Later that evening, the family sat together for dinner.
The atmosphere was quiet, with only the occasional sound of cutlery against the plates.
Cherry was eating quietly, occasionally speaking with Jennie about her day.
Across the table, Nicklaus kept glancing at her.
At first, no one noticed.
He would look down at his plate whenever Cherry turned in his direction, then steal another glance a few moments later.
Nicholas eventually noticed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Jennie also caught the change in her son's behavior.
"Nicklaus, aren't you going to eat?"
Nicklaus looked down at his plate.
"I am."
Cherry looked at him.
"Are you okay?"
Nicklaus forced a small smile.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Cherry nodded and returned to her meal.
Nicklaus watched her again.
Nicholas saw it.
He placed his fork down.
"Nicklaus."
Nicklaus looked up.
"Yes, Dad?"
"Eat your dinner."
Nicklaus nodded.
"Okay."
He lowered his gaze, but his thoughts remained fixed on Cherry.
Nicholas exchanged a concerned glance with Jennie.
Neither said anything.
But both had noticed the same thing.
Nicklaus wasn't simply looking at Cherry.
He was watching her.
Dinner continued, but the tension at the table became harder to ignore.
Cherry reached for the water beside her.
At the same moment, Nicklaus's eyes followed her hand.
Nicholas noticed again.
"Nicklaus."
Nicklaus looked up.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Nicholas picked up his fork again, but his expression remained stern.
Jennie quietly watched her son.
Cherry, unaware of the tension, turned toward her mother.
"Mom, are you feeling any pain?"
Jennie smiled.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just a little tired."
"You should rest after dinner."
"I will."
Nicklaus stared at Cherry for another moment before speaking.
"You worry about everyone too much."
Cherry looked at him.
"She's my mother."
"I know."
His voice softened.
"I just meant you should worry about yourself too."
Cherry gave him a polite smile.
"I'll try."
Nicholas watched the exchange carefully.
After a moment, he said,
"Nicklaus, I want to speak with you after dinner."
Nicklaus's expression changed.
"About what?"
"We'll talk upstairs."
Nicklaus nodded reluctantly.
"Okay."
Cherry looked between them.
"Is something wrong?"
Jennie quickly shook her head.
"No, dear. Just family matters."
Cherry nodded and continued eating.
Nicklaus lowered his gaze.
But beneath the table, his hands were clenched tightly.
He already knew what his father wanted to discuss.
And he wasn't ready to give up on Cherry.
After dinner, Nicholas pushed his chair back.
"Nicklaus. Come upstairs with me."
Nicklaus sighed but stood and followed his father.
They entered Nicholas's room, and Nicholas closed the door behind them.
He turned around, his expression stern.
"Sit down."
Nicklaus remained standing.
"Dad, I know what you're going to say."
"Then you should already know that your behavior needs to stop."
Nicholas's voice rose.
"The way you look at Cherry, the way you treat Elian, the fights, the jealousy—none of this is acceptable."
Nicklaus clenched his jaw.
"You need to understand something. Cherry has chosen Elian."
"I don't care."
Nicholas stared at him in disbelief.
"You don't care?"
"No."
Nicklaus's voice was firm.
"I love Cherry."
Nicholas shook his head.
"She's your sister."
Nicklaus looked at him.
"I know what you're saying."
"Then act like you know!"
Nicholas slammed his hand against the desk.
"Love doesn't give you the right to interfere with her relationship or attack Elian every time you see him."
Nicklaus remained silent.
Nicholas continued.
"Cherry doesn't belong to you. She's a person who gets to choose who she loves."
Nicklaus's expression hardened.
"I can't just stop loving her because you tell me to."
Nicholas sighed heavily.
"I'm not asking you to stop feeling whatever you're feeling. I'm telling you that you have to respect her choices."
Nicklaus looked away.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I love her."
Nicholas stared at him for a long moment.
"Then prove that you love her by respecting what she wants."
Nicklaus didn't answer.
He simply turned toward the window, his expression stubborn.
Nicholas knew his words hadn't gotten through.
And that worried him more than anything.
Meanwhile, at the company, Elian sat behind his desk, his eyes fixed on the documents spread across it.
He had been working for almost an hour, but his mind wasn't completely focused on the numbers in front of him.
His thoughts kept returning to Anna.
He remembered the way she had looked earlier—her trembling hands, the tears in her eyes, and the strange way she had asked him to promise that he would never leave her.
Elian slowly leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Elian: "What happened to you, Grandma?"
He picked up another document and forced himself to concentrate.
There was still work to finish.
No matter how worried he was, he couldn't allow himself to abandon his responsibilities.
He began signing the papers one after another, checking every detail carefully.
His phone suddenly vibrated on the desk.
Elian immediately looked at it.
For a moment, his heart jumped, hoping it was Anna.
But it was only a message from one of his employees.
He opened it, replied briefly, and placed the phone back down.
He stared at it for another few seconds.
Then he shook his head.
Elian: "She said she's fine…"
He tried to convince himself of that.
But something inside him refused to believe it.
Anna had never behaved like that before.
She had always been strong around him. Even when things were difficult, she would smile and tell him everything would be okay.
Today had been different.
Elian rubbed his forehead before returning his attention to the documents.
A few minutes later, his assistant knocked on the door and stepped inside.
Assistant: "Sir, these are the contracts you asked me to bring."
Elian nodded without looking up.
Elian: "Put them there."
His assistant placed the files on the desk.
He noticed Elian's distracted expression and hesitated.
Assistant: "Sir… are you alright?"
Elian finally looked up.
Elian: "I'm fine."
The assistant nodded.
Assistant: "You don't look fine."
Elian gave a faint smile.
Elian: "It's nothing serious. I'm just worried about someone at home."
Assistant: "Mrs. Anna?"
Elian's expression softened immediately.
Elian: "Yeah."
He looked down at the paperwork again.
Elian: "She's been acting strange lately. I don't know what's bothering her."
The assistant remained quiet for a moment before saying,
Assistant: "Maybe you should call her."
Elian glanced at his phone again.
He picked it up immediately.
His thumb hovered over Anna's name.
After a moment, he pressed call.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
Elian's brows slowly knitted together.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
His worry deepened.
Elian: "Grandma… please pick up."
The call eventually ended.
Elian stared at the screen.
Then he placed the phone beside him and forced himself back to work.
Elian: "I'll check on her after work."
He took a deep breath and opened the next file.
Whatever was happening, he would find out.
But for now, he had work to finish.