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I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 250
🕑 Added 2025-06-09 17:10:01 +0000 UTCChapter 250: The Lady in White
Lucia poured herself a glass of cocktail, holding it delicately with two long fingers. She lightly stepped around the bar and walked over to Charles, leaning casually against the table. There was an alluring charm in her natural grace as she raised her glass, smiling at Charles: "Colonel, regarding your offer to cover all expenses, does that include my drink?"
"Of course!" Charles replied.
The officers around them burst into laughter. Lieutenant Colonel Fernand gave Charles's shoulder a playful pat and leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, "You're in luck, Colonel. Many have wanted to buy Lucia a drink, but none have succeeded!"
Charles merely smiled slightly and said nothing.
The officers, sensing the moment, moved aside to give Lucia and Charles some space. Lucia gracefully sat down in front of Charles.
Then, she suddenly noticed a hint of wariness in Charles's eyes. His hand was even resting on the revolver at his waist.
"Seems like you're not welcoming me?" Lucia asked, puzzled.
Charles's voice was cold: "So, tell me, what is it that you want from me?"
Lucia was taken aback but then laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"I overheard what you were saying to Garrel just now," Charles said, his eyes fixed on Lucia. "You can't refuse a wealthy hero."
"Is there a problem with that?" Lucia asked, her eyes still smiling. She even teasingly sized up Charles, like a leopard eyeing its prey.
"If I hadn't met Dominique, I might have believed you," Charles answered, his fingers lightly undoing the buckle of his gun holster.
Lucia's expression shifted slightly. She knew where the problem lay.
Charles said slowly, "Before this, I could have understood that you were an independent woman. After all, there are people who wouldn't give up love for money. Perhaps you were one of them. But now, you've openly admitted to others that you're only getting close to me for money."
Lucia chuckled, her beautiful blue eyes unwavering as she looked directly at Charles. Her tone carried a hint of flirtation: "Who knows? Maybe both money and love can be had together..."
"You sound more like a spy," Charles interrupted, his gaze sharp. "Being a bartender at an officers' club, you could gather a lot of the intel you need. Dominique might have been a good choice, but you couldn't choose him because you must obey your superior's orders. Am I right?"
Since meeting Harley at the ball, Charles had become more cautious around women.
He had always thought spies were far removed from his life, characters only found in movie plots. But after that encounter, he realized spies could be right beside him.
Perhaps Lucia was one of them.
Charles pulled out the revolver, holding it in his hand under the table, aiming it at Lucia. He said, "If I were to arrest you now and send someone to search your residence thoroughly, we might find some evidence."
He added coldly, "Even if we don't find anything, it won't be a loss. Wouldn't you agree?"
Lucia's expression changed again. A trace of panic flashed in her eyes. She glanced around and gently shook her head. "You can't do that, Colonel!"
Charles responded with a simple "Hmm," and then said, "You have one minute."
The reason Charles didn't act immediately was because the situation with spies was so complicated.
Lucia might not be a German spy; she could be British, Russian, or even an agent planted by capitalists in the military.
Aside from the former, the others could all be considered "our people."
"I..." Lucia hesitated for a moment before explaining, "I don’t know how to convince you. I'm not part of any organization you know of. In fact, we formed this group spontaneously..."
Charles's right hand still gripped the gun, while his left hand casually picked up his drink and took a sip. His expression remained cold as he ordered, "Continue. You’d better tell the truth!"
"I was originally Belgian," Lucia said, her gaze toward Charles flashing with a mix of admiration and sincerity. "Your actions in Belgium inspired many! So, we formed a team, hoping to do something for this war, and we wanted to fight under your command!"
Charles raised an eyebrow. That sounded plausible.
The Belgians indeed had such a need. After all, helping the Entente meant helping themselves. And Charles had strong influence in Belgium; he was almost an embodiment of victory.
But of course, Charles wasn’t going to trust this woman easily. Spies were great actors, especially female spies. They were adept at using their beauty, even their bodies, to convince men to believe them. Harley was a living example.
"So, what you’re saying is..." Charles said with a hint of sarcasm as he looked at Lucia, "You’ve been here all this time just to get close to me?"
"That’s one way to put it," Lucia nodded gently. "But you come here too infrequently. Last time, I thought it was a rare opportunity, but Dominique ruined it!"
Charles thought back. It did seem like Lucia had tried to make contact with him through Lieutenant Colonel Fernand, but then Dominique had shown up...
Charles shook his head with a smile. "Lies. You have no proof that what you're saying is true."
"What more proof do I need?" Lucia said, angry and anxious. "Perhaps you should first prove that we are guilty. We haven’t done anything to harm the war effort. On the contrary, we’ve provided the British with a lot of intelligence!"
"The British?" Charles asked, puzzled, looking at Lucia.
"Yes!" Lucia replied. "The British intelligence network is much stronger than France’s. We learned about some British spies and secretly provided them with military intelligence through civilian channels."
Lucia seemed to remember something and added, "You can verify with the British. We gave them the locations and number of artillery positions near Condos Town and Anlole, as well as the deployment of forces in Anatole!"
Suddenly, a name came to Charles’s mind: "The Lady in White."
This organization, just as Lucia had described, was a spontaneous Belgian civilian group that wanted to provide intelligence for the Entente. They had contacted the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and became part of its spy network.
During the war, they had achieved great successes, providing the Entente with a wealth of valuable intelligence.
What was more remarkable was that this organization didn’t require any funding or support. They only had one condition: to be recognized as fighters, not spies.
They wanted to be seen as warriors fighting against the invaders.
Charles, still skeptical, asked, "So you want to fight under my command? What are your conditions?"
Lucia gently shook her head. "There are no conditions. We only want to be seen as warriors, and to be integrated into a unit just like any other force!"
Charles felt a bit dizzy.
It seemed that his reputation in Belgium had spread. The "Lady in White" had not gone to the British, as in history, but had come directly to him. The organization had also been established earlier than expected.
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