As the evening continued, more and more guests arrived at the party. At exactly 9 pm, Tristan stepped onto the stage to address the guests, and he unveiled the details of Hathway Corporation's recent investments in the city. Which also included some philanthropic projects that were warmly received by the City management.
After finishing addressing the press about the details, he thanked every special guest by taking their name, and Keith's name was among them, which earned the Heir of Demiliore Family a lot more attention than before.
The next hour was dedicated to formal introductions and business chat, and Keith excused himself away when Rebecca and Julian decided to talk to Tristan about business prospects between the Hathways and the Graysons.
A few people approached him intending to become acquaintances, and Keith politely greeted each and everyone before grabbing Yingying by the hand and taking her into a corner. This made everyone who wanted to approach him a little hesitant since he seemed busy flirting with the pretty Chinese girl in a pantsuit. She was beautiful, not breathtakingly beautiful, but it was understandable why the Heir of Demiliore Family seemed attracted to her.
To those who were aware of the identity of Yingying as Keith's bodyguard, this scene was hot gossip for them to share and talk about. And the people from the Media even captured pictures of Keith planting kisses on Yingying's neck, making her burn in bright a blush.
"Master..." She anxiously called out to him, begging him to not tease her in front of so many people.
"Yes?" Keith smiled as he planted another kiss on her neck and then pulled away to look her in the eyes.
Yingying did not know what to say to him. She did not have the heart to refuse his advances as she was worried that he would mind it, and she was conflicted since it was not going to reflect too well on Keith's public image.
Seeing her struggling to find words, he lightly smiled and leaned in, capturing her lips in a soft kiss.
She tried to step away but then ended up melting into the bliss, holding onto his suit with her hands as she let him taste her lips to his heart's content.
"Cute!" He teasingly said when they finally separated, making her fair skin redden some more.
"Master, we shouldn't..."
"Don't worry about it." He cut her off and nudged her nose. "I don't care about what people say behind my back because we both know that they can't call me out to my face."
Yingying still felt conflicted but obediently nodded her head to his words.
"So, tell me about how it felt when you used the Recovery Art that I taught you?" He pulled her closer to him, holding her hand, and engaged her in a conversation to distract her mind and make her feel at ease.
"It's terrifying..." Yingying honestly said. "The results are much better than I expected."
"I am glad that you are satisfied." He gently smiled at her. "Spend the next day or two exercising your body to its limits, and then I will help you again so that you can make the most use of this Recovery Art."
"Thank you, Master." She gratefully nodded to him.
"You're welcome." He chuckled and then turned to look at the young man who was approaching them. "Ian." He brightly smiled at him.
"Mr. Demiliore." The Wandering God of Netheria smiled back at him. "I suppose we have some things to talk about."
"Do we?" Keith curiously looked at him.
Tron narrowed his eyes at him and stayed silent for a good minute.
"There are not many people in the world who know about my true Identity, Mr. Demiliore." He seriously said. "And even though I am familiar with your Grandparents, my existence is a top secret of the country. I don't think they would disclose it even to you."
"You are right. They wouldn't." He nodded to his words and then smiled at him. "But why do you seem surprised, Lord Volos? It is not like you don't know about my secret too."
Tron kept looking him in the eyes for a long time.
"I see." He finally said. "So you have been in contact with the Lady of the Night."
Keith smiled in his heart at his guess but did not refute it. Of course, he would not divulge the truth to Tron or anyone for that matter. His dream and its truth were his greatest secret and weapon.
"She's coming to Netheria." He informed Tronten, making him wholeheartedly believe in his guess.
"And I suppose you are the reason behind her decision?" Tron smiled and asked. "After all, she asked Poseidon to protect you in Fiji."
"Who knows what goes on in her mind." He simply shrugged. "But I hope I am not the reason behind her decision. Quite frankly, I prefer keeping my distance from her."
"Wise thinking." Volos chuckled and nodded in agreement. "She is not someone anyone of us can afford to associate with." He said and then looked Keith in his eyes. "I will keep to myself when it comes to your affairs, Lord Erebus, and I expect some peace in return for it. This land is special to me."
"It's my home too." Keith smiled and said.
"I see." He nodded appreciatively. "Please excuse me. I have an appointment with someone tonight."
"You are welcome to contact me if you ever need to talk about something, Lord Volos."
"I will." Tron smiled at him. "An eventful night and old foes await you. Have fun!" He meaningfully said before bowing and taking his leave.
Keith kept smiling after Volos left, but there was a chill in his heart. He had understood what Tron was hinting about, and he could not help but feel a little disappointed in his enemies.
"Yingying, inform Victor and the Guards that there will be blood tonight. Contact Caeser, and tell Ryou to proceed with what I instructed him to do."
"Yes, Master." She obediently nodded and then walked out of the Hall to deliver his instructions.
"Heir Demiliore!" A sweet voice called out to him from the side, and Keith lightly smiled when he looked at the lady who was approaching him.
The hottest model of Lingerie by Medusa, Irina D'silva. The very girl Qingyue usually brought up whenever she was a little dissatisfied.
"Miss Irina." He nodded to her. "You seem to be in good health."
