The festive Christmas week was just around the corner and Scott was looking forward to it.

Well, initially.

He figured he’d finally get to enjoy a holiday season for once in his life. He’d be surrounded by all his beautiful girlfriends in the massive mansion, they could all cook up a grand feast together, share some laughs, and cuddle.

But reality, as it usually did, had different plans.

It didn’t work out that way at all.

Since Emma surprisingly managed to get on good terms with her mother before she left, she made the sudden decision to pack her bags and take Marcus along with her to spend Christmas with Adeline, Isla, and Maddie at their family home in New York.

Gwen was also completely out of the picture.

She was heading to New York as well to spend the holidays with her own family. Her father was an incredibly busy scientist based over there who practically never had the chance to travel down and see them, so Tess always made it a strict family tradition for everyone to gather in the Big Apple for the festive week.

Beca dodged the cold weather entirely and decided to jet off to spend the holidays in Ibiza. Since it was an annual thing meant only for her and her sisters, Scott immediately felt it wouldn’t be right or appropriate for him to tag along.

As for Kara...

Her holiday schedule was a total nightmare. She was far too as Lady Fortress, constantly tied up in shooting a relentless barrage of high-end Christmas promotional campaigns for the various multi-billion-dollar global brands sponsoring her.

Brigid had reluctantly tagged along with her, mostly so the socially isolated alien heroine would actually have someone familiar to talk to behind the scenes, but also because Brigid’s exceptional videography and media skills were desperately needed to keep the shoots running smoothly.

And then there was Nadia.

She had a massive wave of extended family members flying in to visit her for the holidays, so she was most certainly going to be occupied. Also, she desperately needed to use this downtime to start hunting for a new job after the whole drug addict thing with Milton.

So, Scott was all alone.

He figured he could maybe salvage the holidays by spending them at Jenna and Isaac’s place.

It seemed like a decent fallback plan.

Except it took exactly one night for him to become totally done with them.

They were in their insufferable new-couple phase.

Those two were currently operating on a level of sheer, unchecked horniness. They were constantly having loud, aggressive sex in the absolute weirdest places imaginable throughout the house.

Jenna even developed a habit of leaving her lacy panties all over the place and one of them actually found its way inside Scott’s sandwich!

To make matters worse, he couldn’t sleep.

Isaac and Jenna were like wild animals at night.

"Fuuuuck... you’re gonna break my back, bro ♥️!"

"Ouuuuuuuuuu~ right there, babe!"

Every night.

Scott couldn’t take another second of it and ran right back to Emma’s place.

The entire mansion was empty.

Scott stood alone in the quiet living room in a thick brown shearling jacket for the cold. He slowly sipped from a mug of hot cocoa as his blue eyes scanned a small pile of Christmas invitation cards spread out on the coffee table before him.

He had three options.

The first card was an invitation to spend the holidays with his mother and her wealthy new billionaire boyfriend Curtis Knox.

No way.

The second card was from Jake.

Going to Jake’s meant dealing with his notoriously weird extended family. They had a deeply unsettling holiday tradition where they would secretly do something incredibly weird to one of the main food servings at the grand Christmas dinner.

"They put laxatives in my soup..." (⸝⸝⸝╸﹏╺⸝⸝⸝)

He spent his whole Christmas in the bathroom.

The final option was a beautifully embossed card from his intensely, aggressively religious Aunt Teresa and her strictly conservative family.

Scott looked at the innocent picture of his aunt then took a long gulp of his hot cocoa.

"Hell nah."

He tossed the card aside.

Ding-Dong!

Scott paused with the mug at his mouth.

"Huh...?"

It didn’t make any sense.

Everyone he knew was gone, and he didn’t exactly have a thriving social circle outside of Jake.

"Must be takeout..."

He set his mug down, hurried across the foyer, and swung the heavy mansion doors wide open.

It was a well-built, middle-aged butler.

The man was dressed in a flawless, custom-tailored suit, standing with a rigid, imposing military posture that practically screamed discipline.

It was Morgan.

Bella Trevors’ fiercely loyal, no-nonsense butler.

Scott lifted a single brow.

"Uhh... Morgan?"

He was thoroughly caught off guard.

"This is... a pretty random visit. What’s up?"

Morgan didn’t offer a warm greeting. Instead, he reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a luxurious invitation card, and extended it toward Scott like a robot.

"Congratulations, you’ve been personally invited to spend the holiday season with Miss Trevors at the Pinnacle Country Club in Southern California."

"Eh? California?"

Scott tilted his head, staring at the card.

Before he could even open his mouth to politely formulate an excuse, Morgan’s face suddenly soured until it looked like a furious mad demon. The intense aura boiling off the old butler made him look downright terrifying.

