Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair) 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.

She knew people who lent money at high interest rates were heartless, often forcing those who couldn't repay to sell their children or worse. It was a cruel and damaging practice.

Jacob let out a small chuckle. "The funny part is, she didn't make a single coin off the interest. The court started investigating as soon as she started lending money. Now, she can't get back the 50,000 silver coins she lent out and still has to pay the fine."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "So, doesn't that mean the person who borrowed the 50,000 silver coins got away easy?"

"Not at all," Rafael replied. "Since lending at usury is illegal, the 50,000 silver coins were confiscated by the authorities as well."

Carissa's eyes widened in realization. "So, she's lost a total of 150,000 silver coins? That's enough to bankrupt anyone!"

"Exactly," Rafael confirmed. "Otherwise, why would she have to sell her properties? She still hasn't paid off the fine and owes Lady Molly 10,000 silver coins. This whole mess is tied to Yuvan as well, and Ian's been keeping a close eye on him. Naturally, he has no sympathy for Jessica either. These past few days, she's been running around and trying to use her connections, but Ian hasn't acknowledged her."