The event soon came to an end. People began to leave. Only a few remained including Laura, Aaron, Claire, and Leon.
Aaron wandered toward his brother, who stood by the drinks table and had just finished talking to someone. Claire and Laura, sipping quietly near the corner, watched them with uneasy curiosity.
Aaron raised his glass. "Didn't know you were so defensive of the lead character," he said with that usual smirk.
Claire tensed. This was what she had been dreading.
Leon returned a cool smile. "We were taught to respect women, weren't we?"
Aaron shrugged. "You know I never follow the rules."
"Too bad then," Leon said, calmly sipping his drink.
There was a pause.
"Grandma's been asking about you," Leon added.
Aaron's smirk faded, replaced by something unreadable. "Not interested in returning to that family. You know that. My only goal is to drag you down."
Leon's eyes glinted. "Too bad, brother. I don't think that'll ever happen."
