Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Chapter 23

“I know these people are greedy. These damn banks go around freezing your account, thinking they own your

money!” Amalia cursed as Izzy pulled into the parking spot at Heritage Capital Trust, the bank that held most of

1zzy’s money, “I told you, Izzy, you should talk to that lawyer of yours and suggest she move your bank

somewhere else. This is getting ridiculous.”

Izzy didn’t say a word. For the past few years, Amalia and Monica had been trying to convince her to switch

banks, but her late grandfather trusted Heritage Capital. Moreover, it was hard for Izzy to make the change

because of Maria. If it were easy, she would have already listened to her aunt and cousin to void problems like

this.

“I will talk to her about it,” Izzy said calmly.

“Right, earlier, | was walking around and I think | found a cake shop that does really huge, high-tier cakes. I'm

thinking of a five-foot cake with-"

“I'm actually not a big fan, Aunt. It's fine, a small one will do.”

“But Monica likes them! Surely, you wouldn't take this away from your cousin, right?” Amalia turned her head

toward Izzy, her eyes gleaming with excitement, then whipped out her phone and practically shoved it into Izzy's

face. “Look! This one is absolutely stunning. Elegant and towering! It's perfect for you-just imagine the entrance

it would make! You know it’s your birthday, right?”

“I'm driving,” Izzy frowned as she tried to move her aunt’s hand away.

However, her aunt simply ignored her as she continued. “We need something grand, something that screams

fabulous. Fm sure you'll love it once you see it. And their reviews-oh, their reviews!” Amalia scrolled furiously,

her eyes widening. “Apparently, sA-list celebrity just ordered from them for her daughter's debutante, no

less! The cake was practically a piece of art! | could arrange a meeting for a taste test, Izzy. Just think about it—a

cake that would make everyone at that party remember it for years. This-

“Shall we go to the bank before it closes?” Izzy interrupted Amalia. A part of her was already annoyed by this

birthday talk. The other part really wanted to know what surprise Lawyer Maria had for her.

Izzy parked her car and glanced at the stone facade of Heritage Capital Trust, one of the oldest banks in the

country. Heritage was known for its discretion, security, and meticulous adherence to policy-qualities her

grandfather had deeply valued. The bank wasn’t flashy; it exuded a sense of quiet, dignified power. Generations

of old families had trusted Heritage to hold their fortunes, and its reputation was impeccable.

As they walked through the grand double doors, Izzy noted the high ceilings and dark mahogany accents. It

looked beautiful. A plaque near the entrance read: Heritage Capital Trust, Established 1873.

An employee greeted them the moment they entered, her smile polite and professional. “Welcto Heritage

Capital Trust. How may | assist you?”

“We'd like to see the bank manager. We're VIP clients,” Amalia interjected before Izzy could respond. The

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employee's brow lifted slightly, but she nodded and gestured toward a comfortable seating area near the bank's

atrium.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll let him know you're here.”

As soon as they were seated, Amalia started up again. “This bank is absurd. Why on earth would they freeze

access to someone with your assets? You've got millions here, Izzy, yet they can’t stop themselves from making

things difficult at every turn.”

Izzy crossed her legs, only half-listening. She'd heard this tirade before, and it wasn’t the first tAmalia had

used card troubles as an excuse to push for more access to Izzy's accounts.

“It's ridiculous,” Amalia continued, her tone sharp as she rearranged the scarf around her neck. “You know, Izzy,

this wouldn't happen if we had an account set up in my name. Just a secondary account for family expenses,

nothing too big.

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Chapter 28

That way, in situations like these, I'd be able to handle things without the bank acting like we're low on funds.”

Izzy glanced at her aunt, noting the forced smile and calculated look in her eyes. “Aunt Amalia, there's really no

need. | have my accounts here, and everything has been secure. It's just a temporary issue.”

“But you're always so busy!” Amalia pressed on. “Think about it ear. If | had access to a small family account-

nothing major-1 could handle the little things, you know? Groceries, occasional shopping for Monica, maybe

even this entire birthday party we're putting together for you. It would save you so much hassle.”

Izzy knew exactly where this was going. Amalia had floated the idea of a “family” account more than once, under

the guise of convenience. She took a steadying breath and said, “I appreciate the thought, but really, everything

is handled. The bank manager should clear up this issue shortly.”

Her aunt huffed, pulling out her phone and scrolling through cake designs again. “I'm just trying to be practical,

Izzy. You have to see how inconvenient it is to be constantly dealing with these bank issues.”

“Good afternoon,” a man wearing a dark blue suit approached them. “My nis Lyle Gasnec, the bank

manager. Shall-"

“Good! Good!” Amalia immediately got up, interrupting the manager. “I am Amalia Swan, and | would like to

know why my credit cards are blocked.”

The manager looked surprised at Amalia’s approach but still smiled. “Shall we talk in my office instead?” Lyle led

them to an office and closed the door.

