The nervousness Nina and Finn felt before the family eting didn’t stem from the things Finn had done but rather from what he hadn’t done for her in the early stages of their relationship.
Nina and Finn had been together for a while. If they had been just lovers, it would have been understandable for Nina to set boundaries on how much Finn could be involved in her life.
But they had gotten engaged after just a year of dating.
Yet, despite Finn proposing and Nina saying yes, there were so many steps he had skipped. The first was asking her elders for permission—or at the very least, their blessing. The second was that even after their engagent, Finn had never properly introduced himself to the family. Even when he picked Nina up after a family dinner or gathering, he wouldn’t co inside to pay his respects.
And lastly, Nina and Finn had already broken up.
Not that reconciliation was impossible, but Finn had broken Nina’s heart once.
How could he prove he wouldn’t do it again?
"Why didn’t you et us before?"
When that question flew out of Lester’s mouth, Jessa arched a brow and glanced at Penny.
"Little beggar, finish that up. Let’s go."
"What?" Penny blinked. "But Auntie, there’s still—"
"Co on." Jessa’s voice sharpened with irritation, making Penny frown.
"Fine..." Penny sighed. She wanted to stay and listen to this discussion. Why did they have to go to the kitchen? She wanted to hear!
Even so, Penny had no choice but to follow Jessa. It seed Jessa’s job here was done, after all. The n had finally started talking after wasting so much ti in silence.
As Penny and Jessa left, Finn glanced at them briefly before turning his attention back to where Lester and Charles were seated.
"I have no excuse," he said with a smile, sensing the intensity of everyone’s stares. It made him chuckle inwardly, rembering Penny’s advice from not long ago.
She was right, he thought. I might know her brothers, but this family eting is different.
The Bennet brothers were acting like strangers—as if they hadn’t just spent five days with him. Especially Atlas and Slater. Those two were watching him like hawks.
"Please, don’t misunderstand," Finn said, eting Nina’s fathers’ gazes head-on. "I didn’t avoid eting you because I looked down on the Bennet or Cortez family. The reason was... I didn’t think it was necessary."
"Not necessary, huh?" Atlas muttered under his breath, already filing that statent away for later.
"Ha!" Slater sneered. "Not necessary? So does that an Nina wasn’t important to you before?"
Hearing this, Charles and Lester frowned, while Haines simply kept his attention fixed on Finn.
"We know Nina." Slater leaned in, his eyes glinting. "I would understand if she didn’t introduce you as her lover right away—she protects this family by keeping outsiders at a distance. Because once you break up, it’s awkward introducing the next guy."
Slater paused, clearly voicing what everyone else had either avoided saying or hadn’t dared to.
"But you asked for her hand—and you still thought it was unnecessary to et her family?"
"Strangely, I agree with Slater." Hugo nodded, scratching his cheek, though his tone was less aggressive than his brother’s. "Nina may be private, but I doubt she wouldn’t want her future husband to bond with her family. I’m sure she’d want us to build rapport."
"It’s a blatant lack of respect—not just to us, but especially to her," Atlas chid in coldly, eyeing Finn as if calculating a hundred ways to tear him apart.
"I hope you have a good explanation for this." Yugi, seated beside his father, nodded at Finn. His tone wasn’t angry or approving—just serious. "Business is business, but this is family. Because of Nina and Penny’s situation, both the Cortez and Bennet families made an effort to stay united as one."
After Yugi’s remark, silence fell over the table, all eyes on Finn.
Finn scanned the room, taking in each intense gaze before a shallow smile tugged at his lips. He lowered his eyes, as if gathering his thoughts—so many explanations ran through his mind.
But in the end...
"Family..." he whispered, lifting his gaze until it landed on Charles and Lester. "...scares ."
His answer made many of them furrow their brows—except for Slater.
"Back then, I didn’t think it was necessary because... honestly, I didn’t know it was important." Finn admitted, his voice quiet but clear. "In my mind, I wasn’t marrying any of you—so why would I need to get along with you?"
His words imdiately made Hugo frown. "I was expecting more. But saying that... you’ve just made it even harder for yourself to gain an ally here."
"I know." Finn nodded without hesitation. "I could give you a hundred reasons, but none of them would be enough—not as much as the truth." His voice was steady, but he made sure he didn’t sound arrogant. "And if I’m being completely honest... I didn’t think I loved her enough."
"I’ve heard enough." Atlas nodded, his expression unreadable. "You don’t need to say more."
"Sa here." Slater sneered. "That alone... is enough for ."
Charles remained silent, simply watching and assessing. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself—for now.
Yugi ran his tongue across his inner cheek but didn’t speak. Like Atlas and Slater, Finn’s admission didn’t sit well with him.
How could Finn just sit there and sabotage himself?
There were so many things he could have said—flowery words, excuses—anything to get at least one of them on his side.
Lester glanced around the table. Everyone seed to think the conversation was over. Even Charles remained unreadable. Haines had already started checking his phone. Yugi leaned back in his seat, as if he had ntally left the discussion.
Another deep sigh escaped Lester.
This wouldn’t end well.
And if it didn’t end well, Nina would be devastated. That girl had worked so hard on herself. He had seen her try to be a better person—even when everyone else believed she was rotten to the core, incapable of change.
"Then why are we here tonight?" Lester finally asked, lifting his eyes to Finn. "What changed?"
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