Chapter 592

Everyone stared at Rupert in disbelief.

Everyone knew that the one thing Tristan couldn't stand was people calling him old.

But Rupert hadn't just called him old in front of everyone-he'd also chalked up Tristan's words to drunken rambling. That was basically stomping all over Tristan's pride.

Tristan's face tightened, his beard actually quivered, and for a moment, even his usually sharp eyes seemed clouded with shock.

It was as if he couldn't believe Rupert would say something like that about him. Sylvia couldn't believe it either. She had no idea why Rupert would do this. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes flickering, and then she saw the answer.

Reese was clinging to Rupert's hand, her face pale, looking like she might faint at any second.

The Sanford family was eyeing Rupert suspiciously too.

Rupert swallowed, then calmly looked straight ahead. Everyone assumed he was looking at Lester.

His voice was deep and cool, "Reese brought both families together for dinner tonight. I'd appreciate it if we kept the conversation on track."

Reese managed a small smile. "I'm fine, really. Let's just eat, everyone."

As she spoke, she glanced at Sylvia, her expression complicated.

Sylvia pressed her lips together and dropped her gaze.

She really shouldn't have come.

Her appetite gone, Sylvia set her fork down and pulled her hand back.

Right then, Lester caught her hand and looked straight at Tristan.

"Thank you for the compliment, Tristan," Lester said, his tone a little sarcastic. "Some things are better kept simple-especially when it comes to relationships. All the Sanford men are pretty straightforward in that department. Maybe that's why our family's been so successful. After all, a man who cheats on his wife can't expect much luck in business or life."

His words had a sharp edge. The source of thɪs content is FіndNovel.net

Both families had obviously dug into each other's backgrounds before agreeing to this dinner.

Lester definitely knew a little about Tristan's old affairs.

Tristan's face flushed red, then pale, clearly embarrassed.

But Lester just pretended not to notice, and gave Sylvia's hand a gentle squeeze.

Sylvia snapped out of it and whispered, "A wife?"

Lester raised an eyebrow. "Best investment I ever made."

Sylvia couldn't help but laugh. She turned her hand around to squeeze his, silently mouthing, Thank you.

She didn't pay any more attention to the dark, brooding looks from across the table.

Scott glanced around, immediately catching the tension.

He raised his glass and said, “Well,

I'm no spring chicken myself. I

want to meddle in the kids' but

anymore. I trust their judgment. s

He'd given Tristan a way to save face while also supporting Lester and Sylvia.

Tristan managed a polite smile, but inside he was fuming.

But with Scott putting it that way, he couldn't say anything more.

It seemed like the awkward moment would pass—until Fay, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly stood up.

She butted in, "Actually, I think Tristan had a point. Some things are worth being careful about."

"Fay, that's enough," Reese jumped in, trying to stop her. "Sylvia is my brother's girlfriend."

The word "girlfriend" seemed to make Fay even angrier.

She shot a look at Kay, who was swirling her wine and watching like she was at the movies.

Kay checked her watch, nodded slightly, and tossed back her drink-totally unbothered.

Fay turned to Scott with a smile, "Mr. Sanford, don't get me wrong. Sylvia and I are actually coworkers. I just thought you should know in case you didn't know much about her." s

She didn't spell anything out, but just saying they were coworkers was enough to sound like she was

hinting at secrets, which naturally

made the Sanfords even more

suspicious. s

Especially since the Garcia family sitting at the table looked like they were barely hiding their smirks.

Now, the Sanfords were even more skeptical about Sylvia's background.

Sylvia glanced at Fay, who flashed her a smug, challenging smile.

A sense of unease crept over Sylvia.

And then, right as voices started to rise in the room, the private dining room door swung open.

Sylvia froze when she saw who walked in.