The party is already in full swing by the time Noel arrives.
Being an enterprising man, his father takes every opportunity to host guests, turning every family celebration into a networking event, and Beckett's birthdays are no different. If anything, they're even more grandiose and elite than holidays or Landon Arden's own birthday. He and Alyssa like to show off their perfect son, after all. Beckett is their greatest marketing tool.
So the guest list at these things is always a mix of famous individuals in the Paradigm world, local celebrities, civilian businesspeople, politicians, and lots of other important folks Noel has no hope of recognizing. He normally doesn't stay long; the point of him being here is for people to see the main Arden family all getting along, to maintain his father's wholesome facade, so once he's been seen by enough people, no one cares if he leaves.
That's his plan this year too: get in, drop off his present, walk around a bit, get out. Easy.
