As the conversation continued, the older men took a moment to lean back and quietly observe the younger group. It was still hard to believe these teens were in their final year of high school.
High school.
Benjamin blinked slowly, eyes narrowing in thought.
Michael sipped his drink more slowly.
William quietly muttered under his breath, "They're seventeen?"
Alex frowned slightly, mentally reviewing every word he'd said so far.
The realization hung like an invisible weight in the air between them.
"Are we… technically allowed to keep mingling with them like this?" Benjamin finally voiced what the others were thinking, though he kept his tone low.
Michael added with a frown, "This feels a little… morally grey."
Alex shrugged. "They're just here to hang out, and they said they'll soon be 18. And Adam's not exactly dragging her off to Vegas."
Elijah, grinning, simply gestured toward Adam and Mary—who were now mid-banter again. Adam looked more animated than any of them had seen him in years. His usual composed, aloof aura was now replaced with subtle nervousness and eager glances.
They all watched as he leaned slightly toward Mary, laughing quietly at something she said, clearly hanging on to her every word.
William gave a small smirk. "…Yeah, never mind. He's gone."
Benjamin chuckled. "He really is. Look at him."
Michael sighed. "And he looks happy."
"Happier than we've seen him in years," Alex added, his tone softening with realization.
That did it. Whatever reservations they had evaporated right then and there.
If mingling with a bunch of sharp, bright high schoolers was what it took to see their cold, untouchable friend act like a smitten teenager himself—so be it.
Elijah raised his glass with a sly smile. "To the kids."
The others followed suit with quiet, amused grins.
"To the kids," they echoed.
And just like that, any internal debate about "appropriateness" was thrown out the window. The younger group could clearly keep up. And most importantly—Mary could keep Adam on his toes.
And that alone, in their eyes, made it all worth it.
The atmosphere now relaxed. Mar had cornered William in a debate about global real estate, while Gia and Alex exchanged work gossip like two seasoned professionals and Michael looked two seconds away from dragging Zi into a lecture about age perception again. Elijah had his arm slung over the back of the couch, throwing snarky comments at Malik, who gave back as good as he got.
Jason had surprisingly clicked with Benjamin, the two of them discussing cars with animated gestures and the kind of focus only gearheads understood. From engine specs to the latest custom builds, it was a back-and-forth of excitement and subtle flexes, each trying to one-up the other while pretending not to care.
"You're saying the 720S handles better than the GT3? Man, please," Jason scoffed, swirling his drink.
Benjamin raised a brow, grinning. "I've driven both. Trust me—your McLaren looks pretty, but that Porsche is the real beast."
"Looks like I just found my next test drive," Jason shot back with a wink.
Across the lounge, the chatter flowed seamlessly now. The initial tension was long gone—replaced by an unexpected harmony between two groups who, by all logic, shouldn't have meshed this well.
But somehow, they did.
Even the older guys, who'd earlier questioned the idea of mingling with high schoolers, found themselves genuinely enjoying the dynamic. These kids weren't just sharp—they had bite, ambition, and charisma. And despite the age difference, the conversations didn't lag or feel forced.
As the teasing gradually mellowed and the group split into smaller conversations, Adam found his chance. Mary had stepped slightly away from the group to grab a drink—non-alcoholic now, courtesy of the older crew's moral crisis—and was scanning the dance floor through the glass wall.
"Do you always pull people into existential crises with your age?" Adam asked as he approached, his tone light.
Mary turned, catching his smirk, and gave him a knowing look. "Only the ones who try to give me wine before realizing they could be arrested."
He winced, hand to chest. "Ouch. Fair enough. Still... didn't expect someone like you to be in high school."
"Someone like me?"
"You carry yourself older. Sharp. Composed. Confident," he said sincerely. "It's... captivating."
Her brows lifted. "Big words for a man who's still recovering from being called a dinosaur."
He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You wound me again. I'll need my cane to leave."
She allowed herself a small smile, then turned away to sip her drink, hiding the flicker of amusement.
Adam stood beside her, letting the silence hang for a moment.
Mary felt the weight of stares on her and glanced to the side mid-sip, her sharp eyes locking onto the group of older men casually watching her and Adam with far too much amusement.
Elijah gave her a slow, knowing wink.
William raised his glass in a mock toast.
Benjamin simply gave her a small nod of approval—like she'd passed some unspoken test.
She narrowed her eyes at them suspiciously, then glanced at Adam.
"Are your friends always this… unsubtle?" she asked quietly, raising a brow.
Adam followed her gaze, then groaned under his breath when he saw Elijah give him a dramatic thumbs-up.
"Unfortunately, yes. Subtlety isn't exactly in their vocabulary," he muttered, shooting his friends a glare.
Mary smirked. "They're fun though. I can tell they care about you."
Adam blinked. "You got all that from a wink and a toast?"
"I read people well," she said, almost absentmindedly—her gaze flicking back to him with an unreadable expression.
There was a beat of silence between them, the noise of the others fading slightly in the background.
Adam tilted his head slightly, his voice lowering. "So… you're really in high school."
Mary raised a brow. "Does that bother you?"
He hesitated—then shook his head. "Honestly? Not really. I mean, at first it gave me a minor heart attack. But then again…" he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice even more, "you don't carry yourself like a high school student. You're more composed than most adults I know."
She gave a small, wry smile. "Well… circumstances forced me to grow up faster than most people."