Chapter 2

My dad had reserved a private room at the hotel to welcome me back and celebrate my return. My mother and sister insisted on inviting Jacob, saying it would be too pitiful to leave him home alone. When Chloe heard he was coming, she didn't hesitate—she brought her parents along as well.

At the table, my mom and sister eagerly competed to serve Jacob first.

"Jacob, your wrist is injured. Let me get that for you."

"Don't worry about a thing. Just eat more."

Chloe was even quicker, snatching the dish I was about to serve and placing it in Jacob's bowl before I could move.

I was so irritated I could only laugh bitterly, setting my fork down hard on the table.

Her parents clearly noticed my displeasure and nudged her subtly.

"Why don't you serve some for Jack, too?"

But Chloe shot me an impatient glare and snapped, "Jack, who exactly are you trying to impress? You're being so petty—I'm really starting to wonder if we're even compatible."

My dad calmly dropped a large chicken drumstick into my bowl and said in a neutral tone, "Yeah… maybe you're not."

Chloe pretended not to care, but I noticed her parents' expressions stiffen. Her father's face darkened as he scolded her harshly.

"Chloe! How can you speak to Jack like that?"

Immediately, the atmosphere at the table tightened.

That's when Jacob sprang into action. He stood up, smiling,

"Jack, this soup is really fresh. Let me get you a bowl."

Before I could respond, he picked up an empty bowl and ladled a spoonful of soup. As he weaved past the others to hand it to me, he stumbled slightly, and the scalding soup sloshed over the edge, landing squarely on his hand.

His skin immediately reddened.

Panicked, Jacob pressed his hand to his own wrist and scrambled to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, Jack! I didn't mean it. I didn't know your foot would be there when I walked by. I… I just wanted to lighten the mood. Really, I'm so sorry."

He hurriedly grabbed a napkin, trying to wipe the soup off my pants. I waved him off—it was too awkward to let him do that.

But in the next second, my mom and sister rushed to surround him.

Chloe, equally flustered, checked his injury while glaring at me.

"Jack! This space is huge, and you deliberately stuck your foot out to trip Jacob, didn't you? How could you be so cruel?"

I sneered inwardly. With all this space, how did he manage to trip over my foot?

Just as my mom and sister were about to pile on with their accusations, my dad slammed his fork onto the table with a deafening crack.

The previously noisy private room fell instantly silent.

The reason was simple: this household was still run by my dad, and no one dared challenge his authority—at least, not yet.

As for Chloe's family business, it depended on my dad's company to survive and grow.