Chapter 372: Birthday Party (2)

Lucivar looked up and immediately recognized Vanessa.

Other than her ether that was familiar to him, her confidence and the way she drew attention made it absolutely clear who she was. Her dark blue gown—leaving behind sparkling dust where she went was also a confirmation of her identity.

Nobody would wear a dress as grand as this other than the woman of the night.

“Lucivar…” She greeted pleasantly, opening her arms for an embrace as she tilted her head slightly to press her cheek gently against his—once on each side, warm skin brushing in quiet affection. Then, she pulled back with a smile. “I’m so glad you came. I hadn’t heard anything from you, so I thought you might not show.”

Her perfume lingered in the air between them, soft and intoxicating, while her lips curled happily.

Almost instantly, all eyes turned towards them.

Just the mention of Lucivar’s name, along with how Vanessa came down to greet him, was enough to catch the attention of the other guests. He wasn’t expecting to be greeted this warmly, but he went with the flow.

He raised the bag from Leandra’s hand and handed it over to Vanessa.

“It’s a birthday gift from us,” Lucivar said, smiling. “It’s nothing much, but I hope you like it.”

“Aiyaa~” She tapped Lucivar’s shoulder lightly, chuckling. “I’m not picky, so I’m sure I will love it.”

Lucivar nodded, going along with the pleasantries.

But inside, he was reeling.

‘Vanessa doesn’t look surprised that we came.’ He thought, eyeing the room in search of Master Tobias. ‘She must’ve invited us to come through Tobias, but he didn’t give it to us. Perhaps, he valued Vanessa enough that he didn’t want her anywhere near the family drama.’

Just then, Vanessa turned to the others.

Her eyes sparkled at the sight of them.

“Oh, and this…” She gestured towards the others. “Are they…?”

“Yes,” Lucivar nodded and turned to the others, introducing them one by one. “This beautiful girl here is Leandra—the coldest one among us. That burly man on the back is Bakar. And the feminine guy is Mirel.”

Leandra rubbed her nose and smiled politely, “It’s nice to meet you, Madam Vanessa.”

“Nice to meet you, Madam.” Bakar also said, bowing slightly.

As for Mirel, he was looking at Lucivar, wanting to argue, but realized that Vaennsa was looking at him.

He cleared his throat and also put on a forced smile, “It’s a pleasure, madam.”

Vanessa looked at them one by one, seemingly happy—that she finally met them, the children whom Master Tobias took in. “Look at all of you—so grown and incredibly strong. Just as I expected… Tobias has been taking good care of you, hasn’t he? He’s really an incredible man. A kind man.”

Hearing this, the four of them smiled and chuckled awkwardly.

She was completely oblivious that the only reason the four of them came was to confront Tobias.

It wasn’t because of her.

“But weren’t there supposed to be seven of you?” Vanessa tapped her chin thoughtfully, her tone soft with curiosity. “There was the little princess—Nerissa, wasn’t it? And Ravenna, the one Lucivar is closest to. And the chubby one… Bob. Where are they, dear? Why aren’t they here?”

Almost instantly, the air around them changed.

Just the sheer mention of Bob made the entire family tense, even though they tried to keep it cool.

So much so that even Vanessa realized the change.

“Did I say something wrong?” She asked, concerned—shifting towards Lucivar. “Am I not allowed to talk about your relationship with Ravenna? I’m sorry, dear. I remembered clearly how Tobias vented about when he knew you deflowered Raven—”

“It-It’s not that!” Lucivar blurted, clearing his throat a bit too loudly. “Where’s Tobias anyway?”

He could already feel Leandra’s cold gaze drilling into the side of his face.

For some time, he had been hiding his relationship with Ravenna from Leandra.

And he didn’t expect it to come out like this.

“Tobias?” Vanessa looked up, and then a smile blossomed on her face as she waved her hand. “There he is.”

Not expecting to meet Master Tobias so soon, the entire family froze.

Lucivar slowly raised his gaze and instantly met with Master Tobias’ calm gaze.

He was standing on the second-floor balcony, right where Vanessa was earlier, with a glass in hand.

Similarly, the others also looked up and held their breaths when they saw Master Tobias.

Even though he hadn’t changed a bit, still dressed in formal clothes, the same pliant smile on his face—but he now looked more like a stranger in their eyes. After days of suspicion and unease, seeing him in the flesh like this felt strangely surreal.

Perhaps because now, they didn’t know what Master Tobias was really thinking.

‘Does he know we’re coming? Or is he hiding his surprise?’ Lucivar thought when he saw no unusual reaction from Master Tobias when he saw them. ‘Either way, I’m sure we’re going to find out soon. It’s time to meet him.’

Vanessa looked at them again and gestured with her hand, “Come on. Let’s go up so we can talk.”

Hearing this, Lucivar nodded, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Glancing over his shoulder, he found that the others were rooted in place, stunned at the sight of Master Tobias. All of them were having second thoughts—the moment they saw his face, which showed how much influence Master Tobias had on them.

