After processing the surprising news about Alistair's marriage, Logan pulled him in for a warm side hug. He arched an eyebrow and grinned, "So, am I the first to hear about this?" "Yeah," Alistair replied, shoving Logan away playfully.

Not bothered at all, Logan beamed, "Awesome! This calls for a celebration. Cheers!"

He raised his glass, clinked it with Alistair's, took a swig, and then declared, "Nope, this wine won't cut it. You have finally tied the knot before hitting thirty. We need something special for the occasion."

With that, he turned and headed for the wine cellar, diving into his dad's century-old collection. He didn't even flinch at the thought of his father possibly disowning him over it.

*****

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the cool moonlight streamed in, casting a glow over the wine bottles scattered on the floor. Audrey lay sprawled on the sofa, arms dangling, still clutching a half-empty, rose-red bottle.

Her usually bright face was streaked with tears from all the drinks she barely remembered consuming, though she definitely recalled receiving a call from Emily and getting completely overwhelmed.

It all tied back to that messy

stumbled upon a scene she couldn't bear-Albert flirting with a female secretary. That secretary casually mentioned how Albert was supposed to

throat. She had always believed her parents' relationship was perfect,

her mom could accept ten years of betrayal from her dad, the man she trusted so deeply.

Albert's

her dreams for a major she didn't care

farms and even dipped its toes into the entertainment scene. But as Albert aged, his vision started to fail, leading to bad investments and almost putting the company at risk of

family business, never daring to take a break. Yet instead of gratitude, Albert just wanted to wrest

by Eliza. Looking back at the past twenty

her, Audrey found herself reaching for another drink. The more she sipped, the more reckless she

underground garage, it was already past two in the morning. Alistair slumped against the backseat, the faint scent of

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