Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire - Chapter 209

Chapter 209: The Phantom Billionaire
“You surprised me,” Edmund grumbled once Ruediger emerged from the secret passage, “Boss, can’t you just text or call me like normal people?”

“You have locked your door. What’s the point of waiting?”

Smirking, Ruediger shrugged. He tilted his chin toward the closed office door. The blinds were lowered, shielding the outside from looking into this office.

Every time Ruediger came here, Edmund would clear the area near his office. No one was allowed to come close without his permission.

Edmund clicked his tongue. Narrowing his eyes, he assessed Ruediger from head to toe. He couldn’t help but feel weird seeing how well-dressed the latter was.

“For once, you dressed up decently before meeting me.”

Rolling his eyes, Ruediger scoffed. He knew what Edmund meant by that.

Ruediger usually opted for his usual long-sleeved shirt and a pair of denim or khaki pants while letting his hair in a messy bun. Very, very rarely, he wore a two-piece suit, despite still not adhering to the formal dress code.

Settling himself into a couch across from Edmund, Ruediger gave him a long answer that almost made the man vomit.

“I’m a man with a wife now. I know I’m handsome, but I should show off how much more handsome I am by dressing up. Don’t you think so?”

“…haha. Boss, I don’t know you’re funny.”

Edmund laughed drily, sounding both awkward and forced. Ruediger arched his brows, the smirk still tugging on his lips as he didn’t bother with the slight sarcasm.

Shaking his head, Edmund leaned back. He began shifting to the topic of business, “Boss, I assume you’ve gone through the reports. What do you think about it?”

Nodding, Ruediger calmly stated, “Quarterly sales are up by 7.6%. Not bad, but also not our best.”

Ruediger had been getting regular reports from Edmund. Still, he made efforts to meet the latter from time to time despite sometimes not having to.

“It’s still an improvement, Boss,” Edmund pointed out. He spoke further, “We had an economic slowdown earlier this year. Luxury retail begins to stabilize now. The high-end brands are making a comeback, especially with our exclusive partnerships.”

Ruediger hummed, finding no fault with what Edmund was saying. He added, “Mystique is our new jewelry store, right? I noticed it has been drawing some of the wealthiest clients. That’s such a big feat.”

“Yes. They have regular private auctions. Those generate high revenue. But don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on them. I know you don’t want any fraudulent practices behind the scene.”

Tilting his head, Ruediger propped one elbow on the armrest. He raised his brows, “Then, I believe you’ve arranged the auditors to check their transactions, yes?”

Edmund answered with a decisive nod, “Yes. No malpractices so far.”

Having been by Ruediger’s side for almost a decade, even before the man founded Edenia Avenue, Edmund was aware of where the man’s boundaries lay. He took pride in keeping his business as clean as possible.

Ruediger stopped asking about the subject. He believed in Edmund’s leadership. Shifting to another issue, he asked, “What about the charity project then? The profits we allocated?”

Edmund’s expression grew more serious, “Just as you requested, we’ve set aside the 15% from last quarter’s earnings. Also from your dividends. We’ve distributed the funds to the medical assistance programs. We’ll continue to the housing initiatives program next.”

Ruediger exhaled softly, his gaze thoughtful. Edmund had been handling this charity project on his behalf too.

“You’ve done well, Edmund. Make sure those funds are properly tracked. I don’t want any misuse. Report to me if there’s even a case.”

“You don’t have to remind me, Boss,” Edmund chuckled, his expression softening, “I know how much this means to you.”

Edenia Avenue had been involved with domestic and international relief programs. Sourcing clean water, providing housing and education, assisting the food banks; those were among the listed.

Ruediger didn’t respond to Edmund. Tilting his chin up, he stared out of the window, seeing the concrete jungle that surrounded the luxury mall.

Whether he did this to play a hero or not, he didn’t care. He knew how much she—his deceased mother—valued the charities she was involved with back when she was still alive.

“Let’s talk about the taxes,” Ruediger returned his gaze to Edmund, “What’s the estimate?”

Edmund reached for a document near his cup of tea. He handed it to Ruediger, “We’ve pulled huge profits. The taxes for this quarter alone are roughly seventy million dollars.”

Ruediger barely batted an eye as he said, “Pay it whole.”

Edmund chuckled, already predicting that order. Still, he asked, “Boss, you’re not even going to look for deductions? We can handle that, you know?”

“Just pay it,” Ruediger shrugged, he sounded disinterested, “I don’t need the government sniffing around me because they think I evade the taxes. We don’t need the bad publicity.”

Laughing, Edmund shook his head in helplessness, “Boss, you know that you’re an anomaly, right? Our accountants have sworn loyalty because unlike their peers, you never bleed them dry looking for the loopholes.”

Leaning back, Ruediger crossed his arms, “Those who evaded got caught in scandals for it. I’d rather keep my peace by paying what I owe.”

Edmund nodded approvingly, still finding the situation entertaining, “Fair enough. If we got caught, I’d be the one in trouble first since they do not know you.”

Ruediger scoffed, but he didn’t deny Edmund’s statement. The latter was indeed the face of Edenia Avenue while he kept being a phantom, lurking in the shadows.

“Ah, speaking of,” Edmund suddenly was reminded of something. He lowered his tone despite only having Ruediger with him, “More people have been snooping around. As always, they’re looking for you.”

Ruediger narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening, “Who sent them? Have you investigated?”

“Some from our competitors,” Edmund stated. He paused for a second before adding, “Some from curious media outlets. Also, a few managers of rising actresses reached out to me. You know why, right?”

Ruediger groaned, displeased with the report. Tapping his finger on the armrest, he said, “I know my identity will be leaked someday. But I don’t want it to happen through them.”

Edmund smirked, “Does it mean you want to reveal yourself if that time ever comes?”

Ruediger shrugged, not answering Edmund properly. He instructed, “Feed them false information to throw them off track. Also, keep monitoring them.”

“Aye, aye, Boss.”

Ruediger and Edmund shifted to another subject, talking about the company and its future direction. Without both of them realizing it, more than an hour had passed from the first moment Ruediger came.

“I better go now,” Ruediger glanced at his wristwatch, finding the time had turned to a quarter past one, “I wanna look around the mall before I go and pick my wife up.”

Blinking, Edmund asked cautiously, “Boss… Won’t you introduce the boss madam to me? I wonder who’s the lucky lady who has snatched this phantom billionaire’s heart.”

“Maybe someday,” Ruediger rose to his feet. A smirk was drawn on his lips as he said, “But, what’s there to snatch when my heart belongs to her already?”

“…”

Edmund was too speechless to say anything. He had never thought the usually composed Ruediger could be this shameless when it involved his wife.

Arching his brows, Ruediger turned around and waved at Edmund, “See you again later. Shut your mouth lest flies swarm in.”

“…haha, that’s not funny.”

Edmund sighed as he watched Ruediger disappear from the secret entrance. He had watched and learned something new about the elusive billionaire today.

That man could be so shameless!