28 Masquerade 1 (1/2)

Daniel glared at his brother, and Liam met his brother's deadly stare; it made his hair stand on end.

Although Daniel already knew about the incident at Liam's club, Samantha didn't tell him about it. He didn't want Samantha to feel the pressure that's why he glared at his brother as if to tell him to shut up about it. Liam understood his brother's warning so he quickly clarified, ”Yes, we met a couple of weeks ago at the company when my brother arrived from Japan. He-He”, he said before he tried to smile.

Samantha remembered that day. He was there? ”Oh, right...”. Samantha felt somehow relieved that Liam didn't mention or maybe he didn't remember about that night with Hannah, 'Whew!'.

When dinner was served, the four of them sat at the dining table with so many delicious foods. Daniel kept serving dishes to Samantha, he filled her plate quickly. Samantha was overwhelmed by this, she tried to politely complain to Daniel, ”Um... I'm okay. I.. I think that's enough... I can't finish them all.”. Though Samantha really liked to eat, the amount of food that Daniel placed on her plate became a mountain. She felt embarrassed by the sight of it.

Daniel looked at it and realized that he was a bit excessive, ”Oh... Eat. When you're full, I'll finish your leftovers.”

This made Samantha all the more embarrassed. Why does he have to be this affectionate in front of his parents?? Is he not ashamed?

Seeing their son like this, Mr. and Mrs. Cho had a smile on their faces. They're used to seeing their son being strict and having an aloof personality, and the scene in front of them warmed their hearts.

”Tch, If only you show even just 10% of your sweetness to me. I'd be really happy!” Liam said while he eyed his brother.

”Son, how's the new project going?” Mr. Cho asked.

”Hey, no talking about work on the table. This is family time.” Mrs. Cho said and then turned to Samantha, ”Sorry about that dear, they like to talk about work even after office hours.”

Samantha smiled, ”It's okay. My dad and brother do the same thing, so mom always scolds them too.”, she chuckled.

”Really?”, Mrs. Cho snickered, ”How's your mother by the way?”, she asked before she took a sip of her red wine.

”She's doing well. She tends to her plants and flowers when she can or else she'll get bored. You should visit her sometimes, Auntie.”

”Yes, I'm planning to see her soon.”

Mr. Cho asked Daniel, ”You've been seeing each other for a while, right? Aren't you going to make it public?”

”Dad, Samantha and I agreed to keep it from the public. We don't really want the attention. It will just attract gossips.”

”They wouldn't dare to make problems if ever they saw us, at least those who want to keep their jobs and survive in City M.”

Indeed, those who are smart would naturally avoid crossing Daniel Cho. If they have a death wish, they're welcome to try his wrath.

Because of this, Samantha feels secure with Daniel. She knew that he respects her condition of keeping it private. Daniel's parents, on the other hand, although they understand Daniel and Samantha's wish to be private, they simply think that it's impossible especially with their family backgrounds. Nevertheless, both Mr. and Mrs. Cho support their relationship.

The dinner went smoothly and Samantha's worries became less. She still feels shy towards his parents but Daniel made sure that she wasn't alone.

--

Days flew by so quickly that it was already Friday.