Chapter 54 Tense Gathering

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Tense Gathering

"Darling, I thought you were on call today?" Lars’s mother, Christine, said as she took Richard’s bag and suit jacket before placing them aside.

"I switched my on-call shift with Mr. Khoo today. I didn’t want to miss my daughter’s birthday." Richard kissed Layla on the forehead before walking toward the dining table.

Only then did he notice that Lars was there as well. Their eyes met and neither of them said a single word. It was the first time they had faced each other in four years.

"Alright! Now that everyone’s here, let’s wish Layla a happy birthday!" Christine quickly said after noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere. She lit the candles on the birthday cake.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Layla!"

Layla then blew out the candles, and everyone clapped their hands. After that, she began opening the presents one by one.

Lia had given her a new pair of shoes. Her mother had bought her several beautiful shirts and a gown. Meanwhile, Richard gave her a brand-new laptop.

"Thank you, Dad! I really wanted a new one! My old laptop has become so slow," Layla said happily.

Finally, she picked up the last gift. It was from Lars. Among all the presents, his gift came in the smallest box. Layla carefully opened it, and her eyes immediately widened.

"Earrings? They’re so cute! Thank you, Lars!"

She happily held up the beautiful pair of earrings. One was shaped like a sun, while the other was shaped like a crescent moon.

As simple as they looked, the earrings were still worth 4,000 Zents, as they were crafted from precious gemstones found inside dungeons.

Layla immediately took off her old earrings and put on the new pair. The earrings made her look even more beautiful.

Lars smiled as he saw how happy she was. Deep inside, he felt grateful to Melodie for recommending the gift. Soon, everyone began enjoying the meal together.

"How are your studies going, Lia? When are your exams?" Christine asked.

"Everything’s going well, Mom. My exams are in three months," Lia replied.

She was currently in the final year of her Master’s program in Emergency Medicine, which was why she had been so busy over the past few months.

"But it’s all thanks to Dad. He’s helped me a lot during my clinical training," Lia added.

Christine then turned to Lars.

"What about you, Lars? Are you working anywhere now?"

"Err... yeah, Mom. I have a job with decent pay," Lars replied.

There was no way he was going to tell them that he worked as a hunter. That topic had always been taboo in this household.

"And what kind of job is that? Is it even legal?" Richard suddenly asked as he looked directly at Lars.

"What do you mean by that?" Lars replied. The way Richard was staring at him made him feel uncomfortable.

"If the earrings you gave Layla came from an illegal source, I want you to take them back. I still have more than enough money to buy her another pair," Richard said.

The moment he heard those words, Lars immediately stood up and glared at Richard. Christine and Lia quickly tried to calm him down.

"I don’t know what your problem is! I’m sorry if I’m not as smart as my sisters, but I’m not low enough to get involved in that kind of thing!"

"If you think I’m nothing but a nuisance here, then I will leave! And as long as you’re in this house, I will never set foot here again!" Lars immediately finished his drink before heading straight for the door.

"Lars! Wait!" Lia called as she hurried after him.

"Why would you say something like that to him? He just came home after so many years. He’s my son. Please be a little more considerate," Christine pleaded.

"He’s not my son." Richard said those words without changing his expression before taking another sip of his coffee.

Layla quietly looked at everyone, before lowering her head to stare at the food in front of her.

Layla had hoped that her birthday celebration would help ease the tension between them. Instead, it only made the relationship even worse.

Outside the house, Lia grabbed Lars by the shoulder.

"Please wait, Lars!"

"Let me go, Sis!" Lars said. "I regret coming here today. It would’ve been better if I hadn’t come at all. I just ruined the whole celebration."

"Let’s talk for a while. I will drive you to the station. Get in my car," Lia said.

Lars took a deep breath before following her. His eyes then fell on the car parked in front of the house. It was a red Corvette sports car.

"This is your car?!" Lars asked in disbelief.

"Yup."

Lars got into the passenger seat while Lia took the driver’s seat. A moment later, she accelerated onto the road. The roar of the engine echoed throughout the quiet residential neighborhood.

"I’m sorry for what Dad said, Lars. He didn’t mean anything bad by it. He just doesn’t want you getting involved in anything bad."

"Are you sure? Because from the way he said it, it clearly sounded like that’s exactly what he thinks of me. And one more thing, don’t call him Dad, Sis. Our dad died ten years ago." Lars said.

"Ever since Mom married him, I feel like our family has slowly changed. For you, maybe it didn’t change much because you’ve always been the smart one. But for me, it completely changed my world."

Lia kept her eyes on the road as she drove along the highway. She couldn’t find the words to refute what Lars had said.

It was true. After their father passed away, nothing had ever been the same. Richard was an authoritarian by nature.

He was the one who pushed Lia to pursue a career in medicine, although she didn’t particularly mind it.

But their real father, would never have done something like that.

Lia dropped Lars off at the train station. Just before he got out, she called out to him.

"Lars. Next time, when I am free, I will give you a call. Let’s have a meal together."

"Alright. I will be waiting for it. And, Sis... please tell Mom and Layla that I’m sorry."

"I will." Lia smiled. "You know... you have changed a little."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lars asked, confused.

"Nothing." Lia chuckled. "See you later. And you better run, that’s the last train for today." She drove away in her Corvette.

"Oh, shoot!" Lars immediately sprinted toward the platform as fast as he could.