NovelEnglish"Raines," she said with a twinkle in her eye, "I had the pastry chef whip up your all-tfavorite, a batch of apple turnovers. Take a bite." With a graceful gesture, she served a piece onto a silver plate and handed it to Raines.
"Thanks," he replied with a casual smile, picking up the silver fork and taking a bite of the turnover.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Not bad at all, but honestly, nobody does apple turnovers like Lisbeth." Aurelia swept her gaze over his fingers, noting the absence of any allergic reaction.
His words seemed to align perfectly with Lisbeth's abilities.
Was she just being overly sensitive? It really was Raines who had returned.
Skyler carved himself a piece of steak and took a bite.
"I'm a huge fan of get-togethers. It's just so much fun when everyone's playing together," he said, glancing at Raines. "How about you, Raines? You into the whole party scene?" Raines replied, "I'm more of an introvert. I'm okay hanging with family, but I'm not so great with strangers." Skyler drew out his words thoughtfully. "I used to have social anxiety and couldn't handle mingling with folks | didn't know. Just seeing a stranger madejittery and crave a lollipop. But after | got to Elysium, all that fear went away. Angel and Leopold always had my back, so nobody dared to mess with me." He sipped his juice and continued, "I used to stutter, too. Got laughed at a lot. But look atnow. I've kicked that habit. You see how smoothly | talk? Even beca teacher." Raines chuckled softly. "Skyler, you're clearly one of the good souls." "Mhm," Skyler nodded. "I like being straightforward. My brother Geoffrey, he's the complete opposite. Every t| see you, I'm reminded of him. You guys have a similar build, all lean and such." Raines bowed his head, slicing off another piece of steak. After finishing it, he said, "I too prefer simplicity, staying away from the noise and conflict, just living a quiet life." Skyler sighed. "If only Geoffrey saw things that way. | worry he'll keep heading down the wrong path until he's in too deep." Raines quirked his lips in a half-smile, but he remained silent. Aurelia watched him closely from the shadows, looking for any telltale signs, but nothing seemed amiss.
He showed no aversion or allergic reaction to the silverware.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAfter lunch.
Raines took Lisbeth up to his room for a rest, sticking to his napping routine.
Aurelia joined Leopold in the study.
"This Raines doesn't seem to have a silver allergy. Are we just being sensitive?" Leopold stroked his chin, pondering.
"The truth is, Skyler, the man we've been seeing might not always be Geoffrey. The cunning fox has more than one den. Geoffrey could have several stand-ins." Aurelia blinked in surprise. "So, you mean the one with the silver allergy might be Geoffrey's imposter, not the man himself?" Leopold nodded slightly.
Aurelia mused, "Could he also have a collection of lifelike masks at his disposal, constantly changing his appearance?" "It's possible," Leopold acknowledged. "That kind of black tech is being used by many in the underworld. But the masks crafted by the Sovereign Elite Group are top-notch, nearly indistinguishable from the real thing." "If this Raines is an imposter, then he's wearing one of those masks. We need to figure out a way to test it." Considering the high tech involved in the masks wasn't going to be easy. The masks that she, Leopold, and William wore were costly and virtually flawless, even waterproof.
How could they get close enough to him without being too rash? After all, the likelihood of an impersonation was slim. The man who had cwas probably the real Raines. They couldn't act hastily and risk an unnecessary embarrassment.
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