Chapter 490: The Imposing Man
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Alaric felt that Sophia's eyes were on him so he turned to his cousin and frowned.
"Do you want to say something?" he asked Sophia. The girl gasped and quickly shook her head.
"Uhmm ... no, I was just reminded of something, but it absolutely nothing important," Sophia answered. She tried to sound relaxed as she turned her attention to the wine she was holding. "Let's drink ... this special champagne is made from grapes harvested in the year of your birth. It's 100 years old too, and special."
Ned nodded. A sommelier immediately brought a wine bottle opener and opened the cork. The sommelier then graciously poured a little into a glass to be tasted by the host. After Ned nodded in satisfaction, he poured for each of them into their glass.
Portia led them into a toast by raising her glass, "For the next 100 years."
"For our new leader," Sophia added.
"For the future." Ned nodded.
Alaric nodded slightly, "Thank you."
Portia looked at her adopted son wistfully while finishing her glass. This was the first time she had met Alaric since he recovered and she felt that many things had changed. One of them was that Alaric now almost never smiled. It was regrettable because if he smiled, he would look very similar to his mother.
Portia could only sigh. Maybe Alaric needed some more time to revive his cold heart. His body had healed as before, only his heart did not.
They continued the conversation about their plans. It would be in a new year party where Ned and Portia would announce their new heir and show the world their open support for him to become the new clan leader.
During lunchtime Sophia became distracted. She kept thinking about the name Aleksis, Caspar's daughter. Was that child really dead? Ha, what a coincidence. Sophia hated her. That caused Alexei to be given Death and now her brother lived as a regular human.
Although she and Alexei often fought, blood was still thicker than water. Sophia actually loved her brother very much and would often come secretly to Switzerland and watched Alexei from afar. Her brother now lived alone in a mansion on a hilltop with many servants.
Sophia once stopped by and pretended to be a lost tourist, but Alexei didn't recognize her at all. The feeling of losing her only remaining family was stifling Sophia's heart, and her grudge against Caspar's family burned again.
Hmm ... from their conversation, it was clear that Alaric did not know that Aleksis was Caspar's daughter, Ned and Portia was also not aware of this information. Sophia must thank Caspar for being very protective and not publicly announcing his children.
Lauriel also certainly did not know Alaric was his son because if he knew, there was no way he would help Caspar kill his own biological child. Sophia felt the need to investigate Alaric and Aleksis' past and learn why those two did not know what had happened to each other.
Ha ha ha. It's good that I hand over my family's business to Alaric , Sophia thought happily, Now I have time to investigate Caspar's family. There must be information that I can use against them ...
"The lunch was great, thank you for inviting me," Sophia rose to her feet after finishing her dessert. "I have something important to do. It's time to say goodbye."
"Hmm ..." Alaric nodded.
"Alright. Then I'll wait for you in Glasgow next month to prepare for the new year's party," Portia said, hugging Sophia.
Sophia gracefully walked out of the dining room. Her mind was busy coming up with various scenarios and possibilities. She could not wait to visit Caspar and find out what had happened.
Hmm ... she had to make sure first that the man was not with his jealous wife though.
***
After lunch, Alaric said goodbye to meet with the top management of Splitz. The media company was now led by Pavel.
They planned to launch a new digital experience for its users so they want Alaric to test it first. Before going there he would cut his hair first because he did not want their attention to be focused on his long hair and his delicate, woman-like face.
This was also the first time he would meet Pavel in years. Pavel was now 45 years old and married to an ordinary girl he met at a coffee shop.
Their meeting was quite unique because they always came at the same time. The girl was a writer who sought inspiration by watching people pass by the shop every morning and exactly five minutes after she arrived, Pavel would be coming over to buy his coffee. After meeting for 365 days in a row, Pavel eventually asked her name and they started talking.
Sande, the girl he married, did not know that Pavel was a former assassin. She didn't even know that Pavel was the CEO of Splitz until he proposed to her a year later. They now had a 3-year-old son who sometimes went with Pavel to the office, becoming the employees' beloved young master.
Today, Max, Pavel's son went with his father to the office, as Pavel was eager to introduce him to Alaric. Upon hearing of his boss's arrival in front of the building, Pavel enthusiastically descended from his office into the lobby. With Max in tow, he happily greeted his boss.
