Cecilia quickly entered the room, looking around but not seeing Emma anywhere.
It wasn't until she opened the balcony curtains that she saw Emma playfully chatting with the neighbor next door.
Looking at the balcony next door, she didn’t see anybody.
She asked in confusion, "Emma, who were you talking to?"
Emma looked up with a mischievous smile and replied, "Mommy, you're back! I was chatting with the boy next door.”
“Huh? Did he leave?
Emma squinted at the balcony, but she still couldn’t see anything.
“He was here seconds ago! ”
Cecilia was exasperated. Her daughter was truly talented at socializing, still able to chatter so much without even seeing anyone.
Meanwhile, Steven’s younger brother, Ethan, was in the room next door with Alex. He was hurriedly helping Alex get dressed, with the latter resisting. "I haven't finished chatting yet!"
Ethan urged, "If you continue chatting any longer, my life will be at stake! I let you stay at my hotel a few days ago out of pity, but you just had to bring that big demon with you. How can my hotel accommodate both of you at the same time?"
The hotel belonged to Steven, but Ethan was the one in charge. Ethan only feared two things in his life; Steven in first place, followed by his mischievous nephew, Alex.
Suddenly, his phone received a new message. [The enemy’s arriving in five seconds.]
Ethan opened the message and was about to reply, wanting someone to buy some time for him outside.
Just then he accidentally released Alex, leaving the boy to run out quickly.
"Since nobody will help me search, I'll go find her myself!"
"Young Master, come back!"
Ethan quickly chased after him, but Alex had already disappeared in the vast corridor.
In his place was someone much more intimidating—Steven.
He asked in a cold voice with pressure, "Where is Alex?"
Ethan felt guilty. "Haha, he… probably… ran away again..."
Steven frowned. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him?"
Ethan forced a smile, feeling bitter inside. How could he possibly monitor that little troublemaker? He can’t even look after himself…
As Steven was turning to leave, Ethan said, "By the way, Young Master said he's going to find that woman."
Steven nodded.
Moments later, he arrived at the restaurant bar. It was still early, so the place was quite empty.
Alex was the only one there, enjoying a slice of cake by himself.
Seeing Alex, Steven sighed.
The boy insisted on waiting for the woman here since that day.
When Alex saw Steven approaching, he mumbled indistinctly with a mouth full of cake, "Dad? What are you doing here? Don’t you usually come here on Wednesdays?"
The entire city knew Steven came to this bar every Wednesday.
Rumors said he was letting loose here, while others claimed he was waiting for his first love.
Truth be told, he was waiting for a singer named Riane.
Five years ago, his grandmother, Marianne Lawrence, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His family tried to cure her, but their efforts were fruitless.
Feeling her time was running out, she opted for palliative care at home.
She often mentioned a singer named Yura, whom she said helped their family through tough times when they first arrived in the city. In her words, the Lawrences wouldn’t exist today without Yura.
Now terminally ill, Marianne longed to see Yura once more.
To fulfill her wish, Steven began to search for Yura relentlessly all over the world. However, apart from a short recording of a melody Yura hummed, he had no other clues.
One day, he was passing by this bar when he accidentally bumped into a girl rushing out of the hotel. She was dragging a large suitcase and hurriedly got into a taxi, completely unaware that she had dropped a cassette tape.
Curious, he took the tape and listened to it. It was an incomplete demo for a song submission. To his surprise, it was similar to the song on the tape Marianne played for him!
That girl was the only key to finding Yura and there was even a chance she could be Yura’s daughter.
Knowing this gave Marianne some hope and her condition surprisingly improved.
Later, when the mysterious singer Riane emerged, Steven recognized her voice instantly. He had listened to the demo numerous times, and he definitely knew Riane was that girl he saw before.
Determined to fulfill Marianne’s wish, he needed to find Riane no matter what it took.
Unfortunately, the only clue he had was meeting her at this hotel.
So he took over this hotel, and this restaurant bar now became a popular spot for the city's elite.
Now, he finally heard of Riane’s return to Star City, and his long wait was about to end.
Snapping back to reality, he asked Alex, "What are you doing here?"
Alex smacked his lips and pretended to look profound.
"I'm waiting for that mysterious woman here. I will work harder than you, coming here every day."
Steven sighed in frustration.
‘Just what magic does that woman have?‘
Aside from being stunningly beautiful, having a mesmerizing voice and amazing aura…
…Never mind.
"Come home with me right now.."
The two had a silent standoff—two clashing eyes full of wordless resistance.
Just as Steven was about to use force, Zane suddenly approached.
"Mr. Lawrence, we have news about Riane. Can I talk to you in private?"
The two stepped aside for a discussion. Meanwhile, Alex ran up to the bodyguards at the entrance with a serious look.
"All of you, move aside! If you block the entrance like this, she’ll be too scared to come in!"
The bodyguards exchanged confused glances, looking hesitant.
He urged, "Hurry up!"
They shuffled to the sides, blending into the background.
They had no choice. After all, the young master was also their boss.
Satisfied, Alex grinned as guests began entering the hotel and filling the lobby with lively chatter.
At that moment, Emma and Cecilia arrived downstairs. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Emma dashed straight into the bar.
Cecilia shook her head as she followed up from behind.
‘This child is really…’
The moment Emma stepped into the bar, she bumped directly into Steven.
Steven glanced down at her, then looked around the chaotic lobby. Without hesitation, he grabbed the little troublemaker by the collar.
"Enough. We’re going home."