Noah and his family had received an invitation to a special celebration hosted by the Moklan family. In the city, the Moklans were considered the second most powerful and wealthy family, ranking only behind Noah's own family, the Rekbosans. For Noah, attending high-class events like this had always been a normal part of life. Even after his marriage in his previous life, he had constantly been dragged into parties, business gatherings, and countless formal events.
The Moklan family had three heirs who would eventually inherit the family's enormous fortune. This particular party was being held to celebrate the engagement of their eldest son, Mason. Mason and Noah were the same age, and over the years they had become fairly close friends. Because of that, Noah had no excuse to skip the engagement ceremony no matter how unwilling he might have been.
"Noah, I heard our little cousin is coming today. He's also going to the party with us."
Noah had been helping Lily organize her room after she forced him into helping her. But the moment he heard those words, his hands stopped moving. He slowly turned to look at her.
"When? Mom didn't even tell me."
His expression remained calm and indifferent, but Lily instantly saw through him.
Noah's little cousin was the son of his uncle. His name was Mowan, a ten-year-old child who practically charmed everyone the moment they saw him. He was unbelievably cute to the point where people joked they would die from his cuteness. Surprisingly, despite everyone doting on him, Mowan had always been especially attached to Noah.
The two of them shared a bond far deeper than ordinary cousins.
Mowan once had an older brother who was the same age as Noah and even resembled him slightly. That brother had loved Mowan dearly, but he passed away at a young age due to illness. His death had left a painful emptiness in the little boy's heart.
Then Noah appeared in his life.
Somehow, Mowan found comfort in Noah's presence. He smiled more, laughed more, and slowly became cheerful again. Because of that, Noah's uncle and aunt had practically begged Noah to stay close to their son and continue treating him kindly.
But there had never been a need for them to ask.
Noah himself had completely fallen for Mowan's adorable personality long ago. He genuinely loved the little boy and spoiled him endlessly. Before anyone realized it, the two of them had become inseparable.
Hearing that Mowan was coming made Noah secretly excited. Still, he stubbornly maintained a calm face, unwilling to embarrass himself in front of Lily.
Unfortunately for him, his acting was terrible.
"Hey, who are you trying to fool?" Lily scoffed. "I can already tell you're happy. Stop pretending and just smile like a normal person, idiot."
For some reason, she sounded annoyed. Maybe she had expected a more obvious reaction because she genuinely liked seeing Noah smile.
Seeing her irritation, Noah immediately abandoned his act. He walked toward her and began behaving spoiled, deliberately leaning against her shoulder and acting cute. In front of Noah's shameless spoiled behavior, nobody in the family could ever win.
"Ah! Stop it already," Lily groaned, trying to push him away while hiding her laughter. "Uncle called yesterday. They won't be attending the party themselves. Only Mowan is coming. So you can spend all the time you want with him."
"Only him?" Noah asked. "Why?"
"Did you forget already?" Lily flicked his forehead lightly. "Didn't Uncle mention they're leaving for London next week? They have an important meeting there, so they won't be able to attend the engagement party. They'll already be traveling by then."
"London...?"
Noah frowned slightly.
It was understandable that he didn't remember. Technically, it hadn't even been a full week since his rebirth. His mind was still flooded with memories from his previous life, while at the same time he struggled to remember details from this point in time. Sometimes it felt exhausting.
"Ah, right," Noah quickly said, pretending he remembered now. "London... yeah, I remember Uncle mentioning it."
Then he immediately returned to organizing the room before Lily could ask more questions.
Still, after a few seconds, he spoke again.
"So... when will he arrive?"
Lily looked at him and almost burst out laughing at the obvious excitement in his voice.
"In the evening," she replied. "Be patient until then."
"Mmm."
The rest of the afternoon passed slowly for Noah.
Finally, when evening arrived, a small figure rushed into the house the moment the front door opened.
The little boy had soft brown hair that reached his neck and warm brown eyes filled with excitement. The instant Mowan spotted Noah standing there waiting for him, he ran straight toward him without hesitation.
"Noah!"
Before Noah could even respond properly, the boy had already thrown himself into his arms.
Noah hugged him tightly in return.
He had truly missed him.
The two of them stayed like that for a long time, neither willing to let go first. In the end, they were only separated because Noah's uncle stepped forward with an amused laugh.
"Ha... Mowan, how come you never hug us like that, but cling to him immediately?"
It was Mowan's father.
He shook his head helplessly while watching the two boys.
"Uncle, how have you been?" Noah asked politely.
Unlike many others in the family, Noah genuinely respected his uncle.
In his previous life, this man had treated him kindly even after Noah's marriage. He had even gifted William an expensive apartment after the wedding. Yet William, being shameless as always, had insulted Noah's uncle behind his back despite receiving such generosity.
Just remembering that man made Noah's chest fill with disgust.
But when Noah looked at his uncle and Mowan standing before him now, his mood improved again.
