Despite sharing the earth, the people who live on it are divided into classes; there are rich, middle-class, poor, ignored, junkies, and perpetrators.

As I entered Henderson's house, more like a mansion, the thought raced through my mind like a car at breakneck speed. And it hit me like a ton of bricks.

People are suffering more than we are, but we believe we are the only ones.

"Woah, baby," Mave whistled slowly beside me.

"Ells, marry any of the Henderson men. I swear to God, if my heart hadn't been taken, I would have."Jen muttered from the other side, making me roll my eyes.

"You anyways have two of them wrapped around your fingers,"

She just had to add that.

I rolled my eyes again, ignoring her.

"One of them is a Greyson," Mave noted.

Seriously?

"Guys, can we not?" I clenched my teeth.

"Sure," Jen said, laughing.

Returning my focus to the house, I took in its windows, which were as shy as eyes, large enough to welcome any ray of sunlight. The rock walls seemed to belong exactly where they were, as if they had sprouted from that sacred ground. It was as if it had been summoned to protect those who came to live within, to keep the elements at bay and allow heat to build from hearths into the inhaled woodland air.

The interior was enchanting and welcoming, with white and gold accents. The house was a hotbed of gold.

We were greeted by a large living room with expensive white sofas surrounding it and a large chandelier on top as soon as we stepped inside. At the far straight end, there is a large staircase.

I was amazed.

"If they had given a quarter of the money they had invested in this mansion to the poor, world hunger would have been cut in half," Mave grumbled beside me.

Which I wholeheartedly agreed with. But it wasn't our place to make a remark.

"OK, let's not go there," I muttered.

Grizelle Henderson, aka Sr. Mrs. Henderson, had already graced us with her presence before any of them could speak.

"Isn't it a lovely evening?" She smiled at herself. She was dressed elegantly in a white full-sleeved silk gown.

I was adorned in a bottle green silk top with blue flared jeans while Jen was dressed in a red crop top and skinny jeans.

There were only a few times when I felt self-conscious about how I dressed, but right now, I'm feeling quite self-conscious about my appearance.

"I'm so glad you guys were able to make it," Grizelle smiled and added, "Ah, you've bought another friend," as she looked at Maver.

I became crimson.

"I'm-"

"Which I don't mind at all." She smiled as she looked at Mave.

Her lips seemed to be permanently set in a smile.

"Who would you be?" She asked about Mave.

Always stealing the spotlight, Mave.

I internally rolled my eyes.

"Maver Galvary"

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Grizelle prodded.

"My father owns the Galvary Wines," Mave explained, casually.

What, excuse me?

My eyes widened as I looked at him, and he stood there as if he was already bored with the conversation. I looked at Jen with the same shocked expression, but she didn't reciprocate, instead taking in the interior of the mansion dreamily.

Of course she was aware. Before I arrived, they were best friends. Even so, being left out of such big news didn't take away the ache in my heart.

Maybe I was making a big deal out of it, maybe it had slipped his mind, and we never chatted about our families, except when Jen was talking about Jake and Jace's friendship.

I am sensitive, but I am also good at masking my hurt expression, so I put on a smile and concealed the ache in my heart.

Why was I so upset? I'm not sure.

Perhaps because the same sense of being excluded had returned, making me believe that not everything had changed.

"Anyway, let's go eat dinner, we have our dinner early," Grizelle said softly as she looked at me.

I nodded, and she turned around and began to walk ahead, the soft click of her heels against the floor echoing in the environment.

"It's only 6," Mave grumbled.

"Rich people eat dinner early," Jen said quietly.

"It's not like we come from a poor family, Jen," Mave rolled his eyes.

I nodded, trying not to laugh.

We were acting as if we were beggars.

"So? I can act however I please; do you have a problem, Mister?" Jen enquired with a glare.

Mave rolled his eyes but didn't say anything as he walked ahead of us.

I and Jen walked around in awe, taking in the beauty of the interior and the hundreds of frames in the halls. The paintings appeared to be color splash paintings on the walls. I had no idea what the painter was trying to convey.

A large long table with a golden mat in front of us was decorated with various foods. While their delectable aroma filled my nostrils, making my mouth water.

Don't judge me just because I'm a foodie.

On top of the table, a large chandelier hung, and one server was serving the plates. In the background, a low soft tune was playing.

