One after another, people started arriving at the restaurant. Yuri and her father, Lester, arrived minutes after Slater’s grand entrance. A little later, Penny and Yugi ca straight from work at the Pri Group. Since they were early, they didn’t mind that Finn’s family was taking forever to arrive.
After all, Allison had given them a different ti than the rest of the family—though she only shared that detail with a select few, while others simply arrived early out of courtesy.
"Don’t worry about Finn, Nina," Penny said, stealing Nina’s attention. The won had gathered in the kitchen under the pretense of "preparing" food, though everything was already done.
Turning around, Nina saw Allison, Jessa, Yuri, and Penny looking at her. She pressed her lips together and smiled.
"I’m just worried, that’s all," she admitted, glancing at the window on the door. "I just hope they won’t be too hard on him."
"No one’s going to be hard on him, Nina," Yuri reassured her, pushing her glasses up her nose. "He’s going to be family."
Allison, Jessa, and Penny exchanged glances but held their tongues. Penny whistled as she looked away, while Allison busied herself arranging plates. Jessa, however, rested a hand on her hip and scrutinized her daughter from head to toe.
"Yuri, my dear—"
"Jessi, how about you take these outside?" Allison interjected, handing Jessa a stack of plates before she could start. Smiling, she nodded. "Go."
"Tsk." Jessa rolled her eyes and sighed. "Little beggar, what are you doing? Co help your aunt, or did you forget your manners now that you’re a big shot?"
"Auntie, I’ve always been a big shot."
"You were big."
Allison chuckled as she watched Penny help Jessa with the plates, dragging themselves outside. She had stopped Jessa before she could say anything that might heighten Nina’s worries, and she made sure Penny left too—because Penny might just make things worse.
"Nina, Yuri is right," Allison said gently, stepping beside Nina. "You don’t have to worry. Finn is going to be part of our family, and your brothers and fathers won’t do or say anything harmful. You know them."
Nina pressed her lips together. "I know, Mom. But... it’s the first ti Finn is going to be surrounded by all the n in the family. I hadn’t really thought about it until now."
"Don’t you trust Finn?" Yuri chid in, wiping down so already-clean plates. Without looking up, she tilted her head toward Nina and Allison. "If he managed to make you fall for him, he must have great qualities. It’s not easy for you to like people. Honestly, I used to think you had psychic abilities—rember when I said that?"
Nina and Allison chuckled, recalling the mory. Allison had been there, after all. When Penny left for an internship abroad with Haines, the Cortez and Bennet families had grown close. Yuri and Nina often visited the Bennet ho, but more often, it was Allison visiting the Cortez household.
"I still think Nina has so sort of special instinct," Yuri added playfully. "It saved plenty of tis from befriending awful people."
Allison nodded and cast Nina a knowing look, keeping a hand on her back. "And I agree with her. If Finn wasn’t worth liking, there’s no way you would’ve agreed to marry him."
"So don’t stress so much!" Yuri declared with a nod. "The n in this family will see his good qualities. This eting isn’t just a formality—it’s for everyone’s peace of mind. So they know you’re with a good man, and his family will see that their son is very lucky."
Nina glanced between Yuri and Allison, her heart easing with their reassurance. She nodded and exhaled.
"You’re right," she said. "Finn is a good man, and I’m sure they’ll see that."
"Good girl." Allison stroked Nina’s hair before the three of them resud their "busywork," wasting ti to give the n space to assess Finn before his family arrived.
---
anwhile, at the long table where all the Bennet and Cortez n sat, there was pure silence.
Penny and Jessa, who had co to set the table, took their ti—handling the plates as if they were fragile hearts.
Yet, their ears were perked.
Penny pursed her lips as she carefully placed a plate in front of Haines. She glanced around, but everyone just sat there, silent. Dressed in suits with their hair neatly styled, they looked more like businessn at a board eting.
Haines, seated with Penny beside him, gazed at the plate in front of him. A full minute passed, and the bottom of the plate barely touched the table. Glancing up at his niece, he let out a slow breath.
She’s waiting for gossip, he thought. Never mind.
When Penny finished, she moved on to Hugo, just as careful—waiting, expectant.
"Are you all really not going to say anything?" Jessa finally snapped, clicking her tongue as she dropped a plate in front of Slater. He nearly jumped out of his seat, gaping at her.
"Aunt Jessa, can you lose your patience when you’re not near ?" he gasped. "Just a bit longer, and you’d be placing a plate in front of my First Brother and Dad! Lose your patience over there!"
After all, Slater was scared of Jessa. Even after two lifetis of training, she was just built differently.
Who knew? She might snap and shatter a plate over his head.
Ignoring him, Jessa scanned the table. "You n... If you’re not going to open your mouths, then there’s no point in us hiding in the kitchen, doing absolutely nothing, just so you can have a ’n-to-n’ conversation."
"I have nothing to say," Atlas said coolly, fluttering his lashes at Finn. "He knows what I think."
Finn nodded. "You don’t like ."
"I don’t like him too!" Slater raised a hand, declaring with pride, "Never! If they get married and the priest asks who objects, I’ll be the first to raise my hand."
"Co on, brothers..." Hugo chuckled, his tone lighter than Atlas and Slater’s. "Let’s not be like that. Even if you don’t like him, at least he doesn’t like Ray! Isn’t that a common ground?"
"Oh, Jesus," Jessa muttered, shaking her head at the Bennet children. "Charles, do sothing before I do."
"Ahem." Charles cleared his throat, maintaining his poise despite Jessa’s threat. Snapping his eyes to Finn, he nodded. "Just finish setting the table. There’s no need for you to stay in the kitchen. You should join us. After all, Lester and I only have one question for young Mr. Davis here."
Lester, seated near Charles, nodded and turned to Finn with a kind smile.
"Finn, why didn’t you et us before?"
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