Rowena glanced at Alexander and met his gaze. It was just a short moment, but she was stunned by his powerful aura. This man isn’t simple! Coming back to her senses, Rowena said, “Okay, Miss Sinclair! Next time, I’ll tell you in advance before coming over.” Elise gave her a slight nod, then got into Alexander’s car, which slowly revved up and drove off. Without waiting for Alexander to ask, Elise explained, “Miss Anderson is my client. She had a wedding dress custom-made at Brendan’s studio!” Alexander grunted but didn’t point out the Andersons’ current situation.
He simply said, “Don’t get too close to the Andersons! Just having normal interactions is fine.” Elise nodded as she didn’t want to get too involved with the Anderson Family either. “I know.” As the car drove along the road, Elise looked out the window at the hectic atmosphere of Tissote. It was obviously a familiar city, but it conveyed a different mood. The car ended up in a magnificent villa district east of Tissote, where the scenery was beautiful. The car was parked steadily in the courtyard of the innermost villa. Right after the engine was turned off, a servant came over and greeted politely, “Mr. Griffith!”
Alexander got out of the car before half-hugging Elise, then nodded slightly. He looked as he usually did, with no extra expressions on his face. “Mr. Griffith, this way please…” Elise immediately followed Alexander into the hall, where they walked through the corridor to the back yard. From a distance, she saw a figure trimming plants with a pair of scissors. “Madam, Mr. Griffith has arrived!” The woman stopped what she was doing and turned around with a smile as she looked at Alexander.
“Alex, you’re here.” Then, her gaze traveled to Elise, and her smile grew even brighter. “You must be Elise!” Surprised that she knew her name, Elise quickly called out, “Hello, Madam!” The woman set down the tool in her hand and handed it to the servant beside her. “Elise, Alex calls me Miss Vera, so you can just call me that too.” Upon that, Elise hurriedly said, “Nice to meet you, Miss Vera!” “I’ve heard that Alex has a beautiful fiancée. Now that I’m meeting you, it seems like that’s true.” “Miss Vera, you’re being too kind,” Elise remarked sheepishly, but Vera continued to tease her.
“Take off your mask and show me what the girl who has stolen Alex’s heart looks like.” Only then did Elise realize that she was still wearing a mask, so she apologized. “I’m sorry, Miss Vera. I’m too used to wearing a mask every day.” Then, Elise took off her mask and revealed her delicate face. To their surprise, Vera’s smile visibly stiffened in the next second, and her movements were disrupted. She stared at Elise in astonishment. “Y-You!” Incredulity was written all over Vera’s face, which left Elise and Alexander dumbfounded. Elise, in particular, found the look in Vera’s eyes to be a bit strange.
“Miss Vera, what’s the matter?” Alexander asked. Only then did Vera return to her senses, and she quickly hid her strange behavior. “Nothing. I’m fine… I’m sorry, Elise. I lost myself for a while there.” Vera quickly retracted her gaze. It was a brief confusion; she didn’t even know what to do with her hands. For a moment, her strange behavior made Elise’s heart thump. She had the distinct feeling that Vera had something to say, but she didn’t end up saying anything. “Alex… Elise… please take a seat. I’ll go get changed, then I’ll come down.” With that, Vera rushed off, leaving a puzzled and frowning Elise, who tugged on Alexander’s arm and asked softly, “What’s wrong with Miss Vera?”
Alexander noticed Vera’s unusual behavior as well, but he assured Elise, “She’s fine.” At this moment, Vera went upstairs and closed the room door with a slam. Then, she ran to the dressing table in a panic and opened the innermost drawer, which contained a brocade box. Taking out the box, she hesitated for a while before opening it. Inside the box was an old black and white photo of a young woman. Upon closer look, it could be seen that the woman in the photo looked similar to Elise. Half an hour later, Vera hurried downstairs. She didn’t rush over to them but hid at the entrance and carefully studied Elise, who was in the courtyard.
Elise seemed to have sensed her gaze, as she turned around and their eyes met. Vera quickly calmed herself down and walked toward them. “Miss Vera! Are you all right?” Elise asked. Vera stared unblinkingly at her as she walked up to Elise. Then, she took Elise’s hand and said, “Elise, for some reason, I felt a sense of familiarity the moment I saw you. Where are you from? Is it Tissote?” Elise explained, “My hometown is on the outskirts of Kervia, not Tissote.” When Vera heard this, she was a little surprised. “Not Tissote…” she muttered. “Miss Vera, what’s the matter?”
Vera quickly returned to her senses. “No, it’s nothing! Alex, since this is Elise’s first time here, you should show her around.” Elise still felt that Vera was being strange, but she couldn’t tell exactly what was odd. “Miss Vera, when will Mr. Parker be back?” Vera visibly froze, then said, “There was a problem at the office, so I’m afraid he won’t be able to come back today. But that’s not an issue. We can meet again next time.”
After that, Vera picked up the tea cup in front of her and drank a huge sip of tea. After having lunch at Vera’s house, Elise and Alexander left during the late afternoon. When they were about to leave, Vera pulled Elise aside and handed her an envelope. “Elise, this is a welcome gift for you! Now that you’re attending school at Tissote, you can come and visit with Alex more often.” Looking at the envelope in her hand, Elise felt a little embarrassed, but Alexander urged, “Take it! It’s a token of Miss Vera’s regard.”
Hence, Elise accepted it. “Thank you, Miss Vera!” “You’re welcome. Have a safe journey back!” As Vera watched them leave, her smile gradually disappeared. The butler saw this and hurriedly asked, “Madam, what’s the matter?” Vera regained her composure and concealed her emotions. “It’s nothing.”
