Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)

Xavier said, "I wasn't keen on saying yes in the first place."

Norah's eyes twinkled mischievously as she laughed, "If Grandpa Hanson knew that Henson and I came here to stir things up, he'd be furious!"

Xavier's lips curved into a smirk. "He won't be angry. He knows how to separate personal feelings from business."

In the presence of the Lamont family, what's a lady from the Raye family worth?

Norah could sense the hostility Xavier harbored towards his father in his words, so she chose to stay silent.

Xavier fiddled with a lighter between his fingers and asked, "Has Henson caught onto us?"

Norah sipped her milk tea and nodded. "Yeah, he figured it out last night."

Xavier frowned. "Let's not let any more people find out."

Norah looked up. "Why not?"

Xavier remained silent. Of course, it was for her reputation. She was the Lamont family's golden girl, always under the spotlight. Falling for the son of her grandfather's friend wasn't something to be proud of. It would become fodder for gossip.

He glanced at the time and said, "Ms. Cicely will be here soon. We should head over."

"Sure!"

Norah stood up. "I'll text Henson."

They left through the garden's back gate, heading towards the teahouse across the street.

The thought of accompanying Xavier on a date made Norah chuckle at the absurdity.

They reached the second floor of the teahouse and waited. Soon after, Henson arrived, clutching his air rifle.

Xavier asked, "You know how to shoot?"

Norah chimed in, "Estelle taught him."

Xavier laughed. "I was teaching Estelle how to shoot when she was about your age!"

Henson was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Estelle learned her shooting from you? Should I call you Grandmaster then?"Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Norah felt like crying on the side. "Can you stop with the formal titles? It's hard enough for me as it is!"

Xavier gave Norah a look, trying to suppress a laugh, then took

Henson's rifle, aimed at a crabapple tree across the teahouse, and fired. The pellet whizzed through the air, piercing a crabapple without making it fall, only leaving a perfect hole in the middle. 

Henson used his binoculars and saw the crabapple was hit right through the heart but didn't drop. The pellet had hit exactly where a painted crabapple was on a lantern a hundred meters away.

He was utterly astounded!

Turning to Xavier with admiration shining in his eyes, Henson said, "I believe it now. You really were Estelle's mentor!"

Norah couldn't help but wear a proud smile as if she was the one being complimented.

Henson had always been prideful, rarely admiring anyone. To earn his respect meant Xavier truly had skill.

Xavier smiled and handed back the rifle. "Be careful with it!"

Henson nodded. "Will do!"

He eagerly asked, "Xavier, could you give me some more tips?"

Xavier agreed and suggested, "Let's head to the courtyard downstairs. We'll make sure no one gets hurt."

Henson immediately agreed.

Norah laughed. "I'll stay here and watch you guys!"

As Xavier and Henson went downstairs to practice shooting, Norah watched from above.

After a few minutes, a girl came up the stairs, talking on her phone, "Bro, I'm here!"

"Haven't seen him yet, not sure what he looks like."

"Don't worry, even if he's as ugly as a pig, I'll charm him like he's a famous star. I know the family business needs the cash. I'll sweet-talk him into it, and we can worry about the rest later." 

"Got to go, I'm here. I'll keep you updated from the car."