With Hadi dead and a mysterious child suddenly appearing out of nowhere, if his mother learned about him, wouldn't she revise her will?
Worse, the changes might end up completely unfavorable to their side.
Allister let out a scoff. "You certainly have a lot to worry about... brother."
The single word instantly ignited Ellis's temper.
His face flushed red as he grabbed Allister by the collar.
Hiro hurriedly stepped forward and restrained his father, whispering something into his ear. Only then did Ellis reluctantly calm down before storming out of the mansion.
"Uncle, I apologize," Hiro said before following after him. "My brother's death has taken a tremendous toll on my parents. They're both very emotional and sensitive right now. Please don't take it to heart."
With that, he took his leave as well.
Allister remained silent, watching the family of three hurry away.
-
At the walk in pantry, there was an entire section that looked as though it had been looted from a confectionery museum.
Master Keir stepped inside and immediately found shelves packed from floor to ceiling with every imaginable sweet.
Crystal jars of handmade candies, imported biscuits, traditional pastries, and limited edition gift boxes filled every corner.
There were even neatly arranged rows of luxurious chocolates from different countries, each carefully labelled with the year it had been purchased.
Butler Hong puffed out his chest proudly.
"See these? These are all limited editions. You can't even buy some of them anymore. This one is from Switzerland, this one from Belgium, and this one..." He carefully picked up another box as though handling a priceless antique. "This collection was released five years ago."
Master Keir looked at him strangely. "They're chocolates."
Butler Hong looked offended. "They're collectibles."
"..."
Prince Xati sat quietly on a stool, not understanding why this old human was showing him the pantry.
"And over here..." Butler Hong opened another cabinet with even greater pride. "My homemade rose tea."
Several elegant glass jars lined the shelf, each filled with beautifully dried crimson rose petals.
"I personally grow the roses myself," Butler Hong said smugly. "The young lady, Miss Zhi, likes drinking this tea, so I've been making fresh batches every season."
Prince Xati, who had shown little interest in the mountain of sweets moments ago, suddenly looked up.
"Does Emp..." He abruptly stopped himself. "...Does the person you mentioned like roses?"
Butler Hong's smile widened. "Very much!"
"I have an entire rose garden behind the estate. Every variety of red rose you can think of is planted there. The young lady enjoys strolling through it whenever she visits. Sometimes she'll even stop to admire the flowers."
As Butler Hong continued speaking excitedly, the little prince lowered his gaze and quietly muttered about the Forbidden Crimson Forest.
Those crimson petals...
They looked so similar to the endless sea of blood red flowers that bloomed within the Demon Realm's Forbidden Crimson Forest.
For a brief moment, his expression turned distant.
"May I try some?" Xati asked softly.
"The tea?"
The little prince nodded.
"Of course!" Butler Hong replied without the slightest hesitation. "I made it myself. The roses are grown naturally without chemical pesticides, and I know every step of the drying process. It's perfectly safe."
He immediately bustled off to prepare a fresh pot, humming cheerfully as he worked.
Standing silently by the doorway, Master Keir watched the scene unfold.
He had originally intended to bring the child back and learn a little more about him.
Instead, the little boy had effortlessly won Butler Hong over in less than half an hour.
Master Keir couldn't help but smile faintly and decided not to interrupt them.
There were far more pressing matters demanding his attention, especially after the news from the hospital.
There would be plenty of opportunities later to get to know the child.
Just as he stepped out, a maid hurried over.
"Butler Steve from Young Master Felan's villa just called," she reported. "He asked if we've seen a child..."
Her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on the little boy sitting comfortably inside the pantry.
"Ah! there's really-"
Butler Hong immediately hissed, "Child? What child? Tell him he's called the wrong household."
The maid stared dumbfounded at Prince Xati, who blinked innocently and acted as though he had no idea what they were talking about.
Before she could say another word, Butler Hong waved her away.
"Off you go. And don't be a traitor. You saw nothing."
The maid left in a daze, wondering what was going on.
---
Lianna's hand trembled slightly as she looked at the results of her graded piano jury examination.
"Lianna, you're amazing! Congratulations!" one of her classmates exclaimed after seeing her score.
Lianna shyly folded the paper, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"An A+? Did you get perfect scores in every evaluation category?" another classmate asked curiously.
"Almost," she replied with a modest smile. "I only lost two points in rhythm and accuracy."
"That's still incredible," the young man praised. "Hey, shouldn't we celebrate? There's a restaurant nearby. Want to go?"
Lianna found herself momentarily speechless.
