“Why would I lie to you?” Xavier draped his arm around Quinton’s shoulder and patted his chest with his other hand. “Don’t
worry, bro. You are Ren’s brother, so you are also my brother. I only want the best for you!”
“But you are Stefan’s friend, so how good can you be?” Quinton frowned and looked at the man’s arm in disgust, restraining the
urge to cut it off. Years of bloody battles had made him wary of people and unfamiliar with intimate interactions.
“No, no, no. I am no longer his brother. From now on, I will cut ties with that cold-blooded and heartless man!” Xavier crossed his
arms, and smiled earnestly. “I am now your brother, so I will listen to everything you say. And I wasn’t joking earlier. If you want, I
can bring you to the plastic surgeon and let him see if your face can be reconstructed.”
“Sure.” Quinton nodded, the defensiveness in his eyes fading slightly.
They got into the car and started talking happily. Quinton even warmly invited Xavier to Carmine Pawnshop to have tea with him.
Watching them from the backseat, Renee and Leia exchanged glances in confusion.
“What is going on here? Why are they suddenly so close? Did I miss something?”
“What’s so strange about it? Xavier is very sociable.”
“But isn’t he too quick to defect to Quinton, knowing that my brother and his best friend are deadly rivals?”
“You’re right... he’s acting weird. What’s he up to?”
“There must be a conspiracy!”
“Yeah, it must be!”
Soon, they arrived at the Carmine Pawnshop.
Quinton announced that he would personally cook for them, and Xavier acted like a loyal follower as he said, “Brother, I’ll go with
you. Please teach me how to cook.”
So, the two men talked in the kitchen again. They were like long-lost brothers, and their excitement was very peculiar.
Renee and Leia sat on the sofa near the table with a bunch of fruits and snacks. The children were running around in the
courtyard, casually playing with priceless antiques with a panicked Chase running after them.
“Ah, please be careful with that, Master Adie. That is not an ordinary soccer ball but one used by royalty in ancient times. It’s
made of pure gold and ancient jade and is very very expensive, so please don’t break it!”
“Ah, Miss Abby, p-please don’t touch this vase. It’s a high-quality product from an imperial kiln and Mr. Everheart’s favorite...”
Leia, like the twins, felt like she had entered a foreign world and found everything very new. “Ren, look at this snuff bottle. I have
seen it in a museum before. I remember that the price is estimated to be around fifteen million dollars. How could you treat it like
a common ornament? Isn’t it a bit wasteful?”