Lily grabbed Jamesonâs arm with a nervous expression and insisted, âI want to sit with you. I donât want to be alone here!â
Everyone at the table exchanged looks.
âHey, Mandy, why do I feel that Mrs. Schmidt⦠acts a little weird?â Colene elbowed Mandy and asked quietly.
âI heard from Winston that Mrs. Schmidt has Alzheimerâs. It looks like a particularly bad case. She doesnât even recognize us,â Mandy whispered back.
âOh gosh, Alzheimerâs at such a young age? Poor womanâ¦â Colene sighed and cast a sympathetic look at Lily.
Jameson looked at Alyssa helplessly as Lily refused to let go of him.
After some hesitation, Alyssa tapped Jasper on the shoulder. âMr. Beckett, could you do us a favor and change your seat?â
He looked up slowly with an astonished and aggrieved expression. âWhy should I? I was here before them.
Landon bit his lip, trying not to burst into laughter. Jasper was indeed quite petty!
âThe timing of your arrival isnât the issue. As you can see, Mrs. Schmidt doesnât want to be separated from her son, and Iâd like them to sit at this table. I have no choice but to ask you to move to another table,â
Alyssa explained.
She hadnât wanted to sit beside him in the first place, and now she had a valid reason.
She urged, âAfter some thought, Iâve realized youâre the only one I can ask to move. Please take a seat at another table.â
Jameson held onto Lily and adjusted his glasses, a sly grin playing on his lips.
âI wonât.â Jasper frowned and stubbornly refused to budge.
âFine, youâre not moving, right? Then, Iâll sit at Grandpaâs table!â Alyssaâs anger flared. She was so close to punching Jasper in the face./
Now, it was Jasperâs turn to get flustered. Worried that she might leave for real, he decided to listen to her and leave instead.
Just then, Jonah stood up in time with a soft smile. He said to Alyssa, âLyse, Mr. Beckett is a guest as well. Letâs not trouble him. Iâll join Dad at his table. We shouldnât let a minor incident dampen the mood.â
With that, Jonah smoothly moved to another table, leaving an empty seat behind.
Jamesonâs face crumbled. He knew the motive behind Jonahâs actions and felt disheartened.
On the other hand, Jasper let out a relieved sigh when the problem was solved. He decided to thank Jonah at another time.
Lylaâs birthday party finally got underway. Alyssa had purposely arranged for Miley to sit beside her, as she hadnât seen the latter in a long while.
Jameson had no choice but to take a seat next to Miley, looking somewhat disappointed that he couldnât sit beside Alyssa.
âMiley, Mr. Schmidt has just returned from Kontina recently. The two of you must have a lot in common to talk about,â Alyssa began, trying to strike up a conversation and lighten the mood.
âOh, did you live in Kontina for a long time?â Miley asked, looking surprised.
â15 years, to be precise,â Jameson replied with a smile.
âWell, you are almost a local then. You lived there longer than me. This is my third year living in Kontina after my marriage,â Miley remarked.
Eager to participate in the small talk, she casually asked, âI wonder, whatâs your profession?â
Jameson merely replied, âI was in the trading business.â
âOh, I see.â
Out of the blue, Jasper interjected, âMr. Schmidt, can you elaborate on the types of goods you traded?â
Jameson narrowed his eyes and balled his fists under the table.
Jasper glanced at him with a piercing gaze and added, âThis isnât confidential information, is it? Or did you run a ⦠unique business that you canât publicly disclose?â