"Give him… a chance?"
Mary's confusion and bewilderment deepened.
"Why...?"
"Have you read today's newspaper?"
Arthur Morstan did not answer. Instead, he posed another question.
"Not yet…" Mary shook her head.
"Take a look."
As he spoke, the man pushed the newspaper toward Mary.
"Once you read this, you'll understand."
Mary reached out, took the newspaper, and her eyes fell on the headline.
Exclusive Interview: The Genius Detective of Baker Street and Her Assistant
Mary's heart gave a sudden leap, and she unconsciously opened the paper.
The first thing that caught her eye was the photograph.
Charlotte Holmes sat on the sofa, staring expressionlessly at the camera. Her gaze seemed to pierce straight through the lens toward something far away. Her hair was slightly disheveled, with a tuft standing up on the crown of her head, yet she appeared completely unconcerned, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
And sitting beside her——
Mary's gaze stopped.
Russell.
He sat next to Charlotte, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the camera.
Mary stared at the photograph for several seconds before looking away and beginning to read the article.
The interview was very long, spanning two full pages.
She turned the pages one by one, her eyes quickly scanning the densely packed text.
The interview was far more substantial than she had imagined.
From the suicide of the famous painter Nicholas Winter to the little-known Holly David case, even Buckingham Palace was involved.
The fragmentary case information Russell had told her had been skillfully woven together by The Times reporter into a grand panorama.
At the center of the painting were the young couple seated on the sofa.
In the report, Russell fluently and humorously recounted the adventures they had shared. Meanwhile, Charlotte existed like a quiet background, occasionally adding a restrained word or two, yet always managing to illuminate the entire story with concise precision.
The report's style was highly exaggerated, portraying Charlotte almost as a godlike, omniscient genius detective.
At the same time, it depicted Russell as a humble, reliable, perfect partner who had always supported geniuses at critical moments.
They were like a legendary knight and his loyal retainer—the ultimate partners displaying perfect coordination on stage.
Reading this, Mary unconsciously gripped the paper, a slight crease forming between her brows.
When the interview ended, the girl's gaze finally settled.
It described their daily life—the most human and gossipy part of the entire interview.
[At the end of the interview, we asked Miss Holmes a question that might have been a little presumptuous.]
[In her eyes, what kind of person was her assistant, Mr. Watson?]
"He is a troublemaker."
[Miss Holmes commented in her usual calm manner.]
"A necessary problem."
Mary stared at those lines for a long time.
She had clearly known this report would be published and had even prepared herself mentally.
Yet for some reason, when she actually saw the real thing before her eyes, those complicated emotions inevitably welled up.
It felt as though a treasure she had carefully kept for years had suddenly been noticed by someone else, who was now loudly claiming ownership and making it public.
Now, whenever the name Russell Watson was mentioned, the people of London would inevitably associate him with Charlotte Holmes.
The two had become inseparable.
This feeling…
It was a very subtle difference.
It was very irritating.
I was here first.
"Have you finished reading?"
Arthur Morstan's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Mary looked up, gently closed the newspaper in her hands, and placed it on the table.
"I've finished, Father."
"What do you think?"
"I…" Mary paused before speaking. "I never imagined he had experienced so many hardships."
"Yes." Arthur Morstan nodded vaguely. "I didn't expect that either."
He picked up his coffee and took a sip.
"A poor boy from an orphanage who, through hard work and study, entered Imperial College London and became Charlotte Holmes's assistant."
"Furthermore, he was welcomed as a guest by Scotland Yard and received favor from Buckingham Palace."
His tone was calm, but the contempt from before was no longer present.
"This young man is a more valuable talent than I had imagined."
"So…" Mary looked at her father. "You're planning to…"
"I just said it."
Arthur Morstan set down his coffee cup and looked at Mary.
"If he's interested in you, why not give him a chance?"
"A chance…?"
"When it comes to investment, what do you think is the most terrifying thing?"
Arthur Morstan picked up his coffee cup and slowly, deliberately took a sip.
Mary did not answer and waited quietly.
"What I fear most is making the wrong judgment at the wrong time."
Arthur set the cup down and looked at his daughter's face.
"Thinking a certain stock is destined to stay low forever, you sell everything off early."
"Before long, it suddenly surges in popularity and becomes a highly sought-after commodity."
As he spoke, he pointed at the open newspaper on the table.
"At that moment, what should you do?"
Mary paused, then hesitantly answered, "Buy again?"
"That's correct."
Arthur's lips curved slightly upward in a satisfied smile.
"Before the price skyrockets, before everyone else wants it, buy it again."
He said this, then pointed firmly at the newspaper.
"Russell Watson is exactly the kind of promising stock we currently hold."
He said.
"Before, I didn't like him. Because there was nothing about him that appealed to me."
Arthur explained.
"Even if a poor boy from an orphanage managed to enter Imperial College London, it was merely proof that he was more diligent and slightly more talented than others."
"But so what? In London, if you throw bricks into a crowd like that, a lot of people could die. Bricks are the cheapest weapon."
"In truth, if it weren't for his connection with Charlotte Holmes, I wouldn't even want to see his face."
He paused, his tone growing more critical.
"But now the situation is different."
Arthur Morstan tapped the newspaper lightly again.
"Front-page interview in The Times, guest of Scotland Yard, special advisor to Buckingham Palace…"
"Regardless of how credible these titles are, they have already been published in the newspaper.
Starting today, the entire upper class of London will know about this young man."
"Despite his youth, he already stood at the doorstep of the Holmes family, Scotland Yard, and even the royal family."
Arthur picked up his coffee and took another sip.
"Do you understand what this means?"
Mary looked up at him.
"It means," Arthur said slowly, "that he is no longer someone discarded in a pile of garbage."
"He is now a newly discovered stock with high potential."
"Those who invested before others noticed will one day reap several times the profit."
He placed his coffee cup back on the tray with a sharp clink and fixed his gaze on his daughter.
"And Mary, at this moment, you are the only one who can buy him."
…
…
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