Christine followed Adrian and Jas back ho in silence.
As soon as they entered, she saw Patricia, her father, and her brother standing in a line like a united front, bowing to Adrian with formal, sincere gratitude.
The tall man stood before them in his black suit, giving a slight nod of acknowledgnt.
Jas, following behind, helped remove his suit jacket and took the phone Adrian handed him, before stepping back to his position outside the door.
Pat quickly invited Jas to co in and join Adrian for dinner, but Jas politely refused to enter, just smiling and stepping back. Christine's parents understood that personal assistants to such important figures must maintain clear boundaries between work and personal matters - they surely had strict protocols about which occasions they could and couldn't attend.
Left with no choice, they stuffed Jas's pockets with food and candies, and only after expressing their thanks did they close the door.
Once Adrian entered, everyone ushered him to the dining table, saying they had prepared a feast.
They had prepared over thirty dishes, with fresh lobster, truffles, and steaks ordered from restaurants, along with Pat's homade specialty lasagna. To keep everything warm, Pat had placed the dishes in both ovens running at full power, so when served, everything was still steaming hot.
The table was beautifully set with candles and fresh flowers, and a new tablecloth. Christine's father even brought out his cherished complete set of pure silver cutlery that had never been used before.
Once Adrian took his seat at the head of the table, the elaborate lunch began.
Adrian maintained his usual deanor - silent, cold-faced, and expressionless. The parents had heard about his personality from Christine, and despite being his elders, they didn't dare treat him casually, instead regarding him as an important boss.
Christine's father, normally a chatty old man, now only repeatedly asked Adrian if he liked the dishes and sauces, if he wanted more wine or drinks, constantly urging him to eat more.
Christine kept her head down, focusing on eating. When there were quiet monts, she'd glance up at her parents to find them intently watching Adrian's plate.
Whenever a dish ran low, they'd ask if he wanted more. To be honest, her parents' attitude had beco almost sycophantic in their eagerness.
She worried Adrian might be displeased, but he showed no signs of impatience, sitting there silently as Pat and her father served him dishes and poured his drinks, occasionally acknowledging them with a nod.
After eating for a while, seeing that his mood seed decent, Christine quietly nudged her brother's arm, signaling that he could stand and speak.
Oliver, usually chatty and bold about everything, was as respectful and obedient as a fledgling bird in Adrian's presence. The boy stood up, wine glass in hand, slightly trembling, and addressed Adrian at the head of the table with nervous sincerity: "Brother, I... I really don't know how to thank you. If you hadn't saved , I probably wouldn't be sitting here today. This toast is for you. Thank you, really thank you."
He finished with another deep bow.
Adrian remained silent, but stood up and clinked glasses with him, both draining their drinks in one go.
Then it was the parents' turn, as each family mber offered a toast. Finally, it ca to Christine. The woman stood up and formally expressed her gratitude again, saying: "I'll toast with water, thank you so much."
Adrian raised his eyes to look at her, his expression unchanged. He stood up, his slender fingers holding the wine glass, clinked it against her water glass, and drained his drink in one go.
His face remained calm and composed; his re presence seed to illuminate the entire living room. However, after several drinks, a hint of red appeared on his cheeks, giving him an unexpectedly human warmth.
Especially at the corners of his eyes, where a subtle flush appeared.
"Brother."
Soon after, Oliver stood up again, taking an elegantly wrapped gift box and walking to Adrian's place, presenting it with both hands: "I heard it was your birthday a few days ago, so I bought you a gift. Ti was short, and it's just a small token of my appreciation - I hope you won't think it too modest."
Heard?
Adrian didn't speak, just raised his eyebrows and looked at Christine standing next to Oliver.
The woman was eating Pat's lasagna, her cheeks full of food. Feeling his gaze, she looked up, hastily swallowing before quietly saying: "I didn't tell him."
Indeed, Oliver had actually learned about Adrian's birthday from the lawyer Adrian had assigned to him.
He not only learned that Adrian's birthday was a few days ago but also heard from the lawyer that the eldest Blackwood didn't like celebrating birthdays, spending almost every birthday away on business trips, never returning ho.
Now, only his close brothers rembered his birthday. Whenever they invited him, Adrian's attendance depended on his mood - after all, it was just a bunch of n fooling around anyway, sotis he'd go, sotis not. Eventually, his brothers resorted to surprise attacks each year, bombarding him with gifts and cake, deliberately catching Adrian off guard.
Those gifts would be handed to his assistants to handle, unwrapped one by one and displayed on his desk.
The lawyer, having worked with Adrian for many years, spoke knowledgeably about these matters and even advised Oliver on gift selection.
After hearing this, Oliver was truly impressed. He figured Adrian's dislike for birthdays must be because he was such a mature, rational man - after all, birthday parties and surprises seed like childish things that soone like himself would enjoy.
After Oliver presented his gift, the parents also offered theirs: a Hermès wallet and a coffee cup set, each worth over $5,000 - truly luxurious gifts.
Adrian simply acknowledged them with minimal response, his expression unchanged, accepting all gifts.
He was well aware these gifts were expensive and represented a significant expense for Christine's family, demonstrating their sincere gratitude.
However, regarding Oliver's incident, although he had delegated it to Harrison, all the relationship-building expenses had co from him, costing nearly $6 million.
Christine didn't know this, and he had no intention of telling her.
The more she owed him... the more balanced he felt inside.
"Chrissy dear, did you give him anything?"
After everyone presented their gifts, Pat turned to ask her daughter if she had prepared sothing for Adrian.
Christine recalled the night she gave Adrian his gift, feeling sowhat awkward, and simply replied, "I already gave it earlier."
"Oh? What did you give him, sis?" After a few drinks, Oliver had returned to his chatty self, leaning in with a grin: "Let see!"
"A bookmark." Christine felt even more awkward as unbidden fragnts of that night flashed through her mind. She turned her head away, unable to et Adrian's gaze, feeling her face grow warm.
"What? Just a bookmark!"
Oliver assud it was an ordinary bookmark from a gift shop and told Christine: "Why don't you look through my room? I've got lots of nice things now."
Christine looked at her brother in confusion, smiling: "Why would I give soone else your things?"
After speaking, she worried her words might have sounded too distant towards Adrian and might upset him. She stole a glance at him, and seeing no reaction, felt relieved.
"Oh co on, don't be so formal with . Just go take a look, really, there's lots of good stuff."
Oliver spoke mysteriously to his sister, and Christine could tell from his expression that he was up to sothing.
"Alright, alright, what's so mysterious? I'll look later."
Christine laughed.
With her family, she was always relaxed, always smiling, showing her beautiful, even teeth.
Her bright eyes curved like crescents, the cool look in them replaced by warmth and happiness. The room was comfortably heated, and her face had a slight flush, like a Christmas apple in winter. As she laughed, a strand of smooth hair fell across her face, and she gently tucked it behind her ear.
It was then that she noticed Adrian's gaze on her.
She lowered her head, took a sip of water, gave a small cough, then looked up.
He was still watching her, his gaze direct and unwavering.
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