CHAPTER 107: THE GUEST FROM LINCOLM

Inside the Hall...

The attention of the guests immediately shifted to Rome the moment he stepped back inside the hall.

"Oh, Rome, there you are!" his father greeted him.

Though Rome knew his father was still angry at him, he still approached him as if there had never been any conflict between them.

"I want to introduce you to the representative of the Lincolm family," His father said in a low, warning tone. "So behave. Just this once, I’ll forget about what I heard happened outside this venue."

His father then turned back to the guest before forcing a polite smile as if nothing had happened.

"Hello, Mr. Stephenson," he said politely. "I would like to introduce to you my son, the vice and soon-to-be chairman of Hariston Groups and Companies."

A foreigner who appeared only slightly younger than him, turned to face them. Despite being younger, his strong presence was impossible to ignore.

"Oh, Mr. Hariston," Stephenson said with a confident smile. "So this is the son you were talking about, the birthday celebrant and the center of this engagement party?"

"Yes, Mr. Lincolm," Denmark replied proudly. "This is my eldest son, Rome Hariston."

"I’m glad to finally meet you!" Stephenson said as he extended his hand.

Rome couldn’t help but furrow his brows. There was something strangely familiar about the man’s build and features. This was their first meeting, yet he felt as though he had seen him somewhere before.

"Hi, Rome. I’m Stephenson Lincolm, from the International Group of Lincolm Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. I’m glad to meet you in person. I’ve even heard many rumors about you being a great leader. I hope we can work well together." Stephenson said with a broad smile.

Rome’s brows knitted even tighter. That smile..it tugged at something in his memory.

He looks like Sylvia...

But that was impossible. Sylvia was an orphan. And though her surname was also Lincolm, he had always dismissed it as coincidence. Surely not every Lincolm in the world was related.

"Uh... Mr. Rome... my hand..."

Rome snapped back to reality. Only then did he realize he had been gripping Stephenson’s hand far too tightly.

His father’s hand clamped firmly on his shoulder, pressing down as a warning.

He immediately released his grip, stepping back slightly. Stephenson discreetly shook out his hand before forcing a polite smile.

"I apologize, Mr. Stephenson," he said stiffly. "I didn’t mean to do that. It’s just... for a moment, I thought you looked familiar. Have we met before?"

For the briefest second, a faint smirk flickered across Stephenson’s face before vanishing.

"No," Stephenson replied casually. "I believe this is the first time we’ve met. Perhaps you’ve seen my older brother or sister. People say they resemble me a lot, that could be why I seem familiar to you."

"Oh? You have a brother and sister, Mr. Stephenson?" his father asked with interest.

"Yes. My older brother was actually here a few days ago, but he has already returned to the States. He came only to visit after we finally tracked down my runaway sister." His lips curved into a lighter smile.

"She’s only a year older than me. Adorable, but quite rebellious. She ran away from all her responsibilities years ago. But now that we’ve found her, we’re glad to see she seems to be doing well here."

"I had no idea the Lincolm family had three heirs," Denmark remarked, sounding intrigued. "Your family is so private that little information ever gets out. Forgive me if I sound curious."

Stephenson chuckled politely. "It’s nothing, Mr. Hariston. In fact, one of the reasons I came here was also to bring my sister back home."

Rome noticed the way Stephenson’s eyes flicked toward him as he spoke. Once, twice, then again. It was subtle.

"Oh, I didn’t mean to hear something that personal about your family matters," his father said. "But perhaps your sister only wanted to explore other things, to experience living a modest life. But... I’m not saying what she did was right. It’s also good that you’re bringing her back. What I mean is... one shouldn’t really run away from their responsibilities to family."

"Haha, you’re right, Mr. Hariston. You see," Stephenson continued. "before my sister ran away, she was already set to be married to someone our family had chosen for her. But she chose to leave instead, without a trace. Later, we learned the most disappointing news that she had been living alone, and even though she seemed to be doing well, she had been living a simple life as if she were just an ordinary woman, and had even become the victim of what people call... love."

This time, Stephenson’s gaze locked directly on him for a little longer.

His chest tightened. Victim of love?

"A victim of love?" A woman’s voice chimed in.

