Why did the party end so early?

Theron, who had not noticed Selene’s displeased eyes, answered immediately.
“Still, I was going to give it a try. She’s your cousin.”
At the pure and clear answer, Selene just frowned for a moment.
Although she knew she should be grateful rather than suspicious or upset, a strange emotion would well up and shake her every time Theron cared about Evelyn.
Selene expressed her thanks with an ambiguous feeling.
“…Thank you.”
“For what? And honestly, I probably wouldn’t have been able to go in. My feet freeze up just looking at deep water.”
Although Theron said it nonchalantly, the fact that he had even tried was a big deal.
Selene, with a heart of pardoning Theron for looking at him with displeasure for a moment, decided to tell Evelyn about this on their way back.
“Selene. It was fun swimming after a long time, wasn’t it?”
At Evelyn’s bright face, Selene felt even more guilty, unlike herself.
Come to think of it, Evelyn was not at fault either.
Just as they were on their way back to the villa, Theron and Rupert naturally walked ahead, giving her a chance to tell Evelyn about Theron’s actions a moment ago.
“Evelyn. I have something to tell you.”
“…I get scared when you say that.”
Selene shook her head.
“I was going to talk about Theron. A moment ago, Theron was about to overcome his trauma with water to save you.”
Although it was not certain if Theron had a trauma, Selene guessed there was a similar story.
“Mr. Cox…?”
“Yes.”
Evelyn did not ask for details.
Because she knew that with Selene’s personality, there was no way she would lie.
Selene waited for the silent Evelyn.
Although she was a little curious about what she was thinking, she could tell that Evelyn’s heart had softened a little when they started to have dinner back at the villa.
If her heart hadn’t softened, she would have looked at the gift Theron was giving her with a sullen face.
“Miss Evelyn, this is a small token of my appreciation for inviting me to this picnic.”
As Theron handed her the gift, Evelyn opened the box, pretending to be reluctant.
Inside was a flapper dress decorated with brilliant beads.
Evelyn’s eyes widened at once.
“Oh my, this is hard to find!”
To Selene’s eyes, it was a dress no different from the ones Evelyn had a lot of, but she recognized the value of the dress at a glance.
“How on earth did you get this dress? This design was sold out in a day, so they said it was impossible to find anywhere!”
“The good thing about working in the financial district is that you get the news the fastest.”
Theron smiled with his eyes.
Even without adding a wonderful smile, Evelyn already seemed to have been completely won over by the perfect gift.
“Do you like it, Miss Evelyn?”
At Theron’s question, Evelyn belatedly noticed that she had been acting as if she would sell her soul for the dress and composed her expression.
“…The gift is wonderful. But that doesn’t mean I consider you a good person, Mr. Cox.”
“Of course. It’s just a gift.”
Theron stepped back at the right timing so that Evelyn would not be embarrassed.
However, Theron’s smile towards Evelyn was uncomfortably caught in Selene’s gaze.
Indeed, she did not feel good.
But that was just the beginning of Theron’s serious attack.
As Evelyn returned after carefully putting away the precious gift as if it were a treasure, dinner began, and Selene realized at that moment what a skilled strategist Theron was.
“I heard you’re running a jewelry brand, Miss Evelyn. There are not a few female entrepreneurs these days, and they certainly have a delicate and sharp side that men can’t think of.”
Evelyn had a great deal of pride in her own jewelry business.
Although she had a clumsy side to her personality, she was ambitious, so she was running her brand business diligently in her own way.
“If there’s anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to tell me. As I explained, the financial district is where information spreads the fastest, so I might be able to help you in various ways.”
So, Evelyn had no choice but to be hooked by Theron’s words at once, like a fish on a hook.
“Information? What kind of information?”
“Anything. I can tell you about a company that will effectively advertise your brand, introduce you to a craftsman, or connect you with actors to use as models.”
“Do you have a close relationship with models, Mr. Cox?”
At this point, Selene also seemed to have concentrated for a moment.
Since Theron’s past history with women seemed to be spectacular.
Theron replied smoothly with an elegant smile.
“I don’t have a personal connection with them, but I know an agency.”
“Ah… an agency. I heard a company that focuses on gathering models has recently been established. So you know about it too, Mr. Cox.”
Evelyn was soon completely engrossed in her conversation with Theron.
It was evident from the way she was eagerly nodding her head at Theron’s words, with her cooling food set aside.
Theron did not stop there and went on to attack even Rupert, who had been silent all along.
“I heard you like to play poker at gatherings, Mr. Shearsmith. It would be great if we could go to a private club together sometime.”
“A private club…?”
“It’s not a strange place. It’s a place mostly frequented by businessmen, and they are all so passionate that it would be fun to play a game together sometime.”
‘How did he know that Rupert liked poker?’
Selene, who was watching that sight, came to admit that if she hadn’t been a man-hater, she would have easily fallen for Theron’s charm in the beginning.
Theron was that skilled at winning people’s hearts.
Of course, Selene’s mood sank to the bottom at that brilliant display.
At the dinner table, Theron focused on Evelyn and Rupert, and Selene just listened to them talk.
Although she didn’t like being spoken to at the dinner table, it was not a very good feeling to have Theron’s gaze, which had always been on her, directed at someone else.
Beyond not feeling good, her desire to have a serious conversation with Theron tonight and get to know him had all but disappeared.
“I’m going to go first.”
Even after the meal was over, the three of them did not get up from their seats for a long time, drinking and talking, so Selene stood up first.
It would be better to rest in her room than to listen to a conversation she had no interest in.
But Theron, clueless, caught her.
“Are you tired, Selene?”
Selene did not particularly want to show this feeling that was going up and down with Theron’s actions all day.
“Yes.”
After a short answer, Selene entered her room and took out a book to read, as she had nothing to do.
It was a novel she had been reading to understand the sonnet ‘Love and Romance’.
The male protagonist of this novel was also a frustrating person, just like the husband in the sonnet.
He should have been good to his wife, but he was so busy taking care of his poor family that his wife left him, and the male protagonist’s great regret was particularly so.
Selene had not been able to endure that part and had closed the book.
But since her range of understanding emotions had recently broadened, she had started to read it again, but the male protagonist still seemed pathetic, and she felt the urge to close the book even now.
‘This won’t do.’
In the end, Selene closed the book.
In times like these, it was better to just go to bed early.
Knock, knock.
Just as she stood up from the bed to turn off the lights in the room to sleep, someone knocked on the door.
“It’s me, Selene.”
At the same time, Theron Cox’s voice was heard from outside the door.
‘Did the party end already?’
It had only been 10 minutes since she had entered her room.
Recalling the three who seemed to be sitting there forever, it was surprising that Theron Cox was knocking on the door now.
When she opened the door, she saw a slightly disheveled Theron.
His face was a little red, probably from drinking, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up.
“Can I come in…?”
“Is the party over?”
“…Yes.”
Theron answered, avoiding her gaze.
As Selene stepped aside as if to let him in, Theron entered the room.
The two sat side by side on the edge of the bed.
An awkward silence flowed.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been alone in a room…”
But that was only for a moment; Theron muttered and moved closer to Selene.
The faint smell of alcohol stimulated Selene’s sense of smell.
Although Selene did not particularly like the smell of alcohol, she left Theron alone because she did not dislike the heat radiating from his body.
After a slight silence, Selene turned her head and looked at Theron.
“Why did the party end so early?”