Hearing that cold address, Keh''s jaw twitched slightly, and a dark expression crossed his face.


    But there was nothing he could do about Ophelia standing before him.


    Keh''s narrow eyes fixed on Ophelia with an unusually serious expression..


    "Still not admitting it? Didn''t you say you wouldn''t give me the silent treatment? Then why are you doing it? Isn''t that saying one thing and doing another?" Keh said. Ophelia faltered, her lips parted and then closed again. She wanted to argue, but the words she was about to speak were swallowed before they coulde out.


    It seemed she really had said that before.


    Avoiding Keh''s gaze, Ophelia felt guilty and looked away.


    ''Have I really been giving him the silent treatment? I don''t think so, Ophelia thought to herself.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    After a while, Ray drove her car over.


    Seeing her car, Ophelia stepped down the stairs and, after just a couple of steps, suddenly felt light, her feet leaving the ground.


    Keh had easily lifted her up with one hand.


    Ophelia instinctively wrapped her arms around Keh''s neck,


    "What are you doing? I-I''m not giving you the silent treatment! I was just giving you time to process things." She added inwardly, ''and I was giving myself time too.'' "Giving me time to process?" Keh snorted, exhaling through his nose.


    ''Do I dare leave you alone? After just a little silence, you turn around and get mad at me. Do you think I still have time to process things?'' Keh thought. Looking at Ophelia, Keh felt a mixture of love and frustration. In the end, it all turned into helpless tenderness.


    Keh ruffled her hair, his tone softening, his voice low and coaxing.


    "Let''s call it even, alright?" Keh said.


    No matter the reason behind her anger, it was all even now.


    ''She''s truly my darling, and there''s nothing I can do about it, Keh thought.


    The heavy knot in Ophelia''s chest, the one that had been bothering her, was easily undone with just those few words from Keh.


    Her tone softened, and she tightened her arms around his neck. I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have lied to you today."


    "Let''s go home, Darling," Keh said.


    Keh carried her down the stairs and gently ced her in the front passenger seat of the car he had driven over. He walked around to the driver''s side and got in.


    11:04 Tue, Nov 26 GB.


    On the road, Ophelia watched Keh intently as he drove.


    3


    After a moment, she spoke up. "Actually... I came to see Ivy today because there''s something I wanted to ask her."


    "What is it?" Keh''s gaze lowered, his expression unreadable


    Ophelia was still trying to organize her words and didn''t notice the brief sh of emotion in his eyes.


    97%0


    In truth, Ophelia wasn''t sure how to approach this. She was an orphan, raised without parents, and after growing up, she had been used, ending up at Hastings Vi, where she never truly felt the love of real parents. Keh didn''t understand theplexities of these emotional connections.


    "There''s something I''ve never told you, about your father," Ophelia said, and she could immediately sense the change in Keh''s presence. His entire demeanor had shifted.


    She gently ced her hand on the hand he was using to hold the steering wheel.


    "The day of your mother''s memorial, I saw Victor at the cemetery. I wonder... do you think there might be some misunderstanding between you and Victor?" Ophelia said.


    A deep, seething hatred filled Keh''s eyes.


    Especially after learning how his mother had sacrificed herself for Victor''s drug trials, Keh''s hatred for Victor had only deepened.


    Keh remained silent, not uttering a word.


    Keh drove with one hand on the wheel, while the other firmly held Ophelia''s hand, which she had extended toward him, as if afraid of losing control.


    The atmosphere in the car was so suffocating it was hard to breathe.


    Ophelia regretted it.


    She hadn''t expected Keh to be so furious when she brought up Victor. When they arrived at Rosewood Manor, Keh went straight upstairs to his study. Every time Keh thought about his mother, he locked himself in the study. Lisa stepped forward and quietly said, "Ms. Spencer, Mr. Sinir hasn''t eaten lunch yet." Ophelia nced over at the dining table, where the food had remained untouched. "Okay, I got it. Please reheat it. I''ll take it upstairs to himter," Ophelia replied. A little whileter, Ophelia brought the food upstairs.


    *****


    In the study, Keh was staring at hisptop screen, seemingly deep in thought. When he heard the sound, Ophelia raised her gaze, quickly deleting the email she had just opened.


    "Eat something," Ophelia said as she ced the food down. "I haven''t eaten either. Let''s eat together." "Okay, sure." Keh stood up, his outward emotions now under control.


    Ophelia''s eyes briefly nced at theptop again before quickly turning away.


    3


    Late at night, in the Coastal Penins Vi, a group of dark-suited bodyguards stood throughout the guest room.


    Zayn, the head of the Huxley family, wore a smile like that of a tiger, sitting on the sofa with two bodyguards holding his shoulders firmly in ce.


    Though these people appeared to be bodyguards, they were actually hidden killers from the Death Guild.


    "Mr. Sinir, I''m curious why you''de to see me sote?" Zayn asked.


    A thinyer of sweat appeared on Zayn''s forehead. He never imagined that he would be brought here in such a quiet and secretive manner while he was just at home sleeping. ''Looks like I need to reassess the security at my house, Zayn thought.


    The room was dimly lit, and across from him sat Keh, dressed in a ck suit, his shirt''s tie clip reflecting a sliver of metal light, and the polished tips of his ck shoes gleaming.


    His sharp face was almost swallowed by the darkness, giving off an immense, invisible pressure.


    "The Westiend Railway Station project is off-limits. Don''t mess with Ophelia about it." Keh''s voice was cold


    Zayn froze for a moment. He had an inkling of what was happening, but he still couldn''t believe it.


    He knew that Theo''s god-granddaughter was involved in the matter, but Zayn hadn''t expected Keh to step in over something so small.


    "One project, Mr. Sinir? Why go through all this trouble? Ms. Spencer is Mrs. Carnegie''s god-granddaughter, so she is my junior. This is a small matter. If you had called, I would have had my people handle it," Zayn said. He forced a smile, though there was a hint of resentment in his tone that he dared not show openly.


    "Not only that. From now on, for every project in Gloomhaven that she wants, you are not topete with her," Keh said.


    At these words, Zayn''s expression shifted. The polite smile he had been maintaining faltered.


    Zayn thought to himself, ''What kind of nonsense is this? How is this fair? Keh is being too arrogant, too condescending! Does he think he''s above everyone?


    ''Just because he controls Heloria''s economy, does he think he can take whatever he wants? This is no different from the behavior of bandits!''


    "Mr. Sinir, this is a bit unreasonable. Don''t you think? There are so many projects in Gloomhaven this year. Are you really asking me to just stand by and do nothing?" Zayn said.


    He ground his teeth, barely able to keep the smile on his face as his anger simmered underneath.


    "Do you really think no one knows what you did in the past?" Keh leaned back in his chair, idly running his finger along his pinky, his sharp gaze never leaving Zayn.


    Zayn felt an overwhelming pressure from that hidden, gleaming light in Keh''s eyes. Sweat dripped down his forehead. He had swallowed nervously more times than he could count.