At the invitation of Albert de Marsève, Charles also participated in their billiards duel, and the three of them took turns putting, which was also quite fun.

It can be seen that Albert is a very committed man, and although André Cavalcanti is clearly a man of questionable origin, after hearing the request of the Count of Monte Cristo, he treats André very warmly, and it seems that he wants to make André a friend of his.

Or, at least, to make it look like his friend.

The Count wanted André Cavalcanti to enter Parisian high society as an Italian aristocratic youth, and there was no doubt that it would have been easy for him to do so if he had become friends with the young men of the Tréville and Marseff families, and Albert was happy to be his guide.

While playing, the three of them chatted at the same time.

"To be honest, man, I've been quite idle lately, and I have a lot of time to take you, but I'm afraid I won't have that much time after a while." After playing for a while, Albert wiped the club with velvet and said to André with a smile, "There are always a lot of mundane things that bother us. ”

"You've helped me a lot, I don't dare ask for too much." Andrei replied with a smile.

It can be seen that after this two-hour run-in, Andre's original tension has disappeared a lot, and his movements have become much more natural.

"Are you getting married?" Charles suddenly asked, "I heard you're getting engaged." ”

"How do you know everything, Charr?!" Albert shrugged, "That's right, that's right. ”

"It's been a long time since this happened, and I'm not the only one who knows about it, many people know about it." Charles replied casually, "What we're curious about now is why this has dragged on for so long and hasn't been officially announced." ”

"Who knows? No one can say what the parents think, maybe there is some hesitation on the baron's side. Albert replied indifferently, "I would rather they hesitate a little longer, so that I can have a little more freedom, and maybe the baron repents, then I will be free for a long time......"

"Come on, how sad you must be if the Baron really repents!" Charles laughed exaggeratedly, "With such a rich heiress, you may not be able to marry a second one in your life." ”

"No amount of money can change the fact that she is an unloved woman." Albert sighed softly, "Charles, many things cannot be solved with money, I admit that Eugenie is a very beautiful girl, but her personality is really not so easy to bear. ”

"Does Albert have a fiancée? Who is this fiancée? At this time, Andrei also understood their conversation, so he interjected.

"It's Miss Eugenie Tangral, the only daughter of Baron Tangral." Charles replied directly, "I guess you should know who his future father-in-law is, right?" ”

"Oh my God! That's exactly what happened! André Cavalcanti obviously knew about Baron Tangral's fame, so he couldn't help but be stunned in surprise, and then looked at Albert with full envy, "Dude, you're so lucky!" ”

"yes, isn't that lucky? Baron Tangral was one of the richest men in the Empire, and marrying his only daughter was equivalent to buying a bond that would make a sure profit, only to cash in a mountain of gold after his death. Charles said a little jokingly, "However, at this time our Albert is not very satisfied, he thinks that the other party's character is not good......"

"Charles, stop taunting me." Albert was a little embarrassed.

"I think you owe the taunt." Charles didn't intend to spare the other party at all, "Friend, there are so many dowries, and a huge inheritance waiting to be inherited, what is there to hesitate about?" You always look at the disadvantages, why not look at the pros? Isn't it enough that Miss Tangral is young, and beautiful, and very, very rich? With all these things, what else do you want love to do? Do you know how many young people as old as you are willing to marry a forty-year-old widow for the sake of property? What I hate most is people who are already lucky but still always lament their misfortune, they are so unaware that they make people angry. ”

"yes, Charles is absolutely right." Andre Cavalcanti also thought so, and nodded again and again with envy, "If I could be so lucky, I wouldn't let go...... I wish God would send me a fiancée like Miss Tangral. ”

"Say whatever you want......" Albert could only sigh helplessly, and continued to wrestle with the ball on the table with his club.

………………………………

When night fell, in another part of the city, there was a couple talking about the marriage.

Baron Tangral was sitting upright behind his desk in his study, while his wife, standing in front of the desk, looked at him anxiously and coldly.

