Marianne sat upright on the couch, her back straight as ever-that calm, composed look on her face had hardly changed. Even when she was giving what sounded like more of an order than a suggestion, her tone stayed warm and controlled.

Only whenever Bellamy was mentioned did her emotions give the slightest twitch.

Fraser let out a soft "yeah", eyes glued to the floor, while his mind was still stuck on how Bellamy looked last night in his arms-soft, sweet, impossible to forget.

She was that tempting. How could he possibly settle for anything less than giving her everything?

Marianne's expression stiffened for a beat, a flicker of sadness crossing her face.

She knew Fraser hadn't been paying attention. That half-hearted "yeah" said it all. The boy she'd poured her whole heart into raising, brought up with endless love and patience, wasn't that same kid anymore-the one who used to cling to her, call her "Mom."

Since he turned twenty, since Bellamy showed up in his life, that changed. Now he just called her Marianne or Mrs. Blake.

Half her life had passed, and there wasn't even someone who still called her "Mom." Was that not tragic?

But... as long as Fraser didn't fall too deep for Bellamy, there was still hope. Maybe there was still a chance to turn things around.

Fraser wasn't the emotional sort-distant, self-contained. Over the years, Bellamy had clung to him like glue, never letting go. But she was headstrong, controlling. Thanks to that, Fraser hadn't really connected with other women.

Once he met a girl who was the complete opposite of Bellamy, he'd see it. He'd realize just how messy Bellamy was-and how wonderful other women could be.

Marianne quickly pulled herself together and smiled again.

She gently placed Fraser's hand into her own, voice soft and full of affection. "The Grants invited our whole family over for dinner tonight. Alexander was out of town yesterday, so this is his way of making it up to you. Oh, and your brother's flying back, too-his assignment's wrapping up."

"It's just a homecoming. No need to roll out the red carpet," Fraser said with a faint smile. But his eyes grew colder.

She said "our whole family" so naturally-it somehow stung.

If they were all one family... what about Bellamy? Where did she fit in?

Right, the Hawkins family never acknowledged her. Who would claim her?

So, Mrs. Blake-how could I possibly walk away from a girl the world refuses to care for?

*****

They called it a welcome dinner for Fraser. In reality, it was more of a setup-a low-key matchmaking dinner with Lydia.

Lydia had ditched her usual classy, conservative vibe for something totally different-a made-to-order fresh, girly dress. She looked like a college freshman-basically a carbon copy of Bellamy back when she was eighteen or nineteen.

Lydia wasn't dumb.

She knew Bellamy was the direct type-bold and blunt, no interest in playing games or faking niceness. That's why Lydia believed every word Bellamy said to her last night.

At most, Bellamy was just Fraser's fling. So why bother going after her? Getting Fraser's attention directly was the smarter move.

Still, Bellamy had managed to stay by Fraser's side for six years, which had to mean something.

Curious, Lydia dug up old photos of Fraser and Bellamy together. Every time, Bellamy showed up in some playful, casual outfit-nothing stiff or fancy.

So Fraser must go for the cute-and-carefree type, she figured.

Lydia kept her nerves in check, forcing herself to smile with grace as Fraser walked toward her.

When Fraser sat down across from her, his expression didn't even twitch. He gave her a small nod, totally indifferent.

Lydia had been hoping for some praise or maybe a hint of surprise, but when none of that came, she forced a smile anyway, trying to keep up the elegant and graceful act in front of him.

Marianne noticed the disappointment too, and though she wasn't thrilled either, she was more composed. She offered a gentle smile. "Fraser, doesn't Lydia's outfit suit her nicely? She looks so light and full of life in it."

"Does it?" Fraser barely lifted his eyelids as his gaze briefly swept over Lydia. "I must have a poor eye. Can't really tell. Though I remember Bellamy wore something similar once-it looked pretty fresh and lively on her."

He said it so casually, like it meant nothing.

But Lydia's face changed instantly. Her fingers clenched the hem of her dress so tightly she looked about ready to tear it to shreds.

Marianne was momentarily stunned and didn't know what to say next.

Alexander Grant, Lydia's father, aware of his daughter's interest in Fraser and seeing things going south fast, stepped in to save the moment.

"Fraser, you really are impressive! A couple years back when I was in Amerden talking business, one of my partners mentioned you-youngest top executive on Wall Street, turned a nearly bankrupt software company around and even got it listed on Nasdaq. That's nothing short of a miracle."

Alexander had a polished yet menacing air about him-years in business had sharpened him. Even his compliments felt like veiled threats.

Primewell Group, Alexander's company, had a shady past, but he'd covered it all up cleanly.

Fraser had no particular fondness for him. Despite respecting his seniority, he had no patience for polite pretenses. So he just smiled faintly and replied, "You flatter me, Mr. Grant."

