Secret Scion

When Rose heard what the servant relayed, she cleaned herself up and then headed to the living

room.

"Mr. Alistair, what brings you here?" Rose said with a smile as soon as she stepped into the living

room.

Alistair gave Rose a good look. In terms of physical appearance, Rose was perfect. In terms of ability, she was also unparalleled among the youths. That was the reason why Alistair agreed to this proposal.

"Once we get older, we don't really want to leave our home. Staying in our own little corner is the best for us old timers. However, I had to come today. Rose, I'm here for a marriage proposal between you and Sebastian." Alistair thought for a moment before continuing with a smile, "We're no outsiders here, so I'll go straight to the point. Rose, the Macquoids and the Schmidts are considered to be at the same level, and Sebastian keeps you close to his heart. So, the reason I came today is to ask your thoughts about Sebastian."

It was just as Rose had thought.

Sebastian was around five years older than Rose. When Rose was still a student, Sebastian was already well known in the entire capital city. At the time, Rose also had a tender heart and wanted Sebastian to be her prince. It was then Rose had fallen for Sebastian.

Rose had wished to become Sebastian's wife a lot of times in the past. It was not because of the Macquoids' influence or power, it was simply because of how excellent Sebastian was. Whether it was among her peers or her seniors, all of them would praise him. That made Rose believe that only Sebastian was worthy to be her husband.

However, now that there was an opportunity for her dream to come true and to become Sebastian's wife, she was hesitating?

Rose once believed that she really did love Sebastian. However, when he came back yesterday, and when she saw so many of her peers surrounding Sebastian, she then realized that her love for Sebastian was not that pure. Most of it was reverence.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she then asked with a smile, "Mr. Alistair, are you saying that Sebastian loves me?"

Alistair nodded and said, "That's correct. Sebastian told me personally last night. Male: Sebastian, Female: Rose. You're both a match made in heaven, haha!"

Xavier then said, "That's too much of a praise for Rose, Alistair. She's quite capable, but there's still some distance between her and Sebastian."

Alistair waved his hand and said, "No. I have faith in her. Rose, if you don't have any objections, then we'll consider this matter settled. Once we have decided on the date, we can then invite our

friends and family for a meal or something."

Rose pinched her thigh and said nothing.

When Alistair saw that happen, the smile on his face slowly receded. He then asked, "What is it? Do you object to this?"

"This is a good thing, Alistair. Of course, Rose will agree to it!" Xavier tried his best to smooth things out. He then turned to Rose and said, "Rose, Alistair asked you a question."

Rose then looked at Xavier. She understood what he was thinking better than anyone else. No matter how good she was, she was just a woman at the end of the day. Her gender had destined her importance to be less than that of Garrett's. That was why Xavier would agree to this marriage... Because it meant an increase of status for the Schmidt household.

After some hesitation, Rose forced a smile and said, "Mr. Alistair, I don't have any objections. I'll leave everything in your capable hands."

When Xavier heard this, he let out a sigh of relief.

Alistair then said with a smile, "That's for the best, then. Since Rose doesn't have any objections, this matter is decided then. Xavier, are you going to choose the date? Or am I going to do it? Regardless, it's best if this is done as quickly as possible. Once the engagement is done, we're really family then! Haha!"

Xavier then said, "You should decide on the date."

"Sure. I'll discuss it with Sebastian and let you know once we have the dates. Xavier, Rose, I'm taking my leave now. Sebastian is still waiting for my good news."

Xavier and Rose personally sent Alistair off. Once the car had left the mountains, Xavier then let out a sigh of relief. He turned around and glanced at Rose, asking, "Didn't you like Sebastian? Now that the Macquoids have come to ask for your hand in marriage, why are you unhappy?" Rose played with the bang on her forehead and said, "It happened so suddenly. I was caught off guard."

