55 – Cypress Mosaic

The ​sound ​of ​boisterous ​voices was drawing ​closer. ​It ​seemed ​Vincent ​and Adriana were returning.

“Eli, ​try ​some of this ​sausage. Mr. Wesley ​recommended ​it ​too.”

Once ​again, ​Vincent ​set a generous ​plate ​down ​on the table. ​He served a few ​pieces of ​neatly sliced ​sausage onto ​Elian’s plate.

“Thanks.”

“I ​saw ​they ​had clam chowder ​too. Want ​me to grab some?”

“Yeah, ​later. I’ll have it ​in a bit.”

Noticing that ​Elian’s mood ​had ​somehow become awkward, Vincent lightly gripped ​his friend’s chin and ​turned ​his ​face ​toward ​him. Lorenz’s cold, ​sunken green ​eyes ​watched every single ​one ​of those touches without missing ​a beat.

“But ​why ​does your face ​look ​like ​that?”

“What ​about ​my face?”

“It’s ​obvious ​you’re upset.”

“I’m ​not upset.”

Elian pushed Vincent’s hand away and ​averted his gaze.

“Did ​someone bully you ​while I was gone ​for a ​second?”

Vincent’s intention was ​clear, ​even though he ​knew perfectly well ​that only ​Lorenz ​and Elian ​had ​been in ​the ​room. Convinced ​that ​the ​cause of Elian’s ​sour ​expression was ​Lorenz, ​he ​spoke ​loudly on purpose so that Lorenz would hear.

“Who would bully me? Just eat your food.”

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I can tell just by looking at your face.”

“I’m really fine. Let’s just eat, Vincent. Okay?”

Only after Elian pleaded with him did Vincent reluctantly shut his mouth and pick up his cutlery. Even so, he didn’t forget to cast a dissatisfied glance at Lorenz.

After the meal, the four of them headed back to the lobby.

Vincent and Adriana continued to lead the atmosphere, while Lorenz and Elian simply stayed by their side, offering minimal reactions.

While chatting about their impressions of the buffet, Vincent looked back and forth between Adriana and Lorenz to offer his thanks.

“Thanks to you two, we had a wonderful meal in a private room today.”

“Not at all. I enjoyed it very much as well.”

Adriana nodded with a light laugh.

“To think I got to dine with such famous people. Thanks to Elian, it was a great experience.”

“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable by asking too many questions.”

Since Adriana’s gaze was directed at him, Elian had to step in this time. He flashed a smile to put her at ease.

“Not at all. Not in the slightest. I enjoyed it too, so please don’t worry about it.”

Adriana was momentarily captivated by Elian’s smile. In her estimation, it was a smile that captured the radiance of a moment when several layers of lush petals bloom, just by the slight curving of the corners of his lips. However, Adriana did not voice this. During the meal, she had realized enough that this handsome man felt awkward when it came to discussions of his appearance.

As if suggesting it was time to wrap things up, Adriana spoke first.

“Well then…”

“Ah, yes. We’ll be heading out now.”

Vincent tapped Elian on the back as if to say they should go, and began to move.

“Are you going home?”

It was the first thing Lorenz had said since they entered the lobby. His gaze was [stolen content]fixed [visit our site]solely on Elian. It was [visit our site]a straight, unwavering gaze that felt almost provocative, as it never deviated from its target for a second.

“No. I think I’ll stop by Soho with Vincent.”

“Since we’re already in Manhattan, we’re going to do some shopping. Eli has a great eye for clothes.”

Vincent nudged Elian with his shoulder, grinning incessantly as if something was particularly amusing, and offered his hand to Lorenz.

“It was a pleasure today, Mr. Lockhart. Please take good care of this guy in the future.”

Lorenz looked down at Vincent’s rough hand extended toward him for a moment before shaking it.

“Likewise.”

Feeling relieved to finally escape this suffocating situation, Elian gave a slight nod toward Lorenz.

“Then, I’ll see you at home.”

“…Very well.”

That was all Lorenz could say.

He had suggested the group meal driven by an intense impulse to avoid leaving that man and Elian alone together, but in the end, he had to stand by and watch the two of them leave. He had no justification to hold Elian back. At least for now, that was the reality.

