The Alchemists

The next day, Finland and Caspar spent the whole morning preparing for the barbecue party. Kathy and Luke, their assistants at the mansion, went out to buy various groceries and barbecue equipment.

Ben and Caspar's two bodyguards helped to arrange the equipment and simple decorations. After lunch, Jadeith and three other bodyguards also arrived. They were invited to enjoy the party with Finland's colleagues, Jean, and his date, Franka, to make the atmosphere livelier.

At 3pm, one by one their guests arrived. Anne came with her younger brother and Lucia came with her mother. The other six Market Research Department staff, who were married, brought their husband or wife and children with them.

Tony and Rachel, his fiancée, arrived with wine and flower bouquets. Not long after, Jean arrived with a very beautiful girl in his arms, Franka Yoshizumi. They brought a bottle of champagne with them.

Finland's colleagues were very impressed to see Caspar's beautiful and majestic mansion. They could only guess how much the mansion was worth, considering that Palo Alto was one of the most expensive cities in America.

"Wow... I'm so glad to finally met you..." Franka quickly approached Finland and hugged her, "I've heard so much about you from Jean."

Finland felt rather awkward because Franka was very friendly to her, even though they were complete strangers and Jean hadn't introduced them. She was suspicious that Franka had a crush on Jean and was treating Finland very well because she wanted to get to his heart through Finland.

"Oh... hello, Franka... Nice to meet you." Finland greeted her clumsily. Jean never told her about Franka, which meant that, for Jean, she was just one of the many other girls around him, and that she had no special place in his heart.

There were always rumors now and then about Jean dating different models and actresses, but Jean always denied his relations with them. He once told Finland that if one day he had a special girl in his life, Finland would be the first to know.

Franka hurriedly pulled Finland's hand and invited her to chat; the girl had no other option but to follow. Caspar served as a good host and welcomed their other guests. The men were invited to grill meat and seafood while the women prepared salads and cutlery. A group of musicians had been invited to play and the atmosphere in the mansion's backyard was very lively.

Anne, Lucia, and the other colleagues were constantly admiring the mansion and Finland's family who looked so happy and beautiful. They did not expect that this simple girl, who they had worked with for so long, turned out to have such amazing family and friends.

They occasionally stole glances at Caspar, the perfect man who smiled sweetly at Aleksis who was sitting on his lap. He was having a nice chat with Jean and Tony. Unfortunately, when they were about to take a photo, Jadeith quickly approached and asked them to erase the picture.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Schneider doesn't like to be photographed..." His handsome face and his very friendly smile made people feel bad to argue. So, they obediently deleted Caspar's photos and kept their cellphones away. Jadeith, who felt sorry for them, finally became more lenient, "You may take photos of the party, the atmosphere, and the attendance - that's okay, but please don't take pictures of Mr. Schneider."

"Uhm... okay." Their faces brightened again. The guests then took photos of the festive party but deliberately did not photograph Caspar. They would not violate the trust given by the host.

There were so many handsome men at this barbecue party they could photograph. There were Jean, Jadeith and all the mysterious-looking men who looked like bodyguards. There was also Franka, a very famous celebrity... ah, what an experience.

The door to the backyard suddenly opened and another young man entered. He was equally handsome as Caspar and had long hair that was rather disheveled. His pair of blue-green eyes looked very sad. The guests' views were simultaneously aimed at him.

"Hey... Lauriel... How are you?" Caspar immediately approached Lauriel.

Lauriel slowly walked toward Caspar, who was carrying Aleksis, and whispered, "Can I borrow Aleksis? I'm feeling very sad..."

"Of course..." Caspar handed Aleksis over to Lauriel who immediately hugged Aleksis tightly. He then walked to the corner of the garden, sat down, and buried his face in the little girl's hair. Everyone could only stare in confusion.