DOLLED UP:

"The bridge of her nose is very sharp," Ezra explained.

His aunt studied the sketch and asked, "Like this?"

"Well... I can't seem to pinpoint where the problem is, but there's definitely something odd about this."

"Hmm... Could her nose be a bit longer? Sort of like this?"

Ezra nodded, saying, "It definitely looks better now... still..."

Engrossed in this artistic collaboration, Ezra appreciated his aunt's talent. He had previously explained Micaela's features to Louis, but now he felt the need to show him a visual representation. Fortunately, he didn't have to resort to hiring a private detective or a forensic artist and wasting money; his aunt always proved to be the solution to his worries.

Ezra's aunt, Professor Evelyn Ashton, a distinguished forensic artist with a Ph.D. in Forensic Art, seamlessly combined artistic talent with advanced knowledge in criminal psychology. Beginning her career in a prestigious police department, Evelyn's exceptional skills quickly earned recognition. Her success was credited to a pioneering approach, integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional artistry, including facial recognition software.

Recognizing the broader demand for her expertise, she founded her consultancy firm, specializing in forensic art and criminal profiling. Globally, Evelyn collaborated with law enforcement agencies, offering vital insights for suspect identification.

Ezra benefited from his aunt's expertise when he swiftly received Micaela's sketch. It depicted the same girl he had seen in a picture during his initial visit to that world—a young, pretty brunette exuding a mature aura in her eyes.

Nodding to himself, Ezra expressed gratitude to his aunt and attempted to rise, heading towards his room before Evelyn halted him.

"Ezra, my boy, I need to talk to you about something."

Pausing, Ezra inquired, "What's the matter, Aunt Evy?"

Aunt Evelyn typically exuded a calm, stoic demeanor, her facial expression perpetually resembling a 'done with the world' attitude. However, at this moment, her countenance displayed a rare weariness and concern. Only two people had the power to evoke such a reaction from her.

The first person was himself, with a knack for stumbling into one unlucky situation after another, causing her constant worry. The other was a walking, talking manifestation of the word 'trouble'—his younger cousin, Celeste Ashton. As he had suspected, it was about her.

"Won't you knock some sense into that girl's head for me? My words are entering one ear and escaping the other."

"Oh no. What did she do again?"

"Listen, she—"

"I am attending a party. That's all," interrupted Celeste as she entered the room. Having just returned from her high school, she still exuded energy, putting her belongings on the sofa. With a determined expression, she approached them with purposeful steps. Ezra couldn't help but notice the fresh makeover, likely done at a salon.

Seated on the sofa, both Ezra and Aunt Evelyn found the standing girl looming over them, her gaze carrying the intensity of a predatory tiger.

Aunt Evelyn looked disapprovingly at Celeste. "Not just any party, dear. The Carlisle family party."

"Say what!?" Ezra exclaimed, visibly shocked. He locked eyes with Celeste, his tone tinged with disbelief. "How come I am only just hearing about this? Celeste Ashton… What in the world? Aunt Evy!"

Aunt Evelyn shook her head. "Don't look at me like that, darling. I found out about it earlier too. She called me to receive her package, a gift from the same brand she's been modeling for. Casually, I inquired if it was a brand gift, and she dropped the bomb about custom ordering it to look good at the Carlisle family party tonight."

"Tonight!?"

"Tonight," Celeste nodded in confirmation. She then turned to Aunt Evelyn, asking casually, "Auntie Evy, is my package in my room? I'll be asking you to help me put on the dress later."

"But, Celeste, this is so sudden… And didn't you make a promise with Ezra before…?" Aunt Evelyn voiced her concern.

Ezra, still in a state of confusion, snapped back to attention at the mention of promises. He nodded seriously at Celeste. "Are you going to break your promise with me?"

Celeste casually inspected her newly manicured nails and answered calmly, "I promised you before that I will not seek out that person myself, neither will I talk to him if I coincidentally come across him. But never once did our promise include the fact that I cannot meet him after I myself was sought out."

Ezra wore a reluctant expression. "That's not how it works," he said before his face dropped into a frown. "Maximillian Carlisle sought you out? For what?"

"Technically, it wasn't that person who did so. It was his mother. She sent me an invitation a week ago to the celebratory party of W.I.J's first young master's cosmetic brand's successful launch. I didn't tell you two before today because I knew you would try your best to stop me."

Turning to Ezra with determination, Celeste spoke emphatically, "It's a grand celebration for Lucas Carlisle. Naturally, his siblings are bound to be there. He is bound to be there. This is my chance. I have a plan. And I'll make him pay for what he did to you in the past. Don't you two dare to stop me. Nope! There is no stopping Celeste Ashton today!"

