Leigh Miles nodded.
"If you want one, you can go to The Stone-Wood House and commission one from Master Stone. But he only makes things he finds interesting. If your design doesn't catch his eye, he won't do it. Unless... ah, forget it!"
"Don't just forget it! Unless what?" Beta Morgan knew masters like him were often eccentric, so he pressed for an answer.
"Unless my senior sister is here. Master Stone will make anything for her, no questions asked!"
"Then your senior sister..."
"Is not here!" Leigh Miles finished pouring the water, then picked up an axe from the yard and started chopping firewood.
He split the logs in two with clean, swift strokes.
Beta Morgan grew anxious. "Do you know where she went? When will she be back?"
"Ahem..."
Master Aerion suddenly started coughing. Leigh Miles glanced at them but didn't answer, continuing to chop wood intently.
Beta Morgan looked back at Alvin Morgan, then cupped his fists respectfully at Master Aerion. "Master Aerion, we would be grateful if you could introduce us to Master Stone. The Morgan Family will reward you generously!"
Master Aerion stroked his beard, chuckling as he looked at them. "An introduction is no problem, but as for getting him to make something..."
"That's alright. Whether we succeed or not, the Morgan Family will still offer a generous reward!"
But the owner of The Stone-Wood House, a large, slovenly man, suddenly shut his doors on all visitors. He even yelled angrily at Master Aerion, "Don't come back until Rory returns!"
「 」
At four in the afternoon, a black sedan pulled into the VIP parking lot of an airport.
Arthur Lockwood eagerly opened the car door. "Morgan, you're finally here! I was just dying of laughter!"
He was the sole heir of the Lockwood Family of Kingsford. Doted on endlessly, he had developed a supremely arrogant personality, fearing nothing and no one. Even Master Lockwood couldn't control him.
Only Alvin Morgan had a way of handling him, so the Lockwood Family let him run with Alvin.
This time, when Alvin Morgan came to Kenton, the Lockwood Family—which controlled Veridia's transportation industry—naturally helped cover his tracks. Despite their efforts, The Shadow Organization still found an opening to exploit along the way.
As soon as Arthur Lockwood heard about it, he couldn't sit still. Using his family's resources, he rushed to Kenton in less than two hours, insisting on waiting to return to Kingsford with Alvin Morgan.
And there, at the airport, he witnessed a complete farce...
「 」
「Two hours earlier.」
Aurora Sinclair appeared at the airport loaded with bags of all sizes and carrying a live chicken, immediately drawing stares from everyone around.
Airport security immediately moved in to question her, telling her in no uncertain terms to take the chicken out of the terminal.
Aurora Sinclair didn't understand why, since Sue Quinn had already passed smoothly through the security checkpoint. She wanted to chase after her, but these people kept blocking her path.
"Matron Quinn—!"
Sue Quinn acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, her pace never faltering as she moved farther and farther away.
Aurora Sinclair quickly weaved around them, starting a game of cat and mouse with the security personnel trying to corner her.
Despite being weighed down by so much luggage, her steps were light and she moved with effortless grace.
The security guards, on the other hand, were exhausted and utterly exasperated.
A crowd of onlookers gathered, many filming with their phones. The security guards still couldn't catch Aurora Sinclair and felt like she was making fools of them, so they called the police.
Aurora Sinclair knew what the police were. Master Aerion had told her that if she ever saw people in that uniform, she had to be obedient and do as they said.
So, she was forcibly taken away by the police.
This entire spectacle was witnessed by Arthur Lockwood, who had just rushed into Kenton. He laughed so hard his stomach hurt.
He immediately had someone investigate Aurora Sinclair's identity, and her status as the Second Miss of the Sinclair Family of Kingsford was quickly exposed.
"Hahaha! Things are about to get interesting for the Sinclair Family. Their useless Second Miss is back!"
「 」
「The Lockwood Family's VIP lounge at the airport.」
Beta Morgan prepared a cup of Hou Kui tea for Alvin Morgan.
Listening to Young Master Lockwood's teasing, he asked in confusion, "What about the Sinclairs? Are they just going to let her be taken to the police station?"
"Beta, you just don't get it, do you? In Kingsford, no matter the size of the family—especially those with many heirs—this kind of dirty business is common. This Second Miss must have gotten in someone's way in the Sinclair Family, so they're putting her in her place before she even walks through the door!"
Arthur Lockwood spoke like a seasoned expert, pouring himself a cup of tea as well.
"The Second Miss Sinclair? Could it be that car we saw on the road..."
Before Beta Morgan could finish, Alvin Morgan shot a cool glance at Arthur Lockwood. "Jayden, go get her out."
"Huh?"
"Beta Morgan, you go with him."
Arthur Lockwood was stunned. He stared at Alvin Morgan for a long moment, and seeing that he wasn't joking, he accepted the order and left.
The police station was located inside the airport, very close to the VIP lounge.
In less than ten minutes, Beta Morgan was in an interrogation room, looking at the very Second Miss Sinclair whom his own master had personally ordered to be brought out.
"How is it her?"
Beta Morgan muttered aloud, making Arthur Lockwood burn with curiosity. "Beta, what's going on? What's her relationship with Morgan?"
