"Should we go after them and ask for clarification?" As if afraid of disturbing her, Pedro Langley asked softly. Nora Scott, lost in her thoughts, was jolted back to reality by his reminder, her eyes turned slightly cold, her voice hard: "No need." She wasn’t even aware that Antonio Easton and the former Hall Master knew each other, and now she wasn’t sure if she should suspect that her familiarity with the former Hall Master and her inheritance of the Biel Hall Hall Master position were all deliberately arranged. Moreover, since Antonio Easton and the former Hall Master never mentioned past events to her, there had to be a reason for keeping it from her. If she chased after them to ask, all she would get would be perfunctory answers. Biel Hall, Antonio Easton, Aaron Scott, Evelyn Easton, blueprints... Nora Scott couldn’t have anticipated that these words would be connected together. According to the information revealed by the former Hall Master: Evelyn Easton once stole Antonio Easton’s blueprints for Aaron Scott, which led to the fallout between Evelyn Easton and Antonio Easton. Then, what were the blueprints? Why did Evelyn Easton steal the blueprints for Aaron Scott? Was the "dirty business" the former Hall Master mentioned referring to this matter, or was it more than that? Just as Nora Scott was overwhelmed by numerous doubts, Pedro Langley speaking gently beside her: "After the New Year, Aaron Scott will hold a septuagenarian birthday banquet." Nora Scott turned her head to look at him, and upon moving her hand, she suddenly realized she was still clutching Pedro Langley’s hand. She was momentarily stunned, quickly let go, and simultaneously distanced herself from Pedro Langley. But Pedro Langley swiftly grabbed her hand in return. His palm was solid and warm, effortlessly enclosing her hand within, slightly rough, the skin contact a bit prickly and slightly itchy, yet not entirely intolerable. Pores relaxed, Nora Scott felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to pull her hand away, but saw him handing over an object, her fingers relaxed as he pushed it into her palm. He said, "I only brought one piece; make do with it." Nora Scott glanced down. It was a warmer pad, in a plastic package, yet not cold, full of the leftover warmth from his pocket. Her fingers slowly curled, and Nora Scott clutched the warmer pad in her hand. Timely pushing aside that awkward emotion, Nora Scott naturally said, "Thanks." "Your hands are this cold, it’s not just because of age, right?" Pedro Langley asked seemingly unintentionally. Accepting this gesture, Nora Scott, holding the warmer pad, tore open the package and lazily said: "Couldn’t sort things out, went for a winter swim... That’s it... By the sound of it, you know a bit about the Scott family?" She nonchalantly shifted the topic; whether intentional or unintentional, Pedro Langley could no longer pursue the question again. Pedro Langley quietly looked at her, lifting his eyelids slightly, and asked: "Do you know much about the Scott family?" "Started with renovation design, later switched to antique business. Twenty years ago, Ernesto Scott started from scratch." Nora Scott indeed didn’t know much. Regarding matters involving the Scott family, she wasn’t interested, and since it was a "family matter," she refrained from letting Biel Hall investigate. She glanced over the information she found online, but beyond that, she knew nothing. Pedro Langley was surprised by the limited information she had, thought for a moment, then helped introduce: "Aaron Scott is an engineering architect. Over twenty years ago, he participated in a national-level bridge construction project which catapulted him to fame." "Really," Nora Scott was somewhat curious. "Strangely, he only designed that one project," Pedro Langley said unhurriedly, "He studied architecture, but before that, he hadn’t accomplished much. After that, no one heard of him participating in any architecture design." Nora Scott quickly linked it to what the former Hall Master had said about the blueprints, "You mean..." "This is just conjecture. However, you can ask your grandfather." Nora Scott squinted her eyes, asking: "Is there more?" Pedro Langley continued introducing: "The Scott family used to deal in furniture business, but the market declined, and over twenty years ago, Aaron Scott suddenly shifted to custom renovations, targeting the high society, incorporating mechanisms into designs and furniture, gradually building a reputation." "Later, as market competition increased, Aaron Scott ventured into the antique business. Benefiting from his architect connections, he met many people, making business easier, and thus the business grew." "Now the Scott family focuses on renovation design and the antique market, with descendants mostly leaning towards these two directions." Having introduced Aaron Scott and his rise, Pedro Langley also briefly mentioned the Scott family’s descendants. Ernesto Woods branched out independently, completely uninvolved in the Scott family’s business. Now, the Scott family is managed by Ernesto Woods’ brother and sister, with his brother responsible for the antique business and his sister managing renovation design. In the next generation, besides Ernesto Woods’ children, Sophie Scott and Oliver Scott, there’s one more worth mentioning.