"Here I thought you didn't agree to the marriage. It's fine if you're not ready, you'll get used to it in a few days. Your engagement with Sebastian is a huge occasion. We have to make preparations for it too, haha!" He walked away quickly with a smile.

Once Xavier was gone, Rose's smile also disappeared. She frowned slightly as she stood there. For some reason, she was feeling uneasy.

Some said that marriage was a woman's grave. However, Rose refused to believe that. Instead, she believed that marriage was something very wonderful. However, she just could not feel happy right now.

"Grandpa, here's some tea that my friends bought for me. I don't drink tea that much, so I got them for you. Oh, Mr. Duncan, you're here too?"

When Layla walked into Solomon's courtyard, he then saw Solomon and Aiden chatting with each other. She then walked in with a smile.

When Aiden saw that Layla had entered the courtyard, he quickly stood up from the chair and said with a smile, "Master, you should chat with Ms. Layla. I'll get back to work now." With that, he nodded at Layla before turning around and leaving.

While the Crawfords placed little emphasis on the difference of one's status, it was still quite surprising for Layla to see Aiden, a servant, sitting with her grandfather, his master. However, as her mind was filled with the issue regarding Asher, she did not pay too much attention to it. "Oh, Layla. You haven't come for quite some time. Here I thought you didn't want me as your grandpa anymore." Solomon then pushed the chair that Aiden was sitting in just now, asking her to have a seat.

Layla then put the tea on the table and said, "How could you think like that, grandpa? No matter what, I'm still your granddaughter. I'm not someone that won't acknowledge family. Asher is Asher, but you're still my grandpa.

"Haha! That's good," Solomon said with a smile. "Is there something you need from me?" Layla was not going to hide her intention. As such, she nodded and then asked with a whisper, "Grandpa, it's about what happened last time."

"Oh? Aren't we done with that already?"

"Grandpa, that's not what I meant. What I want to say is... Did we wrongly pin the blame on Asher?" Layla asked with a slight frown.

When Solomon heard that, he was stunned for a moment before saying with a laugh, "There were only the three of you drinking that night. If it wasn't Asher, don't tell me it's Huxley? Layla, now that we're done with this, let's not talk about this again, alright? Asher crossed the line... And this is the rightful punishment he deserves."

The reason that Solomon was doing this was to protect Asher. At the moment, Asher's name was everywhere. If this was in the past, Solomon would think that this was something beneficial. However, now that Sebastian was back, if he felt threatened, he would do everything in his power to destroy Asher.

"However, my grandpa said that there's no cure for that kind of aphrodisiac. Which means that the wine they drank earlier was completely fine, and only the wine from the glass that I was drinking from had been spiked," Layla said.

"But Huxley was drugged too, wasn't he?"

"That's where the problem is." Layla paused for a few seconds. In the end, she then whispered, "Grandpa, I suspect that Huxley wasn't drugged at all. It was all an act."

The aphrodisiac had no cure, which meant that only the glass of wine that Layla was drinking had been drugged. However, she stepped in and drank on Asher's behalf. Which meant that the target was originally Asher, and not her.

With that logic, it was obvious that the person that spiked the wine was Huxley.

Solomon did not expect that Layla would still be investigating what had happened that night. If she knew that Asher had been framed, would she seek justice for Asher? If everyone knew that Asher was blameless, then Solomon's plans would fail.

And from Solomon's understanding, that was something that she would do.

Just when Solomon was hesitating, Huxley suddenly arrived.

"Oh, you're here too, cousin. What are you talking about? Why the long faces?" Huxley walked in with a smile.

Solomon quickly smiled and said, "Layla had a fight at home and came over here to complain about it. Aren't you busy at the company, Huxley?"

Ever since Huxley had become the successor to the Crawfords, he spent little time managing the company and had arranged for experts to take over. In the past, the reason he had built his own company was to prove his own abilities. Once he had been confirmed as the successor, he did not want to spend too much energy on it anymore as there was no longer a need for it. ###Chapter 175 Plans

"I've arranged for people to manage the company. There's no need for me to be physically present," Huxley explained as he sat down. He then gave Layla a glimpse and asked, "What is it, Layla? Did someone harass you?"