Watching the girl through the one-way glass, Beta Morgan replied lightly, "She's the one who saved Dixon's life."
"What the hell! Did I hear that right?"
'The savior of a Great Martial Master? Just how badass is she?'
「 」
Meanwhile, in the Sinclair Family's VIP lounge, Sue Quinn sipped the light tea a Sinclair servant had handed her and asked nonchalantly, "How long has it been?"
A servant glanced at the wall clock and replied respectfully, "Almost two hours."
"Mm, let's wait a bit longer." With her meticulously manicured nails, Sue Quinn lifted the teacup to her lips for another sip, the very picture of someone in charge.
The servant wasn't as calm as she was, his eyes filled with apprehension. "Matron Quinn, what if something goes wrong?"
"She was the one who insisted on bringing the chicken on the plane, and she's the one who caused a scene at the airport..."
"But..."
Sue Quinn's expression hardened. She shot him a look, and the servant swallowed the words he was about to say.
The minutes ticked by.
When the two-hour mark finally arrived, the servant anxiously looked at Sue Quinn.
She sneered. "Go on, then."
The servant breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike Sue Quinn, who had the backing of the First Lady of the Sinclair House, he was just an ordinary servant of the Sinclair Family.
After watching him leave, Sue Quinn sneered again and dialed a number in Kingsford. "Madam, the Second Miss caused a scene at the airport and was arrested by the police. I'm sending someone to get her out now! I've sent the video to your phone..."
Less than ten minutes later, the servant ran back, his face pale and covered in sweat. "Matron Quinn, the Second Miss was taken away by the Lockwood Family!"
"What—!"
Sue Quinn slammed her cup down on the table and shot to her feet.
She had wanted to put Aurora Sinclair in her place because the girl had embarrassed her, but that didn't mean she wanted to see Aurora taken away for offending the Lockwood Family.
If Master Sinclair and the First Lady found out about this, she'd be skinned alive, if not killed outright!
The Lockwood Family was one of the seven great and powerful families of Kingsford. The entire Sinclair Family's strength couldn't even compare to one of their little fingers.
"Let's go! To the Lockwood Family's lounge, now!" Sue Quinn's legs felt weak as she walked out, cursing Aurora Sinclair to high heaven in her mind.
'That girl's a jinx! All she does is cause trouble!'
「 」
Arthur Lockwood sat across from Aurora Sinclair with a grin, watching her eat cake.
Although she currently looked like a country girl, her table manners were impeccable. She ate spoon after spoon, silently and with great refinement.
If he hadn't personally seen her leaping about with a chicken cage, he would never have imagined this quiet little beauty could be so wild.
"Is it good?" Arthur Lockwood asked.
Aurora Sinclair lifted her large, bright eyes and nodded, her gaze seeming to say, 'You're a good person'.
The smile on Arthur Lockwood's lips widened. His fingers, resting casually on the table, tapped lightly against its surface. The beads on his wrist were polished to a brilliant sheen.
'Based on my vast experience with the women of Kingsford, this girl's personality is nothing like the cold and profound facade she presents. In reality, she's just a simple, gullible fool!'
"Want some more? What else would you like to eat?" Arthur Lockwood had his subordinate bring over the dessert menu and pushed it in front of her.
Aurora Sinclair pushed the menu back to him and shook her head. Then, she untied a small cloth pouch from her body and placed it on the table.
She opened it to reveal several strings of exquisitely crafted beads.
Each bead was perfectly round and full, identical in size. Every bead had its own unique grain, the wood smooth and dense, with a radiant, beautiful luster.
Arthur Lockwood was instantly captivated by the beads. The string he always played with was high-grade, but its craftsmanship was not as fine as Aurora Sinclair's.
According to his grandfather, the beads he wore were polished by a Master-level Craftsman from Kingsford. The Lockwood Family had moved heaven and earth, beating out the other Great Families, just to obtain that single string. He never expected Aurora Sinclair to have so many.
Furthermore, the material of each string looked like the extremely rare Dragon Suppressing Wood.
He suddenly suspected his grandfather had scammed him!
'These beads must not be valuable at all!'
Aurora Sinclair gestured toward his wrist, then picked out a string from her pouch and offered it to him.
"For... me?" He couldn't quite believe it.
Aurora Sinclair nodded, pushing the string of beads toward him.
If not for the sincerity in her eyes, Arthur Lockwood would have been unable to read any emotion on her face at all.
'This girl is way too calm!'
'Does she have any idea what she's holding?'
"Do you have any idea..."
"Young Master—"
Arthur Lockwood's question was interrupted by his own bodyguard. He frowned, displeased.
"Someone from the Sinclair Family is here. They say they've come to apologize to you!"
Across from him, Aurora Sinclair retied the small, open bundle across her chest and sat calmly, watching him.
Arthur Lockwood was at a loss for words. He picked up the string of beads from the table, put it on his other wrist, and his usual devil-may-care expression returned. "Bring them in!"
As soon as Sue Quinn and the servant entered the lounge, they immediately bowed to Arthur Lockwood, adopting a very humble posture.
"Young Master Lockwood, this is all our Second Miss's fault. Please, for Master Sinclair's sake, do not take your anger out on the Sinclair Family!"