Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 68 Family is always complicated

"Grimm?!"

Green's heart sank.

As expected, it happened.

He looked up, his face first showing embarrassment and then surprise.

"Oh, Auntie?!"

Aunt Sylvia was walking briskly towards us, her face full of confusion, and even a little angry.

She saw a strange woman holding Green's arm and talking to someone, and they seemed to be very close.

This was completely different from the script she had envisioned for Green's date with Miss Isabella.

Emily followed behind her, walking even faster.

His gaze swept quickly over Anaïs, noting her dress, her demeanor, and especially the sapphire necklace around her neck, before finally settling on Green's face.

Emily's lips curled into a smile, and she raised her chin slightly. "Where is Miss Isabella?"

"Good evening, Auntie, Emily." Green smiled awkwardly. "I really didn't expect to run into you here."

"Didn't expect that?"

Aunt Sylvia approached, lowering her voice, her gaze shifting between Anaïs and Green. "Green, what's going on here? Didn't you say you had 'private business' tonight? What are you doing here? And this young lady is...?"

She was clearly taken aback by the unexpected encounter and the beautiful woman beside Green. If Mrs. Hannah Winston found out about this, Isabella and he would have no chance of having anything to do with each other anymore.

Meanwhile, Anaïs, the other party involved, blushed and lowered her head.

"Grin, Anaïs, how's it going?"

Green looked in the direction of the sound and saw Henry walking towards them slowly with a wine glass in his hand and a smile on his face.

He had clearly seen the situation and came specifically to help.

Or rather, he came to fulfill his duties as an 'arranger' and 'subordinate,' providing a reasonable explanation for Green's identity and appearance.

Aunt Sylvia and Emily both paused, looking at Henry as he approached. Sylvia recognized him as Henry, the powerful port authority official, and her confusion deepened.

Emily raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting back and forth between Henry and Green.

"Good evening, Mrs. Hayes, Miss Hayes."

Henry nodded slightly to the two men, then turned to Green and said calmly, "How did your talks with Mrs. Elliott go? Have you received any initial feedback from the Institute regarding their interest in our Port Authority's 'cooperative compilation of historical port documents'?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Mrs. Margaret Elliott beside him, and he bowed slightly as a sign of respect.

These words contained a great deal of information, instantly placing Green and Anaïs's appearance within the scope of "port authority business" and indicating that they were discussing "official business" with important figures from the Historical and Archaeological Society.

Green immediately understood Henry's intention and couldn't help but admire him.

Henry seems to have a knack for this...

He immediately adopted a superior's tone: "Good evening, supervisor. Yes, we just expressed the Port Authority's willingness to cooperate with Mrs. Elliott, and she provided very valuable guidance."

He then steered the conversation toward Mrs. Elliott, elevating the meeting to a higher level.

Anaïs also realized what was happening and bowed slightly to Henry: "Manager."

Henry nodded in satisfaction and looked at Sylvia.

"Mrs. Hayes, it seems there's a misunderstanding. Mr. Morris and Miss Violet are here tonight on behalf of the Port Authority Liaison Office to make important preliminary contacts with the Historical and Archaeological Society. His Excellency's dinner party, which brings together distinguished guests from all walks of life, is a good opportunity for this kind of informal but crucial contact. The Authority attaches great importance to this project, so they sent these two young men here, also for their training."

In just a few words, he not only explained why Green was there and why he was with Anaïs, but also gave Green a halo of being a "valued young backbone".

Aunt Sylvia immediately understood after hearing this, and then a little pride appeared on her face.

It seems that Green's official employment document is genuine, and he is highly valued by his superiors. Most importantly, Green has also been invited to the Viscount's dinner party.

This is a source of pride for the Hayes family; it seems his relationship with Miss Isabella can progress further, a development that has far exceeded Sylvia's expectations.

She quickly smiled at Henry: "Oh, I see! Manager Henry, thank you so much for coming all this way to explain. That kid Green, he didn't explain things clearly, making me worry unnecessarily."

Taking this opportunity, Green quickly said to Sylvia:

"Aunt, that's how it is. Miss Violet and I still have work to discuss, and we might need to speak with the other gentlemen at the society. You and Emily should go back to your seats first, and I'll come find you later?"

He needed to get them away as soon as possible to avoid any further accidents.

Sylvia nodded slightly to Henry, then left with Emily.

Watching their retreating figures, Green, Anaïs, and Henry all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Quick response, supervisor," Green whispered to Henry, adding that they really owed a debt to Henry this time.

Henry smiled and lowered his voice, "Of course, Mr. Morris. It seems things are going well on your end?"

Green nodded, then turned to Mrs. Elliott, his face apologetic. "Madam, I'm very sorry, the incident earlier disturbed you. It was just a family misunderstanding."

Mrs. Elliott had been observing this family drama from the moment Henry appeared.

Hearing Green's words, she said calmly, "It's okay. Family is always complicated."

She glanced at Anaïs, then at Green and Henry, and finally said, "It's good that the Port Authority is interested in historical documents. As for the specifics, let's discuss that when you... or Miss Violet, come to the Academy with the token. I'm a little tired, excuse me."

She seemed unimpressed by Henry's typical bureaucratic style and didn't want to get involved in any more trouble, so she ended the conversation abruptly.

After nodding slightly, she rose to bid farewell to Viscount Linus. Despite the Viscount's earnest attempts to persuade her to stay, Lady Elliott eventually left the banquet hall, citing feeling unwell. Another lady also left with her.

"It seems this lady is not easy to deal with."

Henry watched Mrs. Elliott's retreating figure, muttered a comment under his breath, then smiled again, "But it's good that the goal was achieved. Mr. Morris, please continue, I won't disturb you any longer. Please call me if you need anything."

He tactfully withdrew and continued his social engagements.

The surroundings finally returned to calm for the time being.

Anaïs finally relaxed completely, patted her chest gently, and whispered, "That scared me to death... Who were those two just now?"

"Auntie and Cousin, let's eat some more. We've finished our task for today, so we can enjoy ourselves from now on," Green said to Anaïs.

The two returned to their seats and continued their meal, enjoying the rare and delicious food.

Anaïs sipped the seafood soup in front of her with elegant movements, but her eyes still occasionally scanned her surroundings warily.

Although the family turmoil had subsided, the feeling of being the center of attention left her with lingering fear.

"It tastes good, have more," Green said to her in a low voice, trying to ease the tension. "This dinner has at least saved us the money for a big meal."

Anaïs smiled slightly upon hearing this, nodded, relaxed a little, and began to enjoy her food.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall seemed to have reached a climax.

The string quartet switched to a more lively dance tune, and several young couples were already swaying gently to the music at the edge of the dance floor.

The waiters moved around more frequently, refilling the guests' drinks and clearing away their plates.

Viscount Linus was talking with several city hall officials at the main table, a polite smile on his face, but Green noticed that his gaze seemed to be drawn more frequently to certain corners of the banquet hall than before.

Just then, the scent of a high-end perfume wafted over.

Green subconsciously looked up and saw that Clarice Astraea had quietly walked to their table at some point.

Olivier was not with her; he seemed to have gone elsewhere.

"Good evening, Mr. Morris, Miss Violet," Clarice said softly, a faint smile on her face.