33 – Cypress Mosaic

To ​the ​left ​of ​the mansion, in ​a ​parking ​lot ​shielded ​by cypress trees that ​towered ​like green torches, ​several vehicles had ​already ​arrived.

“Mr. ​Lorenz, ​we ​have ​been expecting you. ​Please, ​come ​in.”

Lorenz entered alone, ​receiving a polite welcome ​from a ​butler who ​appeared to ​be around ​the ​same ​age as the ​master of ​the house.

Following his father’s ​death, relatives had gathered ​here not long ago ​to discuss ​various ​matters. Because of this, it wasn’t ​his first visit in ​a ​long ​while. ​Beyond ​that, those who ​could not ​escape ​their familial obligations ​were ​required to visit whenever an ​important event ​took ​place.

Even if the ​Upper ​East ​Side ​mansion ​was a ​place ​that symbolized ​the tradition and prestige of the Lockhart ​family, as long ​as Evelyn—the eldest ​and practical head of ​the family—resided ​here, they could ​not ​stop coming.

If Lorenz ​became the successor, ​this grand ​estate ​would one ​day ​be his.

Evelyn ​V. ​Lockhart.

The biological ​father-body ​of ​the deceased Damon ​Lockhart ​and the ​grandmother ​of ​Lorenz ​and Joshua; a female Alpha.

She was a Golden Alpha, capable of stolen contentcontrolling and defending her own [stolen content]Pheromones, having [stolen content]attained that status by the age of sixteen.

Being a Golden Alpha or Golden Omega was not a fixed rank granted by birth. It was like a state of being that could only be reached through agonizing training, requiring a high level of patience, concentration, and self-control.

Even those born into wealthy or powerful families could never become Golden without disciplining themselves. In fact, it was far more common for the wealthy to give up on the grueling process of becoming Golden early on and opt for high-grade Suppressants instead.

For this reason, although being Golden was not a social status, it was an object of respect and envy.

The fact that she had become a Golden Alpha at sixteen, before even reaching adulthood, meant that Evelyn Lockhart was a mentally formidable and by no means easy woman.

Lorenz was guided to the largest main living room.

His grandmother, Evelyn, was already there, conversing with other relatives who had arrived early.

“Lorenz, come here.”

“Grandmother, how have you been?”

Seated in an ornate chair at the head of the room, she reached out to him. He immediately approached her, bowed, and kissed her cheek.

Despite being well over eighty, a sharp intelligence still flickered in her eyes.

“Where is Lucas? Did you not bring him this time either?”

“He hasn’t been able to leave his room yet.”

“I hope you aren’t just leaving him be because he says he doesn’t want to come out.”

“I hired a counselor recently.”

Lorenz was guided to the seat closest to Evelyn. Once he sat down, he was given a small menu to choose his tea. Scanning the menu quickly, Lorenz selected a black tea with a relatively high caffeine content. He knew it wouldn’t be good for his headaches in the long run, but he had no choice if he wanted immediate relief.

“A counselor? What could possibly change by seeing a child once or twice a week for an hour or two? It will take months, if not years.”

Lorenz gave a hidden, bitter smile at her remark, which was far too similar to his own previous thoughts.

“That is why I chose a live-in counselor.”

“Live-in?”

“They reside in the mansion and look after Lucas stolen contentevery day. [visit our site]Except for his other lessons, he spends almost [stolen content]all his time with the counselor.”

One of the attendees naturally joined the conversation.

“As expected, Lorenz is handling things well. There is nothing to worry about, Evelyn.”

It was Dr. Edward Holloway.

In truth, he was not a blood relative of the Lockhart family. A long-time friend of the family, he was a major shareholder holding stakes in several Lockhart Group subsidiaries and served as a personal advisor to Evelyn. In particular, because he had supported the meticulous and fiery Evelyn so well, no one questioned his presence at the family meetings.

“Do you think you can bring him next month?”

“The counselor says that forcing him will only make the situation worse.”

Evelyn clicked her tongue, clearly displeased.

“He is improving, albeit slowly.”

“That child bears the Lockhart name, so he must grow to be worthy of it. For now, he is essentially ill, so recovery is the priority, but do not think of raising him as a spoiled brat.”

Hearing Evelyn’s firm voice, Lorenz thought of Elian.