"My god, Celeste! You're out of your mind."

"No. You are. After what that piece of garbage did to you, you're going to forgive him just like that? Well, I was never as benevolent as you, cousin. If it weren't for you being all weak and broken and bruised in a hospital back then, I would have never promised you not to find that guy. Otherwise, I would have long since wiped the floor with his ugly mug by now!"

Celeste huffed and puffed before quickly taking out a hand mirror from her pocket to check if her makeup was damaged. Seeing no fault, she turned back to the two, "Anything else?"

Ezra was left flabbergasted by Celeste. A sharp stinging pain threatened to split his forehead in half. He took a deep breath and asked Celeste with the calmest voice he could muster, "And what is this plan of yours anyway?"

"Seduce that person and then dump him when he grows attached. Or try to impress his family so that I can be invited again and shoot my shots. And if I fail, then that's fine too. At least I would have tried. I'll come back, having peacefully accepted my loss, and just stick to cursing him at night."

"Wow…" Ezra looked at his aunt in disbelief, who returned a similar expression. She turned to Celeste and told her very seriously, "Celeste, sweetheart, I can't possibly let you go alone tonight, now can I? That's just ridiculous."

Celeste appeared unwilling. She took out her phone and tried to search her contact list. Perplexed, Ezra asked her, "What are you doing now?"

Celeste mumbled while her eyes remained glued to her phone, "Looking for a partner to accompany me. I actually wanted to go alone, even though the invitation clearly allowed me to bring a plus one. But just in case, I had asked Uncle Matthew to free up his time today because I figured Auntie would reject."

Aunt Evelyn rubbed her face in exhaustion, "Mathew is a forty-year-old man with back pains and chronic exhaustion from his job as a doctor. Besides, he has a wife, dear. What are you doing, dragging him to a fancy shancy party?"

Celeste shook her head, "Auntie Maria had told me she would close down the café early if I decided to take away Uncle Mathew to that party. Hear that, Auntie Evy? She allowed me to borrow her husband. She doesn't mind."

"But I do, okay... And today was supposed to be my day off… Gosh, I guess I will go with you…"

"Don't worry, Aunt Evy. Uncle Mathew won't have to go. Neither do you," Ezra stood up from his seat and stopped Celeste from calling Uncle Mathew. He then took out his phone to send a picture of Micaela's sketch to the group chat before turning to Celeste, "I will be going with you instead."

That's how Ezra found himself at tonight's party, dressed to the nines and burying his face in Celeste's shoulder, overwhelmed with embarrassment. Celeste couldn't resist rolling her eyes at Ezra's antics.

"Your shame came back online pretty late, didn't it? Did I not tell you that you'd only feel burdened here? And I wasn't just referring to people remembering you as the ex of that guy."

She pulled Ezra back to face her and spoke seriously, "Alright, boy! Find a spot to hide away. Since you came as my bodyguard for the night, I won't make your job difficult and will only call you if something happens. Seriously though, Ez, what was the point of trying to stop me from confronting Carlisle if you're just going to face that jerk again? You'll probably end up with heartburn and fuel my determination to ruin that guy even more."

Ezra rubbed his face, looking at Celeste with an awkward expression, hesitant to share the details of his world-traveling experiences and the resulting necessity of meeting and communicating with Maximillian, regardless of their past. He wasn't sure if Celeste might faint after hearing such absurdity.

"You know, Celeste, if you've been invited to such an event, that devious old lady has a plan."

Celeste nodded knowingly, "Of course, I understand her intentions. That man, Lucas Carlisle, is still single at twenty-eight, while his twin, Lara, is already married with a kid. The family's heir, Minerva, married back when she was only twenty-six. The family has quite the tradition going on. Moreover, unlike Maximillian Carlisle, who has long made his intentions clear about marrying whomever he wants, Lucas never set forth any conditions to his family. They probably want to seize this chance to help him find a bride they approve of and one that he could come to like even a little bit. Look at the family's generosity, though; they've also invited quite a few ladies who don't match up to their son's status. They are either desperate or they probably also have a hidden agenda. Maximillian Carlisle is not here either. Could they also be orchestrating this party as an opportunity for their second son to meet 'people', and perhaps that is why Maximillian Carlisle skipped the event in deliberate spite? What a waste of my time, then! I suppose I'll have to go shake things up with his mother or his elder sisters."

"Careful, though. What if you get set up with their eldest son?" Ezra chuckled.

"Ew. No way. That's an eleven-year age gap. If he shows the slightest interest in me, then I will just have to judge him in public and ruin his good image."

