless a priest is brought in as an intermediary, I still disagree." Mike shook his head vigorously; he had no liking for the Bureau of Abnormal Investigations.

"What if the Bureau of Anomalies joins forces with Lonkinswit again?" Iniz Blatt expressed his concern. "Passing Anastasia's test ahead of time might just be a way to lull us into a false sense of security."

Iniz Blatt also had absolutely no trust in the Bureau of Anomalies.

Just days earlier, the Bureau of Anomalies had sent a combat team to stop Anastasia, putting Mike in danger.

Now that the Bureau of Anomalies has passed Anastasia's test ahead of schedule and transformed into a neutral party, this change has come too quickly for Iniz to trust.

At this moment, the atmosphere of the late-night conversation had become as bad as it could possibly be.

Bill Montague was determined to go his own way, while Enitz and Mike vehemently opposed him, and the two sides were deadlocked, neither able to convince the other.

Anastasia remained silent throughout, watching the three men argue back and forth, knowing that Bill Montagu would not change his mind.

More than calming the argument between the three men, Anastasia was interested in Bill's true intentions in agreeing to the meeting—was he trying to take them all down at once?

Anastasia believes that "some terrible thing" will happen on the day Bill meets with Lonkinswait.