Banquet

Kael’s eyes flickered at Danna’s words, as if something had just occurred to him, and his expression turned grim.

“Danna, you know I’m married.”

Yes, he was married—forced into it, like his marriage had been bought with money. As if that woman marrying him was her way of humiliating him. That’s why, all these years, he hadn’t even touched her. He had sworn to return that humiliation one day.

Danna cried even harder. “Kael, you know I don’t care. I really don’t care.”

And with that, she kissed him.

Kael froze. Instinctively, a certain woman back home popped into his mind. He was about to push Danna away.

But when he felt the tears on her face, he hesitated—and in that moment of hesitation, Kael made the mistake he would regret for the rest of his life.

…

Back in Elaris, Naomi had no idea any of this was happening. A director had reached out to her, asking if she could make a guest appearance as a dancing girl in a TV drama.

Naomi was hesitant. She didn’t know the first thing about acting!

Atlas couldn’t stand seeing her struggle. “If you don’t want to, then forget it. If you love dancing, I’ll open a studio just for you.”

“But I really like this dancing girl role…”

Naomi had read the script. The character was a fallen princess from a ruined kingdom, who deliberately set a trap to get close to her enemy. But in the enemy's household, she ran into her childhood sweetheart—the male lead—and ended up dying for him.

The role probably had only ten minutes of screen time.

“Then if you like it, go for it.”

Atlas didn’t exactly love the idea of other people seeing how charming his girl was. He always worried she’d attract too much attention.

But he also knew he couldn’t use ‘love’ as an excuse to keep Naomi locked up by his side.

Seeing the tenderness on his face, Naomi’s heart thudded wildly. She reached out and cupped his face, staring at him closely.

Atlas let her do whatever she wanted. He scooped her up in a princess carry, settled her in his arms, and went back to reading his documents—while she stared at him.

“Atty,” she said sweetly, “you’ve gotten even more handsome.”

“Oh? How do you figure that?”

Naomi looked at him seriously. “You’ve got that mature man charm now.”

His fingers paused on the documents, but he quickly returned to his calm expression like nothing happened.

Naomi didn’t say anything more, just picked up the script beside her and started reading. The two of them spent a quiet day together.

The next day, Naomi had made up her mind—she wanted to try out the role.

“I’ll arrange an agent for you,” Atlas said.

His entertainment company was currently the biggest in the industry.

“No need, Atlas. I’m just playing a small part. It’s not like I’m a real actress. I don’t need a full-time agent.”

Atlas frowned, clearly uneasy about it. But under Naomi’s persistent coaxing, he finally agreed.

“Naomi, there’s a banquet tonight. Want to come?”

Actually, it was a banquet hosted by the Andersons—Melvin’s mother was turning fifty. All the major families would be there. Atlas hadn’t planned to bring Naomi at first, but in the end, he left the choice up to her.

“A banquet? What kind of banquet?” Naomi asked, perking up. Life after her amnesia had been feeling way too dull lately.

Atlas could tell by her expression that she wanted to go, so he gave her a rough rundown of the event.

“Oh, it’s Melvin’s family? If you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve forgotten all about him.”

When they were little, the three of them used to play together often.

When Atlas heard that she still remembered Melvin, the suspicions he had earlier started to feel even more plausible.

“Atty, I’m going to get my hair done, okay?” she asked.

Atlas pulled her back. “No need. I’ll have someone come do it at the house.”

“Okay.”

...

At 8 p.m., inside the Andersons villa — since today was the 50th birthday of the matriarch and the master of the house adored his wife — the whole villa was lavishly decorated.

The exterior was covered entirely in roses, a display that clearly reflected the Andersons’ wealth.

All the major family attended without exception.

Kalea entered the grand hall gracefully alongside her mother, holding her head high like a proud swan. She hated Naomi, partly because among the major families, only she and Naomi were girls, so comparison was inevitable.

Her Rhodes family couldn’t compare to the Swifts, and she wasn’t as beautiful as Naomi — which only made her resentment grow.

“Mommy, do you think Naomi will come?” she asked.

Jovita elegantly held a glass of champagne, glancing toward the rose-decorated entrance, her eyes flashing with a mix of contempt and jealousy. “Do you think she wouldn’t come? She never misses these kinds of events.”

But then, something crossed her mind, and her expression turned darker. “Still can’t get through to her phone?”

“Nope. I’m sure she’s blocked the both of us. My brother too. All he does is flirt around outside, not realizing the chaos he’s causing at home.”

Kalea didn’t like her biological brother at all. Not only did he not care about her, but he also deliberately chose women she didn’t like to be her sisters-in-law.

“Watch your words, Kalea,” Jovita warned. “If others overhear, they’ll laugh at us.”

Though she didn’t like Danna either, she didn’t think her son had done anything wrong. In wealthy families like theirs, how many men didn’t keep mistresses?

“Oh my, isn’t this Mrs. Rhodes? It’s been ages! Kalea’s even prettier now.”

The speaker was dressed in fur with a gold necklace around her neck, walking over with a beaming smile.

Kalea looked over and saw it was Francesca Smith, a flash of disdain appearing in her eyes.

In Elaris, among the major families—Knox, Swift, Anderson, and Rhodes—the Knox family reigned supreme. And within the circle of influential families beyond the majors, the Smith family stood at the top.

Francesca was the matriarch of the Smiths, daughter of a nouveau riche, and had once even proposed a marriage alliance with the Rhodes.

Jovita’s eyes gleamed as she immediately plastered on a smile. “Oh, Mrs. Smith, no wonder you’re glowing today — life must be treating you well!”

Talking sweet to people’s faces and trashing them behind their backs — that was just the unspoken rule of social circles like this.

Mrs. Smith smiled and said, “Absolutely! I’m in such a good mood lately. My son and Miss Weber are madly in love. We’re planning the wedding for next month. Mrs. Rhodes, Kalea, you both must come celebrate with us!”

Jovita’s face turned sour, and Kalea’s eyes burned with rage.

What the hell? As if she’d never consider that spoiled Smith family brat.

Still, she hadn’t expected them to get engaged so quickly.

Jovita had actually been quite satisfied with the Smiths son at first — good looks, decent character, no scandals — he seemed like a good match for Kalea.

But marrying into the Smith would be a step down, so Jovita had stalled, hoping to match with someone from the Knox or Anderson families instead.

Unfortunately, her son and the Knox family’s young master had always been at odds, and Melvin Anderson was Atlas’s close friend, so the idea was postponed again and again.

***