"We're doing fine," his uncle replied warmly while patting Noah's shoulder. "Your aunt wanted to see you too, but she had to leave early because of some issue with the flight tickets. She's already at the airport and will come back later."
"Tell her I missed her," Noah said with a soft smile.
That answer stunned everyone nearby.
His aunt had also cared deeply for him in his previous life. During the countless nights when William hurt him, Noah had hidden his injuries from the rest of the family because he didn't want them to worry. It was his aunt who secretly treated his wounds and protected his secrets every single time.
To Noah, she had been someone trustworthy and comforting.
But hearing him openly say he missed her was surprising.
Especially for his uncle.
Noah had never been particularly expressive toward them before. In fact, he usually kept his distance emotionally. Recently, however, his behavior had changed so much that even his family had become used to being shocked by him daily.
Still, his uncle only smiled warmly.
"I'll tell her," he promised before turning toward his son.
"And you," he said sternly, though amusement lingered in his eyes, "behave properly and listen to Noah."
"Yes, Father."
Even while answering, Mowan's eyes never left Noah.
After chatting for a little longer, his uncle finally left to meet his wife at the airport.
The moment he disappeared, Noah immediately grabbed Mowan's hand and dragged him upstairs toward his room.
"Noah! I missed you so much!" Mowan exclaimed excitedly the second they entered the room. "Did you miss me too?"
"Mmm," Noah replied while gently pinching his cheek. "I missed you a lot. Since we're together now, we can play all day."
"Yeah! Noah is the best!"
The little boy happily climbed onto Noah's chair like he owned the place.
Watching him made Noah laugh quietly.
The two spent the next several hours together, talking, playing games, and bothering each other nonstop until nearly seven in the evening. Eventually Lily called them downstairs so they could choose outfits for tomorrow's party.
Mowan insisted on wearing clothes similar to Noah's.
Noah himself barely cared and randomly selected a black suit before returning upstairs with the child.
Not long after, Mowan fell asleep first while hugging Noah's arm tightly.
Since Noah was tired as well, he slowly drifted to sleep beside him.
Later that night, Sheli quietly entered the room.
The sight before her instantly melted her heart.
The two boys were sleeping peacefully while hugging each other tightly, looking incredibly warm and comfortable together. Smiling softly, she carefully left without making a sound, unwilling to disturb them.
But while Mowan slept peacefully, Noah was trapped in nightmares once again.
His body trembled slightly in his sleep.
Tears slipped silently from his closed eyes.
Ever since his rebirth, the painful memories of his previous life had haunted him every single night. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape them. The fear, helplessness, humiliation, and pain returned again and again like endless torture.
Each night left him exhausted and emotionally drained.
Yet every morning, when he opened his eyes and saw his loving family around him, it felt as if the darkness temporarily disappeared.
Still, the lingering pain never truly faded.
The next day, the entire city buzzed with excitement for Mason's engagement party.
Every influential business family would attend because the Moklan family had personally invited them all.
That also meant Noah would inevitably see William there.
The thought disgusted him.
But Noah had already prepared himself mentally. No matter what happened this time, he would not allow himself to become weak again.
By evening, everyone in the Rekbosan family had finished getting ready.
Noah wore the black suit he had casually selected the previous night.
The moment he stepped out, the entire family stared at him in shock.
Noah was unbelievably handsome.
The perfectly fitted black suit made him look every bit like the elegant young master of a powerful family. His dark hair, long enough to brush against his neck, rested loosely over his shoulders. Combined with his calm expression and sharp features, the overall appearance was stunning.
"When did he become this handsome?" Lia asked in disbelief while staring at him openly.
Lily snorted.
"He was always handsome. That idiot just acted like a fool all the time before, so nobody noticed properly."
At that moment, another small voice interrupted them.
"Noah! Look at me! Am I handsome too?"
It was Mowan.
The child was wearing a miniature suit nearly identical to Noah's because he insisted on matching him.
The moment Noah saw him, he nearly lost control of his expression.
The child was ridiculously adorable.
"What am I supposed to do with this cuteness...?" Noah thought helplessly.
"Yeah," he finally answered while trying not to laugh. "You're the most handsome one."
"Super!"
Mowan shouted proudly.
"Is everyone ready?" David asked after checking the time. "We should leave now."
"Yeah," Sheli agreed. "If we delay any longer, we'll arrive late."
Soon, the entire family entered the car and headed toward the luxurious hotel where the engagement celebration was being held.
Luckily, they arrived exactly on time.
But the moment they stepped inside the grand entrance hall, Noah's expression darkened slightly.
Because the very first person they saw approaching them...
...was William.
"What perfect timing," Noah thought bitterly.
Still, he remained silent because too many people surrounded them.
William walked over with a bright smile that Noah now found utterly fake and disgusting.
"Hello, Uncle... Aunty," William greeted politely before turning toward Noah. "It's only been three days since we last met, but it already feels like a long time. How have you been, Noah?"