Chapter 396 Using Leander

    +10 Free Coins

    The sh of crystal chandeliers caught Serena Fane off guard. She whipped toward Quinn, her voice pitched low but edged with panic.

    “Quinn, rumor says you and Uncle Everett shed, that you even tore the ne he has guarded for years from his neck. You won’t show up before Uncle Everett again, forcing Leander to stand in the crossfire, right?”

    No matter what, she couldn’t allow Everett to glimpse the ne glinting at Quinn’s throat. One look would shatter every carefully stacked piece of her n.

    Quinn arched one elegant eyebrow, genuinely surprised that Serena had gotten wind of the incident.

    She recalled the tense quarrel with Everett and felt a twinge of guilt. Thest thing she wanted now was to put Leander in a difficult position.

    “Rowan, I’ll head inside first,” Quinn murmured, choosing retreat over confrontation.

    Leander dipped his chin. “All right. I’ll find you in a bit.”

    With that, Quinn left with Laura, the two women melting into the golden glow of the banquet hall.

    Leander strode up to Everett and offered a respectful nod. “Mr. Everett.”

    Everett cast a frosty nce at Serena. “What is she doing here?”

    “Since Julius has withdrawn his previous statement, she has every right to be here,” Leander answered evenly.

    Everett let out a dismissive snort. “You brought her because you need her to save that patient lying in the hospital. Once someone notices your Achilles‘ Heel, you’re easy to control. One day that leash may tighten, and you’ll choke on regret.”

    Leander’s gaze remained calm. “I only wish to have a clear conscience.”

    Everett’s brows mmed together. His stare settled on Serena. “Do not embarrass me tonight. Utter one improper word or pull one stunt that humiliates the Fane family, and I will banish you again without hesitation.”

    Serena rushed to respond. “I’m only here to apany Leander. I’ll behave–promise.”

    b15:30 /bbMon/bb, /bSep 15

    Chapter 396 Using Leander

    :

    26

    +10 Free Coins

    Only then did Everett sweep toward the banquet hall, the crowd parting instinctively before him.

    Serena and Leander trailed after. Serena’s re bored into Everett’s back, her mrs grinding in helpless fury.

    The main branch was always haughty, treating the coteral rtives like parasites summoned at will and discarded just as quickly–especially that old man, obsessed with finding his long- lost sister.

    iHow /ipitiful. iHe /istill believes ishe’s /iialive/i.

    The truth was, Violet had died three years earlier, and he would never learn that Leander and Quinn were, in fact, her nephew and niece.

    Only when the main bloodline ran dry would a coteral like Serena ever hope to step inside

    those sacred halls.

    Therefore, the true parentage of Leander and Quinn had to remain buried forever.

    The Whitethorn Group’s annual g buzzed with guests–not only employees but also suppliers and strategic partners eager to be seen.

    Quinn spotted more than a few titans ofmerce, their tailored suits gleaming beneath the stage lights.

    In such an arena, Laura thrived, gliding from cluster to cluster like a fish in clear water, widening herwork with every effortless smile.

    Quinn remained close to Laura, shadowing her through the swirl of introductions, toasts, and politeughter, bobbing from one polished circle to the next.

    On the dot of the appointed hour, a hush rolled across the ballroom as though someone had pressed a mute button on the glittering crowd.

    Julius came into view, d in an ink–ck suit offset by a blood–dark tie, his his presence impossible to ignore.

    pace

    deliberate,

    The overhead spots slid toward him, zing his sculpted face with silver, revealing a man so refined he seemed carved from midnight and moonlight at once.

    This, everyone knew, was the supreme master of the Whitethorn family, the single figure around whom the evening’s axis quietly turned.

    Someone next to Quinn started whispering. “Is the bracelet on Mr. Whitethorn’s wrist some

    Chapter 396 Using Leander

    kind of antique? It doesn’t look like one.”

    “Looks like an ordinary bracelet bought at some mall.”

    “As if Mr. Whitethorn would ever wear something you could pick up at a mall.”

    b26 /b

    +10 Free Coins

    Quinn stared at the modest string of beads, her thoughts snagged on its familiar curve.

    iDoes /iihe /iireally /iinot /iilove /ime ianymore/i? iThen /iiwhy /iidoes /iihe /iistill /iiwear /iithat /iibracelet/ii? /iiLooks /iilike /iiit /iinever /iileft /ihim.

    He stepped onto the stage, expression unreadable, and offered only one spare greeting. “Thank you for attending tonight’s banquet. Enjoy yourselves.”

    Then, he left the stage, moving through the fragrant haze of perfume and champagne as though the revelry belonged to another..

    People hungry for his favor drifted over, fishing for conversation, yet his answers remained cool and measured, sunlight ncing off an icedke.

    Each time he raised his ss, the gesture was textbook elegance, but the slope of his shoulders broadcast a distance no bridge could span.

    “Are you looking at Julius?” Laura’s question rang out next to Quinn’s ear.

    Quinn jerked back to the present, breath catching like a ribbon in a draft.

    “So, have you decided yet? Half the women here are circling Julius like sharks.”

    “I-” Quinn began, but the sentence never had a chance tond.

    “Some people,” a woman dered, voice pitched to carry, “spend every waking moment plotting how totch onto power. Do they really think attending this banquet will catapult them up the socialdder?”

    Quinn turned and found the speaker–a woman she had never seen before.

    Laura, however, recognized her at once, the faintest flick of disdain shadowing her smile.