"No," Layla said coldly. "Grandpa, I'm going back to the company. I'll come over when I'm free next time." With that, Layla left with her purse in hand.

Huxley frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy. He had already become the Crawfords' successor. Everyone in Alexandrius showed him some form of respect. He did not expect that Layla would act so haughtily before him. He believed that he needed to find a chance to teach her a lesson. In the afternoon, Rose received a call from her company. When she had just finished her preparation and was going to drive to the company, her phone suddenly rang. She hesitated when she saw that it was Sebastian's number, but picked it up in the end and said, "Your grandpa came over this morning."

"I know. Do you have time? I'm right at the foot of the mountain. We can talk when we meet," Sebastian said.

"Now? I have to go back to the office..." After giving it a thought, Rose suddenly switched her tone and said, "Give me a minute. I'll change into something else." Originally, Rose wanted to turn him down. However, when she thought about the fact that she was going to get engaged, she knew she had to get used to this kind of life. She hung up the call, returned to her room and changed into something more casual. She looked at herself in the mirror before heading down the mountain to meet Sebastian.

When Rose finally reached the foot of the mountain, she saw that Sebastian was leaning on his car with a cigarette in hand. He was wearing a white coat, and it made him look clean and striking. Just based on appearance alone, Sebastian was much more gorgeous than even Asher. However, Asher was much more handsome.

When Rose came over, Sebastian then flicked away the cigarette butt. With a smile on his face, he then opened the door to his car for Rose and said, "Were you surprised that Grandpa suddenly came and discussed the engagement? To be honest, the main reason I came back is for the two of us. When Grandpa said that you didn't object, I was really happy." Rose believed that Sebastian was an excellent man no matter how you looked at him. Even she could not find any part of him that needed improvement. If there was a man in his life that was close to perfection, then Sebastian would be that man. Despite not detesting him, she was not that happy either. While Sebastian was perfect, it made her feel a great deal of pressure. She did not feel she could open herself up to him.

"I'm quite surprised. You should have met plenty of women out there that are better than me, right?" Rose said with a faint smile.

The car slowly drove through the streets of Alexandrius. It was important for two people to be together to have feelings for each other. However, Sebastian could feel that Rose did not have a lot of feelings for him. While she had a smile on her face, the tone of her voice was rather calm. Sebastian was someone very controlling. That was why Rose's performance was not up to his standard.

"No matter how good the world outside is, it will never be as good as my home. I'm someone that loves my home. You must be curious where I've been the past few years, right? We're going to get engaged soon, so there's no need to hide this from you. Have you ever heard of a place where you can learn how to fight in the Northwest? My master is a teacher there. I've been staying by his side for the past few years, training myself to become better. I had no time to think about any kind of romance. Not to mention that it's not suitable for me to get into a relationship in a place like that."

The reason that Sebastian was telling her all of that was so she could be less suspicious of him. "The Ancient Martial College?" Rose said in shock. As she did not care about that kind of stuff, she was left completely in the dark about it. "You were already able to challenge those on the Elite Ranking when you left the capital city. Then, you must be stronger now, right?"

"I should be able to get into the top five."

Even Rose was shocked when she heard that. The strength that he possessed was terrifying indeed for him to be able to get into the top five, not to mention that he had not even hit thirty. "Congratulations."

"After the engagement, you'll be my fiancée. So, the congratulations go to you too." "But we aren't engaged yet, right?" Rose said with a smile before changing the topic. "Since you already have such power, does that mean you won't be leaving anymore?"

Sebastian glanced at Rose and said, "I still have places to go. While the main reason I came back is for you, the other reason is because I heard that Alexandrius has become quite lively. Asher's name popped up many times. Right, Jeremiah said that you've built an organization called the Gentlemen? How many members are left?"