"I would strongly advise you not to even THINK of rejecting this offer, Master Scott. I still vividly remember the disgraceful manner in which you abruptly left Miss Trevors entirely on her own during that high-society gala at Mantis Tower. You would be wise to make amends by attending this one."

The old butler stared at Scott with his eyes like a pair of loaded pistols.

Scott cautiously reached out, and took the heavy card from the butler’s grasp.

Morgan continued to stare down at him.

"I’ll, uhm... I’ll think about it..."

Scott offered awkwardly, taking a step back.

The man didn’t budge.

He just stood there, frowning like an angry goblin.

Scott cleared his throat rapidly as a nervous sweat broke out on the back of his neck.

"Ahahaha! I’m just kidding, man! Of course I’ll go!"

The butler’s frown didn’t change.

Scott sighed with half-lidded eyes.

"I’ll be there, sir."

Instantly, Morgan’s terrifying look vanished.

He smiled like a radiant, benevolent angel.

"Excellent!"

Morgan said cheerfully, adjusting his cuffs.

"I shall personally arrive tomorrow morning at exactly eight o’clock to pick you up and drive you straight to the airport. Los Angeles awaits!"

The man who had looked like a mad orc just a few seconds prior turned around on his heel. He actually began to whistle a light, jaunty tune as he strolled down the driveway toward his waiting vehicle.

Scott watched him go with a stunned expression before slowly shutting the massive double doors.

He looked down at the premium card in his hands and cracked it open.

There was no elaborate text inside.

It was just a glossy photograph of Bella Trevors playfully blowing a kiss directly at the camera.

Scott chuckled as he shook his head.

══════

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in another part of the United States.

A state-of-the-art private luxury jet was descending through the winterless skies of a highly exclusive private terminal at a Los Angeles airport.

Out on the runway, a couple of ground crew aviation workers stood by with their signaling batons.

"Hey, who’s the mystery guy inside that bird?"

"I’ve never seen that specific registration number before."

"Keep it down, kid. I’ve heard serious rumors from the upper management. Word is, the passenger is the hidden second son of the Roosevelt family. Old-money dynasty."

"Oh! The Roosevelts? Wait, I thought their only heir was William Roosevelt? The one who’s always all over the media and modeling for those massive luxury brands?"

"That’s what the public thinks..."

"Huh?"

"William is just the flashy face they show to the world. This second son... he’s incredibly quiet, totally down-low, but from what the rumors say? He is easily the most terrifying, brilliant, and scariest thing about that entire family."

"Damn."

Inside the luxurious cabin of the private jet.

A handsome young man with snow-white hair and pretty crystal-blue eyes was relaxing deeply into a plush leather armchair. He held a tablet in his hands and focused totally on the Chirper post.

The post was an incredibly graphic gore clip.

It was raw, unedited footage from a recent war zone in a distant country, showing a group of public superheroes frantically trying and failing to save civilians who were getting brutally slaughtered in real-time by incoming artillery and enemy fire.

One of the young private maids on board stepped into the cabin to tend to the refreshments. She caught a quick glimpse of the screen, seeing the caped heroes on the display, and a sweet, naive smile spread across her face.

『Ah, the young master is always watching these kinds of superhero videos... he must absolutely love heroes and justice. How admirable.』

Right at that moment, the footage on the tablet shifted to a devastating close-up clip of a terrified mother and father being violently butchered by a marauding soldier wielding an axe.

As the graphic scene unfolded, the white-haired young man didn’t flinch. Instead, a mild, incredibly serene smile slowly graced his handsome face.

The clueless maid maintained her polite smile and bowed gracefully.

"We’re officially in Los Angeles, young master."

This young man was James Roosevelt.

He was the brilliant second son of the untouchable Roosevelt empire.

The reason he wasn’t a household name like his older brother was entirely intentional... James had spent the vast majority of his youth traveling across different corners of the globe, undergoing a brutal, highly advanced curriculum of elite education, master-level business strategies, hostile corporate takeovers, and various other ruthless accolades that would make CEOs weep with envy.

James slowly turned off the tablet to observe the sunny California skyline.

"Finally... we’re here..." James murmured.

The maid giggled softly.

"It seems the young master is incredibly excited to see his fiancée, hmm?"

James leaned his head back against the leather headrest and smiled coldly.

"Ah, yes... Bella."

══════

The very next day.

The luxury sedan driven by Morgan smoothly glided through the massive, high-security gates of the legendary Trevors Estate in Los Angeles, finally coming to a stop at the grand driveway.

Morgan adjusted the rearview mirror to glare at Scott who was sitting in the back seat.

