Old Mr. Quintin glared, his voice resounding through the living room, "You said at lunch you were the man of the house."
Old Mr. Jarvis, puffing out his chest, retorted, "You really think I'm the king of the castle just because I wanted someone to play chess with?"
Old Mr. Quintin fell silent, a grunt his only reply.
Old Mr. Jarvis chuckled, "It's not that. You know how stubborn Gab can be. Aren't you worried about Evelyn getting the short end of the stick?"
"Not one bit. Marrying her into your family, I'd sleep like a baby." Old Mr. Quintin snorted.
"Just got Nora back and you're already looking to marry her off? What's your angle?" Old Mr. Jarvis asked with a suspicious sneer.
Old Mr. Quintin quickly said, "I'm just setting things up for Nora. No rush on the wedding bells."
"Don't worry, my boy's single and ready to mingle. Better have Vivian come back and get that paternity test done pronto." Old Mr. Jarvis chimed in.
The mention of Vivian silenced Old Mr. Quintin.
Upstairs, Evelyn, dressed in her newly bought outfit, overheard their conversation. She bit her lip thoughtfully and, with a flicker in her eyes, turned back upstairs.
After sending Gabriel the message, Sylvia took a bath, soaking in the warm water. When she emerged and saw no reply from Gabriel, she poured herself a glass of wine. Curled up on the couch, clutching her unicorn plushie, she alternated between sipping her drink and playing mobile games.
After losing two rounds and finishing her wine, she tossed her phone aside, intending to head to bed. But just then, the doorbell rang.
Sylvia hesitated before heading to the door.
Opening it, she found Gabriel standing outside, exuding a frosty aura that matched the chilly night air. Clad in just a champagne silk nightie, she shivered and quickly stepped back, "Come in, it's freezing."
Gabriel entered, and Sylvia fetched the slippers he'd left last time.
The wine glass on the coffee table was empty and the tea had cooled, but the scent still hung in the air, refusing to dissipate.
Sylvia, responding eagerly to his kisses, tore at his shirt, her hands climbing his strong arms, pulling him ever closer to her.
His body still carried the chill of the night, which she kissed away, warmth meeting cold.
At the Royal Mansion
Jonathan had someone buy ointment for Estelle's bruised hands, along with a bunch of scar removal creams.
He teased her, "You could start a pharmacy with all these."
Estelle shrugged nonchalantly, "Lucky for me, I don't scar easily. Otherwise, I'd be a map of battles past."

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Norah isn't a girl, but a twenty -five year old beautiful woman that loves Xavier Fleming/Gonzalez/Hanson....
Update 3103 hasn't been received and it hold pertinent information. Please fix it for us. Thank you....
This is great! I love the updates....
Now Xavier needs to call in the reinforcement, Gabriel and Jonathan to settle this. Thank you for the updates....
May we please have updates. Thank you...
Xavier will always protect Norah he must admit this to himself and Norah. I believe after they return from this , he'll need to approach Norah 's parents and he'll get support from Jonathan and Ella....
I like how you are getting all the different love interest committed, thank you for the updates....
Hoping Manly have his own love story here, atleast a short one...
Emily has finally stood up for herself. Now with Charlie's support, her mother and sister in law will be as quiet as church mice....
Another epic ten updates... this is great! I'm sooo enjoying this. Thank you for the updates....