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"Guess that's it for today, Sylas," Missy said as they stopped at the street corner. The city lights painted soft gold across the pavement.
"Yeah," Sylas nodded. "You've got a bodyguard, right? You shouldn't be walking home alone this late."
Missy hesitated.
Her lips said, "No," before her brain could stop her.
"…Nope."
"Then I'll walk you back," Sylas offered. "Can't have you getting mugged in this city."
Missy smiled maybe a little too quickly. "Sure! Actually, why don't you come over for dinner?"
"Dinner?" Sylas blinked. "Uh… won't your dad mind?"
"It's fine!" she insisted, waving her hands. "He's totally chill!"
Just then—beep beep!
A sleek black sedan rolled up. The tinted window slid down, revealing her bodyguard.
"Miss Baron, ready to head home?"
Missy's smile froze.
Her expression turned stormy. "Drive. Away."
The guard looked confused, then realized he'd messed up. "Right! My mistake, wrong Missy!"
He slammed the window shut and drove off awkwardly.
"…Probably another girl named Missy," she muttered, rubbing her dress hem nervously.
"Yeah," Sylas said with a straight face. "Must be."
Missy brightened immediately. "Come on, I'll lead the way."
They walked side by side under the evening glow, chatting and laughing. The black sedan quietly trailed behind, keeping its distance.
Half an hour later, the bodyguard finally gave up and called her.
Ring ring.
"Go ahead, answer it," Sylas said casually.
Missy sighed, picked up, and whispered, "What?"
"Miss, at this rate, you'll reach the mansion by morning," the bodyguard said dryly.
Missy hung up and bit her lip, trying to think of how to bring up the car without sounding spoiled.
But Sylas had already pieced it together.
"Let me guess," he smirked. "He's been following us this whole time?"
She gave a guilty laugh. "Maybe…"
Ten minutes later, the car pulled up to a quiet suburban street.
---
At the Barons' Home
"This is my place," Missy said cheerfully.
Sylas blinked.
The house wasn't a sprawling estate—it looked… normal. Cozy, even.
"My mom prefers warmth over luxury," Missy explained, catching his expression. "So we don't live at the family estate."
She pressed the doorbell.
A man in an apron opened the door, holding a tray of steaks.
"Missy! You're home—look, I made your favorite—"
He froze mid-sentence as his eyes locked onto Sylas.
"…And who's this?"
"Dad, this is Sylas Parker," Missy said quickly. "My classmate. I invited him for dinner."
Sylas offered a polite smile. "Nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for having me."
Her father—Shur Baron—gave a stiff nod. "Pleasure. Though I'm afraid we weren't expecting company. Not much food left."
Missy puffed her cheeks. "I can share mine with him!"
Before Sylas could protest, Shur suddenly "remembered" something.
"Ah—actually, I think we've got a little extra."
Missy grinned. "Perfect! Come on in, Sylas!"
Sylas followed her inside, pretending not to notice the storm cloud forming over Shur's head.
---
Meet the Barons
"Sweetheart, who's your friend?"
A warm voice came from the kitchen. Missy's mother, Filman Baron, appeared smiling, graceful, and kind-eyed.
"Mom, this is Sylas. Sylas, my mom."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Baron," Sylas said politely.
"Oh! You're Sylas!" Filman said brightly. "Missy talks about you all the time. Thank you for finding her bracelet the one from her grandmother."
"It was no trouble," he said modestly.
Filman liked him immediately. Shur, on the other hand, did not.
After a few minutes of friendly conversation, Shur called out from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!"
Missy walked into the dining room and froze.
"Wait, Dad—you said we didn't have enough food!"
"These?" Shur said smoothly. "Had them delivered just now."
Filman rolled her eyes. "You mean 'threatened the grocery store with your cooking emergency' again?"
Everyone sat down.
"Go ahead, Sylas," Missy urged, eyes sparkling. "Dad's steak is the best thing ever."
Shur's lips curled into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Eat up, Mr. Parker."
Sylas cautiously cut a piece, popped it into his mouth and nearly saw God.
It burned.
The steak was so spicy it could've melted metal. His throat screamed for mercy.
But Missy was staring, waiting for praise.
He forced a smile that looked like a grimace. "Delicious…"
Missy beamed. "See? I told you!"
"Yeah," Shur added, tone sugar-sweet. "If you like it that much, have more."
Sylas immediately realized the trap. The steak wasn't food it was a test.
Filman chuckled. "When Shur first courted me, it wasn't his golf swing that won me, it was this exact stake."
"Lucky you survived it," Sylas muttered under his breath.
"Hmm?" Missy asked innocently.
"Nothing! Just—uh—great flavor profile!"
By the time dinner ended, Sylas's tongue was numb and his stomach felt like it had hosted a chili festival.
Still, he smiled, stood up, and bowed slightly. "Thank you for the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Baron. I should head home before my uncle worries."
Filman smiled warmly. "You're welcome anytime, dear."
Shur forced a polite nod, gripping his knife just a bit too tightly.
"I do hope we'll see you again… Sylas Parker."
---
A Few Minutes Later
As soon as Sylas left, Shur grumbled, "Didn't even bring a gift."
Filman gave him a look. "Neither did you when you met my parents."
"That's diff—"
Ding-dong!
Shur frowned, went to the door—no one there.
He looked down. A bouquet of flowers sat on the mat.
Missy picked up the attached card and read aloud:
"Thank you for dinner—especially for Mr. Baron's legendary steak, Sylas"
Filman smiled. "See? He's got manners."
Shur grunted. "…Show-off."
---
Back on the Street
Sylas exhaled the moment he was out of sight.
"That steak could've been classified as a weapon," he muttered, still wiping tears from his eyes.
He looked up at the starry sky, smirking faintly.
"Don't worry, Mr. Baron. Next time, I'll return the favor."
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