Chapter 1328: This is an investment

Davis Family

It would be a lie to say the Bennets didn’t have an impression of Finn’s family. Under different circumstances, they wouldn’t mind having ties with the Davis Family. Finn’s grandparents on both sides had been billionaires for generations, making him part of the elite old money circle.

That was why Finn had easily let the Pierson Family absorb the business he had established years ago without it affecting his family’s long-standing enterprises. Unlike the Piersons, who constantly fought for power and control, the Davis Family was different.

Not that they were overly generous with each other, but if the rumors were true, Finn was already set to inherit both businesses once he was done playing with the Piersons.

Yes, that’s all they saw Finn doing—playing.

To them, the Piersons were just his training ground. And once he was finished, Finn could merge both companies and create an empire of his own. It wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up just as wealthy as the Piersons when that happened.

Hence, the Bennets were a little... skeptical. Not of Finn, but of his family. And if the hushed whispers were true, they worried the pressure would be too much for Nina. They didn’t want her to carry such a burden.

---

When Charles and Haines arrived at Mama, the chime rang softly. Looking around, their brows furrowed.

"You’re here?" Allison, approaching from the side, greeted her husband and Haines. "They just arrived, so take a seat."

"Who just arrived?" Charles furrowed his brows, glancing at the table. "I only see one Davis here and a few Bennets, which is us."

Allison maintained a smile. "I told them a different time than I told you, knowing you’d be late—just like now."

She had told them to come half an hour earlier, anticipating Charles and Haines’ tardiness. She didn’t want this family meeting to start off on the wrong foot—at least, not with them causing it.

"Allison..." Charles sighed in defeat while Haines chuckled.

"Let’s go, Charles." Haines tapped his back. "Come on."

Haines and Allison exchanged knowing nods before the former led Charles to the table. The restaurant was closed for this meeting, making it an exclusive gathering.

"Hello, princess." Charles stopped behind Nina’s chair, lowering his head to kiss the top of her head.

Nina smiled and looked up at him. "Hi, Dad. Did you just get off work?"

"Uh, yes! And there was traffic on the way, too." Charles sighed as he sat at the head of the table, while Haines took his seat far from him. His gaze then shifted to Finn, who was seated beside Nina.

"It’s good to see you, sir." Finn nodded slightly, offering Charles a kind smile.

"..." Charles kept his lips pressed together, but upon noticing Nina’s expectant expression, he sighed again and gave Finn a curt nod. "You seem well, boy."

"I am."

And then, silence.

Finn maintained his smile, looking directly at Charles, while Charles wished the young man would look anywhere else. Clearing his throat, Charles finally glanced away, but Finn’s eyes remained fixed on him.

’What does this kid want?’ he wondered, growing slightly grumpy. ’Don’t tell me he wants me to praise him? I already did by giving him a bit of attention. He just keeps looking at me as if I should give him a candy.’

Nina, on the other hand, pursed her lips but maintained a smile. She studied Charles for a moment before letting out a light chuckle, turning to Finn.

"We still have thirty minutes before your parents arrive, so I’ll just help Aunt Jessa and Mom in the kitchen," she said. "Is that okay with you?"

Finn nodded. "Of course."

"Alright."

Excusing herself, Nina stood, but just as she did, the chime rang once more. She turned toward the entrance, her face lighting up as Atlas walked in with Hugo behind him.

"First Brother," she called, watching them approach.

"We’re not late," Atlas announced as he stopped in front of her. He gave Nina a once-over before nodding in satisfaction.

"Technically, we are since Mom said we should be here thirty minutes earlier," Hugo argued in a knowing tone.

"She’s lying," Atlas replied flatly, keeping his eyes on Nina. "Go help Mom and Aunt Jessa in the kitchen."

Hugo tilted his head, peering at Nina from behind Atlas. "Hey there, Nina."

"Second Brother." Nina flashed them a smile before shifting her gaze to Atlas’s emotionless face. "I was just about to go."

She paused, leaning closer to Atlas and whispering, "Please don’t grill him too much."

"Nina, you know that’s impossible!" Hugo whisper-yelled. "This is First Brother. He stops for no one."

"Don’t worry." Atlas, as usual, ignored Hugo’s commentary. But surprisingly, he raised a hand and ruffled Nina’s hair—gently. "I’ll be gentle."

Nina’s brows lifted in surprise at the slight smile tugging at Atlas’s lips. Her cheeks flushed pink as she pressed her lips together, trying not to grin.

"Mhm." She nodded. "Thank you."

Watching the scene, Hugo grinned wider. As Nina turned toward the kitchen, he elbowed Atlas.

"First Brother, you were lying, weren’t you?"

"What you don’t know won’t hurt you," Atlas replied coolly before striding toward the table, greeting Charles and Haines before taking a seat close to their father. Hugo, ignoring any seating arrangement, plopped down beside Haines.

As soon as he sat, Hugo turned to Haines with an impish grin, resting an elbow on the table and spreading his legs comfortably.

"Not tonight, Hugo," Haines warned, reading him like an open book. "Don’t even start."

But Hugo’s smile didn’t waver. "Uncle Haines, am I getting an auntie soon?"

"..." Haines opened his mouth, then shut it again and looked away. "Don’t talk to me."

"Uncle, come on..." Hugo hopped to the chair on Haines’s other side. "I swear I’ll keep my mouth shut."

Haines’s already lifeless expression somehow managed to die even further as he stared at Hugo’s sparkling, mischievous eyes. "Since when have you been interested in these things?"

"Since I found out I might be getting an aunt," Hugo replied instantly. "And I’m only interested because it’s you. When the time comes, Penny, Dad, Slater, Mom, and Aunt Jessa will be all over me for the real story. This is an investment."

That... was not how investments worked.

Haines wasn’t surprised. This was Hugo, after all. There was no way he’d be interested in romance without a motive. Surely Charles’s son. In the end, Haines simply ignored Hugo’s persistence.

Meanwhile, Atlas, Charles, and Finn, who were seated near each other, sat in silence. All three stared at one another until Finn finally opened his mouth—

Only to be interrupted by a voice.

"Nina~! Your favorite brother is here~! Mom, your favorite son is here~!"

Finn clamped his mouth shut again, catching the brief smirks that flickered across Charles’s and Atlas’s faces, as if they had just witnessed something highly amusing.

’Were they glad Slater arrived just as I was about to start a conversation?’Finn wondered, studying the two men. ’It must be.’

With that realization, Finn sighed inwardly, wondering how this family meeting would unfold. At this point, all he could do was hope it would end peacefully.