Peer Pressure

The look of disgust was fleeting and vanished just as fast as it appeared. But it did not escape Linkin's gaze.

"Mr. Lovell, we've been over this already. This time, I gave you an entire month to find new clients and earn a profit. We agreed that if you failed this time, you would take the offer I made you under serious consideration. I'm afraid I will be rather disappointed if Mr. Lovell is not a man of his word." Richard stated.

"That's right, Mr. Lovell! Sir Richard has really gone out of his way to help you here. You should show a little more gratitude." One of the men of Richard's group commented.

"To tell you the truth, Sir Richard has been doing his all to help you from the shadows. It's just that your smithy is already doomed. You really should just give up here and take the deal, Mr. Lovell." One of the other men stated as he shook his head.

"This... I had no idea that Sir Richard was going through so much trouble on my behalf." Lovell said with furrowed brows. He felt as if he had somehow wronged Richard.

On the other hand, Linkin was not buying it at all. Doing his all to help from the shadows? Going out of his way? Were they talking about the same Richard that was sitting in this room? The same man who just had a look of disgust in his eyes when Lovell asked for him to lend his support? What a joke!

'Peer pressure is a scary thing when you're all alone. Against experienced businessmen, such tactics won't work. But, using it on someone without that much experience works wonders.'

Richard's group was making him out to be a saint who suffered and endured for Lovell's sake. Unless Lovell was a cold-hearted person, he could not help but be touched by Richard's "acts of selfless kindness".

Lovell quickly lifted his head and said in a troubled tone, "Sir Richard, the fact that I agreed to meet you here at the Merchant's Guild—does that not already prove that I am a man of my word? I am not making light of your generous offer and efforts on my behalf. That is not my intention at all. It's just that... I would never be able to move on with my life if I didn't know for sure that I did everything within my power to save the smithy. I am just a man who wishes to live with no regrets going forward."

'Ha, this man—I thought he was just a simpleminded fool who was in way over his head. Well, it's not like that isn't the case. Still, that kind of outlook... I guess it isn't so bad—even if it turns out to be naivety at work.'

Linkin may have been known as the greatest con artist; however, it was not as if he conned the average hardworking person. Even a con artist like himself had a set of principles he lived by. And one of those principles was only to con those who he viewed as deserving of it.

Crooked businessmen, corrupted officials, hardened criminals of the underworld—these were the typical marks Linkin dealt with on an almost daily basis.

That being said, it was not as if Linkin regarded himself as some sort of hero or saint. Nor did he believe himself to be a kind-hearted person. To him, it was simply the most logical choice to sidestep the watchful eyes of the law. After all, how exactly did one go about reporting the things that they illegally obtained as stolen without giving themselves away in the process?

Of course, they could always attempt to use their own means to track him down to retrieve what was taken. But Linkin was not known as the most elusive con artist in the world for nothing. If he wanted to vanish without a trace, no one would be able to track him down.

Linkin kept a close watch on Richard out of the corner of his eye as he sat upright with a smile on his face.

'Now then, I'm curious... Just how long can you keep up this little act of yours, Sir Richard The Impatient?'

Linkin had already deduced that Richard was the impatient type. That, paired with the natural air of arrogance that lingered around him, Linkin believed that it was only a matter of time until Richard revealed his true colors.

"I understand your concerns. I truly do. But my hands are really tied this time. The client that I told you about who has taken an interest in purchasing in your smithy, you see, the deadline for their project is closing in. They are still willing to give you three times what your smithy is worth; however, if you walk away from this deal today, I can't guarantee that it will still be on the table tomorrow." Richard said with a sharp look in his eyes.

He then snapped his fingers and commanded, "Lynda, show Mr. Lovell the contract that our dear client has entrusted us to deliver."