"Welcome, good afternoon, Sir. It is very nice to see you healthy," Pavel said, bowing deeply. The directors who followed him exchanged glances with each other, surprised but eventually also bowed. If their boss showed great respect towards the young man who had just come, then they also had to pay their respects too.
Of course, inwardly, they were wondering who the guest was. They had never seen him before.
"Good afternoon, Pavel. Is this Max?" Alaric asked, nodding towards Pavel's son who didn't look like his father at all. The boy reminded him of Mischa since they both had beautiful curly hair and a beaming handsome face.
Pavel understood what he meant and nodded happily, "Yes, this is Max. He does look like his mother. Come on, Max, greet Mr. Rhi..."
"Good afternoon, Max. My name is Elios Linden. Nice to meet you." Alaric chimed before Pavel could finish speaking his real name.
Pavel immediately realized his mistake and nodded, "Yes ... this is Mr. Elios Linden. Max, say hello."
"Good afternoon." Max greeted in a firm, pleasant voice. It could be seen that the personality of the small child had started to show. He was very pleasant, unlike Pavel who was quiet and had a tendency to be curt.
"You're very clever, Max." Alaric nodded and ruffled the boy's hair. He then looked around. "Can we begin?"
"Of course, Sir." Pavel hurriedly drove his men out of the way so Alaric could enter the main hall.
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Alaric felt that Sophia's eyes were on him so he turned to his cousin and frowned.
"Do you want to say something?" he asked Sophia. The girl gasped and quickly shook her head.
"Uhmm ... no, I was just reminded of something, but it absolutely nothing important," Sophia answered. She tried to sound relaxed as she turned her attention to the wine she was holding. "Let's drink ... this special champagne is made from grapes harvested in the year of your birth. It's 100 years old too, and special."
Ned nodded. A sommelier immediately brought a wine bottle opener and opened the cork. The sommelier then graciously poured a little into a glass to be tasted by the host. After Ned nodded in satisfaction, he poured for each of them into their glass.
Portia led them into a toast by raising her glass, "For the next 100 years."
"For our new leader," Sophia added.
"For the future." Ned nodded.
Alaric nodded slightly, "Thank you."
Portia looked at her adopted son wistfully while finishing her glass. This was the first time she had met Alaric since he recovered and she felt that many things had changed. One of them was that Alaric now almost never smiled. It was regrettable because if he smiled, he would look very similar to his mother.
Portia could only sigh. Maybe Alaric needed some more time to revive his cold heart. His body had healed as before, only his heart did not.
They continued the conversation about their plans. It would be in a new year party where Ned and Portia would announce their new heir and show the world their open support for him to become the new clan leader.
During lunchtime Sophia became distracted. She kept thinking about the name Aleksis, Caspar's daughter. Was that child really dead? Ha, what a coincidence. Sophia hated her. That caused Alexei to be given Death and now her brother lived as a regular human.
Although she and Alexei often fought, blood was still thicker than water. Sophia actually loved her brother very much and would often come secretly to Switzerland and watched Alexei from afar. Her brother now lived alone in a mansion on a hilltop with many servants.
Sophia once stopped by and pretended to be a lost tourist, but Alexei didn't recognize her at all. The feeling of losing her only remaining family was stifling Sophia's heart, and her grudge against Caspar's family burned again.
Hmm ... from their conversation, it was clear that Alaric did not know that Aleksis was Caspar's daughter, Ned and Portia was also not aware of this information. Sophia must thank Caspar for being very protective and not publicly announcing his children.
Lauriel also certainly did not know Alaric was his son because if he knew, there was no way he would help Caspar kill his own biological child. Sophia felt the need to investigate Alaric and Aleksis' past and learn why those two did not know what had happened to each other.
Ha ha ha. It's good that I hand over my family's business to Alaric , Sophia thought happily, Now I have time to investigate Caspar's family. There must be information that I can use against them ...
"The lunch was great, thank you for inviting me," Sophia rose to her feet after finishing her dessert. "I have something important to do. It's time to say goodbye."
"Hmm ..." Alaric nodded.
