Dylan Grant leaned against the car, raising a roguish eyebrow. "Alright, you clean up okay."
Evelyn Grant shot back with a grin, "You're ugly even when you're cleaned up."
"..."
The siblings' bickering ceased when Mr. and Mrs. Grant appeared.
Tonight's private banquet was held at a Chinese-style courtyard villa owned by the Aldrin Family. The residence was vast, exuding an air of antique charm and opulent grace. In the center of the courtyard was a pond, with a hexagonal pavilion built over it.
The corners of Evelyn Grant's lips curled up slightly as she pointed to the pavilion. "I'm going to find Liam Aldrin."
Because the Grant and Aldrin Families were on excellent terms, and since Evelyn Grant and Liam Aldrin were close in age, the two had grown up together and were true childhood friends.
Seeing Evelyn Grant's graceful figure approaching, Liam Aldrin, who was sprinkling fish food onto the water's surface, lazily tilted up his chin. "Well, look who it is. The busy bee is finally back?"
The koi in the pond scrambled over one another, their mouths agape as they fought for the food. A gentle evening breeze lifted strands of Evelyn Grant's hair. She sat down calmly, the dim light illuminating her face. "Just taking a break for a while."
She paused, then, dispensing with pleasantries, gestured to the Go board on the table. "Care for a game?"
The faint sound of their elders' conversation drifted from the house.
Neither of them wanted to go inside too early. They had reached that age where marriage became their elders' primary concern, and dealing with that was more exhausting than work.
Liam Aldrin placed a white stone on the board. As if recalling something, he curved his lips in an intrigued smile. "Did you know that Mr. Dylan is keeping a girl at The Laurels?"
"..." Evelyn Grant's brow furrowed. She was clearly unaware of this.
"He's hidden it pretty well. I bet your parents are in the dark too," Liam Aldrin said. "Don't you dare say you heard it from me."
He propped his chin on his hand. "I ran into them by chance last month. Mr. Dylan was personally teaching the girl how to play cards. You know how he's always so stern and unsmiling with outsiders, but with her, he was endlessly patient."
"They've supposedly been together for almost two years."
However, the Grant parents were very open-minded. They didn't have many demands for their two children, unlike other families who insisted on a match of equal social standing.
'For Dylan Grant to hide her so well, not revealing a single thing for two years and being unwilling to bring the girl home for an introduction, could only mean one thing.'
'He wasn't that serious about her.'
'Just as Liam Aldrin said, he was *keeping* her at The Laurels.'
Evelyn Grant tutted. "So the Grant Family has produced a scumbag?"
Liam Aldrin immediately distanced himself. "I never said that."
"Besides, I think Mr. Dylan is a man of integrity. Which of the young masters in our circle isn't juggling women? Mr. Dylan only has one," he said, glancing at the board. "That doesn't really make him a scumbag."
The game had lost its flavor.
Evelyn Grant's attention was no longer on the board. When she finally came to her senses, she realized she was at a dead end.
She lowered her gaze, searching for a way to turn the game around, and said softly, "What does our circle even count for?"
'In the face of an old-money family like the Keatons of Veridia, even those who are like fish in water in Solara are nothing more than ants.'
'Dylan Grant is an adult. Even as his sister, I don't want to meddle in his romantic life.'
'Besides, I know nothing about their relationship.'
"I'll just pretend I don't know about this."
She hadn't moved in a long time. Liam Aldrin chuckled, a hint of smugness in his voice. "Just concede."
Evelyn Grant didn't speak. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, showing she had no intention of giving up easily.
Confident in his victory, Liam Aldrin gave her plenty of time.
Evelyn Grant's elbow rested on the tabletop, her hand hovering in mid-air as she clutched a black stone. A stray strand of hair fell beside her ear as she stared intently at the board.
But then, the pleasant scent of ebony and sandalwood wafted over, faint and indistinct, lingering in the air she breathed. It was familiar, yet strange.
She shifted slightly, a little dazed.
The next second, a slender hand with well-defined knuckles reached from behind, picked up a black stone, and placed it gently on the board.
Instantly, the deadlock was broken.
Slightly alarmed, Evelyn Grant looked up and met a pair of deep, impassive black eyes. They were handsome but distant, the corners of his eyes holding an invisible pressure.
Her heart suddenly hammered in her chest, her breathing growing shallow. The shock in her eyes vanished in an instant as she regained her composure. She stood up and said gently, "Mr. Keaton."
Preston Keaton.
'The man she thought she would never see again.'
He wasn't dressed as formally today, wearing only a white silk shirt and black trousers. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of his pale collarbone. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, his frame cast a shadow, exuding a noble and cold aura that seemed to make the very air feel constricted.
Liam Aldrin quickly stood up as well. He knew an honored guest was coming to his home today, and though he hadn't known who, one look at the man's aura told him this was no ordinary person.
He was both astonished that his childhood friend knew him and simultaneously wracking his brain for powerful figures with the surname Keaton.
Suddenly, he remembered the Keaton Family of Veridia and broke out in a cold sweat.
In October, the night air was already quite cool.
The wind carried the man's deep voice, and Evelyn Grant's body trembled involuntarily.
"If you would lead the way, Miss Grant."
---
Liam Aldrin followed behind the two, his expression slightly complicated.
'Why is the atmosphere so strange?!'
The elders had been craning their necks in anticipation and were just about to head out to greet their guest when they saw Evelyn Grant approaching slowly, elegant and poised. The man beside her was completely unruffled. At first glance, they looked like a perfect pair—a talented scholar and a beautiful lady, like a newlywed couple in perfect harmony.
But the elders' expressions changed, and they hurried out.
Mr. Aldrin was slightly flustered. "Mr. Keaton, my sincerest apologies. You've come all this way, and we've been such poor hosts."
Preston Keaton's expression was unchanged—calm and refined. Even before his elders, his commanding aura was completely natural. "I arrived early."
Evelyn Grant silently took two steps to the side.
As the elders welcomed him into the house, Liam Aldrin lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. "What is going on?"
"Last month, Miss Keaton invited me to Veridia to do her makeup. I just happened to run into Mr. Keaton."
Evelyn Grant's explanation was concise as she quickened her pace to follow them.
Liam Aldrin frowned at her retreating back. Something felt off.
'When that black stone was placed, Evelyn Grant couldn't see, but he had seen it crystal clear.'
'When that great Mr. Keaton had lowered his gaze to look down at Evelyn Grant, his Adam's apple had bobbed, ever so slightly.'
With the guest of honor present, the private banquet officially began.
Evelyn Grant kept her head down and ate the entire time, uninterested in the topics they were discussing.
After dinner, Preston Keaton went upstairs to the study with Mr. Aldrin and Mr. Grant to discuss business. As she ate her fruit, Evelyn's gaze naturally fell upon Dylan Grant.
Dylan Grant was looking at his phone, casually tapping the screen to reply to a message.
Sensing his sister's stare, he looked up. "What are you looking at?"
"..." Evelyn Grant couldn't be bothered to respond. She stood up, walked over to the edge of the pond, and dialed Leo Lawrence's number.
It rang for a long time, but no one answered.
She frowned and turned around, her heart skipping a beat.
A tall, slender figure stood not far away. In the dim light, a pair of ink-black eyes were locked onto her.
Like a hunter hidden in the shadows.