294: Attempts and Misunderstandings

As the evening light dimmed into a dusky glow, Alex stood alone, contemplating his next moves. Despite his apparent disinterest in his family's dramas, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern for his sister Lillian, who seemed to be mirroring Emma’s past more each day. Unsuccessfully trying to reach out to Lillian, who promptly hung up each time, signaled her clear intent to shut him out. Resigning himself to the reality that Lillian was set on her path, Alex conveyed to his mother that he would step back from intervening. The air was chilly as Alex paced outside the venue of a business gathering he was attending, primarily to interact with Wayne. Lately, he seemed to have taken on the role of Wayne's shadow, following him around in a bid to foster some form of camaraderie or, perhaps, to mend fences. Wayne, however, had other ideas. "What are you up to, Alex? Don't you have any serious work to do? I'm sure you already know that following me around isn't going to win yo