Zoey's POV

Adam quickly brought out the last dish.

During dinner, Gavin barely spoke. The atmosphere felt off.

Natalia tried to lighten the mood. "Gavin, how long are you staying this time?"

"About a week."

I ate in silence. The Ashcroft family wasn't quite what I'd expected.

"There's a project I'm working on. Can't get away."

Gavin showed no hint of apology—just stated it like a fact.

Lawrence jumped in, his tone carrying a carefulness I'd never heard from him before.

"I have a competition in two weeks. Why don't you stay a couple extra days and watch before you go?"

I glanced at Lawrence from the corner of my eye and caught an expression I'd never seen on him—almost pleading.

But Gavin only paused for a beat.

"We'll see."

Lawrence didn't look disappointed. If anything, he seemed slightly pleased.

I'd never seen him like this.

While I was lost in thought, Natalia had already placed a piece of fish in my bowl. "Zoey, eat more of this fish. Lawrence told me your training is exhausting—you're on the ice for hours every day."

"Thank you, Aunt Natalia. Honestly, once you get used to it, it's not so bad."

"Hours of training—how could that not be hard?" Natalia shook her head. "Do your parents support you doing figure skating?"

"My mom's pretty supportive. My dad... at first he thought it was too grueling, but once he saw my results were decent, he slowly came around."

"Parents always worry about their children." Natalia sighed.

I didn't know how to respond to that. Then Gavin suddenly called my name.

"Zoey."

I hadn't expected him to address me directly. Instinctively, I straightened up a little. "Yes?"

"What time did you get here?"

"Around six-thirty."

"We said six."

The air went still.

I felt flustered. Training had run a bit late today.

Natalia gave Lawrence a gentle nudge. He immediately spoke up. "I picked her up. If anyone's late, it's on me."

Gavin didn't accept that excuse. His voice was icy. "I asked her."

His gaze was sharp. Meeting those eyes, I offered an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry. I should have managed my time better."

After I apologized, Gavin's expression finally softened—just a fraction.

"Being on time is basic respect. If you want to reach the top, these things are fundamentals."

"Gavin." Natalia's tone carried a hint of reproach. Gavin lowered his head and said nothing more.

But I still felt awful. His words seemed to tell me he didn't want me here.

Lawrence suddenly squeezed my hand tighter. Natalia and Adam started serving me food and sharing embarrassing stories from Lawrence's childhood.

I smiled along with them.

But I knew we were all performing.

Because Gavin was completely unaffected by our efforts. When Lawrence looked back at his brother, he tried a new topic.

"Gavin, how's work lately? How are things at the investment bank?"

"Fine."

I tried to ease whatever issue Gavin had with me, asking politely, "Lawrence mentioned you spent many years in the military before transitioning to investment banking. Has it been hard to adjust?"

"Is Ms. Stanhope that interested in other people's work? Figure skating must be a breeze for you."

The irritation in that sentence was even sharper than I'd expected. I had no idea what to do anymore.

Remembering why I'd come here in the first place, I spoke apologetically. "I'm sorry. I was just curious."

Gavin paused mid-bite and looked at me coldly. "Most of my work involves confidentiality agreements. I can't discuss it with people outside the company."

The temperature in the room dropped another degree. Natalia set down her chopsticks forcefully. "Gavin!"

"Mom." Lawrence cut in, not angry at all. "It's fine. Gavin's right—his work isn't something he can talk about."

Lawrence was trying to protect me, but I wondered—did Gavin treat Lawrence this way too?

Seeing my expression darken, Natalia changed the subject.

"Zoey, I heard your qualifier got moved up to this Sunday? You must be so nervous."

At the mention of the competition, that anxious feeling crept back in.

"I am pretty nervous. During training today, my coach went over a lot of factors with me. There are just so many variables at a live event."

"I believe in you, Zoey. You're going to do great." Natalia's comfort was gentle.

Lawrence picked up the thread. "Absolutely. I've watched Zoey train—she's amazing!"

I smiled faintly. Lawrence had only watched a few times. I knew both he and Natalia were just being polite.

Still, their kindness eased my discomfort. Even the tension Gavin had created started to fade.

Then an ill-timed sound cut through the air.

"Hmph."

Not a cough. Not clearing his throat. A scoff.

I looked up. Everyone's eyes landed on him.

Gavin seemed oblivious to how awful the atmosphere had become. He took a sip of tea and stood up.

"I'm finished. Take your time."

Watching his retreating figure, my tense expression finally relaxed. But just as he reached the staircase, Gavin's footsteps stopped.

"Lawrence, leave the car keys in the entryway before three tomorrow afternoon. I need it."

Gavin didn't wait for a response. It sounded more like an order.

The living room was left with just Natalia, Adam, Lawrence, and me—and a table full of barely touched food.

This wasn't what I'd imagined. My hand involuntarily pinched my thigh. I'd thought the Ashcroft family would be warm and close-knit. After all, Lawrence was such a kind, gentle person.

But...

I glanced toward where Gavin had disappeared. He was nothing like I'd expected. I didn't understand why Lawrence looked up to him.

Natalia pressed the back of her hand against the corner of her eye.

"That boy..." Her voice was hoarse. "Gavin's under so much pressure. He's like this with everyone—it's not personal, Zoey."

"It's okay," I said.

I didn't even know if I meant it.

Lawrence gripped my hand tighter. I smiled at him, signaling I was fine.

"Eat." Natalia, exhaustion written all over her face, placed more food in my bowl. My heart ached for her.

Adam stood up and took both my soup bowl and Natalia's.

"The soup's cold. I'll heat it."

"No need." Natalia grabbed his sleeve. "I'm not having any more. Just serve Zoey."

The table fell silent for a long while.

I finished that bowl of soup and made sure to thank them.

"Tonight was lovely."

"As long as you enjoyed it. I'll clean up." Natalia stood and started clearing the dishes. It hurt to watch.

Natalia carried the dishes to the kitchen. The faucet ran for a bit, then stopped.

Looking toward the kitchen, I felt like Natalia was holding something back. After a moment's thought, I got up and walked over. "Let me help you."