Chapter 017: A High-Profile Return

Leo Pierce gave her a strange look.

It wasn't as if there was any deep affection; when his sister said she was "excited" to hear the news of their return, why did he find it so hard to believe?

Yet, aside from that, he couldn't find any other reason. Surely his sister wasn't just making an excuse for her slip-up while pruning the flowers?

Setting the shears down, Seraphina asked, "When you say they’re back, do you mean they’re about to arrive, or they’re already here?"

"They’ve already arrived," Leo said, frowning slightly. "Actually, I find it very strange. Why didn't they notify us in advance? Instead, they only called Dad after getting off the plane. I guess that’s not a huge deal since they called a week ago to say they were coming back, but..."

"Sis, you have no idea. Their return has caused quite a stir; the internet is flooded with news about them. They aren't big celebrities or top-tier VIPs, so why put on such a show?"

Leo knew perfectly well that causing such a sensation just by returning home couldn't be a coincidence caught by reporters; someone had to have engineered it.

In less than half an hour, news was flying everywhere. They really seemed to think they were big shots.

Seraphina walked over to a garden chair to enjoy the shade and sat down; Leo followed and took a seat on the other side.

Hearing Leo’s words, she sneered inwardly.

What else could it be for? A high-profile return was naturally to let everyone know that the Pierce family—the number one clan in Seahaven—had another son besides her father.

She didn't need to check the internet to know that the overwhelming news would be about the "famous young venture capitalist," the second master of the Pierce family, Silas Pierce, and his girlfriend. It wouldn't mention that Silas was merely an adopted son, returning with the sole purpose of eliminating her parents and Leo one by one to inherit the Pierce Corporation.

It was exactly like this in her past life.

As for why they didn't call to disclose their arrival time, it was likely for fear that her family would block their grand entrance if they knew beforehand.

In Silas’s mind, he always believed that Quentin Pierce was constantly guarding the family fortune against him.

She had no idea where he got such confidence.

Neither legally nor morally did he have any right to inherit the Pierce businesses, unless Quentin gave them to him voluntarily.

Though called an adopted son of the Pierces, Silas was essentially raised by Quentin.

The old Mr. Pierce had passed away shortly after adopting him. The will had indeed allocated some property to Silas—mostly real estate—and a small percentage of company shares. It was enough to ensure a comfortable life, but not enough to let him take control of the Pierce family or the corporation.

But Silas insisted on believing Quentin was shielding the assets from him.

He assumed Quentin would suppress all news of his return.

Consequently, since he wanted a high-profile return, he naturally couldn't let anyone know in advance.

In reality, who cared?

At most, her family would be puzzled by his actions and ask for an explanation.

Much like Leo’s current reaction.

In truth, if one looked deeper into this stunt by Silas and Sylvia, the clues were there.

In her past life, her parents didn't see it, Leo didn't see it, and she didn't see it. Ultimately, a large reason was that those two had been abroad for so long; the family didn't know them well anymore, and their memories were stuck back in their high school days.

Furthermore, once they returned, they were masters of disguise, causing everyone to lower their guard and making it impossible to harbor suspicions.

However, knowing that the "accidentally spotted by reporters" excuse wouldn't hold water, their final explanation for the high-profile return would be that since their foundations were abroad and they were no longer young, settling back in the country wouldn't be easy, so they needed to build some momentum first.

Following the typical style of the Pierce and Foster families, they wouldn't approve of such behavior, but since it had already happened, what could they say?

At most, they would give a verbal reprimand and tell them not to do it again.

Those two had returned high-profile in her past life as well. Now that Seraphina had been reborn and knew everything, she chose not to stop them, as she had her own intentions.

With her skills, making a person disappear completely would be incredibly easy.

But that would be too good for them!

They wanted to be high-profile?

Then she would let them be high-profile!

To step high-profile into ruin, to be discredited, and to live a life worse than death!

Seraphina took a sip of the hot tea brought by a servant and said calmly, "I'm not sure. Perhaps they were just coincidentally photographed."

"Sis, you're so naive."

Seraphina looked over and met Leo’s speechless gaze; her hand holding the teacup paused.

In her past life, why did Silas and Sylvia choose to strike at Leo first?

Was it only because Leo was the qualified heir of the Pierce family?

Or was it that, in their eyes, Leo was the easiest to eliminate?

Or perhaps Leo had accidentally discovered something and they noticed...

This didn't mean Leo was smarter than their parents; rather, when Silas and Sylvia went abroad, Leo was only five. Having no real impression of them allowed him to view things more objectively.

As for Seraphina, it wasn't that she had any feelings for them.

It was the same reason: in her past life, her world was crammed with music, leaving her no time to notice other people or events. Aside from necessary performances and events, she spent most of her time at home composing and practicing.

"It’s not naivety; you’re just thinking too much of human nature." It was fine for Leo to be smart, but she didn't want him to be the first to notice things and end up being targeted by those two.

In the future, once this matter was resolved and the true faces of those two were revealed, Leo would realize what "human malice" meant even without her specific reminders.

The handsome youth looked at her, his face full of helplessness. "Human nature is complex by default."

"Never mind. Sis, as long as your world has music, that's enough. Music should be the purest thing; don't worry about the rest."

Just as he finished speaking, he saw Seraphina staring intently at him with a complexity he couldn't decipher, making him feel inexplicably flustered. "...Sis, why are you staring at me like that?"

Seraphina calmly withdrew her gaze and said with a faint smile, "Nothing. I just feel that Leo has grown up."

Leo’s lip twitched.

He thought it was something serious.

What "grown up"? He was seventeen, nearly eighteen.

At eighteen, he’d be an adult, yet she still treated him like a child.

However...

"Sis, I feel like you've been acting strange lately." She would occasionally look at him and their parents with indecipherable gazes, and her face sometimes showed very complex expressions.

Although it wasn't very obvious, she was his sister. They had lived together for so many years, and with his sharp mind, how could he not notice?

Seraphina blinked and took another sip of tea. "Have I?"

In truth, during those first few days, she certainly had.

She knew it herself.

But with nearly half a month passed, she could now fully control her emotions.

Not to mention outsiders; even in front of her parents and Leo, her emotions rarely showed.

"Yes, you have!"

"Alright, let's not talk about that," Seraphina interrupted him. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

It was the weekend, so Leo didn't have classes and was at home.

Since it was the weekend, Quentin naturally wasn't at work, and Xenia was currently on leave.

Yet neither of them was at home.

They were home at noon, but when she woke up from a nap, they were gone. She had asked the servants, but they only said the couple had gone out without specifying where.

"It seems like there was something at the company that Dad had to handle, and Mom went with him. Given the current situation online, they should be back soon."