Alexander caught the cold tone but brushed it off with a laugh, turning instead to clink glasses with Arthur.

Meanwhile, Marianne had perked back up again, pulling Lydia close and trying every angle to steer the conversation toward Fraser and her.

But Fraser, once he switched to "emotionally unavailable" mode, was like a solid wall-nothing could faze him. No matter how much Lydia tossed conversation bait with Marianne cheering from the side, he stayed quiet and unreadable.

As things slowly slipped into awkward silence, Axel Branwell, Fraser's big brother, finally arrived in a bit of a rush.

"Sorry, everyone, flight got delayed. I'll take three shots as punishment!" Axel, with his chiseled features and those well-defined brows, looked every bit the no-nonsense military man. He downed three shots straight like it was nothing.

Fraser frowned and snatched the glass away in disgust. "Do your punishment, sure, but don't use mine!"

He waved a waiter over to set Axel up with a full place setting while Axel plopped down next to him, smiling like a kid at Christmas.

He gave Fraser a good once-over, even reached over to pinch him. "Damn, it's only been a month and you've bulked up again. You're catching up to me."

Fraser rolled his eyes and scooted his chair a bit further away. "And you've come back even darker than before. Took me a second to recognize you."

The two brothers kept roasting each other, back and forth, like they were on a comedy show instead of at an awkward arranged date dinner.

With nothing better to cling to, Fraser decided to ride out the dinner by bickering with Axel. Toward the end of the meal, he quietly slipped out his phone, dodged Marianne's gaze, and sent Bellamy a text.

[You home now? If not, where are you? I'll come get you.]

Instead of texting back, Bellamy just called.

Fraser picked up and heard her yelling over the noise, "I'm drinking people under the table right now!"

It was super noisy on the other end, and Fraser could vaguely make out someone with a rough voice yelling for Bellamy.

"Bellamy, come over here! What's up? You giving up already? If you down this bottle, I'll knock another five percent off the price!"

Bellamy shot back, voice even louder and rougher, then casually said into the phone, "Fraser, I gotta go kick some ass, talk later!"

Fraser winced-she was practically shouting straight into his eardrum. He pulled the phone away instinctively, just in time to hear the line go dead.

His face darkened immediately. Without hesitation, he pulled up her tracker.

After that close call when Bellamy almost got grabbed by the competition, Fraser had personally taught her some self-defense, set up security around her, and snuck a tracking app onto her phone.

The result came in fast-she was just over a hundred meters away.

In a flash, Fraser stood up, tossed out a quick "Sorry," and rushed out.

The sudden move caught everyone off guard, all eyes turning to Axel.

Axel shrugged helplessly. "I only heard 'kick some ass' over the phone. So... I'm guessing he's off to fight someone?"

Classic knight-in-armor move... he thought silently to himself.

Honestly, other than Bellamy, Marianne couldn't think of anyone that could get Fraser this worked up.

Her expression turned cold, and she stood up to follow him out.

Naturally, her devoted husband Arthur followed in a hurry. Lydia, who clearly had been itching to go too, took the chance to tag along.

Eventually, everyone ended up heading out.

They hadn't gone far when Marianne stopped. From a nearby room, Bellamy's voice rang out loud and fierce.

"I've been drinking my ass off with you people, and now you wanna go back on your word and even try to sleep with me? You must have a death wish. What, think I'm some pushover you can bully? Think again!"

Marianne slowly pushed the door open.

Fraser was standing right by the entrance, looking absolutely thunderous, sleeves rolled halfway up.

Bellamy, wielding the jagged neck of a broken bottle, was cursing out two chubby middle-aged men sporting bruised faces.

Behind her were a few employees from Hawkins Corp, all looking like they wanted to help but were too intimidated to move.

Bellamy sensed the door open and turned her head slightly. Spotting Marianne, she froze for a moment-then let out a cold sneer.

She dropped the bottle, tidied her tousled hair and clothes, and sauntered over.

"The look on your face, Mrs. Branwell... shocked, are we? Realizing I'm a little rougher than you imagined? Starting to really wish I'd disappear from Fraser's life?" She leaned in, practically whispering in her ear. "Well, I was born without a proper upbringing, even without a mother's love, so I guess I'll never be the classy, polite type like Fraser or Lydia."

Marianne's face drained of color. She stumbled back a step, and Arthur and Lydia quickly moved to steady her.

That's when Bellamy noticed the crowd outside-basically the entire Branwell and Grant families.

So... this an engagement talk? Parents meeting because the kids are into each other?

The alcohol was hitting her now, and Bellamy was starting to feel off across the board.

She backed up to Fraser's side, expression unreadable, and looked straight at him.

"So what's the plan? You driving me home for a hot night, or playing knight all the way and dropping your date off too?"