"Alright. Then I'll wait for you in Glasgow next month to prepare for the new year's party," Portia said, hugging Sophia.
Sophia gracefully walked out of the dining room. Her mind was busy coming up with various scenarios and possibilities. She could not wait to visit Caspar and find out what had happened.
Hmm ... she had to make sure first that the man was not with his jealous wife though.
***
After lunch, Alaric said goodbye to meet with the top management of Splitz. The media company was now led by Pavel.
They planned to launch a new digital experience for its users so they want Alaric to test it first. Before going there he would cut his hair first because he did not want their attention to be focused on his long hair and his delicate, woman-like face.
This was also the first time he would meet Pavel in years. Pavel was now 45 years old and married to an ordinary girl he met at a coffee shop.
Their meeting was quite unique because they always came at the same time. The girl was a writer who sought inspiration by watching people pass by the shop every morning and exactly five minutes after she arrived, Pavel would be coming over to buy his coffee. After meeting for 365 days in a row, Pavel eventually asked her name and they started talking.
Sande, the girl he married, did not know that Pavel was a former assassin. She didn't even know that Pavel was the CEO of Splitz until he proposed to her a year later. They now had a 3-year-old son who sometimes went with Pavel to the office, becoming the employees' beloved young master.
Today, Max, Pavel's son went with his father to the office, as Pavel was eager to introduce him to Alaric. Upon hearing of his boss's arrival in front of the building, Pavel enthusiastically descended from his office into the lobby. With Max in tow, he happily greeted his boss.
"Welcome, good afternoon, Sir. It is very nice to see you healthy," Pavel said, bowing deeply. The directors who followed him exchanged glances with each other, surprised but eventually also bowed. If their boss showed great respect towards the young man who had just come, then they also had to pay their respects too.
Of course, inwardly, they were wondering who the guest was. They had never seen him before.
"Good afternoon, Pavel. Is this Max?" Alaric asked, nodding towards Pavel's son who didn't look like his father at all. The boy reminded him of Mischa since they both had beautiful curly hair and a beaming handsome face.
Pavel understood what he meant and nodded happily, "Yes, this is Max. He does look like his mother. Come on, Max, greet Mr. Rhi..."
"Good afternoon, Max. My name is Elios Linden. Nice to meet you." Alaric chimed before Pavel could finish speaking his real name.
Pavel immediately realized his mistake and nodded, "Yes ... this is Mr. Elios Linden. Max, say hello."
"Good afternoon." Max greeted in a firm, pleasant voice. It could be seen that the personality of the small child had started to show. He was very pleasant, unlike Pavel who was quiet and had a tendency to be curt.
"You're very clever, Max." Alaric nodded and ruffled the boy's hair. He then looked around. "Can we begin?"
"Of course, Sir." Pavel hurriedly drove his men out of the way so Alaric could enter the main hall.
Alaric felt that Sophia's eyes were on him so he turned to his cousin and frowned. "Do you want to say something?" he asked Sophia. The girl gasped and quickly shook her head. "Uhmm ... no, I was just reminded of something, but it absolutely nothing important," Sophia answered. She tried to sound relaxed as she turned her attention to the wine she was holding. "Let's drink ... this special champagne is made from grapes harvested in the year of your birth. It's 100 years old too, and special." Ned nodded. A sommelier immediately brought a wine bottle opener and opened the cork. The sommelier then graciously poured a little into a glass to be tasted by the host. After Ned nodded in satisfaction, he poured for each of them into their glass. Portia led them into a toast by raising her glass, "For the next 100 years." "For our new leader," Sophia added. "For the future." Ned nodded. Alaric nodded slightly, "Thank you." Portia looked at her adopted son wistfully while finishing her glass. This was the first time she had met Alaric since he recovered and she felt that many things had changed. One of them was that Alaric now almost never smiled. It was regrettable because if he smiled, he would look very similar to his mother. Portia could only sigh. Maybe Alaric needed some more time to revive his cold heart. His body had healed as before, only his heart did not. They continued the conversation about their plans. It would be in a new year party where Ned and Portia would announce their new heir and show the world their open support for him to become the new clan leader. During lunchtime Sophia became distracted. She