After we were done handling matters with the company, Theo and I went to Petra and Grayson's place in preparation to bring the children back.The two elder adults looked very happy, likely because I had not visited with Theo for a long time."Since you two are here, have dinner before you go. It’s not every day that you two visit.” Petra grabbed my hand with a look of expectation. I looked into her eyes and could not bring myself to refuse her. I turned to look at Theo. "Why don’t we eat before we go?""Sure,” Theo blurted out.I did not expect him to agree so cheerfully. Theo's impression of Petra and Grayson had not been very good ever since Petra treated me poorly after wrongly recognizing me as her daughter.Theo had been holding onto that despite that a long time has passed and so did not come around often.Hearing him agree, Petra immediately asked the maid to prepare dinner before dragging us to the living room to have a chat.It had been a long time since they sat down

The ball kicked off with everyone's anticipation. I looked at the two individuals standing at the door, masks donned but looking helpless, and could not help but smile. I walked up to them and could not hold myself back from saying, "I say, you two ought to look happier. Everyone who’s arrived does.”Even with her mask on, I could clearly see Shannon roll her eyes at me. Giving a stamp to the person who had just arrived, she replied, "If I knew I’d be the usher here, I wouldn’t have agreed to you.”“Exactly. Also, this stamp thing makes it look like we’re a nightclub,” Marius complained.I could not help but pout at what they said. "You can go in and play in a while when there are no more people. Hang in there!"With that, I went inside.At a glance, I saw Theo in the corner. He looked out of place in his formal clothes but seemed to fit in more with the mask on his face.I wondered if he could recognize me.Thinking this, I grabbed a glass of red wine and walked toward him.I

The masquerade ball ended amidst laughter and joy.Shannon and Arthur seemed to have got along very well. They even privately made an appointment to meet each other for the second time. However, since Arthur was an idol, if Shannon were really interested in him, she would inevitably face a lot of problems in the future. Still, this was for a later time. I myself drank a lot tonight. Although I was a little tipsy, I was still sober, just a little red in the face.Theo glanced at me while driving and shook his head slightly. "You didn’t actually have to drink so sincerely.""I was happy. It's okay since it’s once in a while." I smiled in response to his words.Looking out the window, at the flashing lights, I could not help but let my thoughts float.I thought again of what Sylvester told me at the dance.The truth about my mother…"What are you thinking about?" Theo's words broke my thoughts.I wanted to discuss this with Theo and since he had asked, I told him about it honest

Shannon’s interest was suddenly piqued when she heard this. She pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down. “How did you find out about it then?”"When I was chatting with Theo in the office, he actually said, intentionally or not, that he trusted Keith. It was probably a reminder to me but I thought it was a little strange. I didn’t think too much about it at the time. I only probably truly found out the day Keith looked for me alone.”"He came to you alone? Was he not afraid of being discovered?"I looked at Shannon and smiled slightly. "I bumped into him when I went to the best that time. He told me a lot of things at the time but he said something at the end before he left.”"What was it?"His words were still so exceptionally clear in my mind."He said he wouldn't participate. I couldn’t figure out what he meant at first but then I considered how calm Theo had been and all the clues that had been scattered about and guessed their plan."Shannon looked like she understood

My heart was heavy as I stepped through the gates of Yard Mansion again. Every step I took felt like my feet had been chained like it took a lot from me just to move them.Sylvester was standing at the door to greet me. When he saw me, his face broke into a smile."I knew you would come.""You'd better not play any tricks."I was not deceived by his smile. It looked to me like nothing more than a disguise.Sylvester shrugged, the expression on his face seemed harmless. "Don't worry. We don’t have that many tricks to play. You can leave immediately after you understand what happened. Come with me."I followed Sylvester to the study.The place looked the same as it did before.Pushing open the door and entering, I caught the scent of sandalwood.Silas was in his chair. He looked in our direction when he heard us and he pointed to the seat opposite him, motioning for me to sit down.I made my way over and sat down. "Let’s hear it.""What do you want to know?""Didn’t you say t