The premises of the City's most well-known and luxurious club were as lively as they always were, not affected in the least by the turmoil the Rovic Family was going through after losing their Heir.
Today, as usual, there were a lot of prominent people present here, and since it was Sunday afternoon, one could expect the atmosphere to be livelier in the coming few hours.
However, today, there was an unexpected guest at the Club, the second son of the Rovic Family, who had just lost his older brother a few days ago.
It was common knowledge in the city that the younger one did not like going to parties or clubs, and so, his presence did arouse the curiosity of the people who saw him sitting at a table with a few young men.
There was also a smile on his face, but those familiar with him could discern that it was a forced one.
"Your smile does not fool us, Alex. Come, have some wine. It is good." A handsome young man, who was seated at the head of the table, wearing a grey Chinese-styled tang suit, spoke and started pouring a glass of the most expensive wine in the house.
Alex was a little disturbed by the young man's words but did not voice the words he held in his heart.
"Thank you, Master Zane." Alex politely said as he accepted the glass, and felt more disturbed as he watched the young man narrow his eyes at him, waiting for him to drink it.
Still keeping his reservation in his heart, he sipped the wine, but Zane still kept staring at him, and it was only after he finished the glass that the young man took his eyes off him and appreciatively nodded his head.
"Good."
Alex felt his stomach knotting at the young man's contemptuous remark, but he bore it. He knew that this young man was not someone he could offend, and even his all-powerful Rovic Family was helpless against him.
The two other youngsters at the table, who were both Zane's lackeys, were enjoying themselves seeing his distressed state. And even though all four of them were cousins, there was no familial bond reflecting from them.
"Tell me about her, Alex."
"Who?" He frowned.
"The girl your dear brother gave his life for and left all the family fortune in your lap," Zane smirked and sipped on his wine.
Had anyone else said those words, Alex would have surely smacked a fist right into his face, but he bore the humiliation and kept his anger in check.
"I don't know much about her, Master Zane."
"Not even her name?" He smiled.
"Sunaina," Alex replied and then lowered his head.
He truly did not know much about the girl and nor was he interested in her any more than avenging his late brother. And he could guess what was running through Zane's mind, and he would rather not answer the questions that were going to be asked.
"Shame." Zane shook his head. "And here you had me believing that you wanted to avenge your brother and make his killer pay."
"Master Zane..." Alex clenched his fist under the table, but then his eyes met the young man's gaze, and he immediately lowered his head. "I loved my brother." He lightly said.
"You must. After all, he left the entire fortune to you."
Zane amusedly smiled as he watched Alex's body tremble at his words, but he was disappointed again when the young man managed to keep his emotions in check and did not give in to his provocation.
"Her name is Sunaina Singh." He poured some more wine into his glass. "Her father is a businessman and a retired Netherian Military Officer."
Alex raised his head and frowned at Zane's words. He did not understand what this young man wanted or was trying to tell him.
"Do you know who her mother is?"
"No." Alex shook his head but then frowned as he recalled the question the young man had just asked. "Is not she dead?"
Zane smiled when he heard the question and shook his head.
"She is very much alive. Do you know her name?" He asked again and nodded when Alex shook his head. "Her name is Rubina Ozell."
Not only Alex but the two other youngsters were stunned too when they heard the name.
"Ozell?" The guy with a thick black beard furrowed his brow and asked if he had heard the name right.
"Yes, Ozell. The prestigious and ancient Ozell." Zane nodded. "And Rubina is the wife of the current Head of the Sect of Ozell."
"Theodore Ozell?" The bearded man narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."
"So the wife of the current Head of the Ozell Family bore a daughter from another man?" The last person at the table, who was the youngest as well, clearly someone in his late teens, heartily laughed.
"Yes." Zane chuckled as well. "But she birthed the girl before she married him. Probably a mistake."
"And yet the Ozell did not kill the father and daughter." The young boy pointed out and curiously looked at his older brother for an answer.
