"Aunt Emily, why are you crying?"
Ava only now noticed Emily's unusual behavior and asked in a panic.
This ice-cold beauty was actually crying!
"It's nothing, just a bug flew into my eye!"
Emily gently wiped her tears, rubbed her eyes, and spoke softly.
Ava, being young and naive, didn't question it.
But really—a top-tier mage, taken down by a tiny bug? Unlikely.
Emily continued, "I haven't paid much attention to the outside world these years. Tell me about Apollo."
At the mention of Apollo, Ava's eyes lit up. After witnessing his stunning appearance earlier, she was beyond excited and launched into an enthusiastic explanation:
"Oh, you're asking the right person! I've done my research. He's a legend! Zero magical talent, yet he laid the foundation for the Smith family's rise. He's their spiritual pillar!"
"He single-handedly raised his two younger brothers, playing both father and brother. His influence shaped them, especially the youngest—who once searched the entire continent for him, even braving forbidden lands, but never found him."
"How he managed to stay undetected as a powerless ordinary man in the family? That's still a mystery!"
"Before he disappeared, he wrote the Smith family's code of conduct. It's still followed today and is one reason their family is so disciplined and successful."
"Rumor has it, Apollo lived this long because he accidentally consumed an immortality potion in his youth, extending his life for millennia."
"Seeing how young he looks, the rumors must be true. But with ten thousand years gone… he probably doesn't have much time left."
Hearing this, Emily's heart clenched.
He… is going to die?
After abandoning her for so long, without even an apology, he'd just… die like that?
No. He didn't deserve such an easy end. She should be the one to kill him!
Emily thought of all the heartache she'd endured over the years and hardened her resolve.
But… what if it wasn't him? What if they just looked alike?
What if this man was truly the Smith family's ancestor? Killing him would mean disaster for her already declining Johnson family.
And…
Even if it was him, what if he'd had no choice back then?
Emily's heart wavered again.
Meanwhile, Apollo was panicking.
He was literally on death's doorstep, and now they wanted him to marry?
And with young, beautiful women?!
If word got out, people would call him a dirty old man!
Sure, he could be a scoundrel—but only by his own actions! Being framed as one? Unacceptable.
"Better to die with a clean reputation than live with a tarnished one."
He cleared his throat and addressed the crowd:
"Ahem. Honored guests, please enjoy the feast. As for marriage…"
The moment he spoke, his magnetic voice sent another wave of admirers into a swoon.
Handsome, a voice like melted gold, and nobility to boot?
This was the ultimate sugar daddy!
But to Emily, his voice struck like lightning.
It was him.
No mistake. Absolutely him.
When he uttered the words "as for marriage," she snapped.
A surge of fury—mixed with something else, something complicated—flooded through her.
You abandoned me for years, and now you're publicly taking a wife?
If you were going to marry, why not me back then?!
And you're a walking corpse! How dare you prey on young women now!
Not only that, but he was using the Smith family's influence to do it!
Emily glanced around at the crowd of stunning young ladies—including her own niece, Ava—and her rage boiled over.
Disgusting. Trash. A beast in human skin!
"Link! You heartless scoundrel!"
Her sharp cry cut through the hall, silencing Apollo mid-sentence.
The crowd gasped.
Who dared cause trouble at a Smith family banquet? Had they lost their mind?!
All eyes turned toward the voice.
There stood a breathtaking beauty, face icy, eyes blazing, her delicate finger pointed accusingly.
Some recognized her—Emily, the woman rumored to have been abandoned by a playboy.
Had she finally found him here? Talk about bad luck!
Link? Was that the scoundrel's name?
But… who was Link?
The crowd buzzed with excitement. A juicy scandal at a noble banquet? This was better than dessert!
They craned their necks, eager to see the face of the man who'd dared break such a woman's heart.
But as they followed Emily's finger…
Their jaws dropped.
No way.
She was pointing at…
Apollo?!
The room collectively short-circuited.
Wait, Link is Apollo?!
Apollo is the legendary heartbreaker?!
This scandal was way bigger than expected. Some quick-thinking guests edged toward the exit—this was the kind of drama that got witnesses silenced.
As for Apollo?
He felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
Link—one of his many aliases from his wilder days.
(Obviously, when you're doing shady romantic escapades, you don't use your real name.)
Staring at Emily's achingly familiar face, Apollo's stomach twisted.
Karma's a bitch, huh?
Even though he had zero intention of marrying now, he still felt like a cheating husband caught red-handed.
Help! Emergency! Ex-girlfriend confrontation at family banquet!
What do I do?!
Someone send advice! NOW!
He'd imagined countless scenarios of running into exes—but never like this.
And to make it worse, the woman being set up with him was his ex's niece.
Even for a man with skin as thick as Apollo's, this was mortifying.
Right now, he really wished the floor would swallow him whole.