"Cassius, just speak up if you've got something on your mind. No need to keep giving me side glances like that," Tommy suddenly said. If one did not listen clearly, they probably would miss the helpless tone in his voice.
"Is it really alright for us if we go to Aster's apartment without any disguise?" Casey asked with a bit of worry. "I promised him we will go there as stealthily as possible."
Thomas understood his brother's worry. It's not only the Lancasters, but they also had to worry about not affecting Astrid's career. "Don't worry, I've handled everything."
Cassius narrowed his eyes at him. "How exactly did you handle 'everything'?"
"As you know, the Lancasters are keeping an eye on us, but it should be taken into account that we are also doing the same. Both sides couldn't do blatant monitoring of each other because it could easily be used against one another. That's why small movements of each family couldn't easily be detected.
"On the other hand, big actions like entering a space warp and going to another planet could easily be traced and reported. This is how the situation between the two families had been on a standstill for the past two decades, creating a balance that neither of the two wanted. Neither of us could really move against one another without breaking this delicate balance.
"If news of Emmaline being alive were to surface, the Lancasters would happily break this balance in a heartbeat. The family is prepared to fight them. The only thing we're not sure about is if we could ensure Emmaline's safety 100%. It's tough to guarantee we can keep her out of harm's way in the middle of the feud between the two families.
We know the Lancasters would go after her first, along with her husband and children.
"That's why Father had been very reluctant to break the current situation. It's not solely about Emmaline's safety, but also about preserving the life she's built for herself. If her survival became public knowledge, the happiness she's worked so hard for would vanish. The least thing Father and I could do after everything that had happened was to prevent that from happening."
Casey became silent after hearing that long explanation. He understood it on a basic level, but that didn't mean he could agree with it. The way Tommy and the duke handled things were too extreme. He bet the two didn't even try to search for Emmy, just in case her location might be leaked to the Lancasters.
Astrid didn't hesitate to nod. "I really like his script. With the right directing and acting, it will definitely be a big hit."
While Astrid was having that conversation, Reas was exchanging messages with Lauren.
[I'm sorry if we have to move our plans to tomorrow.]
Reas sent that, apologizing to the other. It didn't take long for Lauren to reply.
[It's fine. Didn't you say it's a sudden family situation? Then it can't be helped.]
Reas let out a sigh of relief when he read that. He understood it was strange to be more concerned about his plans with Lauren than the fact that the Grimaldis were now aware of him and Astrid. But he couldn't help it. Maybe because subconsciously, he felt that even if the Grimaldis knew about them, nothing would change much.
[Just make sure it won't happen again tomorrow. Or I might suspect you just actually don't want to treat me to a meal.]
Reas laughed a little when he read Lauren's new message. He knew that the other was just joking, but he still played along and replied;
[There's no way that will happen.]
It was then that Astrid received a message from Casey, telling him that he and Tommy were already in front of the apartment building.