Illness, treatment, problem.

Elian had advised him not to use such expressions with Lucas.

Advised? No, it was practically an order. Come to think of it, he seems to enjoy bossing me around under the pretext of helping the child.

Despite thinking it was presumptuous, a faint smile played on Lorenz’s lips as he brought the teacup to his mouth.

Setting the cup down, Lorenz looked back at the empty seat to his right. It was the seat for Joshua. He had yet to appear, even after all the invited relatives had arrived and taken their places.

Following the unpleasant sound of a car speeding and then screeching to a halt on the gravel driveway of the estate, Joshua arrived in the living room about ten minutes after the scheduled time.

“Mr. Joshua has arrived.”

“Grandmother! How have you been?”

No sooner had the servant announced him than he burst into the room with a loud commotion.

Removing the sunglasses perched on his forehead, he approached [stolen content]Read on Read BL NovelsEvelyn, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her.

“Joshua, everyone has been waiting. How rude.”

“I’m sorry. You know I’m bad with New York geography. I got lost even though I was almost here.”

It was a ridiculous excuse.

“And what is with that outfit and hair? No matter how much I point it out, you…”

“Aw, what’s the big deal? It’s just a family gathering. I’m still wearing a suit.”

Evelyn shook her head with a pained expression.

“It’s because he grew up wild in the West. He was poorly educated.”

“I’m different from my brother, who grew up in New York under Margaret’s education.”

“I will not tolerate that tone. Go and sit down this instant.”

Despite Evelyn’s stern attitude, Joshua seemed visit our siteunbothered, finding visit our sitehis [unauthorized copy]seat with a beaming face.

“Brother, it’s been a while.”

Lorenz, bringing his teacup to his lips, replied coldly without even looking at Joshua.

“Has it?”

“It’s been nearly a month since Father’s funeral.”

Hmm. Reacting indifferently, Lorenz took a sip of tea and set the cup down before finally looking at his younger brother.

“Aren’t you going back to the West?”

“Well… something came up. I’m planning to stay in New York for a while.”

Whatever it was, Joshua looked troubled, as if it were a quite difficult problem. It was an uncharacteristic attitude.

“What’s the problem? I heard the investment in the OTT platform was wrapping up smoothly.”

Joshua, who didn’t unauthorized copy[Read on Read BL Novels]enjoy tea, asked a servant for ice water before Read on Read BL Novelsanswering Lorenz’s question in the negative.

“Ah, it’s not a business matter. I found something rare for the first time in a while, but it’s giving me a bit of a hard time.”

“Is it a private matter?”

Lorenz’s face crumpled in a look of pathetic disdain.

Joshua’s eyes flashed with hostility for a split second before returning to his usual smirking face.

“I can be passionate about both public and private affairs. Unlike you, brother.”

“Whatever it is, be thorough with contraception. Being the talk of the town due to an unplanned pregnancy is the worst thing a man can do, both as a human and as a male.”

“Not because of the family and company reputation?”

“That’s a given.”

The attendees, who had been exchanging casual conversation, suddenly fell silent.

Having received documents from [visit our site]an attendant, Evelyn put on the reading [Read on Read BL Novels]glasses [Read on Read BL Novels]she had left on the table.

“Now that everyone is gathered, let us get to the main point.”

Lorenz rested his elbows on both armrests and lightly interlaced his fingers. He assumed a posture of attentive listening. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

However, the words that left Evelyn’s lips completely missed his predictions and expectations.

“Next spring, I intend to formally decide on the successor.”

Because it was an announcement that defied the predictions of not only Lorenz but everyone present, the room stirred for a moment. All eyes turned toward Lorenz. Even Dr. Holloway, Evelyn’s closest confidant, could not hide his bewilderment and confusion.

“Evelyn, while it hasn’t been officially announced, wasn’t Lorenz already the designated successor?”

“Being the most likely candidate does not mean the decision has already been made. I intend to choose the best successor fairly, considering all aspects.”

“But as for the candidates… there is no one but Lorenz…”

Evelyn cut the doctor off.

“There is Joshua.”

This time, the gaze of the room shifted toward Joshua. Even Joshua himself looked surprised.

“Grandmother, I don’t want to. How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested in such a headache…”

“I don’t want to hear it.”