In truth, the old man was very lucky.
His earlier words had been an insult—yes, but not a direct one.
He had attacked the reputation of the Piao organization, claiming that it was not as perfect as it appeared to be.
Because the Piao twin sisters were the biological sisters of Grace Piao and potential heads of the organization, his statement, though not directed at them by name, could still be interpreted as a slight against them.
By implying that the organization had failed to properly conduct a meeting on time, he indirectly suggested that those tied to its leadership and reputation lacked proper judgment and manners.
However, he had not mentioned them by name, nor had he spoken those words to their faces.
His insult existed through implication, not direct accusation.
Because of this, while punishment was still warranted, his life would not be taken as collateral.
That was why he was still alive.
Had he directly insulted the head of the family, or openly insulted the twin sisters by name or to their faces, the outcome of this meeting would have been very different.
The old man thought he had just escaped an awkward situation.
In reality—
He had just escaped death.
Grace watched him for a few more seconds with interest.
Then she sighed again.
"This is truly a dilemma," she said softly."We have nothing to keep your mouth busy while we wait. That is very inconsiderate of us."
She paused, as if thinking.
"If the third option is not fair to everyone, then perhaps we should return to the first topic. Or maybe the second topic would be more… engaging for everyone while we wait."
She turned slightly toward Kael, who was busy analyzing the people around him with a smile.
"I suppose we could begin by asking Mr. Everwyn about what caused his twenty-minute delay—"
"Wait," the old man said quickly.
Grace looked back at him.
"Yes?"
The old man forced a smile.
"It's alright," he said.
"I have something to keep my mouth busy."