"Come, Hannah." Javier suddenly said when his parents invited him forward for the cake-cutting ceremony.
His action made the guests smile. Everyone in the city knew that Javier Alvarez was head over heels in love with the eldest daughter of the Reyes Family, and he never shied away from showing his affection for her.
It was just that as always, Hannah did not seem too enthusiastic about it and simply nodded her head before following him and standing on his left side.
The guests clapped, and the young ones and the close relatives sang "Happy Birthday..." as well.
His friends cheered when he picked up a small piece and offered it to his mother first, then to his father.
They both blessed him and hugged him, and Javier then cut another small piece and offered it to his Fiancée, who took a small bite and wished him happy birthday again.
"Hmph!"
Keith smiled when the girl next to him showed her displeasure over Hannah's lack of enthusiasm.
She never seemed to appreciate Javier's feelings for her and was always cold towards him. And what displeased her was how her eldest brother behaved so patiently with her.
"You don't like her?" He curiously asked.
"I don't." And Zoey truthfully replied. "She is always so cold and never appreciates his efforts. It's Javier who always asks her and takes her out, and the only time she ever approaches him is when it concerns her business. She's selfish and ungrateful."
"I see." He smiled when watched the girl suddenly burn in embarrassment.
She had spoken whatever came into her mind, and only now did she realise that she had spoken a little too much.
"I..."
"It's fine." He assured her then watched as the servants took the cake away before starting to distribute it to the guests.
The band that they had invited to perform tonight started playing a piece of soothing music, and Javier courteously invited his Intended to dance with him.
He curiously glanced at Mathew and smiled when he saw the boy excusing himself away and walking towards the stage where the band was performing.
"What's he planning?" Zoey caught his movements too and wanted to go forward to confront him, but Keith grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Stay."
Feeling the softness and heat of his hand, her body lightly trembled and she obediently took her seat again.
"Tell me about yourself." He said, and the girl shyly looked at him.
"What do you wish to know?"
"You." He said and smiled when he saw her flustered expression. "What are your hobbies?"
"I like swimming, horse riding, reading novels, and watching anime."
"I love anime!" Iseul suddenly said and then engaged the girl in a chat about their favourite animes.
Keith let them be and turned his attention to the young man who was dancing in the centre of the Ballroom with his Intended.
Javier Alvarez was a Villain in Mathew's story, his first stepping-stone.
Not only was he meant to lose his Fiancée at the hands of Mathew, but he was also going to lose his reputation and the goodwill of his family due to the drastic measures he would take after Hannah breaks off their engagement the night before their wedding day.
Having conquered a lot of girls by then, and having amassed enough power, Mathew and the Oscar Family would become something that the Alvarez Family would not be able to stand against.
Javier had a very pitiful end in store for him, and he would even try to take the life of his little sister after Mathew Conquerors her according to the Plan of Destiny and she takes his side.
This would be the event where Zoey would cut off all ties with the Alvarez Family, and then Javier would be sent abroad, where he would spend the next year of his life in a drunken stupor before meeting an unfortunate accident.
To favour some, the others had to be wrong, and Destiny could he quite cruel.
Keith glanced at Hannah and then at Mathew, who had already stepped on the stage and was waiting for the song to finish.
He was not interested in the girl, but he did not plan on letting her fall into the clutches of the Child of Destiny.
Unfortunately, all of Mathew's efforts were going to go down the drain.
"Good evening, everyone." Mathew suddenly spoke into the microphone, gathering everyone's attention after the song finished. "It's a very special night for Heir Javier, and I wish you many many returns of the day!"
Javier frowned and so did the rest of the youngsters. None of them was friends with Mathew, and for him to step on the stage and speak such words did not sit well with them.
"Thank you, Heir Frost." Javier smiled and took a jab at him, which made Mathew frown a little but he smiled it off before taking a seat at the Piano.
Without saying any words, his hands fell on the keys, and Keith recognised the song in an instant.
It was a famous song by an Italian composer, Ludovico Einaudi, who was considered one of the most talented composers to have ever lived, and the song was called Nuvole Binache, which meant White Clouds.
Keith quite liked this song, and once he saw Mathew close his eyes and pretend to be immersed in the music he was playing, he stood up and smiled at his beautiful daughter.
"May I?" He properly asked as a man should, and Minami happily placed her hand in his, letting him lead her to the centre of the Ballroom.
Those who had started to appreciate Mathew's talent in playing the Piano turned all their attention to him, and after he nodded to Javier, he ignored everyone and started dancing with his beautiful Minami.