The study is richly furnished, but it is completely deserted, and a large number of valuable objects are piled up, just to show off the owner's money, but there is no breath of life.

The two of them have long lived in separate rooms, and their lives in ordinary life are almost non-interfering with each other, although they are nominally a family, but there is not much life to speak of, and it is rare for the Baroness to take the initiative to come to the Baron's study.

And it's clearly ill-intentioned.

"Suddenly you have broken into me, ma'am, is there anything you need me to do?" After Madame walked in, the baron looked up at the other unhurriedly.

"Sir, why is the marriage contract still delayed to be announced?" After a moment of staring, Madame asked impatiently, "I went to someone's house today as a guest, and several people asked me about it. ”

The lady was richly dressed and arrogant, and apparently did not have much respect for her husband.

Madame Tangral was of aristocratic origin, and although she was not from a large aristocratic family, this did not prevent her from despising her husband and despising him for his copper stench, even if he gave her extremely superior living conditions.

It was because of this contempt for the nouveau riche that Madame was largely unceremonious towards the baron, seldom smiling at him even in the presence of others, and even more so when he was alone in private.

"I'm afraid I'll have to wait a little longer, my dear." Under the questioning of the lady, the baron remained unhurried and calmly replied. "I think we need to watch."

"What else to observe? Now that the whole social community has spread and almost everyone knows about it, wouldn't it become a joke if we don't announce it? What do others think is wrong with Eugenie, and what will happen to her reputation at that time? Madame unceremoniously interrupted her husband, "The matter has come to this point, either we should make it public, or simply refute the rumors and cancel the matter, in any case it is better than dragging it out like this...... And I really don't understand, what are you not happy about that young man from the Malseffs? I think he's already a good talent, worthy of Eugenie, and it doesn't hurt to let them get married, right? ”

"That boy from the Malsev family is indeed very cute, but he is probably still a little far from talent, he is the kind of person who is harmless to anyone, and it is good to use it to guard the family business, so I agreed at that time." The baron replied slowly, "But now, the situation has changed a little. ”

"What's changed?" The Baroness was stunned for a moment.

"For the sake of my profession, I have to pay attention to the information in the court." The baron looked at his lady calmly, "And now, there are some interesting changes in the court, and this change may give me a room to arbitrage from it. ”

"Put away your twisting jargon, what the hell is going on?!" Madame interrupted her husband again.

"Several princes who had been exiled to Italy were about to be called back to their homeland." The baron lowered his voice, "And according to His Majesty's intentions, he is prepared to forgive the faults of these members of the royal family and reuse them." ”

"Are you supposed to ......" From her husband's secretive attitude, Mrs. suddenly thought of a terrible thing. You don't want to have a relationship with the prince, do you?! ”

"If you can, why not?" Baron Tangral spread his hands, "If my son-in-law is a prince of the royal family, then my position is as stable as Mount Tai, and those who usually don't deal with me will be defeated at my hands." If the plan goes well, perhaps I will soon be able to take charge of the entire Banque de France for His Majesty, which will be the pinnacle of my career. ”

"How can things be so easy, His Royal Highness the Prince is something we can do at will?" Madame was a little difficult to accept, "Don't do these unnecessary things. ”

"Prince Jérôme has promised me that he will help me to secure such an opportunity." Baron Tangral's voice lowered even lower, "Let me tell you, after knowing what His Majesty meant, now Prince Jérôme is also a little panicked, after all, the princes were driven away back then also had his share of credit, he has been prosperous and rich all these years, but the brothers are suffering, this grievance is deep!" So, he wants to bridge the relationship with his brother, such as...... Help your nephew find a marriage with a lot of money. ”

After hearing the real reason for her husband's refusal to really announce the marriage, the lady's face turned a little pale.

She didn't want to get involved with the Bonapartes.