As they turned to walk toward the main entrance, Vincent draped his arm over Elian’s shoulder. It was [stolen content]an unreserved gesture, performed as if [visit our site]it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Let’s go. Shall we walk to Soho to let our food digest?”

“Sure. The weather is nice, let’s walk a bit.”

“I should buy a taco from a truck on the way.”

“What taco? I thought you said we were letting the food digest.”

The profile of Elian’s face as he looked at the man was smiling.

“Is a taco even ‘food’? It’s more like a palate cleanser.”

Lorenz watched their retreating figures until they disappeared through the main entrance. Elian Bellotti did not look back once.

“Mr. Lockhart…?”

At Adriana’s call to bring him back to attention, he slowly turned his head toward her. Adriana checked her wristwatch and spoke.

“What shall we do? I only cleared time for the meal, so I have other appointments after this. We haven’t had a chance to talk at all.”

Adriana was not an idle person either. Her weekends were undoubtedly packed with various scheduled events. Unless one was an exceptional case like Lorenz, who extremely avoided external activities, the lives of most Manhattan high society were filled with various social engagements.

“Things just happened to turn out this way visit our sitetoday. I apologize unauthorized copyif the sudden company was uncomfortable.”

Lorenz politely apologized for the four of them dining together, and Adriana shook her head.

“No, I enjoyed it. Mr. Vincent was a delightful person, and Mr. Elian… though we didn’t get to talk much, he seemed like a cute person.”

Cute… Elian Bellotti is cute…

Her expression felt fresh to Lorenz. It felt like a brilliant idea—a different way of looking at the same phenomenon. Like a new perspective of a rabbit pounding a mortar being presented to someone who had long believed the moon in the night sky was the face of a beautiful woman.

He seemed like a cute person.

The image of Elian’s smiling face, which he showed only on very rare occasions, came to mind. The rosy cheeks that rounded upward and eyes that sparkled more than usual. A smile that felt as if a fragrance would bloom from it.

“Certainly, when one’s appearance is as striking as mine, there are often more inconveniences. There is nothing as uncomfortable as the unwanted affection of others.”

At the sound of her pitying voice, Lorenz snapped out of his thoughts of Elian and looked at Adriana. She was staring toward the main entrance where Elian and Vincent had vanished. However, she soon checked her watch once more and adjusted the shoulder bag hanging on her arm.

“I think I should be going now. What would you like to do? Shall we arrange another meeting sometime?”

This time, Lorenz cast his gaze toward the main entrance. It was the direction in which Elian Bellotti had disappeared with another man without a single backward glance.

A marriage he had hesitated over, despite finding the most suitable partner.

An impulsive proposal, unlike him.

Elian’s non-blood-related brother.

His own position, devoid of any rights.

Recently, everything had been irritating. But Lorenz was well-versed in the principles of organizing chaos.

Recall the goal.

Nothing mattered except becoming the official heir.

When Lorenz’s face turned back to Adriana, no trace of confusion or lingering regret remained. The dark red lips drawn upon his pale, cold, and arrogant face conveyed his decision without hesitation.

“I think this is enough for a formal introduction. If you are amenable, Ms. Wesley, why don’t we move to the next stage? Let us discuss the marriage in detail.”

Adriana’s pitch-black eyes stared up at Lorenz. The slight tilt of her head seemed to suggest that Lorenz’s proposal was unexpected.

“Are you sure?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“For some reason… I thought you might be intending to decline a marriage with me.”

Lorenz’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know why you would think that.”

“I just got that impression today. Not necessarily just a marriage with me, but that you, Mr. Lockhart, might be reconsidering marriage itself…”

“No, I want to marry.”

Following a clean and firm declaration that felt devoid of hesitation, Lorenz added:

“I intend to wrap this up within the year as quickly as possible. I repeat, if you agree, Ms. Wesley, I wish to proceed with this marriage.”

After looking up into Lorenz’s unwavering green eyes for a moment, Adriana readily nodded.

“Very well. You are a flawless partner for me as well, Mr. Lockhart.”

It was the moment both of them formally agreed to the marriage.