Chapter 3

I silently stood outside the private dining room with clenched fists.

Oscar said, "Why are you still calling me "Mr. Bennett"? We're family now. Just call me Oscar."

Margaret added, "Exactly. Lincoln, don't be so formal. I wish you were my son-in-law ten years ago."

Caleb beamed. "Come on, Dad, just treat us like family now. And I can finally call you my dad!"

Lincoln grinned and greeted, "Oscar, Margaret, and my sweet boy." Then, he leaned over and kissed Claire on the cheek. "Honey."

She blushed.

Right then, as I stood outside the door, I felt a chill settle deep in my chest.

So, this was their "family celebration dinner."

All this time, I thought that at the very least, Claire's parents still respected me.

But it was all fake. Claire was fake, Caleb was fake, and their whole family had lied to me. Only the years I had given to them were real.

Just then, a waiter passed by with a tray. "Excuse me, sir. Are you with them?"

Everyone turned their heads at once and saw me standing in the doorway.

Claire stood up immediately. "Timothy? What are you doing here?"

I calmly walked in and met each of their gazes.

I looked at Claire and asked, "Didn't you say you had work tonight?"

Then, I turned to Caleb. "Didn't you say you had tutoring?"

Finally, I looked at Margaret and Oscar. "Didn't you say you had a business dinner?"

The tension in the air was so thick it felt like no one could breathe. That was also when the masks started to come off.

"You followed me here?" Claire was the first to lash out. "Timothy, are you insane?"

Lincoln stepped in with fake concern. "Come on, Timothy, if you wanted to join us, you could've said so. No need to make it so awkward for everyone. Here, someone grab him a seat."

"I don't want him here!" Caleb shouted in annoyance the moment he saw me. "You're useless and pathetic. Everyone's been avoiding you, and you still can't take a hint! You're such a disgrace, clinging to us like this. I don't want a dad like you. Only someone like Lincoln deserves to be my father!"

I smiled a smile that stung more than tears.

"What are you laughing at?" Claire snapped, clearly rattled.

"Because it's funny." I wiped my eyes and pointed at Caleb. "You want to be officially accepted into the Lancaster family? At least wait until you're really a part of it."

Margaret waved her hand dismissively and chimed in, "Who do you think you are? If Claire hadn't gotten pregnant back then, do you really think we would've let you marry into our family?

"The Lancasters are picking him up in a week. From that point on, you'll have nothing to do with them. Don't even think about clinging to them!"

I nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Claire reached for my arm, but I stepped aside without even looking at her.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I didn't want to hear it anymore.

Just then, George came running after me. "Sir, do you still want us to waive their bill?"

I paused for a moment. "Just this once. Think of it as my parting gift. After today, don't bother."

...

That night, Claire came home and saw that I had already packed my bags. She looked surprised.

"Timothy, where are you going?" She grabbed my arm. "I never told you to leave. Just wait for me here. Once the Lancaster family takes Lincoln and Caleb in on Christmas Eve, I'll come back after everything's settled."

"Are you really coming back?" It was the second time I asked her.

I looked into her eyes. Once upon a time, I'd seen sincerity in them. That innocence used to be the most precious thing I ever wanted to protect.

But now, all I saw was a tangle of lies.

Claire froze for a second, then quickly recovered. "Of course. You're not still upset about the dinner, are you?"

She tried to tug at my sleeve. "Timothy, I admit I should've told you, but Lincoln promised to invest a billion dollars into my dad's new project once he becomes the heir of the Lancaster family. That's why my parents insisted on hosting him at the nicest hotel.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, so I didn't tell you." She looked remorseful and pulled out a gift she claimed she picked out for me.

It was a tie, still with the free gift tag attached. It was the same brand I saw around Lincoln's neck at the Ridgeview Hotel earlier.

I knew right then—there was nothing left worth waiting for.

...

On the morning of Christmas Eve, the Lancaster family's private jet landed just outside the Bennett villa.

Claire grabbed my hand, her eyes full of something I couldn't read. "Timothy, wait for me at home. I'll be back once everything is settled."

"Are you really coming back?" It was the third time I asked her.

She opened her mouth, then finally said, "Of course."

Right in front of everyone, Lincoln turned to Margaret and Oscar with an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry. The butlers must've made a mistake. I don't know how they ended up parking the jet right at your front gate."

He waved behind him and shouted at the two men near the jet. "Hey, this way. My house is over here, not there!"

Oscar chuckled. "No problem at all. We're all family now. But I swear I've seen those two before."

Lincoln shook his head. "Oscar, those two are my grandfather's most trusted men. I've only heard about them but never actually met them. There's no way you'd recognize them."

Just then, the two men stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and spoke in unison, "Welcome home, sir."