American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

His face, sullen and irritable from being ignored by Dr. Harrison, instantly twisted into a twitchy, fake smile the moment he saw who had arrived.

"Well, well, look who it is," Alister said, leaning in. "The Mellon Family’s little prodigal princess, and her personal Knight?"

"Oh, right," he said, pushing his companion forward. "You’ve met. This is Amanda."

It wasn’t just Elizabeth; even Li Wei was taken aback.

Alister actually had the gall to openly bring a call girl as his date to the Mellon Family’s Christmas dinner!

"Are you insane!" Elizabeth frowned. "What will people think?"

"YAWN... Blah, blah, blah," Alister said, making a quacking motion with one hand. "What do people think of me? Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing I’m expected to do? Isn’t that how everyone sees me?"

"Even if I brought some proper debutante, it wouldn’t change my image," he shrugged. "So why shouldn’t I bring Amanda? At least she’s good in bed."

"Alister," Amanda said, turning to him in confusion, "we haven’t slept together."

Li Wei was even more stunned at her words.

Alister looked like the kind of guy who did coke every day. Li Wei wouldn’t have been surprised to hear he’d one day die on top of a woman.

But from the way the call girl talked, Alister hadn’t even slept with her yet.

"Alright, enough of that," Alister said, changing the subject. "Liz, what do you think?"

"I have no opinion," Elizabeth said coolly. "That’s your private business."

"No, no, not about Amanda and me. We can talk about that later," Alister said, waving his hand dismissively and glancing around. "This is about the old man."

"What if the old man is really on his way out?" Alister suddenly lowered his voice, took two steps closer, and even shot a paranoid glance down the corridor. "He won’t come out, and he won’t let me go up. But a maid who works for him tipped me off that his health might be in serious trouble, that he can barely even get out of bed."

As he spoke, his fingers waved exaggeratedly in the air, and a complex light flickered in his eyes.

It was a mix of pain, sorrow, and greed, laced with a hint of anxiety and unease.

His voice grew shrill. "Just think, Liz... if he really... you know... kicks the bucket during this damn blizzard... or what if he goes senile, can’t even hold a pen? What then? That’s a fifty-billion-USD foundation! How do we split a cake that big? Who does the splitting? Who gets how much? Will that sanctimonious hypocrite Timothy use this as a chance to kick us all to the curb? Or has the old man already drawn up a secret will?"

He stared intently at Elizabeth’s impassive face, trying to glean something from her microexpressions. "You’ve been making some big moves lately. You even took over Richard’s funding channels. What’s the old man thinking? What exactly did he promise you in private?"

Hearing Alister’s words, Elizabeth’s gaze grew even colder.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Uncle Alister," Elizabeth said coolly. "I don’t know anything. I’m only here today because Grandfather called and told me to come back."

"Oh, come on! Don’t give me that act!" Alister rolled his eyes dramatically, as if he’d just heard the world’s biggest joke. "How many years has it been since you attended the Christmas dinner? The old man makes a special call for you to come back, and for Phoenix to come back too, after he’s spent all this time messing with his worthless antiques. You really think he just got old and sentimental, and suddenly misses his ’precious family’?"

Elizabeth froze at the mention of Phoenix’s name.

"My father? He’s coming too?" she blurted out. "How is that possible? He’s supposed to be in—"

"In the United Kingdom, right? Hahaha," Alister cackled. "Surprised? Well, my sources say he’s arriving tonight."

"I’m begging you, Liz, my dear niece," he said, his paranoia flaring up again. "Give your uncle a little hint. You managed to tear a chunk right out of Charlie’s hands. You’re telling me the old man didn’t give you the inside track?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath, her tone perfectly level. "That’s it. I didn’t even know my own father was returning. How could I possibly know anything else?"

Alister stared at her for a full five seconds, searching for any sign that she was lying.

"Fine, fine!" He frowned irritably, waving his hand like a petulant child who’d been denied candy.

"If you’re not going to tell me anything, then forget it," he said, wrapping an arm around Amanda’s waist. "Let’s go, Amanda. Let’s see what else there is for entertainment in this goddamn manor."

Rolling his eyes and muttering to himself, he staggered down the corridor toward the drawing room at the far end.

Elizabeth watched him go, shaking her head slightly, her eyes filled with disgust and resignation.

"He’s completely insane. Utterly unreasonable," she said to Li Wei in a low voice. "We don’t even have a clear picture of Grandfather’s health, and as his own son, the first thing he thinks about is how to carve up the estate?"

After she spoke, she paused, a strange expression on her face.

"But... do you think it’s possible..." she said, "just a possibility, that Grandfather really does have special plans for me?"

Her gaze drifted to the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

"Should I go up and see him?" she asked, looking at Li Wei. "From any perspective, I haven’t seen him in years. I should go, shouldn’t I?"

Li Wei, however, just looked up at the ceiling, as if he could see right through it.

’Too bad the ceiling is a little too thick,’ he thought. ’If I were within three to five meters of him, face to face, my enhanced constitution might allow me to hear Alexander Mellon’s heartbeat. Then I could get some real information.’

"I think it’s worth a shot. Don’t you?" he said.

Elizabeth nodded, composed herself, and walked toward the staircase.

However, before her foot could even touch the first step, a maid approached and blocked her path.

"I’m sorry, Miss Elizabeth," she said in a low voice. "The Family Head has given orders that no one is to go upstairs and disturb his rest before dinner begins. That is his command."

Elizabeth froze, her brow furrowing slightly. "Not even me?"

"No one, Miss." The maid’s tone was unyielding.

Elizabeth had no choice but to step back, her eyes full of confusion.

’If Grandfather really did just call me back for the family dinner, why won’t he even let me see him for a moment?’ And he’d even summoned her father, Phoenix, who had been gone for years. All these abnormal signs made her feel increasingly uneasy.

Just as Elizabeth was grappling with these confusing thoughts, the oak double doors behind her were respectfully pulled open once more by a footman.

A blast of frigid air mixed with wind and snow rushed into the foyer, followed by the crisp CLICK-CLACK of high heels on the marble floor.

"How is Father’s condition?" a woman’s voice asked from behind them.

Elizabeth and Li Wei turned to see Beatrice Mellon shrugging off an expensive overcoat and handing it to a footman. She wore a high-collared cashmere sweater, her neck held high, as if she were perpetually looking down on everyone.

"I didn’t go up," Elizabeth answered after a slight hesitation. "The maid said no one is allowed to disturb his rest, Aunt Beatrice."

"Let me have a good look at you... It’s been years, and you’ve grown so beautiful," Beatrice Mellon said, walking over and placing her hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders. "Merry Christmas, darling. I’m so glad we can all be together this year."

She then turned to Li Wei, a smile spreading across her face. "Well done, Li Wei. I didn’t realize you were even more impressive than I’d imagined."

Elizabeth frowned, looking at Li Wei.

’Li Wei and Aunt Beatrice know each other?’