Throughout all of Kingsford, who didn't want to get on Mr. Sinclair's good side?
Lianne Lianne didn't. Her voice was level as she said, "If a title is meant to show respect, perhaps 'Master' would be more appropriate."
But Seth Sinclair clearly disdained the idea of taking a hint and backing down.
He raised an eyebrow. "Such a smooth talker. Why don't you say it and let me hear it?"
Seeing that the scoundrel was about to scare Little Lia away, Evan Caldwell couldn't just stand by. "Master Seth, even if Little Lia called you her ancestor, it's not like she's one of yours."
The spotlights in the private room flickered, sweeping patches of light and shadow across Seth Sinclair's handsome, well-defined face.
Lianne Lianne's gaze shifted, and as she looked back at him, she caught the devil-may-care smile playing on his lips.
Evan Caldwell finished shuffling and began to deal. He gave the first card to Lianne Lianne. "Little Lia, your card."
Lianne Lianne calmly lowered her gaze, saying with perfect composure, "Thank you."
One of the guys who came over to drag their "pop star" Sophie Sheridan to the karaoke machine saw this and hollered, "Evan, you're awfully eager today! Dealing the cards yourself and all!"
"Oh, give me a break. The old crew would get all dressed up like dandies just to play a game of ball."
Evan Caldwell pointed at Seth Sinclair and Quinn Preston. "Now that these two masters are back, it's a rare reunion. Of course I have to go all out."
"Whoa! Listen to you, sounding all wronged. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were Penelope, waiting faithfully for eighteen years!" the guys teased with a laugh.
In between dealing cards, Evan Caldwell shot a playful kick out. The guy dodged it with a grin and stopped fooling around, jutting his chin at Sophie Sheridan. "Sophie Sheridan, come on, sing for us."
"Lia, I'm heading over there," Sophie Sheridan said. She was an avid karaoke singer.
"Okay, sure."
Out of the corner of her eye, Lianne Lianne glanced at the northeast section of the room. It was a separate entertainment area, sectioned off by a screen partition with a landscape painting. The ceiling flickered with multicolored lights, and seven or eight men and women were drinking, singing, and playing games, creating a lively scene.
In comparison, their area was quieter.
Quinn Preston and Seth Sinclair were discussing the overseas acquisition of a century-old Hollywood film studio. Their conversation touched on both serious and not-so-serious matters, from the complex details of the acquisition to the profligate habit of burning cash to promote starlets.
Lianne Lianne acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, occasionally glancing at the cards in front of her. She held her glass lightly, and a drop of condensation slid down the side, landing in her palm where it slowly evaporated.
The bubbles had all vanished, leaving only a lifeless pool of amber liquid in the glass.
Lianne Lianne took an unhurried sip. As she set the glass down, she noticed the English letters engraved on its side.
Riedel.
Velenia's top, most professional brand of wine glasses, hailed as the 'Rolls-Royce of glassware.'
To her surprise, Seth Sinclair hadn't called over any of his usual flock of female companions to play cards with him.
'A young master like him actually plays cards himself?'
'Rarer than a legendary Pokémon.'
Evan Caldwell played a pair of fives and looked at Seth Sinclair. "Bro, give me the lowdown. Are you considering that investment from the Alden Family?"
Lianne Lianne unhurriedly played a pair of eights.
Seth Sinclair casually tossed out a pair of nines, not even bothering to look up. "What's that thing you've got between your ears? A watermelon? What's there to consider?"
The knuckles of the long fingers holding the cards were sharp, the blue veins on the back of his hand standing out with a sense of wild power. The defined lines of his hand snaked upward, disappearing into the cuff of his expensive shirt.
Hearing this, Evan Caldwell turned his head to ask Quinn Preston, "And you? You in?"
Quinn Preston replied deadpan, "I don't discuss business outside of work hours."
"Show-off." Evan Caldwell leaned back in his chair and laughed. "Heh, I actually kind of like that jinxed project."
Seth Sinclair shot him a sideways glance and chuckled lazily. "With your judgment, you'd lose your shirt in two days."
Evan Caldwell had 206 bones in his body, and 205 of them were rebellious. He was fired up now. "What if I get a wild hair and decide to try it anyway!"
"Try it?" Seth Sinclair fiddled with a lighter, a half-smile on his face. "You might as well try chewing on the Persian rug the old man just laid down."
The corner of Lianne Lianne's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
'His words are dipped in poison.'
Evan Caldwell, however, had clearly long since developed an immunity to such poison. He said nonchalantly, "If I lose the investment, my old man will just chew me out a bit. But eating the rug? That's a death sentence. He'd literally strangle me."
Evan Caldwell changed the subject, chattering on, "Little Lia, where are you working these days?"
"I haven't graduated yet. I'm a senior at Imperia North University."
Lianne Lianne pinched a card between her fingertips. After a moment's silence, as if she'd briefly struggled with the decision, she played an Ace of Hearts as though she had no other choice.
A faint fragrance drifted over with her slow, deliberate movement.
It smelled like herbs.
Seth Sinclair's gaze lifted, his eyes catching on her outstretched, slender fingers, which were like a white magnolia blossom twirling in the wind.
Against her fair skin, the translucent, cherry-red Jade Pendant Bracelet looked even more stunning.
Quinn Preston impassively watched Lianne Lianne play. Her skills were clumsy, yet she always managed to turn the tables at the critical moment.
This unorthodox style of play seemed familiar.
"What's your major, junior?"
When the man asked, Lianne Lianne turned her head to look at him as she answered, "Math."
Quinn Preston: "Seniors here have to do an internship, right?"
Lianne Lianne said, "Yes, a graduation internship."
Quinn Preston asked, "Have you thought about where you'll do it?"
Seth Sinclair casually tossed out a card. Lianne Lianne lifted her lashes to glance at him before replying nonchalantly, "Not yet."
'Plenty of people just faked their graduation internships—finding a company to stamp their papers, writing some fabricated report, and taking a few staged "work" photos to submit in both physical and digital formats.'
'This Crown Prince of the Pierce Family from Zenith Bank seemed to be a man of action.'
'So how did he go astray and end up hanging out with a debauched playboy like Seth Sinclair?'
Evan Caldwell looked at his hand, clicked his tongue in disgust, and grumbled, "What a crappy hand."
A moment later, he was all worked up again. "Little Lia's only got two cards left!"
He was hoping Lianne Lianne would win. He'd been crushed by Seth Sinclair too many times in the past and wanted to see someone else crush him for a change.
Hearing this, Quinn Preston looked at the two cards Seth Sinclair had on the table, then at the two cards Lianne Lianne held in her hand.
He usually had no interest in card games, but now he found himself intrigued.
Lianne Lianne also glanced at Seth Sinclair's cards.
Seth Sinclair noticed her gaze. He reached over from the sofa armrest to the ashtray, stubbed out his cigarette, and said lazily, "If you want to look, just say so. It's not like I won't let you. What's the deal with peeking?"
Lianne Lianne was speechless. "..."
'Peeking? She was looking openly!'
Quinn Preston, watching from the sidelines, played a card with a composed expression.
Evan Caldwell: "Pass."
It meant he wasn't playing a card.
Lianne Lianne's fingertips tapped lightly on her cards. Ripples seemed to form in her almond-shaped eyes as she stared pensively at the messy pile of cards on the table.
The light from above cast a glow on her clear, delicate face, as if draping it in a soft, lustrous veil of white jade.
Seth Sinclair watched her with his jet-black eyes, saying with great interest, "Play your card, junior."