"Now, listen to me very carefully, Master Scott..."

The man made an ahem! to clear his throat.

"You’re about to enter a completely different echelon of society. Do not, under any circumstances, do anything to piss off the people here. A significant portion of the guests you will encounter are prominent public figures, politicians, and high-ranking dignitaries. Miss Bella’s father is an incredibly strange, particular man... but it’s the mother you truly need to watch out for. She is a woman of pure malice when crossed. Some people in the business world literally refer to her as a demon. Do not offend her."

Scott blinked, listening intently.

Morgan continued without breaking a sweat.

"Furthermore..."

"There’s more?" Scott groaned.

"You are not to offend any of the extended family members, the grandchildren, the family’s pedigree dog, or even their highly specialized, genetically modified Venus Flytrap named Trevor. Am I understood?"

Scott’s brow shot up in pure disbelief.

"Wait, hold on. I can’t even offend a friggin’ plant? Are you serious right now?"

"I’m entirely serious. Trevor has a very fragile ego."

Morgan replied deadpan.

Before Scott could even think much, Morgan stepped out and opened the rear door. The moment Scott’s feet hit the pristine pavement, he was almost immediately hounded and swarmed by a literal platoon of house staff, all of them bowing deeply and aggressively reaching out to carry his luggage.

Except, Scott didn’t actually have any bags.

Morgan explicitly told him back at the mansion that there was no need to pack anything. Because of that, Scott didn’t even bring along any of the cute, stylish winter casual wear that his girlfriends had lovingly bought for him as early Christmas gifts. Not that it mattered anyway... looking around at the blazing sunshine and swaying palm trees, there was absolutely nothing resembling winter snow in this wealthy part of California.

Morgan clapped his hands once and the wave of house staff dispersed like birds.

He then offered a stiff nod and led Scott up the massive steps and into the main residence.

The scale of the place was utterly dizzying.

The estate was situated within the ultra-exclusive enclaves of Bel-Air, directly overlooking its own accompanying private country club.

The entire property spanned across 12 contiguous acres of prime, multi-million-dollar Bel-Air hillside.

The main residence itself was a 55,000 square-foot architectural masterpiece, boasting 14 luxury bedrooms, 22 bathrooms, and a breathtaking, 30-foot-high grand foyer dominated by a massive, floating white marble staircase.

The whole sight was jaw-droppingly beautiful.

But Scott didn’t get even a single fraction of a second to actually take it in and enjoy it.

"Darling ♥️!"

A familiar, sweet voice squealed.

Out of nowhere, a blur of cashmere and expensive perfume ambushed him. Before he could react, Bella threw her arms securely around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug and planting a big, loud, incredibly wet kiss right onto his cheek.

Scott’s instincts kicked in.

He quickly grabbed her massive hips to gently push her and create some distance.

"Whoa, Bella! Hey! Can you please NOT do that when we’re not even dating?"

Bella let out a delightful giggle.

"Fufu!" (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Her gorgeous face flushed with amusement as she looked up at him.

"Aww, cute. You think you have a say in the matter."

Scott groaned slightly as he let his hands rest on the huge bump that was her bubble butt.

"Ehh... it’s not really a jo—"

Before he could finish the word, Bella smoothly raised her slim, tender index finger, pressing it firmly against his lips to silence him. Her skin smelled intensely of premium rosewater. She locked her highly seductive blue vixen eyes directly onto his and bit her lip.

His lips were completely smushed sideways under her sweet-smelling finger.

"...okay..."

Scott muffled defeatedly.

"Ah, yes. Splendid. By all means, please continue to firmly hold my daughter by her hips directly in my presence like that."

A dry, deeply authoritative voice suddenly echoed from across the grand foyer.

Scott’s entire body stiffened.

He glanced over the top of Bella’s head.

Walking toward them was a sharp-looking man in his 50s dressed in perfectly pressed khaki chinos and a vibrant, tailored red blazer... the highly exclusive, official uniform reserved only for the elite board members of the Pinnacle Country Club.

"Uhhh..."

Scott slowly looked down at his own hands and suddenly realizing that his fingers were still firmly, snugly gripping Bella’s hips right in front of the man.

A wave of panic hit him.

He instantly ripped his hands away and threw them up in the air as he took a frantic step back.

"Oh! Sorry, sir! My bad!"

The middle-aged man crossed his arms as his face twisted into a deeply displeased frown.

"Chairman..."

The man corrected coldly.

"It’s Chairman Trevors to you, young man. I certainly didn’t spend all those grueling years agonizing through elite Ivy League business schools just to be addressed by some basic, civilian name."

Standing off to the side, Morgan slowly closed his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sigh~