Chapter 21

Around dusk, the sky was painted in brilliant shades of red. Inside the Wallace family's old estate, everyone was gathered around the dining table. "Jasper, what happened to your eye?" Jasper had a nasty black eye, and Sandra couldn't help but ask. Instinctively, Jasper glanced at Gabriel. Gabriel was casually holding a clear glass of water, sipping without much expression. The moment Jasper looked his way, Gabriel's fingers tensed slightly around the cup, and a quiet, icy aura surrounded him. "I... I just tripped." Jasper quickly answered. "So careless. And you smell like a bar. Cut down on the drinking," Sandra scolded, shaking her head. "Yes, Grandma," Jasper mumbled, hanging his head, not daring to say more. Sandra looked around the table, then turned to Aurora. "Where's Dylan? Why didn't he come for dinner?" "Oh, Grandma, he had an extracurricular class this afternoon, so we picked him up early." As Aurora answered, she couldn't help but glance at Lilah. Lilah was sipping water to