53 – Cypress Mosaic

He ​had ​suspected ​Elian ​might be of ​Italian ​descent ​from ​the ​moment he saw the ​surname ​Belloti on the ​resume, but he ​hadn’t ​placed ​much ​significance ​on ​it. After all, ​how ​many ​Americans were there ​whose roots had become ​meaningless after ​four, five, ​or more ​generations of ​immigration?

But ​to ​think he had ​actually been ​adopted.

It was completely unexpected ​information.

Then again, that wasn’t ​the kind of detail ​listed on ​a ​resume. Nor had they ever shared ​the kind of trivial ​personal ​stories ​that ​would ​lead to such ​a revelation.

No, ​still, ​for something that ​important…

Lorenz, ​having completely let go of ​his cutlery, ​downed ​his champagne.

He claimed ​they ​hadn’t ​exchanged ​personal ​stories, but ​thinking ​back, it ​seemed he had revealed quite a lot. ​From his father’s ​harsh upbringing that ​bordered on abuse, to ​his views ​on marriage that ​had ​earned him Elian’s ​sympathy.

The conversations had ​flowed naturally ​while ​conducting Lucas’s ​counseling, ​but regardless, ​it ​was a ​fact ​that ​Elian knew far ​more ​about him ​than ​he ​knew ​about Elian. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was unfair.

Though clearly aware of Lorenz’s gaze, Elian stubbornly pretended not to notice. The tip of his fork merely poked around at the small amount of salad on his plate.

Lorenz’s gaze shifted from Elian to Vincent.

He had thought Vincent seemed excessively close to the prickly Elian, who didn’t tear down his walls easily. But brothers?

Yet, could brothers who shared no blood truly be called brothers?

He couldn’t help but think that the labels of ‘brother’ and ‘family’ were simply convenient excuses to stay in the closest proximity and interfere in Elian’s life as he pleased.

The weekend brunch buffet consisted of a buffet section where guests could pick their own food and a menu that could be ordered at the table. Once the dishes they had ordered were served, another bottle of fresh champagne filled the four glasses.

Picking up his glass, Vincent looked back and forth between the man and woman sitting opposite him.

“By the way, how do you two know each other?”

“We’re friends,” Lorenz replied. It was an immediate answer that left no room for interpretation.

“Hmm… friends?”

However, Vincent’s brown eyes expressed doubt.

“Ah, are you keeping your relationship a secret because of a scandal, perhaps?”

“What scandal are you talking about?”

“I mean, if Lorenz of the Lockhart family and Adriana of the Wesley family were dating, it would certainly be a huge issue.”

“I told you we are friends.”

Lorenz’s tone and expression grew grim. The more hostility he displayed, the more relaxed Vincent appeared. Vincent seemed to be enjoying this sudden gathering more than anyone else at the table—even more than Lorenz, who had proposed it.

“To be honest, you two don’t look that close for friends.”

“Not all friends have to be old friends.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Clicking his tongue and nodding, Vincent began to devour an omelet loaded with cheese. In contrast, Lorenz’s hand kept reaching for the alcohol. Emptying his fourth glass of champagne, he sharply observed the two men opposite him.

Vincent looked after Elian incessantly. He unhesitatingly transferred food from his own plate to Elian’s, and Elian didn’t seem uncomfortable with it.

“Here, try some of this chicken.”

“You brought that for yourself.”

“I can just get more. Just taste it. visit our siteIt’s really Read on Read BL Novelscrispy. It’s salty, so it should be fine for you to taste.”

It was Vincent’s consideration for Elian’s dulled sense of smell. When the sense of smell is diminished, foods with emphasized basic tastes like salt or sweetness are easier to perceive. Foods with a distinct texture were also a good choice.

But to Lorenz, who was unaware of Elian’s condition, it looked like nothing more than being fussily over-the-top over a piece of chicken.

Lorenz’s Adam’s apple moved slowly as he swallowed the champagne.

It was difficult to maintain his composure, as if a venomous snake were writhing beneath the skin of his face.

“Just take one bite.”

