The meal went by awkwardly. Sophia kept her head down as she ate, all the while fully aware of every single one of her hairs standing on end as she thought that she should find some time to clarify things with Claude.
Everyone hastily gobbled their food, leaving Claude and Michael to talk to each other.
“How old are you?”
“I’m 27 this year, Sir.”
“I’m a Pisces, Sir.”
“Your signs aren’t compatible with each other. I don’t approve of this. What do you work as?”
“I’m part of the performance branch in the military…”
“That doesn’t bring in the money. You’re not getting my seal of approval! How tall are you?”
“1.81 meters.”
“Too short. No thank you.”
Claude’s head was beaded with sweat due to his anxiety. It was the first time he was eating with this strict potential future father-in-law.
Michael’s face was as frosty as a primordial glacier, making Claude look as though he was about to ravish the former’s girl.
Then, Claude gave Sophia some food. “Here, Sophia, eat this. You’ll be able to recover faster if you eat more.”
Michael smacked Claude’s fork away with his own fork. “She doesn’t like that.”
After that, Claude poured some juice for Sophia. “Here, have some.”
Again, Michael smacked Claude’s hand away. “She doesn’t like that juice.”
Even when faced with Michael’s deliberate sabotage, Claude remained even-tempered. He simply accepted things graciously. Even Harry was so moved by this ‘future son-in-law’ of Michael’s that he couldn’t resist putting in a word for him. “Hey old chap, this is Claude’s first visit here. Quit heckling him.”
Michael shut up at last, but he still glared hard at Claude.
Claude did his best to adjust to Michael’s murderous stare. After all, he was about to take the girl that Michael had painstakingly raised all this while away. It was expected that Michael would antagonize him. When Claude thought about how Michael’s twenty year-old precious daughter was about to marry himself, he suddenly understood the older man’s mindset.
After the meal, Claude still did not leave. Instead, he wanted to stay behind to spend time with Michael. The whole party sat in the living room, unsure what to do. They either watched TV, patted the cat, or played with the dog; no one dared to be the first to speak up.
Michael sat wordlessly on the couch, his demeanor as cold as an iceberg. At the same time, Sophia didn’t dare to speak as she sat next to him, her eyes darting to look anywhere but him.
Claude was doing his best to find a mutual topic with Michael, but unfortunately, Michael was having none of it. He would simply grunt here and there at best, making the atmosphere extraordinarily awkward.
When Claude noticed that the Fletchers had a karaoke machine, he decided to say something bold. “Why don’t I sing something for everyone?”
Nathan toddled over to ask Maria to get everything ready. Soon, the machine was up and running, so Claude picked up a microphone and began to pour his heart into his song.
“When the mornings are warm, and the valleys are green, I’ll come back from wherever I’ve been,
Oh the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss,
It’s better my darlin’, I promise you this,
The next time I hold you, I’m not letting go,
I will give up the ocean forever I know,
Forever I know.”
As he sang, his gaze fell upon Sophia. It was as though he put all his feelings into the lyrics, pouring all the love deep in his heart into the song that he was singing for Sophia.
Sophia had an awkward look on her face as she shuffled closer toward Michael.
Meanwhile, Michael’s expression had visibly darkened a few notches. The air in the living room had turned chilly as if a cold wind had blown over everyone. Even though they could feel the chill running down their skin, everyone’s hearts felt even colder as a figurative frostiness wrapped itself around their hearts. They all instinctively stepped further away from the trio.
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