Sherman exhaled azy swirl of smoke, his voice casual. "If we let her be adopted as his granddaughter, then she''ll be family. That would make it impossible to set her up with anyone from the Burton family.


    But if she''s just his protégé instead, there''s no conflict. Both things can happen. It''s all just an excuse anyway-what''s the difference between a student and a granddaughter?


    Still, I can''t help but wonder: is she really as wonderful as Grandpa ims, or did she already know who he was and deliberately got close to him?"


    Karl raised an eyebrow. "Which do you think it is?"


    "I''m leaning toward the second," Sherman replied.


    Karl gave him a long, searching look. "Since when did you get so perceptive? That''s not like you."


    Sherman let out a faint sigh. "If I didn''t make some progress, I wouldn''t even qualify to stand by Aurora''s side, let alone call myself her friend."


    Karl gave a dry chuckle. "Still hung up on Aurora? Doesn''t seem like she''s interested in you at all."


    Sherman just shrugged. "So what if she isn''t? It doesn''t matter. I know I''m not good enough for her. Just being able to watch her find happiness from afar is enough for me."


    Karl couldn''t help but tease, "Well, aren''t you the altruist. Men like you are a rare breed these days. But..." He paused, changing the subject, "If you know you and Aurora are never going to happen, why not give her country cousin a real chance?"


    He snapped his fingers, thinking. "What was her name? Raven, right? Sure, she''s technically illegitimate, but her background still matches the Burtons well enough. She''s always been good to you, Sherman. These days, finding a girl who''s truly devoted isn''t easy."


    At the mention of Raven, Sherman''s expression darkened. His mood soured instantly, and his tone grew sharp.


    "Let''s talk about your girlfriend for a second. When you had that ident and went blind, she was the one


    who took care of you, stuck by you through your lowest point. She was with you for years. Even you uncle and aunt approved of her as the future daughter-inw of the Burton family. And yet, you couldn''t let go of your so-called ''first love''-the one who abandoned you when you


    needed her most.


    Honestly, Karl, anyone with a conscience wouldn''t treat someone that way."


    Karl''s brows knit together, and he snapped defensively, "I''m not pining after her. I just... want to make her pay for walking out on me back then."


    Sherman lifted an eyebrow. "Really? So, you publicly humiliate her, make her feel small, and at the same time, you won''t let any other man near her? Aren''t you contradicting yourself?"


    He chuckled softly. "You know, word got around about you and that spoiled brat from the ck


    family how you started a braw


    over her. Pretty much everyone in


    our circle knows how much you care about your ''first love'' now.


    And..."


    Sherman shot him a knowing look. "You''re so worried someone''ll hurt her that you made her your assistant, just to keep her close. Is that what you call revenge?"


    Karl''s gaze flickered. "Keeping her nearby lets me show her just how well I''m doing without her."


    Sherman snorted. "Right. You can keep telling yourself that. But do you honestly think your girlfriend ever believed it? If she did, would she have broken up with you-just walked away without a word?


    If the one you can''t have is always the best, why not just be with your ''first love''?


    Why drag your ex-girlfriend into it at all?"