Chapter 633

"Something happened within the Lodge family. Do you know about it?" Arianna asked.

"You mean the old man's death?" Nathaniel replied calmly, cleaning and examining his bottles.

"Of course not. Have you heard of Henry Lodge?" Arianna sat on Nathaniel's chair, looking at him intently. "Since you're Lily's ex-boyfriend, you must know something about the Lodge family, right?"

Nathaniel sneered, his fingers ceasing their manipulation of the incense. "If Mother hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known Lily was from the Lodge family. So, how much do you think I know?"

"Huh?" Arianna was surprised. "Wow, you were a terrible boyfriend."

"That's in the past," he said, his eyes devoid of emotion. "Why are you here, Ari? It's not just to lecture me, is it?"

Arianna played with a pen on his desk. "Since you don't know the Lodge family…"

"Did I say I'm unfamiliar with them?!" Nathaniel snapped.

Arianna was shocked. He'd just claimed ignorance of Lily's family background.

"Just because I didn't know much then doesn't mean I'm still clueless," Nathaniel said, ceasing his examination of the incense bottle and staring at her. He smiled coyly. "Henry Lodge is the old man's youngest son, but he's not much older than Lily or Justin. He was the heir apparent, but left years ago. His whereabouts remained unknown; the family seemingly forgot he existed."

Arianna nodded. "That's right. No one expected his return, especially at this time. His timing was impeccable. Who knew something this huge was happening?"

"No coincidence," Nathaniel smirked, pinching the bridge of his nose and sneezing softly. "Do you know why Henry left?"

"You know?" Arianna's eyebrows rose.

Obtaining information about the Lodge family had been difficult. Arianna's own research yielded little, revealing only that Henry had left ten years prior. His activities and whereabouts remained a mystery; no one seemed to care after his departure.

"The Lodge family is a secretive, influential family skilled in kickboxing—a rare martial art today. Henry was gifted, the intended successor. Yet, the family banished him, stripping him of his ability to practice their style…"

"Wait, banished?" Arianna interrupted, stunned.

Nathaniel nodded.

"Is this credible?" Arianna frowned skeptically. "Banishment would be huge news, even if hidden. Why would the elders side with him after such an event?"

Nathaniel sat opposite her, picking up a cup of tea he'd made earlier. Under Arianna's intense gaze, he sipped, then drawled, "It suggests greed and shared interests."