Nicholas nonchalantly slid a hand into his pocket and sat back down in the chair. He stroked his well-defined jawline, deliberately tilting his head to show it off.
“Grandpa, you don't get it. She... actually falls for this," he said, smiling like a fox that had just stolen a prize. "Turning on the charm works wonders."
“Works wonders?" Old Mr. Blackwood's expression grew even more disdainful. “If it works so well, why did she just run off?"
"She was just shy.” Nicholas gave his grandfather a slightly exasperated look. “Grandpa, you can't even see that? How did you ever manage to win Grandma over?"
"You're proud of making her a little shy? Why don't you actually win her over!" Old Mr. Blackwood walked over to Nicholas and poked his foot with his cane, his face a mask of contempt. “You think I'm like you? Back when I was courting your grandmother, I was efficient."
Nicholas smiled, rubbing his chin with his long fingers as he gazed in the direction Serena had gone. "Grandpa, that was a different era. You don't understand the world of young people today."
As for the young lady...
If she was getting shy around him, that meant he held a place in her heart.
At the very least, his face and his cooking were enough to keep her hooked.
That was enough.
For the rest, he just needed to try a little harder!
Old Mr. Blackwood saw his smug smile and pouted. "Right, I don't get it, but you do!
If you're so knowledgeable, why haven't you made any progress? A wonderful girl like Serena has plenty of admirers. If someone else snatches her up, you'll be crying your eyes out!"
Nicholas just kept smiling, his posture lazy.
But his seductive eyes deepened, the languidness replaced by a sharp, cold edge. "No one can take what's mine. Serena will be mine."
***
Serena walked out of the hall, food container in hand.
She didn't stop until she reached the back garden, the cool evening breeze brushing against her face.
The breeze did little to cool her flushed cheeks.
Her heart was still thumping erratically.
She lifted a hand and patted her face.
That shameless fox...
He was always peacocking at a moment's notice.
It felt...
Like he was doing it on purpose!
Weaponizing his good looks!
Serena felt she needed to calm down before finding her parents at the party.
The Blackwood family's banquet was being held at one of their estates.
The area Serena had just been in was a private lounge for the family.
The banquet itself was on the other side, in a semi-outdoor setting.
Behind the lounge was a formal European-style garden.
In the twilight, the garden's contours were sharply defined, and the meticulously
trimmed trees and flowerbeds cast dancing shadows.
The air was filled with a faint, refreshing fragrance.
It was a good place to collect one's thoughts.
Serena walked to a white gazebo covered in climbing vines.
She leaned against a pillar, gazing at the riot of colorful flowers before her, breathing
in the fresh scent of grass and plants.
Her racing heart finally began to slow.
She lowered her eyes to the food container in her hand, and an image of the man unbuttoning his shirt, looking so infuriatingly provocative, flashed through her mind.
She pouted. "That weirdo..."
He was really something else.
What on earth had he been learning from those romance movies?
Serena shook her head, trying to clear away the messy thoughts.
She placed the container on a nearby stone table.
Suddenly, her expression sharpened. She lifted her narrowed eyes and looked in a specific direction.
A person in a white strapless dress, showing off
off a large expanse of skin under a thick layer of makeup was walking down the path, holding her skirt and looking around frantically.
When her gaze fell upon the gazebo and the figure who, even amid the blooming flowers, outshone all the colors around her, her pupils constricted with jealousy.
Having found her target, she strode over, her face twisted with a venom that was practically spilling out. “Serena Lancaster, what are you hiding here for?"
As she spoke, her eyes darted around, as if searching for someone.
Serena's eyes turned cold. She saw right through Hailey's intentions. “This area doesn't seem to be a place you're allowed to be."
Guests attending Brianna's coming-of-age party were supposed to stay within the banquet area.
The back garden was the Blackwood family's private domain.
"If you can be here, why can't I?” Hailey said, disappointed after failing to find anyone else.
She sneered, looking at Serena. "What are you doing skulking around here? Have
you been up to something you don't want people to see?"
Serena gave her a cold look, as if observing a pathetic clown.
She didn't even have the desire to respond.
She picked up the food container, ready to head to the banquet.
Hailey, enraged by her dismissive attitude, lunged forward and blocked Serena's path. "Serena Lancaster, stop pretending! I saw you just now, sneaking off with some old man!
What? Was he not up to the
task?
Was it over so quickly?"
"Serena Lancaster, you've really got some nerve. To get into the Blackwood family's banquet, you clung to Mr. Blackwood How could you bring yourself to get with such an old man? You're disgusting!"