Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 19

Those two rhetorical questions struck deep: the first targeted his fear of Elara's identity being exposed.

The second pointed directly at his marital status.

After all, before the banquet formally commenced, Thomas Winthrop had already introduced Julian to quite a few people.

A married man with a child networking under the guise of the Winthrop heiress's boyfriend—was Julian simply too cunning, or were the Winthrops just completely lacking in standards?

Sebastian left it unspoken, letting everyone in the room draw their own conclusions.

Faced with the aggressive prodding of a man several years his junior—and his nephew, no less—Julian flared with irritation, his composure slipping even further.

Yet, with so many eyes on them, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure it.

"No."

Julian took a massive gulp of his champagne, his voice low and tight. "It was just too sudden. Neither of us were prepared."

"Besides, it didn't look like your grandfather knew about it either. Don't you think pulling a stunt like that might startle the old man?"

"Grandpa isn't that fragile."

Sebastian took another sip of his red wine. "Besides, since Grandpa has already handed the Vance family over to me, if I had to report every trivial little thing beforehand, wouldn't that make me a complete failure of a leader?"

Julian: "..."

He had forgotten that Sebastian had always been an absolute wildcard. Even before taking over the Vance family, no one could stop him from doing whatever he pleased, let alone now.

Unwilling to humiliate himself any further, Julian offered a few perfunctory words and quickly excused himself.

The sudden appearance of Elara and Melody at the birthday banquet had blindsided them. He had just managed to coax Vivian back into a good mood, only for Sebastian to completely wreck everything.

He needed to find her quickly, explain the situation, and smooth things over.

Though Meredith had been keeping Maddox Beckett company the entire night, she had kept a watchful eye on her son's situation.

Seeing him glancing around the room and frantically making calls, she knew immediately that he couldn't find Vivian.

"..."

Elara and Melody had just gone upstairs, too.

Meredith hadn't seen Elara go up, so she rushed her son. "Hurry up and go find her. After the stunt Sebastian pulled, Vivian must be feeling terrible right now."

Julian had the exact same thought. Bidding his mother goodbye, he headed straight for the stairs.

Elara had taken Melody to the private room Sebastian had assigned them when they first arrived.

Aside from the food they had brought up themselves, the room was stocked with the fruit and nut platters the butler had delivered before they went back downstairs.

Melody was in high spirits now. Free from the crushing crowds, she acted like an untethered little pony, eagerly chattering away about the banquet hall's decorations, the food, the cake, and the pretty ladies and handsome gentlemen she had seen.

But what made her happiest of all was Sebastian.

The older brother who she didn't see often but who regularly sent her gifts. He was incredibly handsome and genuinely nice. Unlike other adults, he never looked down at her; he would always bend over or crouch down to speak with her, always asking for her permission before doing anything.