"It's been disbanded," Rose said.

"Why?" Sebastian said in a shock. "Was it because of Asher?"

"It was not all because of him."

Sebastian then said, "If he's part of the problem, then I'll eliminate him for you. It's also to stop him from becoming a major threat. How does that sound?"

Rose turned and looked at Sebastian. Looking at his feigned smile, Rose believed that he was testing her about something. After a moment, she then said, "There's no need for that. Do you think that Asher can still be any threat right now?"

"It doesn't make sense for Solomon to kick him out of the Crawfords in the first place. He was the successor and Solomon's most beloved grandson. Even if Asher did something wrong, Solomon would never kick him out of the household. Not to mention that this would greatly affect the Crawfords' reputation negatively. Even if it were true, Solomon would stop the news from being leaked out... At the very least, he would not allow the news to spread to such an extent. I suspect that the reason Asher was exiled was part of Solomon's plans." When Rose heard Sebastian's explanation, she believed that he made sense too. The Crawford household was also a reputable household. They should not have let the news spread like that. "Then, what's the reason Solomon's doing this?" Rose asked, unable to think of an answer no matter how much she tried.

Sebastian shook his head too and said, "I'm not that sure either. I simply feel that there's something wrong with this, and we shouldn't ignore it."

"If it's like what you said, then the desperation that Asher has shown the past few days is all an act?" When Rose recalled the way Asher was acting the night that he was drunk at Riverside Tavern, she was sure that it was not an act.

"I'm not sure. However, there's one thing that I can be sure about. If Asher gets into any life- threatening danger, the Crawfords won't stand by and watch," Sebastian said. "I've also invited Griffin. Let's find a place where we can chat. There are a few young people that I'm impressed with in Alexandrius, with Griffin being one of them. Since he's no longer with Asher, we should use this chance to get him to our side. Griffin's grandfather is Harlow Quinn, and the power he represents cannot be underestimated. The reason I didn't deal with Asher before was because of Griffin. Rose, now that I'm back, I'll have to clear all the obstacles in your way. Asher Crawford and Joel Harrison... We must take the two of them out."

Rose was no longer that foolish, little girl all those years ago. She did not believe that Sebastian was doing all of this for her sake. From her perspective, the reason that Sebastian was doing all this was to eliminate all growing threats to secure his status in Alexandrius.

Even though she understood what was going on, Rose did not expose his thoughts. Things were going to get dull if she had to clarify everything, right?

Half an hour later, Sebastian stopped the car right outside of Bar Avenue. In fact, they stopped right outside of Sky Bar. Rose glanced at it and immediately remembered how Asher had beaten up the members of the Gentlemen there. She then said somewhat angrily, "Why are we here? This place is too rowdy. It's not a place where we can chat."

Sebastian then said, "Looks like you still don't understand much about Asher. Sky Bar is already Asher's territory. This is the agreement he had with Joel."

"Is that true?!" Only then did Rose understand why Asher had deceived the Gentlemen and had them appear here. Everyone knew that this was Joel's territory, and that was how they ended up getting beaten and yet no one started up any trouble with Asher. He's so despicable! Rose thought to herself as she gritted her teeth.

Sebastian got out of the car and then lit up another cigarette and said, "Asher is setting up something huge. What happened within our social circle is just part of it, and not even Joel's territory is spared. That's why I said that we must deal with Asher."

Rose was still quite surprised. The young man that used to loiter around her had grown up and managed to do something like this today? It was hard to believe.

After Hunter took over Sky Bar, his business was doing quite well. Well, he did start with this

business when he first stepped into society. He was experienced, did proper planning, and did mind spending money.

not

The two of them entered the bar, found a place where it was not that obvious and ordered some

drinks. Afterward, Sebastian sent a message to Griffin, telling him where to meet them.