I noticed the people who had reserved seats at the table after Grizelle motioned for us to come forward. On the far end, there was a king-sized chair in which an elderly man sat; upon closer inspection, I noticed that some of his features matched Luke's. He gave me the impression that he was Luke's grandfather. The elderly gentleman did not bat an eyelash at us and continued to read on his Ipad.

Luke's parents sat beside him, two familiar faces. Even though they didn't know who I was, I recognized them. Despite not meeting our parents while dating, I and Luke our shared family photos with each other.

Tasha, Luke's mother, was dressed in a grey knee-length sleeveless gown; I had always thought she looked much younger and more stunning for her age. Her husband Terry, who was wearing a blue t-shirt and off-white pants, was sipping lime juice while she was talking to someone across from her.

Something within me was relieved that everyone was busy doing whatever they were doing and that I wouldn't have to strike up a conversation with them all that often.

That is, until I felt a gaze digging into the right side of my face. When I realized who it could be, a shiver ran down my spine. I didn't turn around, but my heart was racing a thousand times a minute.

"El- Arabella," Luke's voice called, causing me to turn the other way. Luke was seated next to his father.

Except for his grandfather's, that drew everyone's attention on the table to us, and I clenched my fist behind me. Tasha raised an eyebrow at me, scanned me from head to toe, then returned her gaze to her son's with a questioning expression, who was still smiling at me.

I returned his smile but said nothing.

"Are you familiar with her?" Grizelle inquired, surprised. But the surprise didn't make it to her eyes.

Tasha raised an eyebrow at her mother-in-law and silently conversed, as if to say, 'I know what you're doing there,' then sighed, returned my gaze, and dismissed me with an expressionless face.

Okay.

"Yeah"

He didn't go into detail, which I appreciated.

"Of course you know, you two work together," Grizelle laughed softly at her own joke.

Everyone remained silent.

"Hello, Jen." Someone I was attempting to avoid called in his deep voice, but I still didn't meet his gaze.

Jen smiled beside me and said, "Hey Seb."

Couldn't Luke also acknowledge Mave and Jen?

After some pleasantry exchanged between them and us, Grizelle asked us to take our seats,

"Come, you guys take your seats," she said, and both of the brothers stood up before any of us could take our seats.

Jen silently giggled beside me. I ignored her.

That's when I looked him in the eyes. The ocean blue eyes were tired. It appeared to carry sadness and exhaustion. For some reason, my heart yearned to reach out to him. I drew my gaze away from him and gulped.

Grizelle cocked an eyebrow at her grandchildren.

Luke deadpanned, "Manners, Nona."

Grizelle gave a nod.

"You can sit beside me, Eli- Arabella," Luke corrected himself, pulling out the chair next to him.

Sebastian clenched his jaws, and that's when I noticed there was a girl sitting next to him.

The same girl he spoke to earlier in the day, the girl in red.

Something within me sank, but I ignored it as usual.

Sebastian drew a chair next to that girl and motioned Jen to take a seat. While Mave sat beside Jen, I sat beside Luke, directly across from Sebastian.

His gaze met mine, and I could see the inner rage in his eyes. The girl beside him was saying something with a smile that made my heart race.

She was stunning and seemed to be a perfect match for the man in front of me. My heart, on the other hand, seemed to despise every aspect of her.

I took my gaze away from them, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Luke and I had a few small talk. And I smiled as I listened to Grizelle tell about his childhood memories.

Luke placed his palm on my thigh at some point during the conversation, drawing my attention to him.

It was something he did frequently while we were dating. As memories flashed through my mind, I forced myself to pause, focusing on one in particular.

I shook my thigh slowly and silently, asking him to remove his hand, which drew his attention and he stared at his hand on my thigh.

He stared at it for a few seconds before removing his hand, a sad smile on his face as if he, too, had gone down memory lane.

"I'm sorry," he said, returning his gaze to his grandmother.

Thank goodness no one noticed this minor interaction. I resumed eating my meal.

A chair screeched, drawing our undivided attention. I was proven wrong yet again the moment I raised my eyes.

Sebastain's eyes darkened as his jaws ticked, and he stared at Luke, then at me. He must have noticed our brief interaction and I didn't know how I felt about that.

"I'll be right back," he said to his grandmother as he walked away from the table.

Everyone resumed eating and conversing as if it were perfectly normal for someone to leave his meal in the middle.

The rest of the dinner time passed, and I couldn't help but notice that the chair across from Terry was empty, as were Sebastian's parents.

He didn't return for the rest of the meal, and no one questioned his absence.