It was his mom, who had just arrived with Ingrid at her side, her curiosity plain in her expression.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Mr. Stephenson. I couldn’t help myself. I, too, am curious about such an... interesting story of her being a victim of love."

Stephenson’s smile widened slightly, his eyes glinting.

"Oh, it’s quite alright, Mrs. Hariston," he said smoothly. "This isn’t exactly a secret within our family. In fact, I’d be glad to share it with you..."

"Actually," Stephenson continued. "my older sister is my stepsister from my father’s first wife. She always wanted everything her way, until our father grew tired of her constant whining. Even the man she was destined to marry... she abandoned him and ran off. It’s been three years since she left us, and only recently did we discover she’s here in this country. By then, it was already too late, we learned she had already let herself be swept away by love."

The corners of his lips curved faintly as his gaze flicked toward him.

What’s with him?

He couldn’t help the unease prickling at the back of his neck under that look.

"Then, if it’s not too much to ask... what happened to her after that?" his mother asked curiously.

"Well, the worst possible thing that happened to her?" Stephenson went on, his voice laced with a faint trace of mockery.

" Well..was that the man she loved didn’t truly love her back. He only deceived her, and in the end, he chose another woman, someone he soon decided to marry instead." he gave a small shrug. "That was probably her karma. The very fate she brought upon the man she was supposed to marry... eventually returned to her."

"Oh, what a sad story," His mother sighed. "The man she loved probably didn’t even know she was a Lincolm heiress. How pitiful, that he chose another woman over her."

He stiffened when his mother’s gaze shifted toward him.

"It’s a good thing nothing like that ever happened to my son," she added with a smile. "You know, my son also had a similar story. But thankfully, he isn’t marrying that kind of woman. He was once madly in love with a cheater—a woman who shamelessly flirted with many—"

"Mom."

He cut in coldly, his jaw tightening as his gaze snapped toward her.

Does she really have to say that in front of our guest? He had thought his mother was on his side, but here she was, exposing his wound.

"Oh... I’m sorry, my tongue slipped," Though her expression betrayed no real regret. "But you know, love does make people crazy. Sometimes, they’re even willing to sacrifice their future for it. What an absurd way of thinking, don’t you agree?"

She flashed a sweet, almost mocking smile at Stephenson.

He clenched his jaw tighter.

"Haha, you’re right, Madame," Stephenson chuckled. "Good thing Mr. Rome here is a loyal man, someone who chose the right woman to marry, huh?"

Then his eyes deliberately shifted toward Ingrid.

Ingrid’s lips curved into a broad, triumphant smile as she met his gaze.

"Haha, of course I’m very lucky, Mr. Lincolm. Rome is not just a loyal man, but also a loving man."

He noticed the slight raise of Mr. Stephenson’s brow at Ingrid, as if he were measuring her up with quiet curiosity.

"And who might you be?"

"Oh... Mr. Stephenson," Ingrid replied gracefully before flashing him a poised smile as if she had been waiting for this very question. "I’m Ingrid Monteverde, Rome’s fiancée. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Oh, so you’re the only daughter of Mr. Henry Monteverde—the vice chairman and vice director of the Monteverde Group of Companies. What an honor to meet you." Mr. Stephenson said.

"Haha, the pleasure is mine, Mr. Lincolm. You seemed to have such an interesting story earlier, I couldn’t help but join in."

"Oh? So you’re also interested in those kinds of stories?" Mr. Stephenson replied with a faint smirk. "Then allow me to tell you more. I heard Mr. Rome here had an ex-girlfriend. I’m quite curious what kind of woman she was."

The faint grin spreading across Mr. Stephenson’s face didn’t escape Rome’s notice.

Rome’s fist tightened. He knew their guest was only toying with them and that he knew something about their family—especially about Sylvia.

His mom glanced at him, sensing how much he disliked the subject being brought up.

"Uh... you see, she’s part of Rome’s past now," his mom interjected. "We’d rather not talk about her anymore."

"What a shame," Mr. Stephenson said with feigned disappointment. "I heard plenty of rumors about her. That she was a scholar... studying at the same university as Mr. Rome. That’s how he fell in love with her, isn’t it?"

Then Stephenson turned his sharp gaze back at him.

"Actually, she just seduced Rome to make him fall for her," Ingrid cut in before anyone else could speak. "Only to turn around and seduce his brother—and then another man after that."