But Lucivar wasn’t going to let them back down.

All of them need to see this to the end.

“Come on,” He whispered, his voice snapped the others from their dazes. “Check your emotions and go with the flow. Keep watch on Tobias—and as we agreed, we’ll confront him the moment he starts acting guilty.”

Despite their reluctance, the four of them ascended the staircase, following Vanessa’s lead.

Upon reaching the second floor, Lucivar immediately caught sight of Master Tobias, who was sitting on the corner sofa. Not a lot of people were on the second floor, possibly restricted only to family members or people Vanessa was close to.

Vanessa brought them towards Master Tobias and sat down beside him.

“You told me they couldn’t come,” She said with a playful pout, leaning her cheek against the palm of her hand to cast him a peculiar look. “Something about a family emergency, wasn’t it? You little liar…” Her smile widened, soft and knowing. “You were planning to surprise me all along, weren’t you?”

Master Tobias also smiled, matching her energy, “It’s indeed a surprise, isn’t it?”

He cast Lucivar and the others a meaningful glance.

One that clearly showed that he, too, was surprised by their sudden appearance.

But he wasn’t thrown off by it as he fixed on Vanessa again, “You always said that you wanted to meet with them, so, what do you think? Aren’t they quite remarkable? All of them are Chrysalis-rank Hybrids with only minimal help from me.”

‘Minimal…’ Lucivar repeated that word inside his head. ‘What does he mean by that?’

Lucivar laughed a little, “You haven’t properly introduced us to her, Tobias. Is she our new mom?”

As he said that, he took a seat on the sofa across from them.

Similarly, the others also followed suit, but were completely silent.

“Good question,” Vanessa chimed, turning to look at Master Tobias again, this time more intently. “Tell us, what am I to you, Tobias? Am I on the road to becoming their new mom, or am I someone you’d get tired of?”

“Ekhmm,” Master Tobias fixed his collar and cleared his throat. “Never mind that… Both of you seemed to be closer than I thought to go after me together like this. Have you guys met before tonight? I’m quite confused.”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you, did I?” Vanessa leaned on the sofa and turned to Lucivar. “We met right outside of your mansion when Bakar and Mirel visited you. I thought both of you were not on speaking terms, but I guess I was wrong.”

“I see…”

Hearing this, Master Tobias looked at Lucivar, making eye contact longer than normal.

Other than Vanessa, everyone could feel the tension rising between them.

So much as that it felt like there was a cloth wrapped around their necks, gradually tightening.

Even then, Lucivar didn’t back down and maintained eye contact.

He wanted Master Tobias to know that they weren’t here for social, not here to only attend the party.

“Anyway, let’s save the chat for later,” Master Tobias said, reaching out to take Vanessa’s hand, holding it firmly. “We’re not going anywhere, but the night won’t wait. So go on—enjoy the party. I’ll be right here, every step of the way.”

Vanessa’s face remained the same, but she was clearly blushing from the redness of her cheeks.

She glanced at Lucivar and the others, then suddenly rose to her feet and tugged Master Tobias aside.

Since the party had only started, there were still a lot of things waiting for her.

On the other hand, Lucivar watched Vaenssa and Master Tobias walking away with a clear frown.

Their first meeting went about as he expected—tense and awkward.

But a few things still managed to catch his attention.

‘I can’t imagine how he got someone like Vanessa—but he seemed considerate. Even his actions and words towards her… All of them flow naturally as if he were used to being with women,’ Lucivar thought, surprised to see this side of Master Tobias. ‘I’ve never seen him act like this with Delilah.’

Lucivar clenched both of his hands, anger swelling inside him.

He couldn’t believe that Master Tobias had already forgotten about Delilah that fast.

It hadn’t even been half a year, and he already had another woman.

Initially, he thought that Vanessa was the one pursuing him since she even came by the mansion late in the night, but it was clear now that Master Tobias was also actively pursuing her. And somehow, this didn’t sit right for Lucivar.

‘Not to mention, he acted as if everything was under control. I can kill him in an instant, and he’s acting relaxed and smug.’ He clicked his tongue in displeasure as, above all, a sense of unease settled on the pit of his stomach.

Regardless of his strength, far beyond Master Tobias, his gut was telling him that he was not safe.

For once, he felt like he wasn’t on top of the situation, and that’s unsettling.

Lucivar turned towards the other, “Let’s wait until the party is over. Act normal, and don’t engage with Tobias if you don’t feel like you can handle it. He’s feeling more relaxed now after seeing your faces, so calm yourselves. I’m going to keep probing.”

As he said that, he walked away, heading downstairs where Vanessa had already rallied the guests.

She was about to give her opening toast, and Lucivar couldn’t miss it.

Talking to Vanessa seemed to be the best way to probe more about Master Tobias, as he tells her things.

He even vented about Ravenna’s relationship with Lucivar, so Vanessa is the ticket to the truth.