A deal with the devil

All eyes turned to Benjamin as Shirley’s words were cut off mid–sentence. Her body tensed up, and she abruptly stood from her seat when she saw Benjamin.

Samuel, who was sitting next to her, noticed bet reaction, and a hint of hurt flashed in his eyes. Did she truly dislike being near him so much now?

In that instant, Shirley’s normally flushed face turned ghostly white, making it impossible for her makeup to conceal the change. Samuel followed her gaze and saw the fear in her eyes as well

Benjamin strode into the room with the confidence and ease of a rulet. His presence commanded attention, impossible to ignore.

But why was he here?

Samuel’s expression hardened as soon as he saw Benjamin. He went from gentle to sharp, his focus back on Shirley’s face. Was it because of Benjamin that she had agreed to come to this banquet? Did she want to distance herself from him before Benjamin could misunderstand their relationship?

a

onto Shirley’s face, and they

blank she was filled with panic. What should she do? She couldn’t come up

and frazzled.

the table stood up in unison upon seeing them

hand in greeting. “Mr. Blackwood, we’ve been expecting you.” Benjamin nodded slightly and brieflyshook David’s hand before moving to

femed to Calvin, his face filled with excitement. “This must be Dr. Crawford, am I

his hand in greeting. “Calvin Crawford”

said, “Pleased to meet

to Greg’s strange illness that could not be treated by the medical teams in Arnland. Zarah learned that similar cases had been successfully

highly respected authorities in the medical field of Elderstone, and Samuel had invited them with genuine sincerity. He had also made multiple attempts to contact Calvin but was