"I'm fine, thank you," Noah replied politely before immediately turning toward his parents, silently hoping they would somehow save him from the clingy existence known as William.
In his previous life, he had attended this same engagement party together with William instead of accompanying his family. Because of that, the entire atmosphere around him now felt strangely unfamiliar. The people were the same, the place was the same, yet the scenes unfolding before him were completely different from what he remembered.
It left Noah feeling slightly confused.
"Noah! I thought you wouldn't come!"
A familiar voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to reality.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
A young man dressed in a perfectly tailored white suit walked toward them confidently. His sharp blue eyes immediately attracted attention, and his handsome appearance made him stand out effortlessly among the crowd.
"Mason," Noah greeted with a smile while shaking his hand. "Why would you think that? Of course I'd attend my friend's engagement party."
It was Mason himself, the main star of tonight's celebration.
"Yeah, I know," Mason laughed. "You'd never miss my engagement."
Then his expression changed slightly as he glanced at William standing nearby.
"Why are you still standing here?" Mason asked casually before immediately turning toward Noah's parents with a bright smile. "Uncle, Aunty, come with me. Let me guide you to your seats."
Without sparing William another glance, Mason led Noah's family toward one of the reserved tables.
William's face stiffened instantly.
"How dare this guy ignore me?" he thought angrily.
Being dismissed so openly in front of others embarrassed him badly. He glared at Noah before finally leaving with an ugly expression.
Recently, William's patience had been wearing thinner and thinner. Ever since Noah suddenly started avoiding him and acting differently, nothing had been going according to his expectations anymore.
At first, William thought Noah was merely upset and trying to gain attention.
But now?
Now it felt as if Noah genuinely wanted nothing to do with him.
And William hated that feeling.
"Noah, are you okay?" Lily asked quietly once William disappeared into the crowd. "Should we just throw him out?"
Noah immediately looked at her in alarm.
"Sis," he whispered sharply, "what nonsense are you talking about? This isn't our place. Stop acting recklessly."
He knew Lily better than anyone.
Once she got angry, she completely stopped caring about consequences or surroundings. She would absolutely create chaos if someone provoked her enough.
"Tsk." Lily crossed her arms. "I'm not some random guest here. I'm the girlfr-"
She suddenly stopped herself midway.
"Never mind," she muttered. "You're way too soft. If that idiot troubles you again, either kick him yourself or call me. I'll gladly beat him up for you."
"Okay, okay," Noah replied helplessly before quickly turning toward Mowan to avoid listening to more threats.
Soon after, the main couple began moving around the hall to greet guests personally.
Mason's fiancée turned out to be a gentle and elegant young woman from another influential business family. From what Noah remembered hearing, this engagement was likely arranged for business purposes as well.
Still, the two of them genuinely looked happy together.
Because of that, Noah decided not to think deeply about it.
Instead, he focused on playing with Mowan, who stubbornly refused to let go of Noah's hand even for a second.
"Noah, can I talk to you for a moment?"
At first, Noah instinctively assumed the voice belonged to William again.
But when he turned around, he saw someone else entirely.
"Chris?"
The moment Noah recognized him, his expression brightened slightly.
"It's been a long time. What is it?"
The person standing before him was Chris Moklan, Mason's younger brother and the second son of the Moklan family.
Compared to Mason, Noah had always been even closer to Chris. Sometimes their friendship felt more natural and comfortable than his friendship with Mason.
"I need your help with something," Chris said seriously.
Noah blinked in surprise.
In his previous life, a conversation like this had never happened before.
"Why are things changing so much this time?" Noah thought silently before forcing himself to stay calm.
"Tell me," Noah replied. "What happened?"
Unexpectedly, Chris's face turned slightly red.
His cheeks flushed with visible nervousness.
Noah stared at him blankly.
'Wait… why is he blushing?'
"I…" Chris hesitated before speaking quickly, as if he had been gathering courage for a long time. "I want to become part of your family. I...You...Mm..Th-"
Chris stuttered and Noah froze.
His mind immediately misunderstood the situation.
"No way…" he thought in horror. "Does he like me?"
For a brief second, Noah began panicking internally.
"I can't accept that! I'll have to reject him carefully… politely… yeah, I should reject him gently before-"
"I like your sister."
Chris's next sentence nearly made Noah choke on air.
His entire train of thought shattered instantly.
"What?"
The embarrassment hit him so hard he almost wanted to disappear on the spot.
"Thank god I didn't say anything out loud," Noah screamed internally. "I would've embarrassed myself to death. Why did I immediately assume it was about me?!"
Meanwhile, Chris completely misunderstood Noah's horrified silence.
"You… don't like me?" Chris asked nervously.
"Huh?" Noah blinked rapidly. "Why would I like you? Aren't you asking about my sister?"
Chris looked equally confused.
"Mm… your sister told me I should ask for your permission first," he explained shyly. "If you agree, then I can marry her."
"But why my permission?" Noah muttered in disbelief before sighing. "Never mind. I don't object."
Then Noah narrowed his eyes seriously.
"But listen carefully," he warned. "Take good care of her. My sister is calm and innocent, so don't make her cry. And if you hurt her, I'll personally separate both of you."
Chris stared at him awkwardly.
"Ah… calm and innocent?" he repeated slowly. "Honestly, I've never seen that version of your sister before…"
"Wait," Noah suddenly interrupted. "Which sister are you talking about?"
Chris blinked.
"Lily, obviously."
