"Get off me!" Leo tried to pull Autumn off his neck, but she swung him to and fro happily. "I was so sad when I didn't find you in the house after returning! How could you leave without a word? I thought I had offended you in some way!" Autumn spoke rapidly, clinging to Leo like a necklace.
"Alright, just get off me, you're choking me," Leo said, irritated. Autumn finally loosened her grip and looked at him with her clear blue eyes.
"So! Tell me your name, sir, and only then will I let you go," she said, smiling from ear to ear. Leo watched her act childishly, a cute expression on his face.
"Leo! It's Leo, now let me go!" he said, plucking her off his neck and making her stand upright. At that moment, Argon, who had gone to grab drinks for Autumn, spotted her in the crowd. Seeing her hugging a man, he frowned bitterly. "Who is that b*st*rd?" he spat hatefully, approaching quickly. Due to the heavy crowd, he missed seeing the man's face as Leo fled the scene, leaving Autumn with a disappointed expression.
Argon, irritated, didn't want to seem possessive over Autumn on their first date. He approached her as she stared in the direction where Leo had disappeared and spoke out, holding the drinks. "Someone you knew?"
"Huh?" Autumn turned her head around and looked at him, then nodded. "Yeah, an acquaintance," she said, smiling happily, a brief blush on her cheeks. Argon's grip around his glass tightened
"What kind of sticky substance was she?" Leo hissed, patting her clothes to try to remove the residue of Autumn from her suit.
"Looks like you're enjoying yourself quite a lot," Magnus's voice cut through the noise, instantly halting Leo's steps. She s*ck*d in her breath and looked in the direction his voice had come from, her face a mask of horror.
"Wh-Why are you here?" she said nervously.
"Why? Am I not allowed here?"
Leo, who didn't mean it like that, stepped back and said, "I mean, you shouldn't be talking to me, right? People might think we are connected in some way." She felt more uneasy the longer she spoke to him.
"Have a drink with me," Magnus said, picking up two drinks from a passing waiter's tray. Leo, though reluctant, reached for the glass that Magnus held out. She kept her gaze low, hoping her hand wouldn't shake when she took the glass, so she wouldn't spill it on his gloved hand. She took it and held onto the glass, looking around to distract herself from Magnus, who seemed very interested in something about her at this point.
"Are you afraid that this might be poisoned?" he asked.
"No! I just... I will drink." Leo hurriedly put the glass to her lips and drank, hoping she wouldn't choke under his stern gaze.
Magnus watched until his attention was caught by something else. "Oh! My guest is here," he said, stepping forward, making Leo's chest tighten. But Magnus simply handed his still-full glass over to Leo and brushed past her. Confused, she turned her head around only to see Alister walking in through the main door and Magnus approaching him.
"Grandpa!" she exclaimed, instantly placing the glass on the nearest surface and rushing towards him. Magnus approached Alister with a friendly manner, and Alister met him with a warm welcome, giving him an energetic handshake.
"Mr. Black, I suppose," said Alister, taking his hand. Leo paused a few paces away from them, her expression filled with sadness. Alister seemed unaffected, unchanged.
"Yes, it is. I would have never anticipated that a person like you would approach someone so meager like me." Magnus said those words so smoothly that Leo felt goosebumps rush all over her body. "Why is Grandpa talking to this guy? What is the relationship between them?" Wanting to know more, Leo wanted to approach her grandfather, but Magnus's presence forbade her. She had no reason to approach Alister in front of Magnus, who would grow suspicious or even curious, and she didn't want that to happen. So she stayed a few steps away, making sure to be close enough so the second Magnus stepped away, it would be Leo who would approach Alister for a solo talk. But the situation didn't seem fruitful as the two men started to walk away from the spot where they met. Leo's gaze became uneasy, wanting to follow them instantly.
"Where are they going?" she muttered to herself, confused, as she watched them disappear into the crowd. "No! Not today, I will talk to you today!" She said in a determined tone, following them closely through the crowd. But then they stepped into an elevator, seemingly discussing something intense, and the doors shut behind them, leaving Leo standing heartbroken. "Where are they going?" Looking at the small panel on the top of the door, it said 5. She nodded in determination, deciding to follow them there, but right at that instant, someone spoke in her earpiece, causing her to almost jump in fright.
"Leo, where are you? Why are you not in position?" The voice said urgently; it was a familiar sound, like Kiera giving her orders. After a few days, hearing his voice made her feel slightly relieved, but at the same time, her eyes were stuck to the elevator door. Unable to make a decision.