As soon as Celeste dashed off into the crowd, Ezra discreetly made his way to a wide pillar at the very edge of the room. Along the way, he grabbed a drink and a plate of refreshments, eventually settling behind the pillar on a chair he had conveniently borrowed from nearby, his back against the hard concrete.

The judgmental eyes of certain guests had been grating on his nerves for some time now. It wasn't like he came to this party out of interest. He had come as the revenge-seeking gremlin of a cousin's bodyguard.

Speaking of which, Ezra found himself amidst several familiar faces at the party. First on the list was Faye. Ezra couldn't help but ponder how she ended up here. Faye, not coming from an influential background, was just a regular girl, albeit exceptionally gorgeous. Her part-time gig at Maria's café hinted at some financial struggles. As he observed, a tall guy with quite forgettable features accompanied her. Ezra deduced that he must have been her plus one for the evening—perhaps a college friend or something. Maybe he brought her here. The guy looked rich from his clothing so he might have been a guest.

In the midst of the crowd, Ezra also crossed paths with Damien's older sister, Sienna, deeply engrossed in a discussion with older men and women, likely about business. She exuded a captivating beauty tonight. As a matter of fact, every girl Ezra knew seemed to be especially stunning at this gathering. It wasn't the result of extra effort in makeup or the like; they simply radiated a unique charm and elegance that made the evening even more enchanting.

For some reason, Ezra's thoughts drifted to Alice Hughes—an unconscious memory that surfaced. It struck him that his cousin Celeste and these ladies, including Alice, Faye, and Sienna, had always seemed to have an amazingly strong stroke of luck in coincidentally meeting Maximillian at the most random of times. These encounters occurred so frequently that Ezra, back when he was still dating Maximillian, would often find himself in the company of these ladies while being with Maximillian. At that time, due to the sheer absurdity of the situation, all parties involved would burst into hysterical laughter. Ezra would playfully nudge Maximillian and jest, "You're like a protagonist. All the gorgeous people unconsciously gather around you. Myself included, of course. I can confidently say that I am a beauty in my own right."

Maximillian, despite growing increasingly apprehensive and bothered by these coincidences, would still respond in good humor, "Of course you are. Though you are the only beauty this protagonist needs, really."

"Ugh, cheesy. Stop," Ezra would giggle.

Even now, when Faye and Sienna caught sight of him, they looked as if they were on the verge of falling over from trying to stifle their laughter. Witnessing their reaction, even Ezra was influenced and almost let out a hearty laugh. It was all very absurd, yet they all took it in stride. The only one who never found it amusing was Alice Hughes.

She did not at all find Ezra's presence near Max during those times pleasant, and she would pout and complain openly, "Hey you, Ez, you are tampering with my destiny. Look at us. Mister Carlisle and I were clearly meant to meet like a pair of destined... well... pair! You ruined the coincidence."

Ezra would always tease his love rival about it, "Are you sure it was just a coincidence and not at all pre-planned?"

"Oh, I wish! That would mean I knew Maximillian Carlisle's schedule. And that would imply we are close. And that would probably mean I have a chance! Clearly… I don't with you here!"

Recalling those times, Ezra couldn't help but chuckle as he stuffed a pastry into his mouth. While chewing, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He tried to reach out to retrieve it before a palm dropped on his shoulder, catching his attention. Tracing it to finally reach the blue eyes of the owner, Ezra quickly looked away as soon as he got a glimpse.

Maximillian looked particularly good today. Ezra would not like to admit that. But it was an undeniable truth. He sensed a deep stare tracing him, making Ezra uncomfortably aware of someone scrutinizing every curve and edge. Soon, he heard a question in that deep voice,

"What are you doing here, Ashton? And you even came all dolled up. Don't tell me, you came to win back your past love? That's a little pathetic."

Irked, Ezra shrugged that big palm away as he took out his phone, not sparing a glance at that disdainful face while retorting in a sarcastic voice at the same time,

"You think I look dolled up? You are too easy. I didn't even put any effort into my looks today. Careful, or you'll be seduced very easily someday by a fox and stray from the right path... Or sorry, you were never on the right path to begin with."

Opening his phone screen, he saw that the message was from Louis, sent in the group chat. Before Maximillian could say something, Ezra interrupted him with a, "It's from Hughes. Shut up for a minute, okay."

Ezra felt Maximillian bend over him to look at the message on his phone—a once-unconscious action that spoke of their close past. Ignoring Max's presence, he read Louis' message. Something about that message made him feel his soles go cold.

{I remember now. Micaela Wintour used to be a classmate of my sister back when she was in junior high. It had become quite the news back then because Micaela suddenly went missing one day. All these years later, and the authorities still have yet to find her.}