Standing Before Love (Myra and Sean) novel Chapter 680

At the scene, Heather maintained her elegant smile. Even if it was a family banquet, she could not let down her guard. Fortunately, it was at least simpler than she anticipated and not as chaotic as Leon led her to believe.

The person who was most unlike how she imagined him to be was Dave. He didn’t act at all like he was nobility, and she could only find it a good thing that Leon hadn’t handed her a few more pages of information, for it seemed like they were chock-full of his subjective biases.

With a smile, she glanced at everyone. Under Dave’s warm-hearted influence, they no longer regarded her with hostility and all put on, at the very least, some measure of kindness.

Despite seeing through them, Leon gave no indication he was aware of their pretense. Of course, Heather could see through them as well, but she was long used to such occasions and didn’t take any of it to heart.

While they ate, the entire table was silent and devoid of any conversation. This also largely differed from her expectations and upon seeing her confusion, Leon pulled out his cell phone and sent her a text.

Knowing what she was thinking, he told her, ‘Don’t look so surprised. My Grandpa is strict about us not talking while we eat.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ she replied, refusing to admit to her own confusion. ‘There’s nothing unusual about that.’ Quickly putting down her phone, she resumed eating.

In the quiet, only the sound of chewing could be heard. Perhaps because they were concerned about their image, everyone was displaying the elegance of nobility and chewing very softly.

When it came to this, she didn’t fare worse than them. She, too, had good breeding, not to mention that silence at the dinner table was more of a local habit and she would never lose to a group of foreigners.

Occasionally, she and Leon would communicate silently with their eyes. Their every interaction was noted by Dave.

The meal lasted a long time. Dave was meticulous about his chewing and, seemingly not wanting to finish before the patriarch of the family, everyone else ate slowly as well.

Under the influence of such an atmosphere, Heather, too, slowed down her speed of eating. Meanwhile, Leon seemed used to such a pace and struggled with it not at all.

On occasion, Dave would cast a glance at her but he did not speak up. There seemed to be a message in his eyes but for now, it remained inscrutable to her. Even Leon seemed confused.

It was only in the silence that she picked up on the imposing atmosphere of the dinner banquet. From her perspective, Leon’s family was even stranger than hers. While the Langston Family used family banquets as a way of appearing outwardly harmonious, his family did not seem like a family at all but rather a group of strangers.

If her family fought in secret, his family went to no lengths at all to hide their discord. Nonetheless, it seemed like Dave was in the know.

The wisdom in his eyes led her to believe that he was in control of the situation. It had to be difficult for an old man to ensure a family’s balanced and healthy survival.

After what felt like half a century, the lengthy mealtime finally ended. As she gently wiped her mouth, she could feel the others glancing at her from time to time.

Not long after they finished eating, the dinner table livened up and people started to chat with those seated next to them. It was only then that she realized what Leon meant when he said the dinner was very ceremonial. Indeed, the time while they ate had been a grave ritual and even now that they were done, their idle chat seemed affected to some degree.

Leaning over, he whispered to her, “Not used to it, are you?” Even he wasn’t used to having such a family after all these years.

“I’m alright.” She didn’t find it too strange since she rarely spoke at her own family dinners, unless Robert spoke to her first.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t mind.” Yet now, he worried that she would find it difficult to adapt, but it seemed he had underestimated her endurance.

“What would I have to mind?” she asked with a smile. Right now, they were conversing in front of Dave and she was deeply afraid that they would say something wrong.

In response, he beamed at her and resisted the urge to peck her cheek. Truly, she was his savior and all-too-worthy of his love.

“Your crow’s feet are showing,” she teased. Sometimes, his thoughts were too obvious and written all over his face.

“Come and take a walk with me later.” He was unable to take the atmosphere anymore and was dying to find an opportunity to drag her out for some fresh air.

While Leon hated this place more than any other occasion he would have to attend, Heather, on the other hand, was a little bit more understanding.

Unlike Leon, she looked at it as a duty and she didn’t feel as conflicted as he did.

Meanwhile, Dave seemed to be keeping an eye on her. Even Leon was starting to notice that he would glance at her from time to time while she conversed with Leon.

Usually fastidious about keeping a healthy lifestyle, Dave had foregone the fruit platter in favor of eyeing them. Unable to take such scrutiny, Leon took the initiative to reach out for a grape, peel it patiently and feed it intimately to her. Since they couldn’t talk carelessly and freely with Dave staring at them, they might as well eat some fruit.

At first, Heather was confused but she quickly caught on and cooperated. With her faint smile aimed at him, they looked like a loving couple.

All of a sudden, he seemed to develop a fondness for feeding her fruit and busied himself with peeling the skin off the fruit in front of him before holding it up to her. Of course, she wasn’t in the mood for fruit right now and could only stare at him strangely. Did that mean that, in the absence of anything better to do, they could only eat fruit?

Reluctantly, she cooperated. Given the slow pace of dinner, she had already consumed more than what she usually ate and now that she was forced to have some fruit as well, she was starting to wonder if her sole purpose for attending the banquet was to eat.