Every action has a consequence, the choices you make will come back to bite you later on.

People needed to understand that, and Jacob knew it. His choices, no matter how small would cause a ripple. Except, he did not think this would be one of the results.

Here he was, with the title of a noble yet he held his head down in shame.

Next to him was Teressa, who stood in silence wondering what previous dealings her lord at with the stout man in front of him.

His clothing was fancy but seemed over the top to her. His black and white suit was a classic, but she felt he could do better without the tall hat and the monocle that sat over his left eye.

Funnily enough, he even had a cane with a silver wolves head on the top, the entire shaft was black.

However, she should not judge him by his appearance.

"Well. If it is not Lord Lezhalt! Just the man I've been meaning to see since I've heard talks about your return."

His voice seemed to contain a bit of malice, and Teressa was unsure what stance she should take.

Should she set the velvet dress with frills down and take out her sword? Teressa wore dresses before, but after wearing armor for so long she's forgotten how beautiful they are. The dress she held in her arms was definitely gorgeous, one of a kind. She'd hate for it to be torn, or dirtied.

In response to the stout man's voice, Jacob could only smile weakly as he raised his head slightly.

He aimed to get some sympathy from the stout man, to play on his emotions in hopes he would not be too mad. Which is why he had to take the stance of a victim, to loosen the man up, but the man did not bite.

"Sterling, I see that you are doing well. What did you need to see me for?"

Jacob asked him in hopes he forgot all about the payment he was owed. Truthfully, he never expected to return here. His plan was ruined, and he made a new one due to Jack's quick thinking.

The last time he was here at Volieteen, Diana brought him here and introduced him to Sterling. Jacob managed to talk the guy into giving them two outfits for the price of golden silk from the Bashiran.

Unfortunately for Sterling, the entire thing was a con and he would eventually find out he'd never be paid. Around the time he would find out, Jacob had plans to be long gone. Sadly, he was still around and needed Sterling.

Being here definitely caused memories of Diana and their time together to come forth.

"What do I want, you ask? Honestly, what do I want?"

Sterling slammed the hilt of his cane against the white marble floor as he spoke. Titling his head up towards the ceiling, pretending to think about it.

"Well, Lord Lezhalt. It's been weeks since our transaction, and I have yet to receive any payment. So, you tell me what I am thinking?"

Jacob felt a chill run down his spine. This was not the cheery man he ran into before, no, this guy was much more serious. It was understandable, he was a businessman first and a noble second.

His standing in the noble circle was lower than that of Jacob's, but he was still a noble in name. He played the nice guy to allow for an easier conversation with his customers, but he would not be taken advantage of.

Teressa glanced over at her lord, trying to put together the picture here.

She could tell that something happened between the two of them, but she was a knight and should not get involved with her liege's talk. Do not step in unless it was necessary. That is what she was told by Jacob.

"I assure you, Sterling, payment is on its way! As you know, there was an inciden-"

"I do not care! I see you had the gulls to bring the dress back, and who is this young lady? Where is Diana?"

Sterling quickly interrupted Jacob, preventing him from finishing his short story. He's already heard what occurred, there was no need for him to tell him again. Nor did he want Jacob to feel he should pity him for what happened. This was business, not a charity.

'Diana? Who is Diana?'

Hearing that name, Teressa took another glance at her lord. It was a name she was unfamiliar with. Jacob never mentioned it, nor did Jack. None of the maids talked about her either.

Was it his fiancee?

Teressa had many thoughts, but none of them were correct.

Jacob took a moment for himself. To settle his thoughts and mind.

"She is gone, in Mother Nessa's embrace now."

Sighing, Sterling shook his head.

Diana was a good woman that Sterling found hard to come by. She was unlike the noble women who were too proud to admit they were wrong, instead, those women would shift the blame onto someone else. His time with Diana was short, he only knew her for a few months. She'd stop by his shop and talk to him, about his work, business. She was bright, and eventually Sterling found that she grew on him.

He looked forward to seeing her a few times a month, but now he understood why she has not been around. It was sad, hearing that she was gone now.

Locking his eyes onto the woman standing by Jacob, Sterling could not help but feel some kind of way. Did Jacob forget about her already? Sterling imagined the lord fancied her, which is why he bought her that dress.

Young love never last forever, it was just a shame to see him moving on already. It seemed just like yesterday the two were in his shop.

"A pity, I found her to be quite charming. Is this her replacement?"

Prying for information, Sterling could not help but ask.

"No. She is for my protection. As I was going to say, there was an incident and plans needed to be made to ensure it would not happen again. So, I hired her."

Jacob kept it short, not even introducing Teressa to Sterling. He felt it unnecessary.

"I see, but that does not excuse you from your payment. Speaking of which, I would like to resign our contract and change the payment method. I no longer need the golden silk, I would rather have silver."

"Honestly, I am glad you came to see me. I was tempted to go to your estate later on today, this saves me a lot of time. I'll already have a contract drafted, it just needs your signature."

Sterling started to move, heading towards the back as he continued to talk.

Jacob's estate was not that far, but Sterling was busy and had custom orders that needed to be finished. He worked mostly by himself, so it was a daunting task. That is why he never had the time to go see Jacob himself.

"Wait, before that, I want to ask you to resize this dress for me."

Turning around, Sterling glared at Jacob.

Snorting, he looked Teressa up and down.

"You expect me to fit that dress to her? You have not even paid me for it. If anything, I should take it back until I receive my money."

"Do me this favor, and I'll owe you one in return."

The words came out of his mouth in a hurry, trying to quell Sterling's anger, not even thinking about the effect it would have.

For the first time since Jacob walked through the door, Sterling cracked a smile. No words sounded sweeter than the ones he just heard.

"A favor huh? Alright, I'll resize the dress and you no longer need to pay me. Instead, you'll owe me something."

His words came right back to bite him in the butt. Jacob knew what favors could entail, but he made a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. As much as he wanted to take it back, it was too late.

Sterling walked over and grabbed the dress that was tailor made for Diana out of Teressa's hands.

Maybe this was his plan all along, to lead Jacob down this path until he said those words. Jacob was unsure if that was true or not, but he would not put it past Sterling.

He was a man of two faces, which he just saw.

In the future, he needed to be more careful with his words. Jacob was going to pay him if he needed to, but he came here to offer Sterling something else instead. That was the main reason, besides getting the dress refitted.

Favors were not always bad, as you could make unlikely allies by doing them. While it was uncertain if Sterling would be that ally, that was something only time could tell.

"What is it you seek?"

Jacob questioned Sterling.

Sterling motioned for Jacob to follow him, giving the two room to talk away from Teressa. No one else was currently in the store, so they had more than enough privacy.

"From what I've gathered so far, lord Frost will be hosting a gathering soon. I'm sure you received his letter of invitation, considering his daughter is your fiancee…"

He spoke in a whisper and even stood close to Jacob while their backs were turned. Teressa could not see what they were saying, nor could she hear them.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I too have received his invite, but I was debating on attending or not. You should know my status is not as great as theirs, and their invitation is merely a ruse for something else."

"How do you know that?"

"I might be on the lower end, but I am still a noble. Anyway, lord Frost has invited lord Cecil. Lord Cecil owes me a great debt and refuses to pay. In situations like this, I'd handle it myself but with him being a Baron and situated in a town far from these walls, it is unlikely I can retrieve it."

Jacob could already see where this was going, and he wished he could turn back time by ten minutes.