Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 326

"Dad," Michael and I groan.

"What do you mean?" Carson asks. "I thought we were cool now?"

"Just look at them." Dad frowns at Mom. "Look at these potatoes invading our home." He glares at Onai. "You should've shook my hand at the door. Even he-" Dad gestures at Carson "-tried that."

Onai opens his mouth.

"Save it."

Mom smacks her forehead.

"Just wait till dinner's over." Dad adjusts his tie. Then something dawns on him. "Wait." He furrows his brow. "Why am I feeding you people? Give me that." He takes a spoonful of the uneaten half of Onai's rice. "That's mine. Thank you. My wife made that." He looks at Carson. "And I bet you thought you were in the clear."

Carson looks incredulously between me and my father. "Yeah, I actually did."

"Give me that." Dad takes a spoon from him. "That's mine, too. Thanks."

"Why are you taking their food?" Mom asks exasperatedly.

"Because it's my food." Dad waves his clean spoon in the air.

"He's lost his mind," Megan mutters.

"Power trip here we come," Mom says.

"You guys thought this was yours." Dad gestures towards the food. "But it's mine, regardless of whose plate it's on. These servings took nine months in the oven to bake and my broken hand during labor-"

"Oh my god," I almost vomit.

Michael makes a disgusted look. "Mom, please." He rubs his temples. "Control your spouse."

"I think we've all learned a valuable lesson today about surprises," Mom says. "They usually lead to unpredictable results." She glares at Axel.

Axel rubs his hands down his face, groaning. "I can't take it anymore," he says. "It wasn't me."

Aiden's eyes snap to him, but Axel's already taking Mom's hands into his own.

"I'm innocent, I swear." He stares straight into her eyes. "It was him." He points at Aiden.

Aiden cocks his head back.

Mom looks like she's in a tailspin. "But I thought... Charlie said... The car."

"Don't believe him, Mom. He's the one who went in Mia's room," Megan says.

Onai looks like he's ready to hop to his feet in seconds, but my parents just take the items. "Uh, thanks?" They glance at each other.

Onai's dad grunts in response.

Dad puts the wine on the table and stands up. "It's nice to meet you." He sticks his hand out. "I'm Hugh."

Onai's dad eyes my father's hand. Dad blinks a few times. Onai's dad blinks a few times. Suddenly, it's as if the answer comes to him. It must be Onai through mindlink.

"Oh." Onai's dad roughly grips Dad's hand. He shakes it robotically, glaring into Dad's eyes. Onai smacks his forehead as my dad tugs his hand out of the deathgrip.

"Lauren." Mom smiles when it's her turn for greetings.

Onai's dad doesn't touch her, but he does force a smile. It looks pained. So pained. "Nial."

"You can sit over here." Michael leads him towards one of the open chairs. Onai's dad follows, eyes taking in all the foods, colors, people.

Luca, who is probably two feet taller than the first time I met him, trails into the kitchen behind his father and Michael. His brown eyes land on Megan. Megan pretends like her plate is the most interesting thing. Luca looks away.

Onai's dad lowers himself into the chair beside Michael's seat. "Thank you, Michael." He tries another smile, and this time, it comes a lot easier. But not by much.

Michael smiles back, taking his seat again. Luca sits down beside his father. He leans closer to the table to get a good look in Megan's direction again. She keeps staring at her food. He sits back in his chair, silently.