Percival, Jasper, and Yuri sat together.
"Mr. Ellington, I hear your company's been keeping tabs on the Seaside Mining project?" Yuri inquired.
Percival did not intend to conceal anything. As he added a slice of strawberry cheesecake to his plate, he said, "Yes, I heard there's a top-notch mine out there, and it's piqued my interest."
Yuri eyed the slice of strawberry cheesecake, saying, "Someone will deliver the contract to you later. As for the details, your company can hash those out... So, Mr. Ellington, you're a fan of strawberry cheesecake?"
"It's Vivienne's favorite." Percival chuckled. "And thanks for the heads-up about the mine, Mr. Perez."
"No need for thanks. We've vetted many companies, and you're the only one with the capacity to take on such a big project."
The group settled back at the table, which was laden with an assortment of dishes.
"Young lady, you should eat up. Look how thin you are," Jasper kept passing dishes to Vivienne, worried she was not eating enough.
Vivienne, unfazed, replied, "I never shortchange my stomach."
"That's right, you can't let your stomach suffer. What you eat is all yours. Dig in."
"You eat too," Vivienne said with a smile, serving Jasper some food.
Yuri felt a pang at the tip of his nose; it had been years since he had seen his father smile so openly.
Zelda squeezed Yuri's hand under the table, a silent comfort.
They all knew that Vivienne's presence had reignited hope in Jasper.
Whether the hope was real or not, they were all genuinely grateful for her presence.
politely declined Jasper's offer to drive them home, choosing instead to walk back with
their retreating figures, his
around, she would be a mother by now,
his granddaughter, holding her close and protecting her with all
head back, Dad," Zelda said, helping Jasper into
"Yuri, keep looking. I have a feeling... There's something about
of traffic, Percival walked hand in hand with Vivienne beside the ginkgo trees lining the roadside. Her long hair, caught by a
really enjoyed dinner tonight," Vivienne suddenly said, her voice low and tinged with mirth, her
back a stray lock of her hair
Vivienne was happy, so
arms spread wide,
been so long since she felt this light, this
more than a
her mother's death, she had not dared to relax for
now, she
walked beside her, looking up
of the Centurial E-sport Hotel tournament played on a giant screen
showed they were both in the audience, eyes
Runic
wrapping an arm around her waist, saying, "Runic Country.
on Helix Country. See you in the
sentiment; having already bested Runic Country once, beating
and asked softly, "How
thought for a moment. Mr. Wolf's money was as good as hers, so that was off
to clean the winner's team's training room
to place a bet. She was well aware that even if she lost, he would never actually let her clean the training room. "What?
playfully tapped her nose, "Alright,
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