My Villainess Ex Won't Leave Me Alone

'Too busy. Too busy. I'm too busy!'

Lucian's mind screamed, but his mouth only managed a tight, forced smile.

"Boss, there have been complaints about our perfumes causing skin rashes," a manager of his shop tried to speak softly, but the worry made his voice crack.

"Goblin's greenhouse's structure has been showing signs of water leakage," Jax added, passing on a report from Goblin and Fishbone. "The trade route to the southern alliance has been blockaded by a rivaling merchant guild. Our supply lines have been severed."

One complaint after another fell upon Lucian's ears as he packed his suitcase. He grabbed his cane by his bed and headed for the door, "Get the carriage ready. I'll be taking a personal look at each one. Starting with the complaints. The customers come first."

He left his office and headed to the store front.

"Poison! This is poison!" A portly merchant slammed a crystal vial on the ground, "My daughter's skin is covered in welts! She used this 'Whispering Lilac' nonsense once! Once!"

Behind him, a queue of unhappy customers had formed, throwing bottles and curses at Lucian.

Lucian stepped forward to address the man who had spoken first. "I apologize for the inconvenience caused by our product, sir. Please allow me to compensate you for your troubles."

He then turned to the staff, "Write down the names and addresses of the affected customers. Also, gather all of the Whispering Lilac products back for testing. The latest batch must have been tampered with."

He then turned to the manager, "Give me the names of people in charge of the latest batch's production."

The manager nodded and left to get the names of the workers.

Lucian then turned to the crowd, "Please be patient with us while we investigate the issue. For now, we will provide you with free treatment at our expense, a doctor is on the way. Again, I apologize for any discomfort."

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After calming down the crowd, Lucian entered a carriage that was waiting outside.

Inside the carriage, he sat down and leaned back against the seat, "Summon Fishbone and Roland to meet us at the borders of the Southern Alliance."

Jax passed on the message to the rest of the group.

Only Lucian's gardeners seemed to be doing alright, as none of the nobles had complained about the greenhouses and landscaping so far.

'Her eighteenth birthday is coming up soon,' Lucian mused to himself, 'I need to make sure I'm free that day.'

The thought of Celine's birthday brought a smile to his lips. He couldn't wait to see her again.

Leaf had been planting a new type of tree that will help them with the production of new material.

Lucian's wealth had tripled, but his workload had also increased, which was contrary to what he had planned. He had no time to spend with his little wife, at all!

From all the people he hired, there were only two new ones who proved to be reliable: Cansan and Loran.

He stumbled upon Cansan, son of a minor nobleman, who had disowned him for eloping with his maid and marrying her. He was an intelligent young man who could manage accounts, and mainly, he was the best negotiator Lucian could get his hands on.

Loran was a talented alchemist in charge of uncovering hidden potential of various plants. His eccentric personality made it difficult for him to fit in with others, but he was a genius in his own right.

The walking cane Lucian was holding was one of Loran's latest results. It could easily break a skull without a trace of the damage being visible on the cane. Not only was it an instrument of self-defense, but it also helped with the image of a successful businessman.

He traveled days, dealing with the complaints as they came, visiting every greenhouse to check if there were any problems with them. It took him a while to deal with everything, but he managed.

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On his way to Stonetomb City, Lucian made a detour to one of the Viscount's houses located in Duremont' duchy near the border.

The Viscount had commissioned Lucian to build a greenhouse, and he was currently overseeing the project. He changed into his gardening robe just in case he needed to get his hands dirty.

The guards at the gates let him pass after seeing his badge, and Lucian walked through the garden toward the building site.

"Mr. Bunny, come back!" a girl's voice echoed from behind him.

Lucian raised his leg to avoid a fluffy ball of fur running in between his legs.

"Ah!" a girl's scream came next, and a pink head fell face-first into Lucian's chest.

Out of nowhere, Lucian found himself on the ground with a female on top of him.

"Oh no, oh no, I'm so sorry!" She latched onto his clothes, her hand grabbing onto his cheap shirt as she tried to stand up.

Lucian grunted as she pulled on his clothes, and a few buttons of his shirt popped off, leaving his chest bare.

"..." Lucian grabbed her shoulders, and before he could shove the girl away, a familiar feeling of being watched washed over him.

His head snapped to the left, and his eyes met Celine's as she appeared in the garden, with Viscount's two daughters by her side.

She had the biggest and the blackest 'What the hell is happening?' face Lucian had ever seen.

"..." Luciam quickly pushed the girl off him, and stood up, fixing his shirt as he did so.

The girls by Celine's side giggled like they couldn't believe their luck to witness such a scandalous scene. "She arrived only yesterday and is already seducing men in broad daylight? How shameless."

"Look, she even ruined his shirt! She must have been trying to take off his clothes," the other one said, looking at the girl's disheveled state, "Disgusting. Just wait until father finds out about this."

"I...it's not what it looks like," the girl tried to explain as she scrambled to get up, "He...he just appeared in front of me! I didn't see him!"

Lucian walked over to greet Celine, but stopped when he realized they had no relationship in public.

Noticing his hesitation, Celine took a step back before she walked away.

The girls by her side snickered and followed after her, "A gardener and a whore's daughter. How fitting."