Vincent eventually held out a piece of chicken on his fork to Elian, who hesitated for a moment before taking a bite. Lorenz let out a low, unconscious scoff. One corner of his lip curled up crookedly. It was even more irritating because he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what this creeping unpleasantness inside him was.

However, for Lorenz, resolving that feeling of irritation was more important than tracing its cause.

“You two are the ones with the ambiguous distance,” Lorenz remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Vincent reacted immediately.

“Ambiguous?”

“I just think you’re a bit too close for grown men, even if you are brothers.”

“It’s because we’ve been together since birth, literally. Plus, we’re the same age, so we were always stuck together at home and at school. It’s only natural that we’re closer than other siblings.”

“Then you must have grown up almost like fraternal twins.”

Adriana showed interest, and Vincent chimed in again.

“Oh, if I had to find the closest comparison, that would be it. Fraternal twins. Since we look so different. Haha.”

Together since birth…

Then he must have been adopted at a very young age.

It was the moment Lorenz completely lost the last remnants of his appetite.

He needed something stronger than mere champagne. His jaw muscles tightened, and he pressed his fingertips irritably against his temples. It was a habitual gesture. Ironically, however, he had no headache. His pheromone nervous system was perfectly normal.

Adriana asked with eager anticipation, “You must have a lot of interesting episodes then.”

“It was mostly because of Elian. With looks like these… a lot of weirdos tended to swarm him.”

Vincent trailed off, glancing [Read on Read BL Novels]sideways [Read on Read BL Novels]at Lorenz—as if suggesting that visit our siteLorenz was also one of those weirdos swarming Elian.

“Ah… I can imagine.”

Adriana murmured, nodding, her gaze fixed on Elian. His smoothly sculpted jawline, bright hair, and intelligent blue eyes blended naturally with the interior, which was lavishly decorated in the Rococo style.

“He’s introverted, so he wasn’t the typical Prom King type… but whether it was guys or girls, there was always one or two obsessive types who clung to him.”

“Obsessive? Even if they weren’t dating?”

“People who would fall into delusions after just a few words and spread strange rumors, or people who kept stealing his belongings, or those who sent anonymous letters. Those are way more of a headache than the ones who openly follow you around.”

“That sounds creepy. Being popular must be exhausting,” Adriana frowned, as if the mere thought was unpleasant.

“Well, it couldn’t be helped. It’s not just his face; his grades were excellent—he maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school—and he was the first violin in the school orchestra…”

“Vincent.”

Elian, whose ears had turned red, finally couldn’t take it and cut Vincent off.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Stop it. Mr. Wesley will be bored.”

“What are you talking about? I’m just telling him because he asked.”

Matteo loved to brag about how outstanding a student Elian had been, both internally and externally. Every time, Vincent would nag him to exercise restraint, but seeing him now, Vincent wasn’t much different from Matteo.

Lorenz and Adriana must have always been popular too.

Because of Vincent, who was acting like a doting father boasting about his own child, Elian’s face flushed and his mouth went dry. Knowing the other wouldn’t listen even if he pleaded, all Elian could do was sip his champagne, which now felt like plain sparkling water.

“Mr. Elian, I’m not bored at all, so please don’t worry. I’ve never had the chance to experience the life of someone that popular.”

Adriana’s reaction only encouraged Vincent further.

“There were actually some quite dangerous moments! From the moment he got his license, I made sure to personally drive him whenever he went out.”

“Every time?”

Vincent, while eating chicken, pointed at Elian nonchalantly.

“In high school, I practically lived as his bodyguard.”

“You forced yourself to follow me even [stolen content]when I said I was fine,” Elian [unauthorized copy]argued hastily. He [unauthorized copy]didn’t want to seem fragile.

Elian’s cheeks and nose twitched with displeasure, and his lips pursed slightly. Lorenz, who had remained silent, couldn’t take his eyes off this new expression.

When Elian spent time with Lucas, he felt far more mature than his peers. He was responsible, diligent, and possessed abundant professional knowledge and experience. Despite his young age, he was a trustworthy counselor.

But today, he joked normally, became flustered and lost, and complained to his friend. In those moments, Elian felt his own age—or even younger.

That strange man named Vincent was drawing out a new side of him. That frivolous man.