I froze the moment I heard the voice.
Faint through the glass and distant music, but unmistakable.
That was Luke.
"Excuse me," I muttered, already moving away from the lounge.
"Young Master?" Oliver called after me, brows furrowed. The others looked up as well.
I didn't stop. "It's someone I know."
They followed, curiosity quickening their steps. None of them recognized the voice—why would they? Luke wasn't part of their world. Not from the Eirenthal circle. Just a name unknown to them.
But to me? He was more than that.
He was my dorm mate.
My friend.
As we approached the glass doors leading to the garden, the scene came into view beneath the soft spill of lights.
Luke stood rigid, shielding a girl behind him—Lily, I assumed—facing down a smug-looking guy with blood on his lip and arrogance to spare.
"You'll regret that, Tanner," the guy sneered, loud enough for the surrounding guests to pause mid-conversation. "You think anyone here's gonna back you up?"
Luke's shoulders were tense, jaw set. He stood his ground, even as his voice wavered beneath the pressure. He was holding on—but barely.
I stepped forward.
"Maybe he doesn't need the crowd," I said, voice even. "Maybe just one person is enough."
The guy turned, scowling—until his gaze landed on me.
"And you are—?"
"Cedric Ravensleigh."
There was a beat of silence.
Recognition clicked behind his eyes. I saw it—the flicker of panic, the calculations running behind his expression. That name had been floating around all evening—whispers of a mysterious guest with unknown influence, someone even the hosts gave special treatment to.
Murmurs rippled through the remaining crowd. Whispers of my name followed, low and uncertain, but laced with the tension of realization.
'That's the guest the Reeds personally greeted tonight…'
'The one who gave Oliver that insane gift…'
So this was that Cedric.
The guy—Eddie, if I recalled correctly—blinked rapidly, his bravado already slipping. "I'm Eddie Reyes. My family's in the Reyes Group… lower circle."
The words rang hollow.
I didn't reply. I didn't need to. My presence—and the ones behind me—Oliver, Thomas, Henry, Daniel, Samuel—were answer enough.
"Lower circle," I heard Oliver murmur behind me, his voice almost amused.
I locked eyes with Eddie. "Then act like it."
He stiffened, but the fight drained from his posture. He knew when he'd lost the room. Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the garden, pride crumbling at his feet.
Luke finally relaxed.
He looked at me, stunned. "Cedric…?"
I glanced at him. "You good?"
"Yeah. Just… wow."
His thoughts were practically written on his face.
'Cedric? Wealthy? Powerful? Since when? I thought he was an orphan. We lived in the same dorms. Talked about cheap meal hacks. Banquets were just jokes between us.'
I couldn't blame him.
Because I was just as surprised.
'Luke? Here?' I remembered those nights back in the dorm—laughing over cup noodles, teasing each other about crashing high-society banquets just for the fun of it.
But I never imagined he'd actually be invited to one.
Our eyes met, and for a second, I saw the same disbelief in his as I felt in mine.
The world was smaller than we thought.
Eddie tried to recover, puffing his chest. "This has nothing to do with you. He hit me first—"
I didn't raise my voice.
"Is that what you want to go with?" I asked evenly. "You, harassing someone connected to the Reeds. Provoking a scene at someone else's banquet. Then trying to save face when it turns on you."
No one moved.
No one backed him.
Even the bystanders, once curious, were now subtly shifting away from him, uninterested in aligning themselves with the wrong side of this standoff.
Eddie faltered. "I… I didn't mean—"
"You meant to pressure someone weaker," I said. "But you didn't expect anyone would stop you."
He opened his mouth again—but this time, no sound came.
Luke stood frozen beside me. I could see the disbelief in his eyes, the way he stared at me like I'd grown a second head.
I kept my thoughts folded away and turned to the bigger problem.
Because in this place, words were currency—and backing someone meant taking a side.
No one was taking Eddie's.
And that said enough.
Oliver stepped in then, his voice cutting through what remained of the commotion.
"That's enough," he said firmly, his presence commanding attention like the closing of a heavy door.
The crowd hesitated, then began to disperse properly this time, as if Oliver's words were the final verdict.
He turned toward the garden steps, his sharp gaze scanning the lingering guests, until it softened upon landing on a familiar figure.
As Eddie slunk away, tail tucked between his legs, the garden slowly began to breathe again. Conversations hesitantly resumed at the fringes, though most eyes still flickered toward us, curiosity barely restrained.
Luke shifted awkwardly at my side, and I could feel the thousand unspoken questions bottled up inside him. But before he could say anything, Oliver stepped forward, his gaze sharp and assessing.
"Lily?"
The girl behind Luke—small, with soft brown hair and a guarded expression—flinched slightly at the sound of her name. Her wide eyes lifted to Oliver, confusion warring with recognition.
"Oliver?" she whispered, almost disbelieving.
His expression softened instantly. The usual coolness he carried melted away in a heartbeat, replaced by something far more genuine. "It's been years," he said, stepping closer but keeping his movements careful, like he wasn't sure if she'd bolt.
Luke looked between them, puzzled, but stayed silent.
"You know her?" I asked quietly, just loud enough for Luke and the others to hear.
Oliver gave a small, almost sheepish nod. "She's my cousin. From my mother's side. We... lost touch after the families drifted apart."
I saw the flicker of guilt in his face. Not deep, wrenching guilt—but the kind born from time, distance, and the unspoken weight of things left unsaid.
Lily hugged herself tighter, a faint tremble in her arms. She clearly hadn't expected to see anyone familiar here either—let alone someone like Oliver.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Oliver simply extended his hand.
No grand speeches. No dramatics.
Just an open hand.
Lily hesitated—and then, slowly, she stepped forward and took it.
A small, shaky smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Luke exhaled quietly, some of the tension leaking out of his frame. His eyes darted to me again, questions still thick behind them, but for now, he stayed quiet. Trusting me. Trusting that somehow, things were okay.
"Let's go inside," Oliver said gently, guiding Lily forward. "You're safe now."
I lingered behind for a moment, watching the trio as they disappeared back into the golden lights of the villa.
The night had taken a strange turn.
But somehow, it felt like things were just beginning.
Luke, Lily... and a whole history I hadn't even realized was tangled around us.
I stuffed my hands into my pockets and followed after them, the distant strains of music pulling us back toward the warmth—and whatever came next.