Vera felt a lump in her throat.
Why did this tone sound so off to her?!
It was like a husband interrogating his cheating wife?
Ugh, what the hell was she thinking!
Vera shook the nonsense out of her head, raised her chin, and gestured at the dining table, "We haven't eaten yet, President Morgan. You two dropping by all of a sudden isn't really appropriate, is it?"
Translation: You're interrupting our meal. Hurry up and get lost.
Victor Morgan's gaze swept over the table, where there were already four homestyle dishes. They looked colorful, and... actually pretty appetizing.
His face didn't change as he nodded, "Perfect timing. Zola and I haven't eaten either."
"…" Vera gave him a half-smile, "I didn't realize that besides being so capable, President Morgan, your skin is also incredibly thick."
Victor raised his brows, "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
Vera was momentarily speechless, almost having a heart attack from sheer irritation.
Her watery eyes glared at him, but there wasn't any real resentment in their depths—more like a kitten fussing with its claws retracted.
Victor couldn't help but let a hint of a smile slip through.
Ian Lockwood stepped out of the bedroom and walked right into that scene.
The vibe between the two made him feel strangely uncomfortable, so he walked over and said lightly, "President Morgan, isn't it a little inappropriate to visit a single woman this late at night?"
The smile vanished instantly from Victor Morgan's face as he glanced over coldly, "And yet, here you are."
Ian kept his smile, "I'm pursuing Vera, so of course I can come over. But President Morgan, you're a married man—how do you think Mrs. Morgan would feel about this?"
Victor's eyes darkened, "There is no such thing as Mrs. Morgan…"
"Mom! Your pot's burning!" Chloe Warner suddenly came bouncing out of her room.
"Oh shoot, my soup!" Vera slapped her forehead and, not caring about the two men's face-off anymore, ran to the kitchen to save her dish.
Victor Morgan and Ian Lockwood locked eyes across the room, each seeing strong, unyielding hostility in the other's gaze, a contest of equals.
No matter how unwilling Vera was, for Zola's sake—she was just a kid, after all—she agreed to let the Morgan father and son stay.
"By the way." As they ate, Ian suddenly smiled and spoke up, "I've already sorted out Chloe's enrollment. It's at Aethelgard Experimental Kindergarten—a public school…"
Victor picked up some fish-flavored pork and said casually, "Chloe's starting kindergarten? How about going to the Morgan Group's kindergarten with Zola?"
Chloe gnawed on her chopsticks, her eyes darting slyly between Victor and Ian.
Ian's smile was unchanged, but his brow looked a little frosty, "Morgan Group's kindergarten is too extravagant. Not the best for a child's psychological development, I think?"
Victor narrowed his eyes, "With Chloe's intelligence and talent, a regular kindergarten would be a waste of her time. The Morgan Group's school tailors to each child's abilities, aiming for well-rounded growth. It's perfect for a genius like her."
Even a gentle temperament was no match for Victor Morgan's infuriating words.
A regular kindergarten?
The Pioneer Academy was the top public school in Aethelgard. They opened only a few spots a year, accepting only kids with special skills. Thousands of parents would fight tooth and nail for a single seat in the junior class.
Getting Chloe in was already quite an achievement, and yet Victor Morgan just called it a "regular" kindergarten?
Their gazes clashed again, a crackling electric current seemingly zapping between them.
At this moment, Zola suddenly put an arm around Chloe's shoulders, her soft little face shining with excitement and seriousness: "Chloe, let's go to the same kindergarten! We have horseback riding, archery, music, painting, foreign languages... and—"
Zola shot a glance at Ian, then grinned mischievously, "Uncle Lockwood's little nephew, Ryan Lockwood, is in my class too!"
Ian: "..."
Why did it feel like he'd just been stabbed by a child?
His nephew's education was managed entirely by his sister-in-law, and he couldn't be bothered to interfere. But Chloe—with all her cleverness and almost supernatural smarts—didn't have any friends her age, so kindergarten was the perfect place for her to socialize with her peers.
But with Zola's big mouth, now it felt like sending his nephew to Morgan Group's school somehow meant Chloe was going to an "ordinary" kindergarten instead!
The father and son are just made to aggravate people!
Vera cut off their showdown and turned to Chloe, "What do you think?"
Chloe had had enough of the spectacle and finally responded, her interest fading, "Honestly, I don't need to go to kindergarten... but learning horseback riding and archery could be fun."
So that's the Morgan Group's kindergarten, then.
"Then we can go to school together!" Zola cheered.
Ian's smile froze, but Victor casually raised his glass, hiding a smirk behind it.
Three adults and two kids squeezed around the tiny dining table, making things a little cramped.
After clashing legs with Victor under the table for the third time, Ian's smile turned a little sharper, "President Morgan, Vera's table really is too small for someone of your stature."
Victor put a bite of food in his mouth and nodded matter-of-factly, "I'll have someone send a bigger dining table tomorrow."
Ian paused, then snorted coldly, "President Morgan, you're so high-class, not down-to-earth at all. If you put a big dining table here, do you think there'd be any space left in this living room?"
Victor calmly scanned the room, stroked his chin seriously, "Good point. Or maybe I'll just give Chloe an apartment? Pick any you want in Aethelgard."
"..."
An apartment was such a bombshell that Chloe almost dropped her chopsticks.
Ian's smile sharpened into something lethal, "Giving a kid an apartment? You're really generous!"
Victor narrowed his eyes, "Average. Whatever Chloe wants, I can provide."
"Bang!"
Vera slammed her chopsticks on the table, face cold: "Dinner's over. Please leave, both of you."
Two minutes later, Chloe and Zola peeked out the door, giggling at the two men outside.
"President Morgan, I agree to let Zola stay at my place for two days, but kids only—no grown-ups allowed!"
"Mr. Lockwood, we'll talk by phone if there's anything else. Thanks again for today."
"Our humble home can't accommodate two high-and-mighty gentlemen!"
Without changing her expression, Vera finished her speech and slammed the door shut in their faces.
"..."
Outside, Victor and Ian locked eyes again, and the air started to smell like gunpowder.
Ian dropped his usual gentle smile and spoke bluntly, "President Morgan, I hope you won't bother Vera again next time."
"That's none of your business, Mr. Lockwood. My son's here, so of course I'll come. But you? Single man, single woman—best not to drop by so often." Victor's face was icy, his eyes sharp.
Ian raised an eyebrow, not backing down an inch, "I'm as close to Chloe as a father—so why shouldn't I come?"
"Bang!" A huge crash from inside.
Vera's angry voice shot out like a cannon, "Would you two STOP arguing at my door in the middle of the night?!"