"Thank you!" She delightfully smiled and then stepped a little too close to him, not hiding her intentions. "And you are as ridiculously handsome as ever."
Keith chuckled at her words and then curiously looked at her. To be honest, she was very good-looking, and tonight she was dressed in a shimmering silver dress with a long slit on her leg, something that accentuated her figure and allure. However, he did not feel any attraction towards her. The idea of taking her to bed did not hold any appeal to him.
"You look pretty tonight." He complimented her, but before she could lean into him, he cut her enthusiasm short with his next words. "How may I help you?"
"What makes Heir Demiliore think that I have approached you seeking some help?" She giggled and said before giving him a charming smile. "But yes, I was hoping that you would help me relive some beautiful memories."
"The charm of such memories is their exclusivity, Miss Irina. It would be a shame if we marred it by trying to relive it." He sipped on his wine before smiling at her. "Please, excuse me." He said and then walked away to meet the two siblings who were approaching him, completely ignoring the girl who was not used to being rejected like this.
"She looks heartbroken, Keith." Rebecca mischievously smiled at him as soon as she came over. "So, what's your code? You never take the same girl to bed twice?"
"There's no such code." He chuckled and shook his head. "I told you, didn't I? Amelia has laid some ground rules for me."
His words made her break out into giggles and then she lovingly wrapped her arms around his arm.
"And yet you were openly flirting with your Shadow."
"She's not an outsider and she belongs to me alone." He simply said and then looked at Julian, who was interestedly listening to their conversation. "Want me to hook you up with her?"
"No thanks!" The blonde boy straightforwardly refused, and Keith smiled in his heart. He knew that Julian would never agree to hook up with some random girl, besides, the Heir of the Grayson Family already had someone in his heart, which was his biggest secret. "Your loss. She is quite active in bed." He shrugged. "So, how did the talk go?"
"We achieved our goal." Julian smiled at him.
"Congratulations!" He sincerely said and then gestured to them to follow him to a secluded corner.
Both Rebecca and Julian frowned as they sensed that Keith had something important to talk about, and the former had already made a few guesses.
"I have just been informed that I will be targeted tonight." He spoke in a low voice so that only the two of them could hear him.
"Don Francis?" The blonde boy guessed, but before he could answer, Rebecca had already guessed right.
"It's Christian, isn't it?" She frowned.
"Yes." He nodded, much to Julian's dismay.
"Has he lost his mind?" The blonde boy grimly spoke.
"Who knows." Keith shrugged. "Falkens have been restless since my wedding. And now that I appear a little too close to you and your sister, they must feel a lot more agitated. But I think the Elders haven't decided to interfere yet. It should be Christian's decision."
"What do you plan to do?" Julian worriedly asked.
"I will be fine. The security measures are already in place." He assured him. "I will be leaving now, but I want you to stay here with Tristan. Call your father and ask him to send some more guards to protect you on the way back."
Both the siblings knew that it was highly unlikely that they would be targeted, but precautions would not hurt.
"I am coming with you." Rebecca suddenly said, much to the horror of her little brother.
"No, you are not going with him." He adamantly refused.
"I am of the same opinion. Stay with Julian." Keith agreed with her little brother.
"I will be fine." She simply shrugged. "It's not like you would allow any harm to come to me."
Keith sighed in his heart when he heard her words.
"Don't be ridiculous, Rebecca. This is serious." Julian cut in and then looked at Keith. "Also, I would suggest that you stay with us as well. There's no need to take unnecessary risks."
"I can't." He smiled lightly. "And it isn't a risk." He assured him and looked Rebecca in the eyes. "Stay here."
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Julian, please excuse us." She requested her little brother, who hesitated a little before he complied with her words. "You plan on baiting him, isn't that right?"
"Yes." He nodded affirmatively.
"And it was Ian who informed you about Christian's intentions?"
"Yes." He nodded again.
"You trust him?"
"No. But I know that he would not lie about something so minor to me." He told her.
"I don't believe that you two are acquaintances, Keith."
"True. We met for the first time today." He did not hide it from her.
"Who is he?" And she finally asked, which made him frown.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw the trick he performed. It was not a sleight to hand." She spoke with certainty. "Also, I caught the moment you two were chatting. And I did not miss the uneasiness of Yingying that had suddenly crept in."
"Is that so?" He chuckled. Her gifts were truly remarkable. "What's your guess?"
"Just tell me." She pressed for an answer.
"Yes, he is another Inheritor of a God." He nodded and confirmed her thoughts.
"Which one?" She frowned, not surprised in the least.
"Volos."
"The one mentioned in the Scandinavian myths?"
"Yes." He nodded again and smiled at her. "But he is a Wandering God not associated with any Pantheons."
Rebecca stayed silent as she kept looking him in the eyes.
"When will you be back?" She finally asked.
"Not sure." He truthfully said.
"Okay." She lightly said and then just turned around to walk towards her little brother without saying anything more.
Keith sighed in his heart as he watched her leaving back, knowing well that she was upset with him for not taking her along on a fun ride. He could not help but smile at her antics and then picked his phone out of his pocket before leaving the Hall.
He was leaving without greeting the Host, but out of courtesy, he needed to inform him through a call, at least.
