Sitting in front of the sofa, Titus Zane remained silent and tried to lower her presence as much as possible, realizing that she was somewhat superfluous as the couple was flirting so affectionately, yet she was still brazenly sitting there.
It wasn’t that she wanted to, in the past when she came home, she didn’t like to watch them interact, but she had her own room to retreat to, but now...
A deep sigh escaped her in the dark, and her right index finger idly picked at the sofa, thinking that if she had known her mother would invite Nathan Moore over, she wouldn’t have come back.
To avoid the awkwardness of the three sitting together.
After about fifteen minutes, the dining table was laden with a variety of dishes.
Julian Zane also slowly descended the stairs, his face still sullen, until it softened slightly when Nathan greeted him.
Five people sat around the dining table, each in their usual places.
Julian was seated at the head of the table, with his wife Ariana Evans to the left, and Olivia Zane and Nathan to the right.
Titus sat at the very end of the table, on Ariana’s side, but separated from her by a chair.
"Titus, come sit next to Mom," Ariana said, patting the spot next to her. Titus looked around at the others at the table and said with a smile, "I’m good here."
"Your mom told you to come sit next to her, so come!" Julian’s voice rose in displeasure, loudly.
Nathan Moore’s gaze was downcast as he boredly fiddled with a chopstick in his well-defined hands. Olivia and Ariana virtually spoke up at the same time.
"Julian!" Ariana said in a lowered voice as a reminder.
"Dad, Sis just got back. Why be so serious? You’ll scare her off, and if she doesn’t return in the future, you’ll regret it!"
Julian looked at his wife, then at his youngest daughter and Nathan sitting next to her, and said nothing more.
And Titus, also quietly shifted her position to sit next to her mother, without speaking a word, trying to keep her presence to a minimum.
After glancing at Titus, Julian turned his gaze to Nathan, picked up a bottle of liquor, and said with a smile, "Come on, Nathan, let’s have a drink, father and son."
"No, thank you, Uncle," Nathan declined calmly, "I have to drive back later."
Nathan’s refusal was quite a slight to Julian’s face, both personally and socially, given that he was an elder and also his wife’s father.
Julian’s countenance clearly struggled to save face, while Olivia hurriedly tried to smooth things over with a laugh.
"Dad, you shouldn’t drink either. Now’s the time to focus on health; eat more vegetables. Besides, if Nathan drinks and something happens on the way back, you’ll regret it to death!"
"Yes, Julian, listen to the kids, don’t drink, eat more vegetables instead."
Ariana also spoke up timely, and Julian put down the Moutai in his hand, his face not looking good.
During the meal, Ariana ceaselessly placed food on Titus’s plate, until the dishes in front of her piled up like a small mountain, and Titus couldn’t help but speak up.
"Mom, please stop, this is enough to burst one’s stomach."
"If you’re afraid of bursting, then don’t eat!" Julian interjected coldly, still looking displeased after having been rebuked by Nathan, and now channeling his irritation toward Titus.
Titus licked her lips and said nothing, truly feeling superfluous in her return.
Knowing full well her father didn’t like her, yet still returning home to seek frustration, she should not have harbored any hope.
Olivia glanced at her father, whose face was full of rage, understanding why he was angry, and hence, dared not to say a word, fearing to bring the fire upon herself.
And Nathan Moore, his gaze downwards, ate his food calmly and with refined elegance.
"Julian, Nathan is here!" Ariana glanced at Nathan across the table and frowned disapprovingly.
Julian gave Nathan a glance, his face still unpleasant, but said no more, burying his head and eating his food grumpily.
After a few more bites, Titus put down her chopsticks.
"I am done eating, please enjoy your meal."
"This child, how can you eat so little?" Ariana turned and chided, "No wonder you haven’t gained any weight over the years."
Before Titus could respond, Olivia chuckled and said.
"Mom, you really joke, saying Sis hasn’t gained weight? She’s more than ten pounds heavier than three years ago." Weight and age are forever a woman’s taboo, and Olivia said it so openly, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
After saying this, she turned to Nathan and asked, "Nathan, don’t you think Sis has gotten fatter than before?"
If this question was posed to someone else, it might not lead to much thought, but Olivia was asking Nathan.
The relationship between Titus and Nathan, three years ago, was crystal clear to the few people at the table, unspoken did not mean unknown.
The atmosphere at the dining table turned a bit eerie, and Ariana glaringly looked at her youngest daughter.
Mired in silent fury, Julian glared displeasingly at his daughter as well.
Nathan stopped his chopsticks, glanced around the table, then turned to Titus.
"Hmm, she has gained some weight."
"Did Sis get prettier than before?" Olivia asked again, her seemingly thoughtless words hiding a cunning intent.
Nathan surveyed Titus more carefully, while Titus averted her gaze, feeling uncomfortable being scrutinized like a spectacle.
After a detailed look, Nathan replied, "Men generally prefer women with a little more fullness."
Surprised were not only Olivia but also the other three at the table.
No one expected Nathan to make such an assessment, including Titus.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Nathan blinked his dark eyes in confusion, "Why? Did I say something wrong?"
Ariana felt that she was usually good at understanding people, but when it came to her son-in-law, she still couldn’t see through him.
Before anyone could say anything, Julian at the head of the table spoke, his face clearly showing displeasure.
"Nathan, Titus is your sister-in-law, is it not against propriety to speak like that?"
The words of Julian once again made the atmosphere at the dining table awkward, and there was even a sense of tension in the air.
All held their breath, tense with the unease that now permeated.