Mathew, who was pretending to be engrossed in his music did not even know that no one was really paying attention to him, and he was only helping in displaying the limelight on the couple who was dancing on the floor.
Everyone was hooked by the beauty of Keith and Minami, and how calculated their dance was. The way they only stared into each other's eyes and smiled, warmed the hearts of the onlookers and they could not help but sigh at their display of affection.
The young sighed in longing, and the old sighed at the most cherished memories that suddenly started playing in their minds.
No one was able to take their eyes off the two of them, and by the time Mathew finished playing Nuvole Binache and started playing another one of Keith's liked songs, Marriage D'Amour, the guests had even forgotten that it was Mathew who was playing the Piano.
The second song finished, and everyone stood up and started clapping.
Mathew opened his eyes and smiled charmingly before turning to look at the guests, but his smile stiffened when he realised that no one was looking his way.
He followed their line of sight and found Keith and Minami politely bowing to no one in particular and then walking back to their table.
The guests started appreciating how well Keith and Minami danced, and the poor Child of Destiny stiffly stood there on the stage, frowning deeply.
His limelight had been stolen, and he felt a little hollow in his heart before waves of envy, coupled with anger over his dissatisfaction with Keith and everything about him came crashing against his senses.
The plan to leave a deep impression on Hannah, Zoey and the other girls in the gathering had gone to waste, and he was too embarrassed to sit down again and continue playing.
{Ding! The Host has hurt Mathew Frost's ego, embarrassed him, and earned his hatred. Reward: 500 System Points. 100 Fate Points.}
{Ding! Mathew Frost is extremely envious of Host and does not hold good feelings towards you.
Reward: 250 System Points. 50 Fate Points.}
Keith smiled as he checked the system notifications and then took his seat.
"You are beautiful!" Zoey could not help but say these words to Minami.
"Thank you." And his daughter gracefully accepted the words.
"Tell me about your hobbies, Master Demiliore." She suddenly asked, looking at him with curious eyes.
"I like to sleep, eat, woo girls, play and make music, read, make money, ride horses, and spend time with my family." He casually replied, and everyone at the table could not help but smile and chuckle at his words.
"Tell me more!" Zoey demanded.
"I love racing..."
"You do?!" She excitedly asked and it piqued the interest of her friends and Javier's friends too.
"We are holding a racing event on coming Friday." Nolan Reyes, who was Hannah's younger brother, informed him. "We would love to have you there with us. It will be fun."
"I see." Keith nodded to him. "I am not sure if I will be free on Friday evening, but if I happen to be free, I will come to the event."
His words excited them all and they started telling him about the specific events of the racing night that they were organising.
Keith already planned on going there, which was why he told them that he liked racing. After all, Mathew was going to be there too and he was going to impress his targets with his racing skills.
How could Keith just let him do it? And embarrassing a Child of Destiny was quite a fun thing to do.
People like Mathew were quite fragile.
"Master Demiliore."
The people at the table had already turned silent when they saw him approach, and Zoey was narrowing his eyes at him.
"Yes, Mr. Frost?" Keith turned to look him in the eyes and asked.
Mathew's mind went blank when he stared into his eyes, and he subconsciously lowered his head.
Of course, it was Keith who was playing with his mind, and the result amused the people at the table who saw the flustered look on Mathew's face.
"I would like to compare notes with you on music." He finally managed to say why he had approached him, and all the guests were looking their way now.
Keith stayed silent and kept looking at him, and just when Mathew was about to speak again, he smiled.
"You want to see how good I am compared to you. Is not that right, Mr. Frost?" He playfully smiled, leaving the Child of Destiny stunned at his words.
Yes, he did not want to talk music with Keith but was a little too over-confident in his piano skills.
"Yes." He nodded his head, much to the surprise of everyone.
Zoey was about to scold Mathew for even holding such thoughts, but Keith beat her to it.
"I am not interested." He simply said and turned his eyes away.
Mathew felt a wave of humiliation hit him again, and he furrowed his brows before asking the question on his mind.
"Why?"
"Three reasons," Keith said without even looking at him. "First, you are not as good as me, Mr. Frost." He took a sip of the wine and then twirled the glass in his hand. "Second, I don't wish to embarrass you in front of so many people. And third, I am not interested because it is not fun enough."
Even though he said that he did not wish to embarrass him, it was exactly what he was doing right now. But no one had the guts to point it out to him, not even this Child of Destiny.
Zoey could not help her giggles as she watched the ugly expression on Mathew's face, but to the amazement of everyone, the shameless man still stood there.
"How can I make it interesting for you?"