Noah nearly lost his balance.
"No way!"
Chris looked terrified by Noah's reaction.
"Why are you reacting like this?" he asked nervously. "You don't want me dating her?"
"No, no, that's not it," Noah said quickly. "I'm just shocked. You seriously like Lily?"
There were several reasons why Noah found this unbelievable.
First, none of this had happened in his previous life.
Second, Chris was a gentle and refined young master while Lily was… well, Lily.
She was loud, impatient, aggressive, and terrifying when angry.
Third, Lily herself had once confidently declared she would never marry someone "similar" to her.
Noah still had absolutely no idea what she meant by that.
"Noah," Chris said helplessly, "your sister and I are already dating. I just needed your approval before we told the families officially."
"You're already together?!" Noah exclaimed. "And she never told me?"
He felt both confused and slightly offended.
"Why ask for my permission instead of our parents' permission?" he wondered bitterly.
Still, Noah sighed.
"Fine. I have no objections."
Chris immediately looked relieved.
"Thank you," he said happily. "Looks like we'll become family soon."
Then he winked teasingly at Noah before walking away while humming cheerfully.
Noah watched him leave with a complicated expression.
"Lily really planned this perfectly just to embarrass me…"
Shaking his head, Noah returned to his family's table.
The moment he arrived, Lily immediately stared at him suspiciously.
"What?" Noah muttered. "I already said yes. You planned all this, didn't you?"
Lily coughed awkwardly.
"I was just worried you wouldn't approve of him."
"Why wouldn't I?" Noah sighed before suddenly grinning mischievously. "Although… I do feel bad for Chris."
"Why?" Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"I'm worried he'll end up hospitalized every day after marrying you," Noah whispered dramatically. "You're terrifying. My poor friend."
"YOU-!"
Lily punched him hard in the shoulder before turning away angrily.
Noah laughed quietly.
Then he suddenly noticed something strange.
"Mowan?"
The little boy was no longer beside him.
Immediately, Noah's smile disappeared.
He quickly asked Lia and Lily if they had seen him.
Neither of them had.
A strange uneasiness instantly settled in Noah's chest.
Without wasting another second, he hurried through the crowded hall searching everywhere for the child.
But Mowan was nowhere to be found.
After checking nearly the entire ballroom, Noah finally decided to search outside.
However, just as he reached the exit,
"Noah!!!"
A crying voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
Noah turned sharply.
Mowan was running toward him while sobbing uncontrollably.
The moment the child reached him, Noah immediately picked him up into his arms.
"Mowan," Noah said gently while holding him tightly, "I'm sorry. I was distracted talking to someone. What happened? Why are you crying?"
The little boy buried his face against Noah's shoulder while trembling.
Around them, guests slowly began staring at the scene unfolding before their eyes.
"Noah…" Mowan cried weakly. "He's scary… he hit me…"
The moment Noah heard those words, something inside him snapped.
Someone hit Mowan?
His body instantly stiffened with rage.
Noah loved this child more than almost anything. Even hearing someone scold Mowan harshly was enough to upset him.
So the thought of someone physically hurting him...
Lily immediately sensed Noah's dangerous mood and hurried toward him.
"Noah, calm down," she whispered urgently.
But Noah barely heard her.
"Mowan," he asked softly while trying to control himself, "who did it?"
As the child slowly lifted his head, Noah finally saw it clearly.
A red handprint covered the left side of Mowan's face.
Someone had slapped him hard enough to leave visible marks.
The sight made Noah's vision darken with fury.
Even the surrounding guests looked horrified after noticing the child's swollen cheek.
"Does it hurt?" Noah asked quietly while gently touching the injured skin.
"A little…" Mowan whispered before flinching painfully.
Noah knew he was lying to comfort him.
There was no way it only hurt "a little."
Mowan was still just a child.
"Who the hell did this?"
Noah's voice suddenly exploded throughout the hall.
The entire ballroom fell silent instantly.
"Come out before I personally create a scene here!"
His furious shout stunned everyone.
The gentle and quiet young master people were familiar with had completely disappeared.
Standing there now was a terrifyingly angry Noah Rekbosan.
Despite being only nineteen years old, his presence alone made people feel pressured.
And, they realised the son also looked terrifying when angry just ike the father. And when not, they are the sweetest people on earth.
Alas, it shouldn't surprising.
He was the son of the most powerful family in the entire city.
And, he has so much power.
Except, the young master himself didn't understand it properly in his last life.
"There's no one?" Noah shouted again coldly.
Lily stepped forward beside him.
"Whoever touched our family's child should apologize immediately," she said sharply. "Or do you really want to offend the Rekbosan family?"
Fear spread among the guests instantly.
Everyone knew one thing clearly,
Making enemies with the Rekbosans was practically suicide.
"Mowan," Noah said again, softening his voice immediately for the child, "show me who it was."
The trembling little boy slowly raised his hand and pointed toward someone standing among the crowd.
"It's him…"
The guests quickly moved aside, exposing the person hiding behind them.
Nervous and pale-faced...
Frozen in fear.
The moment people realized it was him, they immediately distanced themselves to avoid getting involved.
"Is it really him?" Noah asked carefully, wanting to confirm once more.
Mowan clutched Noah's coat tightly and hid behind him.
"It's him…"
Noah slowly lifted his eyes toward him.
His expression was terrifyingly calm now.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself…"
Noah's cold voice echoed through the silent hall.
"…William?"