With Seth and Zaria gone, the huge villa felt empty and quiet.Ondine found herself instinctively glancing at the room across the hall whenever she left her own. Before, she would sometimes run into Seth as they were both leaving their rooms. He'd be dressed in either a sharp suit or casual loungewear, and she would greet him with a soft, "Good morning, Seth." He would respond with a cool nod.Now, the door remained closed, a quiet reminder that he was back in Riverdale.The spacious dining room downstairs felt lonely with only her at the table. To fill the time, Ondine spent more and more of her days at the hospital with her mother, her life settling into a simple routine between the villa and the medical center.Hayden and Jolie Thorne returned to Riverdale a few days into the New Year. On their third day back, Jolie's close friend, Forrest Monroe, came to visit with his wife and their daughter, Athena.Athena, a literature graduate from Columbia University, had a scholarly, gentle air about her. Dressed in a cream-colored coat with her long, straight hair, she looked like the very picture of a well-bred young lady from a family of academics. She greeted everyone with a soft, melodious voice that was instantly endearing.noveldramaJolie was utterly charmed. She beamed at the young woman, gesturing with her hand. "Athena, my dear, I haven't seen you in years! The last time I saw you, you were only this high. Look at you now, all grown up into a beautiful, poised young woman." Check latest chapters at Find~Novel.netAthena smiled gracefully. "It has been a long time. I've been looking forward to visiting you."The two families settled in the living room. Aside from Seth, who maintained his usual cool, expressionless demeanor, everyone was smiling and chatting warmly. He had no idea this was a setup; he assumed it was just a casual holiday sit and sat with his parents to entertain the guests. "Seth has grown into such a fine young man," Mrs. Monroe remarked, her eyes twinkling as she looked him over.Seth offered a polite but detached reply. Jolie quickly took over the conversation, chatting animatedly with her friend.Athena sat in the armchair opposite Seth, fully aware that this handsome, aloof man was her intended match. She kept stealing shy glances at him, only to quickly look away.Zaria caught her subtle, girlishglances and suppressed a smirk. It was clear that Athena was quite taken with her brother. She shot look at Seth, expecting to see some reaction, but he sat there as cooÏ and unbothered as ever, completely oblivious to the blushing admiration coming from across the room. "Tsk," Zaria thought to herself. "The man really is an iceberg."For lunch, the two families went to a restaurant. Afterward, Hayden invited Forrest for coffee to discuss. a business project, while Jolie announced she was taking Mrs. Monroe for a spa day, pointedly dragging Zaria along with them. Within minutes, they had all vanished, leaving Seth and Athena alone. Theparents' intentions could not have been more obvious.Seth finished a phone call and looked up, only to find that he and Athena were theonly ones left standing outside the restaurant.