"You...... You're delusional! She walked up to her husband, "The princes of the royal family, their first choice for marriage must be foreign royal princesses, and even if Eugenie comes over, it is just their alternative...... Why should our children be the alternative after others have picked the leftovers? Eugenie is arrogant, why should she suffer this sin? Also, who were the Bonapartese family? It's all a bunch of lewd sticks, attracting bees and butterflies everywhere, so Your Majesty is better! Just for the sake of your poor vanity, would you like your daughter to go into such a fire pit? ”

"So I decided to put it off for now and see how things develop." Baron Tangral replied unhurriedly, "Marseff will drag it out here first, and see the letter over there, it would be best if he could marry His Royal Highness, but if His Royal Highness has a marriage contract, we will find Marseff's boy." It's just a few months before and after, and both sides can afford to drag it on. ”

"You want to take advantage of everything! What a poisonous calculation! The Baroness was a little angry, and almost couldn't say anything, "You are ruining a girl's reputation, and you are pushing her into the fire pit before your eyes!" No...... No, I don't agree, I strongly disagree. ”

"My dear lady, the experience gained over the years in the financial world tells me two things...... "Baron Tangral is much more relaxed than Madame's impatience, "first, what has not been officially acknowledged, that is, has not happened; Second, money can erase all stains, including people's gossip. ”

"What a crude experience!" Madame sneered disdainfully, "Mr. Tangral, what do you think of our daughter?" A trad?! ”

"I am the head of the family, and I should have decided my daughter's future." The baron's face did not change, "Besides, if you can really be a prince's wife, what is wrong with it?" ”

"You...... You, it's too much! "Madame Tangral could not bear it any longer and scolded her husband loudly." I'm not going to watch my daughter fall victim to you, I'll go to Marsève's house tomorrow and settle everything, if you don't go, I can do my own daughter......"

As she spoke, Madame suddenly lost her voice.

Because she suddenly found that her husband, who had been sitting peacefully, suddenly stood up, and then glared at her coldly.

He was not tall, but at this moment, the gloomy and blazing light in his eyes still made people shudder, and the terrifying aura, like an angry beast, made the Baroness stunned for a moment, she had never seen her husband put on such a face to herself in so many years.

"You're at your age, and it's naïve to be so detached from reality, Emily?" The baron glared at Madame for a moment, then spoke slowly, "You hate me for speaking jargon in front of you, but this time I prefer to tell you in jargon—that earthly happiness is a check written from God, and this check must be cashed when He needs it." If a person enjoys happiness from Him, he must surrender his soul to Him and obey His name! In this family, I am the master, the one who should say the same, and the spokesman of God, and I will not allow you to sabotage my plan. ”

“…… How dare you speak to me like that? The Baroness was not bluffed, but became even more angry.

"Why wouldn't I dare? Madam, is it the envy of the world that you and our daughter have always enjoyed all this time? These extravagant pleasures, the pomp and circumstance, are they what I have been paying for silently? Since you have advanced your happiness from me, is there any problem with me asking you to cash in when you need it? The baron glared at his lady rudely, "You have enjoyed so much and you have to pay the price. Our daughter has to pay, and you have to pay, but I am very gentle with you and rarely ask you to pay. I haven't told you these things because I've let you do it, but you women, to be honest, are a bunch of ignorant creatures, and you use your own little tricks to deceive, to get benefits, to gain sympathy, and when you get it, you laugh at the poor people, and you never feel grateful, you only take everything for granted...... But this time I will tell you that you are wrong, my dear lady, that you have received happiness and wealth from me, and that I have had no complaint against your bills for so many years, so now you have to listen to me, and everything is so simple. ”

"Don't think!" Madame was furious, turned around and wanted to leave.

"If your feet step out of this room, I guarantee that you will never see your beloved Monsieur Lucien-Debrey again in your life." Suddenly, a cold word rushed behind the lady's back.

She felt a chill down her spine, stopped, and then turned to look at her husband in astonishment.

"Surprised? Do you still think I don't know? No, I already knew, ma'am, but I pretended not to know to save everyone's face. The baron smiled grimly, "You women are so naïve, you always think that your little tricks can get out of the way!" In fact, everyone's heart is like a mirror, at least I, not as confused as you think. ”

Madame's face turned red all at once, this is anger and fear.