"Rumor has it that Theodore deeply loves his wife. He forgave her for the mistake and spared the life of her child and ex-husband."
"An idiot who probably kneads his wife's feet every night before going to bed." The young boy contemptuously remarked.
"Behave, Vali. He's the Head of the Sect of Ozell." Zane admonished his younger brother but then smirked when Vali failed to control his laughter.
Alex, whose mind had long gone blank after learning that the girl who was responsible for her brother's death was related to the Ozell Family, felt even more dread when he watched Zane and Vali laughing and making fun of one of the most prestigious Ancient Families in Netheria.
Then again, they were amongst the few people in the country who could indeed make fun of Ozell and get away with it.
The Ancient Families of Ozell and Wislaw had never been on good terms with each other, and Wislaw were also slightly more powerful than their old enemy.
On the other hand, the Rovic, who was only one of the vessel Families of the Wislaw, could not really join in the banter and make fun of the Head of the Ozell Family. And Alex was now worried about the intentions of the Wislaw Family.
"Don't be so grim, Alex." Zane smiled as if he saw through his worries. "You are our cousin, and so was your brother. I have already promised Aunty that I will avenge William."
Alex did not know why felt a very bad premonition in his heart when he heard those words, but then his thoughts were distracted when Vali suddenly pointed at the faraway glassed cabin that was occupied by a group of youngsters.
"Look at the twins, Zane!" He excitedly said, and his older brother curiously turned and looked in the direction he was pointing.
There were a lot of beautiful girls in the group, more beautiful than most they had seen since they arrived in this city, but the pair of twins was what had Zane transfixed.
They were gorgeous, and even the beautiful girls around them paled in comparison.
"Let's go and join them." Vali unceremoniously stood up and started walking towards the glassed cabin.
It was only after Zane stood up as well that Alex put his thoughts aside and finally turned to look in the direction the sons of the Wislaw family were walking towards.
His eyes soon spotted the two girls in question, and it only took a moment for Alex to recognise them, and the next moment, he felt like his soul was about to leave his body.
"Wait!" He immediately called out, a little too loudly, which caught the attention of the people around them and made Zane narrow his eyes turn to look at him.
Alex, however, was focused on Vali, who ignored his call and entered the cabin, so he paid no heed to the glare Zane was sending his way and proceeded to rush past him and into the glassed cabin to stop a disaster from happening.
As Fate would have it, nothing was meant to go his way today, and by the time he entered the room, it was already too late.
*Smack*
A loud slap resounded in the room when the twin wearing the purple frock slapped Vali across the face, in response to his shameless attempt of grabbing her hand.
Alex watched Vali Wislaw's expression turn from shock to a grim rage, and his head suddenly felt dizzy. He did not know where the strength came from, but he managed to rush forward and place his hand on Vali's shoulder before the young boy could act on his impulse to return the favour to the girl.
"My apologies, Miss. I am sorry everyone." The new Heir of the Rovic Family immediately apologised to the girl and then to the people around them.
"Alex..." Vali was about to lash out at him for his impudence, but to his dismay, his pathetic cousin actually started dragging him out of the room. "You dare!" He burst out as soon as they returned to Main Lounge, but what followed next stunned him.
"Shut the hell up!" Alex bellowed and then kept dragging him away.
Vali subconsciously turned to look at his older brother, who too seemed confused at Alex's behaviour, but since Zane quietly followed after them, he refrained from acting on his impulse and teaching their pathetic cousin a lesson for shouting at him.
"Who are they?" Zane asked as soon as they entered a vacant cabin, having guessed that the twins must have had a very special identity for Alex to react this way.
"I am sorry, Master Zane, Vali." He breathed in to calm himself down and spoke. "The girls are taken." He revealed to them, and before Vali could curse at him or smack a punch on his face for his pathetic reason, he told them who they belonged to. "The Master of Demiliore Family. They are his lovers."