Lyle gestured for them to sit as he moved behind his desk. He opened a drawer and retrieved a small tablet,

turning to Amaha with a polite smile.

“If | may see your identification and account number?” he asked

Amalia blinked, clearly taken aback. She fumbled for a moment, a small flash of annoyance crossing her face. “I

don’t have an account in my nhere. | am here on behalf of my niece, Isabella Rossi.”

Lyle’'s eyebrows raised slightly. “I see,” he said calmly, maintaining his professional smile. “In that case, may |

see Ms. Rossi's identification?”

Amalia turned to Izzy with a forced smile, gesturing for her to hand over her ID. Izzy obliged, reaching into her

bag and passing her ID to the manager.

Lyle took it, studied it briefly, and then began typing into his computer. After a few moments, he paused, his

gaze lingering on the screen with a peculiar expression. Amalia leaned forward a smirk beginning to tug at her

lips.

“Well?” she asked, the smirk widening. “Are you finally going to tell us why these cards were suddenly blocked?

You know, this whole charade of freezing assets is absurd. Banks think they can control people's money as if it's

theirs to do as they please.”

Lyle looked up, his expression neutral. “At Heritage Capital, we take the utmost care in ensuring our clients’

security and privacy. Our processes are designed to protect clients, not to control or inconvenience them.”

Amalia’s smirk faltered. She crossed her arms, scoffing. “Protect, you say? It sounds more like an excuse to

cause trouble for your clients over nothing. This isn’t the first tsomething like this has happened. If this

keeps up, you're going to lose more clients than you keep, | can assure you.”

Lyle inclined his head politely, unfazed. “I understand your concern, Miss Swan. However, at Heritage Capital,

our procedures are designed with the utmost precision to avoid risks, particularly for accounts as significant as

Ms. Rossi's. We do not enact freezes or account restrictions without valid security protocols in place.”

Amalia opened her mouth to interject, but he continued smoothly.

“We understand how vital access is for our clients, which is why we ensure no action is taken without reason. We

appreciate

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Chapter 23

your patience as we verify the integrity of every transaction. You be hard-pressed to find another institution that

takes such care with its clients’ assets”

Amalia’s face tightened, a flash of irritation passing over her features. She leaned back in her seat, glancing

pointedly at Izzy. “You hear that, Izzy? They think they're saints, all because they can freeze accounts as they

like.”

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Izzy didn’t respond, her eyes fixed on the manager. “Is there a specific reason for the hold on my account?” she

asked.

Lyle hesitated, glancing between Izzy and Amalia. “As a matter of protocol, Ms. Rossi, | am not allowed to discuss

this matter in front of a stranger,” he eyed Amalia. “You are a VIP member, and this transaction can be-"

“Are you askingto leave!?” Amalia asked. “You-l am her au

“I really apologize, Miss Swan. Of course, if Miss Rossi intends to discuss this in front of you, I'd be happy to do

50.”

“Please...” Izzy blinked, acting like she was truly concerned. “I would like to know why my cousin and aunt's

cards were having these problems.”

Lyle gave Izzy a small nod before turning his attention to the screen, adjusting his tablet as he reviewed a list of

flagged transactions. He cleared his throat, then looked up at Izzy.

“Ms. Rossi, as a VVIP account holder, your transactions are closely monitored to ensure security, especially on

high-value purchases made within a short period. Due to recent charges flagged as unusual activity, the system

initiated an automatic lockdown of the accounts associated with your authorization.”

Izzy raised an eyebrow, her gaze steady. “What kind of charges are we talking about?”

Lyle glanced at his screen before answering. “The charges in question included a forty-thousand-dollar

transaction for a Patek Philippe watch and another seventy-five thousand for a Hermes handbag, both made

within hours of each other. Given the amount and timing, our system flagged them as potential fraudulent

activity.”

Amalia’s face twisted, and she leaned forward, her hand on the edge of Lyle’s desk. “Are you saying my purchase

was suspicious? | have access to these funds!”

Lyle looked at Amalia, his expression unchanging. “These purchases were charged to accounts under Ms. Rossi's

authorization, not to a personal account in your name. Furthermore, our system flagged multiple transactions

made on both your card and Ms. Monica Swan's card as unusual. It's a standard protocol in cases involving VVIP

clients like Ms. Rossi, especially when high-value transactions are made unexpectedly

Izzy looked at Amalia. “A Patek Philippe watch?” she asked, disbelief flashing on her face. Was this the thing,

Atty. Alcaraz talked about?

“lzzy-I-" Amalia’s face reddened. She stuttered. “Well, that was-"

“An Hermes bag?” Izzy smiled. She doesn’t even own one of those bags!

Manager Lyle smiled. “No need to worry-we managed to freeze the transaction before it went through and

processed a refund. | am certain that Miss Swan would soon received calls from those stores asking about the

payment.”

Both Amalia and Izzy looked at the manager. Then Amalia’s face turned ugly. “What did you just say!?”

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