She kept rambling on about the party—how she would change the curtains, where and to whom she would commission the flowers, what kind of design the invitations should have, rattling off ideas as if she had spent the entire night thinking them over. But Winston let it all go in one ear and out the other.
“Call Evelyn.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking. His mother, smiling contentedly, nodded, but Winston, maintaining a blank expression, added, “You don’t need to prepare for the party. Yu-jin and Kane will handle it, so leave it to them.”
The expression vanished from Madam Campbell’s face in an instant. She looked stunned, as if she had been struck. Ignoring her reaction, Winston rose from his seat. It was an unspoken signal that the conversation was over, but, of course, Madam Campbell was not one to back down so easily.
“Winston, what did you just say?”
She grabbed her son’s arm as he was about to walk away, her face cold.
“You’re entrusting the Campbell family’s party—your very first as the head of this household—to that thing? I must have misheard you, or perhaps you misspoke?”
“No.”
Winston didn’t bother shaking off her hand as he responded in a businesslike tone.
“You heard correctly. Yu-jin will be the hostess of the party. If you’d like to assist, go ahead. I don’t mind.”
“Winston—”
Madam Campbell could no longer contain herself. She shot to her feet, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at him.
“Cancel it. Now. Speak sense, boy. You’re telling me that some filthy thing, some stray from who knows where, is going to oversee a Campbell family party? Are you in heat or something? Is that why your mind is clouded?”
Winston gazed down at her in silence. The sheer distaste in his eyes made Madam Campbell momentarily falter. He finally spoke.
“My mind is perfectly clear. Yu-jin will handle the party. Now, I have work to attend to, so I’ll be going.”
He said only what needed to be said and promptly resumed walking. Madam Campbell did not try to stop him this time, but she shot out coldly behind him,
“You’re not letting it deceive you again, are you?”
Winston’s strides came to an abrupt halt. He turned back slowly, his gaze burning with contempt and fury. Seeing his expression, Madam Campbell instinctively took a step back, but she did not forget to issue her warning.
“Don’t forget what it reduced you to.”
A brief silence hung between them. Winston narrowed his eyes, twisting his lips into a smirk.
“Oh, I remember.”
His voice was low, barely above a whisper.
“All too well.”
Then, without another glance, Winston turned and walked away, leaving the breakfast room behind. This time, Madam Campbell did not stop him. Instead, she exhaled a deep breath, as if releasing pent-up tension, and sank into her chair. A headache was already creeping in, a dull throb pressing against her temples. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she scowled into empty space, lost in thought.
What on earth is that boy thinking?
He was her own flesh and blood, yet she could never quite grasp what went on in his mind. Madam Campbell swallowed a low groan, mulling over her thoughts. The only silver lining was that Winston’s feelings toward Yu-jin hadn’t changed all that much.
Not that it was unexpected.
Her expression turning severe, Madam Campbell stood up. A maid who had been about to ask if she needed anything quickly stepped aside. Without sparing the servant a glance, she exited the breakfast room and walked down the hallway, her mind already working.
There was no harm in having one more contingency plan in place.
She didn’t make the call to her eldest son, Gordon, until she had left the mansion and gotten into her car. After two rings, a voice answered on the other end, and only then did she speak.
“There’s something I need you to do, Gordon.”
Her voice was as composed as ever, but Gordon’s reaction was markedly different.
“Mother, is this about the alternative plan you mentioned before?”
His voice carried a tinge of excitement, as though he were finally about to have his curiosity satisfied. Madam Campbell resisted the urge to sigh at her dull-witted son’s enthusiasm and continued in an indifferent tone.
“It’s more of a minor precaution. Have you heard that Winston is throwing a party?”
“What? No. Out of nowhere?”
“Yes.”
She listened to his bewildered response before quietly continuing.
“He says he’s entrusting the role of hostess to that thing. So, I’ve decided to step back this time.”
“What?”
Gordon practically screeched. The sudden loudness made Madam Campbell pull the phone away from her ear with a frown. Unaware of her reaction, Gordon continued to shout.
“That makes no sense! Out of nowhere? And to that whore? Has Winston lost his mind?”
“Be quiet. Stop shouting so disgracefully.”
She reprimanded him sternly. Only after Gordon begrudgingly fell silent did she finally speak again.
“Let that go for now. Winston must have his reasons. More importantly, you have something else to take care of.”
“Uh, right. Go on.”
Gordon responded begrudgingly, clearly dissatisfied but willing to listen. Satisfied that he had calmed down somewhat, Madam Campbell finally laid out her instructions.
As she spoke, Gordon’s breathing grew heavier, and the moment she finished, he practically exploded again.
“Is that for real? That bastard really went that far?”
“Yes.”
This time, Madam Campbell didn’t scold him. She simply moved the phone slightly away from her ear and replied evenly.
“You understand what you need to do, don’t you?”
“Of course. No doubt about it.”
Gordon, sounding even more elated, continued in a bright voice.
“When pests start clinging to my little brother, it’s only right for family to step in and warn them. Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll have a good talk with Winston.”
At his confident tone, a faint smile formed on Madam Campbell’s lips.
“Good. That’s reassuring.”
She was about to lower her phone to end the call when Gordon’s voice came through once more.
“And to think that bastard lived like that… Trash like him can never change—”
Cutting off his continued rant, Madam Campbell ended the call.
Once Winston learned the truth, any lingering attachment he had would disappear. That is, if he still had any left to begin with.
Leaning back comfortably, she gazed out the window. One year would pass in the blink of an eye. She had her reservations about Winston appointing Yu-jin as the party’s hostess, but it didn’t matter. Yu-jin had a past full of secrets he would never want exposed, and even revealing just one of them would be enough to utterly disgust Winston.
To think he had the audacity to walk back into the Campbell family’s life.
Madam Campbell stared coldly into the distance. She would never allow her beloved son to be ruined again. She would stop it with everything she had.
No matter what.
***
The dimly lit room was illuminated only by a few standing lamps.
Yu-jin stood trembling in their hazy orange glow, his face contorted in shame, his shoulders hunched as if trying to make himself smaller.
He was wearing nothing but a plain, outdated white undergarment.
Harold sat on the sofa, sipping wine as he watched Yu-jin. The boy, barely past his teenage years, still retained a distinctly youthful look. He could easily be mistaken for being up to five years younger than his actual age, but knowing that he would soon turn eighteen made the sight before him all the more tantalizing.
“Yu-jin, straighten your shoulders. Have I not told you time and time again how important proper posture is?”
Harold’s voice was gentle, no different from how he usually spoke. But the circumstances were anything but ordinary.
Yu-jin looked at him, desperate, feeling on the verge of tears, but Harold merely frowned in impatience, urging him silently. Swallowing hard, Yu-jin had no choice but to obey. Still trembling, he uncurled his hunched frame, forcing his spine straight.
Under the warm light, his lanky frame was fully revealed—so thin that his ribs jutted out prominently. Yet, despite his gauntness, his hips had begun to take the shape of an adult’s, adding an oddly provocative allure to his fragile form.
“A body ready to take a man,” Harold murmured.
Yu-jin could feel his eyes roving over every inch of his body, not even blinking.
He tried desperately to hold back his tears, but in the end, he couldn’t. His hand moved on its own, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand.