Since her divorce and her victory in the lawsuit against her father and former mother in law, she had deliberately kept a low profile, avoiding the media, who were still constantly trying to interview her.
She had even reverted to her mother's maiden surname. From Lianna Neri, she had become Lianna Arvind once again.
At the conservatory, some students recognised her while others did not, but she had spent her days focusing solely on her studies instead of making friends. Outside school, nearly all of her time was devoted to her son.
This was the first time a classmate had invited her to go out.
Perhaps sensing her discomfort, the young man quickly invited a few more classmates to join them as well. With the gathering turning into a group outing instead of a one-on-one invitation, Lianna found it difficult to refuse.
It was still early, and Sean had already finished school. She figured she could stop by to buy his favourite snacks before heading home.
The group of five went to a decent restaurant, and Lianna had to admit she was enjoying herself. It had been a long time since she had simply gone out with classmates, chatting and laughing without worrying about the outside world.
As they eventually parted ways, Lianna returned to the school's parking lot. To her surprise, the young man who had invited everyone over walked in the same direction.
He smiled awkwardly. "My car's parked here too."
Lianna simply nodded.
Just as she was about to get into her car, he called out to her again.
"Lianna."
She turned around, only to find him holding out a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Lianna blinked "...?"
"Uhm... I'd actually been meaning to give these to you earlier," he admitted sheepishly. "But I thought it might make you feel awkward, so I waited."
He scratched the back of his head before continuing.
"To be honest, I've always noticed how focused you are during classes. And whenever we have practice sessions, you're always outstanding. I had a feeling you'd do exceptionally well in the piano jury."
Lianna looked at the bouquet, then back at him in bewilderment. "So... you bought the flowers in advance? What if I'd failed?"
He cleared his throat before smiling. "Then I hoped these flowers would've cheered you up instead. I just hope you don't find it strange."
"Lianna?"
A familiar voice interrupted them.
Zahn strode towards the pair, his gaze immediately landing on the bouquet as though it were a cancer in his eyes.
"What are we celebrating?" he asked, turning to Lianna. "If I remember correctly, it isn't your birthday yet."
"Lianna almost got a perfect score in her piano jury," the young man answered politely.
Zahn slowly shifted his gaze towards him. "Did I ask you?"
The temperature around them seemed to drop instantly, leaving the other man visibly uncomfortable.
"Enough," Lianna said quietly. "Didn't we agree that you'd contact me first if anything came up? You should leave."
"Leave?" Zahn frowned. "Why? Do you like this guy?"
"Are you crazy?" Lianna hissed.
The young man's eyes darted between the two before he cautiously asked,
"...Is he your boyfriend?"
Lianna immediately shook her head.
Zahn's expression darkened even further.
"I'm her husband," he declared coldly. "And the father of her child."
Lianna was rendered completely speechless, while the young man froze.
Then, as if something had suddenly clicked, he looked at Zahn more carefully.
"Wait... I was wondering why you looked so familiar." His eyes widened in recognition. "You're that renowned doctor, aren't you? Dr Zahn Neri?"
"It's good that you're observant," Zahn replied flatly.
The young man blinked in confusion before finally piecing everything together.
He turned to Lianna. "Lianna... that name, you're his ex-wife?"
Lianna could only nod.
It wasn't that she didn't want to admit it. She simply didn't want her past to continue affecting her present life, especially the way her classmates saw her at school.
"I remember seeing it all over the news. I never really paid much attention to celebrity news, so I didn't realise..." He gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but... that means you're single now, right?"
Before anyone could react, Zahn's face darkened with fury.
He grabbed the young man by the collar.
Lianna hurriedly stepped between them, pushing his arm away. She was about to scold him, but the words caught in her throat.
The hatred boiling in his eyes was so intense that it was almost frightening.
Since they parted badly at the police station, Zahn had practically gone off the radar. He kept his distance, occasionally sending things for Sean or a brief message every now and then. He had come to see her a few times as well, but never forced a conversation.
Already feeling a headache coming on and having no desire to deal with him, Lianna accepted the bouquet before offering the young man a polite smile.
"Thank you, classmate."
The single word made her intentions perfectly clear.
She appreciated the thoughtful gesture, but beyond being classmates, she had no intention of pursuing anything further.
Ignoring Zahn completely, she opened the driver's door and got into her car.
Just as she was about to leave, the passenger door suddenly opened. Zahn calmly slid into the seat beside her.
The young man hurried over. "Is he bothering you? I can call the school security."
As though he had just heard the most ridiculous thing imaginable, Zahn let out a cold sneer.