kept thinking about the name Aleksis, Caspar's daughter. Was that child really dead? Ha, what a coincidence. Sophia hated her. That caused Alexei to be given Death and now her brother lived as a regular human. Although she and Alexei often fought, blood was still thicker than water. Sophia actually loved her brother very much and would often come secretly to Switzerland and watched Alexei from afar. Her brother now lived alone in a mansion on a hilltop with many servants. Sophia once stopped by and pretended to be a lost tourist, but Alexei didn't recognize her at all. The feeling of losing her only remaining family was stifling Sophia's heart, and her grudge against Caspar's family burned again. Hmm ... from their conversation, it was clear that Alaric did not know that Aleksis was Caspar's daughter, Ned and Portia was also not aware of this information. Sophia must thank Caspar for being very protective and not publicly announcing his children. Lauriel also certainly did not know Alaric was his son because if he knew, there was no way he would help Caspar kill his own biological child. Sophia felt the need to investigate Alaric and Aleksis' past and learn why those two did not know what had happened to each other. Ha ha ha. It's good that I hand over my family's business to Alaric , Sophia thought happily, Now I have time to investigate Caspar's family. There must be information that I can use against them ... "The lunch was great, thank you for inviting me," Sophia rose to her feet after finishing her dessert. "I have something important to do. It's time to say goodbye." "Hmm ..." Alaric nodded. "Alright. Then I'll wait for you in Glasgow next month to prepare for the new year's party," Portia said, hugging Sophia. Sophia gracefully walked out of the dining room. Her mind was busy coming up with various scenarios and possibilities. She could not wait to visit Caspar and find out what had happened. Hmm ... she had to make sure first that the man was not with his jealous wife though. *** After lunch, Alaric said goodbye to meet with the top management of Splitz. The media company was now led by Pavel. They planned to launch a new digital experience for its users so they want Alaric to test it first. Before going there he would cut his hair first because he did not want their attention to be focused on his long hair and his delicate, woman-like face. This was also the first time he would meet Pavel in years. Pavel was now 45 years old and married to an ordinary girl he met at a coffee shop. Their meeting was quite unique because they always came at the same time. The girl was a writer who sought inspiration by watching people pass by the shop every morning and exactly five minutes after she arrived, Pavel would be coming over to buy his coffee. After meeting for 365 days in a row, Pavel eventually asked her name and they started talking. Sande, the girl he married, did not know that Pavel was a former assassin. She didn't even know that Pavel was the CEO of Splitz until he proposed to her a year later. They now had a 3-year-old son who sometimes went with Pavel to the office, becoming the employees' beloved young master. Today, Max, Pavel's son went with his father to the office, as Pavel was eager to introduce him to Alaric. Upon hearing of his boss's arrival in front of the building, Pavel enthusiastically descended from his office into the lobby. With Max in tow, he happily greeted his boss. "Welcome, good afternoon, Sir. It is very nice to see you healthy," Pavel said, bowing deeply. The directors who followed him exchanged glances with each other, surprised but eventually also bowed. If their boss showed great respect towards the young man who had just come, then they also had to pay their respects too. Of course, inwardly, they were wondering who the guest was. They had never seen him before. "Good afternoon, Pavel. Is this Max?" Alaric asked, nodding towards Pavel's son who didn't look like his father at all. The boy reminded him of Mischa since they both had beautiful curly hair and a beaming handsome face. Pavel understood what he meant and nodded happily, "Yes, this is Max. He does look like his mother. Come on, Max, greet Mr. Rhi..." "Good afternoon, Max. My name is Elios Linden. Nice to meet you." Alaric chimed before Pavel could finish speaking his real name. Pavel immediately realized his mistake and nodded, "Yes ... this is Mr. Elios Linden. Max, say hello." "Good afternoon." Max greeted in a firm, pleasant voice. It could be seen that the personality of the small child had started to show. He was very pleasant, unlike Pavel who was quiet and had a tendency to be curt. "You're very clever, Max." Alaric nodded and ruffled the boy's hair. He then looked around. "Can we begin?" "Of course, Sir." Pavel hurriedly drove his men out of the way so Alaric could enter the main hall.
