“Have you gone mad?”“Answer me,” her father demanded, voice rising. “Have you completely lost your senses?”Mrs. Harrison’s face twisted with rage. “Speak up, Elise! Have you lost your mind?” she demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut through the lingering silence. “Do you even hear yourself speaking?”Mr. Harrison's earlier disbelief had curdled into fury. “Feelings?” he said incredulously. “You’re seriously talking about feelings at a time like this?”Elise flinched at the sudden escalation, but she did not sit back down. Her heart pounded, yet she forced herself to remain standing, her spine straight, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.Benjamin could feel the hostility radiating across the table, aimed squarely at Elise now, and he knew instinctively that nothing he said would make this better.“You’ve completely lost your senses,” Mrs. Harrison continued. “We didn’t raise you to throw yourself away like this.”“Throw myself away?” Elise echoed, stunned. “By caring about so

For a fleeting moment, Benjamin felt something close to regret.He watched Elise’s parents study the wine box with thinly veiled disdain, and a quiet thought crossed his mind. Perhaps he should have let them recognize it immediately. Perhaps it would have been easier if the truth had been obvious at first glance, even if it meant exposing something he had deliberately concealed.If they suspected his identity, he could always explain it away later. He had done so many times before.But no matter how worn the packaging looked, Benjamin was certain of one thing. Once they tasted the wine, they would know. Quality could not be hidden completely. The depth, the finish, the balance of flavors. Anyone with even a modest understanding of fine liquor would recognize it as premium.He reached for the box, then unwrapped the bottle calmly.“Allow me,” Benjamin said, his tone polite. “I’ll pour it.”But before his fingers could touch the cork, Mrs. Harrison abruptly grabbed the bottle from his h

“No.” The grandfather said. He straightened his back, his gaze unwavering. “This young man is absolutely not a so-called security guard.”The words landed with quiet force, cutting through the tension like a blade.For a brief moment, no one moved.Elise felt her breath catch. She stared at her grandfather, then at Benjamin, her mind scrambling to keep up with what she had just heard. Her parents stood frozen, their expressions caught somewhere between disbelief and irritation.The grandfather took another step forward, his movements slow but deliberate. His eyes remained fixed on Benjamin, no longer sharp with judgment, but thoughtful, almost searching.“Young man,” he said, his voice steady and respectful, “may I ask what your true identity is?”The room seemed to shrink around them.Benjamin felt every gaze fall on him at once. The question was simple, spoken without accusation, yet it carried a weight he hadn’t anticipated. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.For the first

“Is that what being a good daughter means?” Elise asked, broken.But Mrs. Harrison, her mother looked away.Elise turned fully toward Benjamin then. Her tears fell freely now. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice barely holding together. “I never expected things to turn out like this.”Her shoulders shook as she spoke, the weight of the moment finally crashing down on her. The room felt unbearably quiet, as if even the walls were holding their breath. Benjamin stood a few steps away from her, his hands clenched loosely at his sides, his eyes dark with restrained emotion.“It’s okay,” he said softly after a brief pause. His voice was calm, almost too calm, like he was afraid that any crack in it would make everything fall apart. “This isn’t your fault.”Elise shook her head fiercely. “It doesn’t feel okay. None of this feels okay.”Benjamin took a step closer, stopping just short of touching her. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to shield her from the sharp words and colder stares, but

“Thank you for your concern,” Iris said politely. “I’ll decide for myself what kind of man he is.”Mrs. Harrison’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”Her voice carried a sharp edge, as if she were issuing a final judgment rather than advice. Mr. Harrison stood beside her, arms crossed tightly, his expression grim and unyielding.“We’ve already told you everything you need to know,” Mrs. Harrison continued coldly. “This man is a shameless scoundrel. He specializes in deceiving women who are richer than him. We saw through his disguise early enough.”Mr. Harrison nodded in agreement. “He thought he could fool us with cheap tricks. Acting humble. Acting sincere. Bringing that inferior wine as if it meant something.”Mrs. Harrison scoffed. “We smashed it. That alone should tell you how little we think of his schemes.”She lifted her chin, looking down at Iris as though she were doing her a great favor. “So take our advice. Be careful. Don’t let yourself become his next victim.