Inside the private lounge, aside from Vivienne, Westley, and the visibly preoccupied Gavin Thornton, there were five other young people—three guys and two girls.
Vivienne quickly memorized their names during the behind-the-scenes gossip session. The one getting pressured into marriage was called Leonard Liem, the one offering bad advice was Shawn Lin, the one demanding gifts was Nabila, and the two just spectating were Junyao Wan and Frost Xiao.
These names—
Totally irrelevant.
Vivienne didn't think she'd ever see them again.
…
"Where are you from, Yshi?" Nabila asked curiously. "You've barely said a word."
"She's just started her studies in the Capital," Westley smoothly answered for her, drawing from what Vivienne had casually said back at the gallery. "Still new to everything here. She's a bit shy and reserved, so go easy on her."
Then he chuckled softly.
Vivienne: "…"
What are you laughing at? Was I not eloquent enough earlier while we were mocking paintings together?
Of course, she had no idea that her spinning-in-place stunt to eavesdrop on a couple fighting had been far too eye-catching…
But her current silent behavior fit perfectly with Westley's "shy and reserved" explanation.
Leonard Liem chimed in, "That explains it. She didn't say much when we played earlier either."
Vivienne gave a polite smile. "But I'm really enjoying sitting here with you all."
"Haha, that's great—so long as we're not too noisy for you!"
"Should we pop a new bottle? I just placed an order on the terminal."
The group started a dice game, the atmosphere lively and buzzing with the charisma of Westley and the young socialites orbiting him. Only Gavin Thornton, seated in the middle, kept glancing at Westley with words on the tip of his tongue.
…
"Westley, did you end up keeping Eternal Moment? They say it can restore spiritual strength—true?"
"I haven't tested it," Westley said evenly, sipping his drink. "But my mother likes it very much."
"Ohh, so it was a gift for Her Grace."
"The Roland family really knows how to splurge!"
…
"Westley, I heard the Duke already handed over part of the business to you?" Gavin tried to sound casual. "Would you be interested in investing?"
"Oh?" Westley chuckled, a trace of mockery hidden in his tone. "Invest in what?"
"I've started a distillery. And right now there's a great—"
"This evening is about Librena's exhibition," Westley cut in smoothly. "Gavin, try not to bring up irrelevant topics."
"But we can talk another time. I'd love to hear more."
…
"How can this be irrelevant…" Gavin's voice tightened.
He'd been trying to contact Westley for half a month, only to be brushed off with excuses by Westley's assistant every time. Now that he'd finally gotten a call through and secured a face-to-face meeting, how could he walk away empty-handed?
Sweat started to bead on his forehead. He knew Westley wasn't easy to fool. "This isn't some ordinary brewery—it has huge potential. The return on investment will absolutely satisfy—"
"Alright, stop." Shawn Lin undid the top button of his shirt, annoyed. "The wine's warming up, and you're killing the mood. Gavin, you're such a buzzkill."
Westley chimed in with a tone of mock-pity, "Gavin, I really don't want to talk business right now."
Vivienne saw it clearly.
Westley was toying with the poor guy, and the rest of the crowd had picked up on it instantly—they were subtly ganging up to exclude Gavin.
Tch.
"Isn't tonight supposed to be about Librena Ashley? Looks like she's finally cut ties with the Zarathustra family once and for all."
"…Fine." Gavin deflated, lowering his head and subconsciously pulling a cigarette pack from his pocket.
"What are you doing?" A girl named Lilith Kwan snapped, slamming her dice cup down and rolling her eyes. "No one here wants your secondhand smoke."
Cigarette already lit, Gavin gave up and stood. "I'll step out, then."
…
"Watch him rise to power, watch him host lavish banquets… then watch the whole Zarathustra family crumble. How quickly they forget."
Westley sipped his drink quietly. His presence tonight was meant to be a message—a show of royal support to calm the nervous Ashley family, who had once been closely tied to the now-disgraced Zarathustra clan.
The royal family had officially pardoned Ashley.
Leonard muttered, "Ever since Callum left, this circle's gone through wave after wave of new blood… It's all gotten so boring."
Callum?
Vivienne turned toward him, her expression unreadable but eyes sharp.
"Pfft." Junyao Wan scoffed. "Waves of people? You make getting purged sound poetic."
"They're talking about an old friend," Westley explained, catching the subtle shift in Vivienne's attention. His tone was kind, but his eyes held something deeper. "There was some family trouble, and he had to leave the Capital."
"Leave?" Shawn Lin looked startled. "Wait—does that count as an official disappearance?"
Westley only smiled.
"…Honestly," someone murmured, "Just knowing Callum's still alive is a relief."
…
The atmosphere grew warmer and louder as wine flowed and tongues loosened. Under the influence of alcohol, the elite crowd's conversation turned bolder and less filtered.
Things were heating up.
Vivienne stood up. Westley glanced over in silent question.
The lounge was so loud now—like crashing waves—that she had to lean in close to make herself heard. She spoke softly against his ear, "I need to get some air."
Vivienne gently pushed open the door and stepped out of the lounge, as if escaping a sea of noise. The night air outside was cool and crisp, a sharp contrast to the stuffy heat inside
Though the lounge had decent ventilation, it couldn't completely dispel the heady mix of alcohol, tobacco, and perfume.
She inhaled deeply. The fresh air felt like spring water flowing into her lungs.
Judging by the timing, Callum had already been sent to Planet X-298 before the Zarathustra family's scandal fully exploded.
But it wasn't hard to guess. When an empire collapses, there are always early signs. His family probably sent him away to avoid the oncoming storm of political chaos.
—Surviving and escaping at all was already lucky, wasn't it?
So now…
Callum was facing a wrecked family… and a con-artist ex.
Vivienne sighed.
She'd known that ghosting him would make her a jerk. She hadn't expected to end up as the actual villain.
Am I seriously the kind of person who wakes up in the middle of the night and yells at herself, "Damn, I suck"?
Probably, yeah.
Frustrated as she was, Vivienne never wallowed.
She withdrew her hand from the railing and muttered, "…Fate's a real piece of work."
Still, there was no point hanging around out here.
The people in that room were getting way too drunk. Who knew what kind of chaos would unfold next?
After taking a moment to gather herself, Vivienne turned and headed back to the lounge.
She opened the door again—and stopped short at the chaotic scene inside.
Her first instinct was to step back out, but she hesitated .... Then she looked up at the room number. No mistake.
But inside… One of the guests was yanking a boy's hair and forcing alcohol down his throat. "Drink."