BuzzNovel“Are you okay?” As soon as they rounded the corner and Fortune was out of sight, Mia let go of her hand.
“I'm fine. Thanks.”
“Oh, right-take a look at this.” Mia handed her the phone, pulling up the post the three of them had been
discussing earlier.
Alessia read it, then returned the phone without much reaction.
“So... you're not going to call anyone?”
Alessia tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled.
“I mean, usually in situations like this, aren't you supposed to tell someone to take it down or something?”
“This kind of thing blows over fast. Give it a couple days and everyone will have forgotten. There's no need to
waste tor effort on it.”
If it were anyone else, Mia might have thought they were just pretending to be calm. But it was Alessia-so she
believed her.
Since Alessia herself wasn’t bothered, Mia had nothing more to say.
Meanwhile, Fortune followed his assistant into another private room. Inside, a large group waited, their
expressions varying from polite to openly hostile. One woman didn’t bother hiding her displeasure, her face
turning frosty the moment he entered. Fortune didn’t care. If he was honest, there were probably no more than
three people here who actually wanted to see him.
“Grandfather.” He bowed respectfully to the elderly man at the head of the table.
“Where have you been?” Patriarch Thorne was dressed in a tailored suit, worry beads rolling between his fingers.
He lifted his gaze, his authority impossible to ignore.
“Just picked up a little something, ran into a friend and stopped to say hello.”
Fortune made no attempt to hide his earlier meeting with Alessia. Even if he didn’t mention it, his assistant
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtwould. And if he did, the old man wouldn't care enough to ask who the friend was.
From his breast pocket, Fortune drew out a slim, hand-carved sandalwood
1/3
09:37
Chapter 291
box-clearly a work of craftsmanship.
All eyes locked onto the box as he handed it to the assistant beside him.
The old man didn’t take it himself, but nodded slightly. The assistant understood, opening the box.
Inside was a string of prayer beads.
“Top-quality agarwood. You've been thoughtful,” the old man said, picking up the beads and rolling them gently
between his fingers. He nodded, satisfaction clear in his eyes. Though his tone was even, the shift in the room
was palpable. After all, when others gave gifts, the patriarch barely spared them a glance before handing them
off to an assistant.
“Sit,” he said, and with that, Fortune’s tardiness was forgiven.
Fortune took his seat beside the old man-a privilege reserved for the designated
heir.
The Thorne family was large, but in Fortune's generation, only he and Hugo Thorne remained as male heirs. If
Hugo hadn't self-destructed, this spot would never have
been Fortune's.
While the meal in the other room was tense and stiff, Alessia and her friends were enjoying theirs with easy
satisfaction.
“Anything else you want to try?” Alessia dabbed at her lips with a napkin, her movements graceful.
Eshook her head, slumping back
in her chair with no pretense of
decorum, grabbing a We wiped!
cfean h&x (BOUL “I'm stuffed.
Everything was so good. What am |
going to do if the little diners near
campus never measure up again?”
Alessia laughed softly. “Next tyou come, just mention my nat the door.”
“No way! | can't just take advantage
like that.” Ewas omasAil
draw a {ips podewhite Re been
tdadihg, she would never actually
accept such an offer. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Sensing it was tto move on, Alessia changed the subject. “Do you want to rest a bit, or head back?”
Mia glanced at the time—it was
nearly eight already. “Let's go. We,
can walk aroung.arbus dn the way
back) hab Gur food settle. | hear the
night views are supposed to be
beautiful.” The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“Sounds good. Alessia, Joyce-what about you two?”
2/3
09:37
many times they saw it, Mia and the others couldn't help but be amazed by the
décor.
The place was atmospheric by day, but at night the vibrancy only grew. The crowds. thickened, and the whole
street had the lively feel of an old-world festival.
09.37
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
