Yvonne put on her best I’m listening‘ face, but who knows if she actually took it to heart.


    In a spacious private room big enough for a dozen guests, Edward and Nora Jennings had already arrived ahead of time. They were settled in quietly on the sofa chairs, cach absorbed in their phones, just peacefully spending time together like anyid–back father and daughter.


    “Big bro!” Nora’s face lit up as soon as she saw us walk in, and she rushed over to give Ryan a big hug. “You guys are here!”


    Then she noticed me and Yvonne, pausing for a moment. “Hey, little sis, fancy running into you again. What a small world!”


    Edward stood up and walked over, his expression as calm as ever. “Ms. Murphy, these must be your parents. Ryan calls them Mr. and Mrs. Hob, but I suppose I should address them differently.”


    I was caught off guard and quickly said, “Just call them Mr. and Mrs. Murphy.”


    Edward introduced himself. “Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, I’m Edward, Ryan’s uncle.”


    My parents were totally stunned by the vibe Edward gave off. Some people just have that natural boss energy -even a simple introduction from him made the whole room feel tense.


    “Hello, Mr. Jennings, it’s truly an honor to have lunch with you,” my parents managed, so nervous they were practically speechless.


    Man, if I’d known it’d be this intense, I would’ve made sure we ate separately.


    Ryan jumped in to break the tension. “Uncle, these are Victoria’s parents. We’re just grabbing a bite today- guess this counts as both sides meeting the parents.”


    As soon as those words left his mouth, Edward’s face went stiff.


    My parents, on the other hand, were totally at ease, thinking that since Edward was Ryan’s uncle, he definitely counted as family.


    “Why don’t we all sit down and chat?” Edward suggested with a friendly smile.


    Yvonne and Nora had already made themselvesfortable on the little couch. Yvonne brought along some of her toys, while Nora started digging through her backpack. Before anyone noticed, the two girls were already chatting andughing together like old friends.


    Ryan and I got up to order food. When we came back, my dad was chatting with Edward, who was making a real effort to keep the conversation simple and only talked about work stuff my dad could actually understand.


    Before long, Yvonne and Nora joined us at the table, and that’s when I finally had the chance to really check


    out Nora.


    She definitely had those Jennings family genes–she actually looked a bit like Ryan, too. No doubt she’d grow


    <b>10:49 </b><b>Fri</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>5 </b>


    up to be a real beauty.


    (??) ??


    Nora and Edward didn’t talk much. Their conversations were polite and kind of formal, nothing like <b>Yvonne</b>, who was always goofing around and being all clingy with Jared.


    I guess every family has their own way of raising kids. The Jennings family was all about that elite upbringing


    Word is, in some powerful families, they start those family meetings when the kids are barely out of diapers, drilling all those big ideas into them and training their brains from day one.


    Compared to the Jennings family’s elite style, Yvonne’s been enjoying a prettyid–back, happy–go–lucky upbringing. But after everything that went down in my previous life, Jared told me he’s nning to bring in some elite child–rearing specialists to make sure Yvonne gets the best possible start. Honestly, her elementary school years are probably about to get a whole lot tougher.


    Edward and I didn’t exchange nces at all during the meal. It honestly felt like one of those awkward ‘meet the parents‘ moments, except Edward seemed distracted the whole time, like his mind was somewhere else.


    Ryan, meanwhile, was all smiles. Every so often, he’d sneak a gentle squeeze of my hand under the table, show me funny pics on his phone, serve me some food, and then turn to yfully tease Nora and Yvonne, keeping the vibe light and cheerful.


    As soon as lunch was over, I quickly suggested taking my parents out for some shopping. Ryan looked like he wanted toe along, but I politely turned him down.


    He was considerate enough not to insist.


    So I took my parents out shopping, and the whole way there, they just kept going on about Edward. My dad said he’d never met anyone with that kind of aura–he was way more intimidating than any city official he’d ever met, and even my mom agreed, saying she’d never felt so nervous around someone before.


    Honestly, I just had to shake my head. That kind of natural boss energy Edward had—most people just don’t have it.


    Suddenly, just as we arrived at the mall and I took Yvonne to the restroom, I got a text message.


    “Victoria, even if you can’t stand me, could you please stop putting me down like this?”


    I looked at the number–<i>it </i>looked so familiar, my mind went nk. ‘Is this Edward?‘ I thought.


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