Chapter 14 – The Family Dinner
Clara had faced rude customers, snarky critics, and even once a raccoon in her bookshop. But nothing, nothing, compared to walking into the Blackwood family estate.
It wasn't a house — it was a fortress of marble, chandeliers, and people who looked allergic to joy.
Ethan walked beside her, composed as ever, while she tried to remember how to breathe.
"You didn't mention we were dining with royalty," she muttered.
"They're not royalty," he said flatly. "They just think they are."
"Great, that's comforting."
When they entered the dining hall, three pairs of eyes turned toward them — sharp, cold, assessing.
At the head sat Madeline Blackwood, Ethan's mother, her elegance edged with steel. Beside her, his younger sister Victoria, all icy beauty and whispered judgment. And at the far end, Uncle Gerald, who looked like he'd invented disapproval.
"So," Madeline began, setting down her wine glass, "this is the girl you married."
Clara smiled weakly. "Hi. Yes. The girl. That's me."
Madeline's eyes scanned her like an X-ray. "You're… different from what I expected."
"Good different?" Clara asked hopefully.
"Unexpected different," Madeline replied coolly.
Victoria smirked. "Translation: not good different."
Ethan's jaw flexed. "Enough, Victoria."
But Clara just grinned. "No, it's fine. I'm kind of a walking surprise package. You never know if I'll trip, talk, or ruin expensive furniture."
Uncle Gerald choked on his drink. "Charming," he muttered.
Clara felt her cheeks heat up. Ethan glanced at her — and for a brief second, she thought she saw it: amusement, real and unguarded, flickering behind his cold eyes.
Dinner was… tense. Every fork movement sounded like judgment. Madeline asked probing questions about Clara's background, her education, her intentions.
Finally, Madeline said, "Tell me, Clara — what do you love most about my son?"
Clara froze. Her brain went blank. She couldn't exactly say, his ability to look like a tax audit in human form.
So she said, "His silence."
The table went quiet.
Then Victoria let out a laugh. "That's… oddly accurate."
Ethan, to everyone's shock, smiled faintly. "It's mutual."
And somehow, for the first time that evening, Clara didn't feel completely alone.