Chapter 1361: He’s our son

[LAST NIGHT IN THE DAVIS RESIDENCE]

Silence reigned in the dining room; not a single word was spoken among the family of three.

"Break off your engagement."

The thick silence shattered with Mrs. Davis’s remark. "Finn, we are not allowing you to marry into that family, even if Zoren Pierson himself is now part of it."

Mr. Davis nodded. "Finn, all these years, your mother and I have let you make decisions for yourself because we trust you. However, this is the time we must intervene. Nina, the Bennets, and the Cortezes are not good for you."

Finn didn’t respond—not because he was reconsidering, but because he was observing his parents. "You left me alone because you trust me?" he repeated quietly. "I didn’t know my parents trusted me so much that they left me to fend for myself at one."

"Finn!" Mrs. Davis’s voice erupted in a mild shout.

"This is exactly what your mother and I are talking about," Mr. Davis frowned. "Look at you, talking back to your parents."

"You weren’t like this before, Finn." Concern flickered in Mrs. Davis’s eyes as she sighed. In their minds, Finn’s change in behavior was entirely due to Nina and her family’s influence. Otherwise, their one and only son wouldn’t be treating them this way. "Just look at us. Can you really accept treating us like this? Since that dinner, your father and I have barely been able to sleep out of frustration."

"You are not young anymore, Finn," Mr. Davis added. "You should understand that we only want what’s best for you. And Nina isn’t what’s best."

"And who do you think is best for me?" Finn shot back. "Cassandra? Why? Because of her family?"

"The Smiths have always been close to us," Mrs. Davis replied, making no effort to hide her thoughts about Cassandra. "But more than that, she’s a good influence on you."

She sighed and reached out to hold Finn’s hand. "Finn, you and Cassandra grew up together. You already know each other. Besides, Cassandra is a fine young woman—established, from a respectable family, and beautiful. If you just reconsider, we can talk to the Smiths about the engagement. You were young when you broke it off, so we could say you didn’t know better."

Finn ran his tongue across the inside of his cheek as he glanced at his mother’s hand. When he lifted his eyes to meet hers, he asked just one thing: "Did I ever matter to you, Mom?"

"Of course, Finn." Mrs. Davis let out a weak laugh. "You are my son—that’s why I’m doing this. That family... they just—lack class, Finn. I think Nina is a nice girl, but niceness isn’t enough."

"That’s right." Mr. Davis nodded. "Nina might be nice, but if she marries you, she becomes your wife—the wife of the next head of the Davis family. And being nice won’t cut it. We need someone like Cassandra to bring balance to the family."

"Cassandra and I..." Finn trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know what to say—it was that their words made it painfully clear how little they considered his feelings. They could claim they wanted the best for him, but all he could hear was business.

He didn’t want to compare, but after just one night with the Bennets and Cortezes, he realized that business was rarely discussed at their table. And never had he heard Charles or Allison dictating to their children whom they should marry.

Perhaps before, he would have understood his parents. But after everything—after two lifetimes—it was clear that they had never changed.

And it made him wonder if they had even mourned him the first time, or if they had simply gone back to their routine after his burial.

A heavy breath escaped him as he muttered, "I love Nina."

He slowly lifted his head, meeting their eyes. "And my marriage will not be a business transaction."

"Finn—" Mrs. Davis halted when Finn suddenly rose from his seat.

"Cassandra wanted to break off the engagement herself. Our relationship was good, but I don’t want to be the reason she lives a miserable life," he continued, his voice firmer this time. "You said it yourself—I’m not a child anymore. So please, let me make this decision for myself."

He took a step back, lowered his head slightly, and turned away. There was so much more he could have said. But he knew it was pointless. There was no use arguing.

Instead, he made it clear: They had no say in this marriage.

This marriage with Nina would happen, whether they liked it or not.

"Finn, if you take another step, your name will disappear from your father’s and my will," Mrs. Davis called after him, her voice sharp. She huffed, staring at his back. "Leave through that door, and consider it severing our ties."

Finn’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look back. He didn’t speak.

And this time, he didn’t stop—even as his mother’s voice pitched higher behind him.

He had lived two lifetimes. And never in either had he believed that money was what mattered most.

He had wasted his first life in futility. There was no way he would waste his second.

Not when he had finally found a reason to live.

---

Meanwhile

Mr. and Mrs. Davis sat in silence, staring at the empty doorway with bitter expressions.

Mrs. Davis sighed sharply, her gaze falling on Finn’s untouched plate. He hadn’t refused to eat because he didn’t want to—he simply couldn’t.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice laced with worry. "Those people have already influenced our son. Have you seen how he would talk to us now?"

Mr. Davis kept his eyes fixed on the entrance before meeting his wife’s gaze. "He’ll come back. He’s our son. Once he realizes the life he is choosing is harder than he expected, he’ll return."

"And what if he doesn’t?"

"He will." Mr. Davis nodded, his expression unreadable. "Because I’ll make sure of it."