“Yes, ma’am,” the chef replied cheerfully. “He personally asked me to come here. I owe him one. He helped me out in a… well, we shouldn’t talk about that here, should we, Charles?”Charles smirked faintly. “Well, I’m afraid my fiancée came here to get a nice meal, but this is apparently how people behave around here.” He gestured at the mess on the floor.The chef looked around, his expression darkening. “Ma’am, what on earth happened here?”Emmy’s sister jumped in quickly. “Good thing you asked. This idiot insulted our biggest sponsor. How do you expect us to pay your salary if—”“I didn’t come here for the salary,” the chef interrupted flatly. “I came because he asked me to. I don’t usually work for restaurants like this. I prefer humbler places that don’t treat people like garbage.”Before anyone could react, he ripped off his apron and dropped it on the nearest table. “I’ll wire back every cent you’ve paid me. And I’ll let my follower

Charles shot him a cold, sharp look. Ah. So that’s the game he wants to play tonight.“He’s truly committed,” Solomon’s mother said admiringly.Conversation drifted toward politics and business. Beneath the polite chatter, it was clear: this dinner was more than a meal—it was a family alliance in the making.“I need to use the restroom,” Solomon said, standing. “Could someone show me the way?”“Sadie, please take him,” Mr. Wyatt instructed.Sadie stood. Charles rose too, instinctively.“Well, Charles, you can relax,” Solomon’s mother said with a teasing smile. “You don’t have to be so worried when we’re all family. She’ll be marrying Solomon soon, after all.”To everyone’s surprise, Charles quietly sat back down. Sadie blinked at him, startled—she’d half expected him to snap or make a scene. But Charles was unpredictable, and tonight, that unpredictability made everyone uneasy.As soon as Sadie and Solomon left,