Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1010

Carissa smiled sweetly when she saw Rafael had returned so early, her eyes crinkling with warmth.

"Have you settled all the cases?"

"Not yet, but I didn't feel like staying up tonight," Rafael replied, his gaze meeting hers.

Without realizing it, the hard edges of his face softened. A smile tugged at his eyes as he walked over and sat down next to her.

Jacob glanced back and called for some drinks. "My throat's about to catch fire. Get some cold fruit juice."

Violet laughed and asked, "What kept you so busy today, Jacob? Your voice is hoarse."

"Had to go round up the shops, negotiate with some people," Jacob said, giving a respectful nod to Carissa before sitting down.

Violet was uninterested in those details, so she turned her attention to Rafael. "You said you know something about Jessica. What's going on with her?"

"Her finances were never solid to begin with," Rafael replied. "During the investigation into the treason case, it was discovered that all the money her shops made was funneled to Eleanor. She also had some shops with other ladies, including Lady Josephine and Lady Dakota. Those were all involved in the case.

"After the investigation, any shops linked to the case were sealed, but she had two private shops left. Unfortunately, they were both registered under Henry's name. After his execution, those shops were seized and confiscated. Jessica had been hiding this from the Marquis of Ironridge, hoping he wouldn't look down on her.

"With no income, she started lending out money at high interest. Of course, that would have made her a decent profit. She even borrowed 10,000 silver coins from Lady Molly and said it was for a business venture, and that they would split the profits 50-50."

When Violet heard that her cousin was involved in this, her face immediately soured.