As evening fell and the sun dipped below the horizon, the orphanage’s dining hall buzzed with lively chatter.There were twenty children in all, seated around several tables, the older ones looking after the younger ones. After making sure everything was in order, Zachary made his way over to Aveline. “You don’t have to leave in such a hurry,” Zachary said. “You haven’t even had a chance to see the changes in Arthur Town yet. The resort villas, for example, they’re already starting to take shape.” Aveline smiled. “I’ll come back when I have more time,” she replied. “And really, I should be thanking you for all you’ve done this time. Here’s to you.”She lifted her beer with a grin, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zachary.Zachary raised his glass in response. “There’s no need to talk about gratitude. We grew up together; we’re practically family.”Aveline nodded. “You’re right. Cheers.”They clinked their glasses and took a drink, the cheerful sounds of children laughing and playing filling the air around them.Lucas, sitting off to the side, watched as Aveline kept toasting Zachary. His brow furrowed. He reached over and gently pressed her hand down. “Don’t drink too much. You’ll end up with a headache.” Aveline frowned and pushed his hand away. “You… don’t control me. I want to drink.”Zachary chimed in, “It’s fine. We have some ginger tea here. She can have a little of that later.”Lucas shot him a cold glare, clearly displeased. “Is that how you look out for your family? Just sit back while she drinks, knowing she’ll suffer later?”Zachary’s face stiffened for a moment, caught off guard.But Aveline cut in, “So what if I have a drink? Lucas, why do you have to be so infuriating?”Her frustration was plain on her face, not the slightest hint of pretense.Lucas’ expression darkened with irritation.Aveline waved her hand dismissively. “Let’s not worry about him. Now, where were we?”With that, Lucas abruptly stood up and stormed out of the dining hall.Zachary watched him leave but chose to say nothing, continuing to reminisce with Aveline about old times.Outside, the night had fallen, and a cold wind swept over Lucas, cooling his temper as it bit through the evening air.It was rare for her to let her emotions show so freely-what was he even doing?Lucas let out a resigned smile and was about to head back inside when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen-it was a call from the focal head of the Tudor Group in Arthur Town. en FindNovel”Hello?””Mr. Tudor, there’s been a problem. The city council has stalled the approval of funds. A substantial amount still hasn’t been released, and we can’t move forward with the next phase of the project.”Lucas’ brow furrowed. The development here had been fully approved by the government, so how could there be an issue now?”I’ll be there right away,” Lucasreplied in a low voice. He glancedback at the brightly lit dining hall,” hesitated for a moment, and then turned away to leave. …Aveline had drunk a bit too much. The children had all gone back to their rooms, and she was slumped over the table, staring blankly ahead. Zachary came over with a cup of ginger tea. “Aveline, drink this. You won’t have a headache tomorrow.”Aveline slowly sat up and looked at him.”Thanks,” she muttered, then took the cup and downed it in one go.Zachary was a little surprised-she was quite well-behaved after drinking.He checked the time and said, “It’s getting late, and who knows where Lucas has gone. Why don’t you stay another night and leave tomorrow?” Aveline looked around, confused. “Lucas?”She called out his name but got no response, so she took out her phone and dialed his number. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ƒind ηøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
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