"You...... Are you going to kill him? ”

"Kill him? No, how could it be? Baron Tangral couldn't help but laugh, "He is a confidant of His Royal Highness, and now he is being trusted, I still need him, how can I kill him?" You women always think about the problem so simply - I will not touch a single hair of him, but I can still guarantee that you will never see him again, in France, although the husband is always ridiculed, but when necessary, society will still give him certain powers, especially for a director of the Bank of France, for a man who has served the country for so many years, do you understand, my wife? ”

"You...... You ......" Madame Tangral's chest rose and fell.

She had never been treated like this by her husband, and she had never despised him, and then today, when the two of them really clashed, she realized that the person who had always held the absolute advantage was not herself.

"That bastard kid is useful to me, so I can sit back and watch you go back and forth, anyway, I'm too old to keep you on a leash? If you obey me, then it doesn't matter if you continue to associate with him in the future, I can continue to be a foolish husband. Perhaps because he had torn his face today, the baron had no scruples, and his words became more and more harsh, "But don't forget, ma'am, although you have always been proud of your origin, in my eyes there is nothing remarkable about your origin, and you have a title, but so what? Who still knows about this title now, and who cares? ”

It seemed that the resentment in his heart had been turned over, and he sneered viciously, "You are proud of holding a sign that no one can see, and you are full of thinking that you are great, despising your husband, mocking him, insulting him, thinking that it is centuries ago!" But I must tell you, ma'am, the highest title you can get in your life is Madame Tangral, and that's it! Listen, it's me, holding the scepter of money, and letting the upper class treat you, a shabby, as a noblewoman, do you think people respect your origin? What a joke! Who cares about your pathetic family without me! I have tried my best to maintain my position and keep the scepter that I have stolen, so that anyone with a little brain should know that he must obey me honestly and help me to hold on to that scepter, for only then will she remain a noblewoman! It's a pity, I don't think you can think of such a truth, and I don't expect you to understand it. ”

"You...... What a vicious bastard! The Baroness also broke out, insulting her husband with her most unpleasant words.

"Vicious? You call me vicious? The baron laughed meaningfully, "My dear, I am not so vicious as to anger my own spouse. ”

The baroness, who was scolding, was stunned and her eyes widened.

"Isn't that so, my dear? Your ex-husband, Mr. Nakhoni, who was neither a philosopher nor a banker, perhaps both a philosopher and a banker, found out that you were six months pregnant, and died in a mixture of grief. That is, before our child was born, you had an illegitimate child and your husband to death. The baron said slowly, while watching his wife tremble with great enjoyment, "I think we are a good match." I'm really not surprised by what you've done, my dear, and maybe that's why I chose you as my wife. ”

The successive blows, like a hammer, made the Baroness's mind completely confused, and she froze, like a puppet.

The old scar that was sealed in the dust, her husband uncovered it mercilessly, and this trauma had made her brain go blank.

"It seems that you really understand that the will of the head of the family cannot be disobeyed." The baron smiled slightly, admiring his wife's distraught look, "Okay, go back and rest, Emily, don't you still have activities tomorrow?" ”

Like a puppet, the baroness slowly turned around again, and walked towards the door.

"Wait!" The baron stopped her suddenly.

Madame stood still.

"You forgot to say goodnight to me." The baron looked coldly at his wife's back, "Now, after talking to me, go back to sleep." ”

Madame's slender body shook violently, almost falling to the ground, and finally regained her balance.

"Late ...... Ann, first ...... With an inexplicable poison, Madame Tangral read it word by word, and the anger and hatred that chose to devour people were unreservedly revealed.......

"Well, good night, dear." The baron replied with a smile.

Then, in silence, he watched as Madame walked out of the room and disappeared into the hallway.

"Hey, why do these ladies always know what respect is after being slapped in the face?" He smiled and sighed.