NovelEnglish
Ten days before Magdalen’s wedding, she decided to throw a bash for Estelle and Jonathan’s circle at the 9th
Mansion.
Anyone who was anybody in J City got an invite.
As the evening unfolded, Jonathan drove to pick up Estelle and they headed to the 9th Mansion. By the time they
arrived, dusk had painted the sky in shades of twilight, and the place was alit with a brilliant display of lights.
The air was brisk, but not too cold, so Jonathan flung open his overcoat and wrapped Estelle in his arms as they
made their way inside.
They entered the private room to find it buzzing with energy. Charlie, Josiah, Carson, Andrew, and others were
clustered around Morrison, laughing and cajoling him to drink.
In the adjacent lounge, Magdalen was keeping Emily, Amiee, and a few others entertained while they fussed over
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKya.
Even Henson and Norah had made an appearance. The room was a cacophony of chatter and laughter.
As Estelle and Jonathan walked in, the crowd swarmed them. Carson chuckled, “You two sure took your sweet time.
So what’s the verdict? How shall we penalize the latecomers?”
Jonathan replied with a smirk, “How about a drink penalty? And Charlie can take my shots for me!”
Charlie looked shocked. “Why on earth should I take your punishment?”
Jonathan drawled, “Who was it that said he owed me a lifetime of favors? How do you plan on keeping that
promise? With empty words?”
Charlie burst into laughter. “I owe Estelle the favor, not you!”
Estelle leaned into Jonathan’s embrace and gave Charlie a meaningful look that spoke volumes.
Without a second thought, Charlie turned and said briskly, “Alright, how many shots are we talking?”
After watching their banter for a bit, Estelle wandered over to Magdalen.
Magdalen stood to greet her. “I’ve also invited Xavier. Why hasn’t he shown up yet?”
Norah, who was busy entertaining Kya with a rubber ball, momentarily lost her smile and looked up.
Estelle replied, “He’s not much for these types of gatherings. Doubt he’ll make it.”
Magdalen raised an eyebrow. “I mentioned you’d be here, and he promised he’d come.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the private room swung open and in walked Xavier.
Norah, catching sight of the man she hadn’t seen in over a week, felt a sudden flutter in her chest. The ball slipped
from her hands only to be retrieved by Henson, who tossed it back to her with a nonchalant, “Daydreaming?”
Norah caught the ball and looked down. “Just a little slip of the hand.”
Jonathan and Morrison got up to welcome Xavier, who managed a rare smile. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you!” Morrison replied with a polite smile. “Have a seat over here!”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmXavier was meeting Charlie and the others for the first time, but they quickly broke the ice and found common
ground.
After a while, another person entered. Carson glanced up, his expression one of mild surprise—it was Marina.
Marina didn’t glance towards Carson but made a beeline for Magdalen. “Congratulations, Magdalen!”
Then she saw Estelle and greeted her with a hearty laugh. “Estelle, long time no see!”
Estelle stood up, slightly taken aback. “You two know each other?”
Magdalen explained with a smile, “Yeah, Marina and I met at a cocktail party a while back. We got to talking and
realized she knew you too. So I thought I’d invite her along today!”
Marina looked at Estelle. “It’s been too long. I’ve missed you!”
Estelle smiled warmly. “Me too.”
Magdalen introduced Marina to Emily and Amiee, and everyone quickly got familiar, chatting and laughing together
as if they’d known each other for years.
Every now and then, Carson stole glances at Marina, wondering why she had decided to come. After a moment’s
contemplation, he set his drink down and made his way over to her.
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