Stealing Spree

Chapter 2433 Turning the tables

chapter 2433 turning the tables

the dinner eventually ended in silence. with otoha's father stomping his foot down to not let the conversation escalate from earlier, the battle of words was far from over.

as the servants cleared the dishes and replaced them with the dessert, i couldn't help but chuckle internally at the sight of otoha's mother's scowling face.

she was defeated, if only for now. but i'm sure he won't let this night end with me laughing. she's probably already planning something in that head of hers.

i didn't think much of it though. what's important for me right now is to tend to my girl.

using the table napkin, i gently wiped the corner of otoha's mouth, catching the stray cream that had escaped from the delicious dessert she was devouring. she blushed and then scooped a spoonful for me, placing it gently on my lips.

her mother's eyes shot daggers, but we were both unfazed. we were in our world now, and we would not cede it so easily.

i opened my mouth and took the sweet spoonful from otoha's trembling hand, savoring the rich flavor of the chocolate mousse.

"onoda, do you know? otoha made this dessert. she didn't want us to tell you but... i believe you'll appreciate knowing," hidekazu said from the other side, who was amused at seeing the sight of us unbothered by the presence of their parents and acted flirty in front of them.

"is that true?" i asked, looking at otoha with feigned surprise.

she nodded, her cheeks a delightful shade of pink but then she glared at her brother saying, "it's supposed to be a secret!"

he laughed, "why keep it a secret? you've worked hard for it."

"t-that's right. this is great, miss... otoha." her ex-fiance also said, trying to insert himself in the conversation to win some points.

otoha didn't ignore him but when she looked in his direction, her glare remained, "i didn't make it for you."

looking like he just got choked out of air, the ex-fiancé coughed a bit, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment.

but as always, her mother came as the dude's backup, "otoha, you're being rude to a guest. apologize immediately.

and it worked. otoha's mother's expression shifted from irritation to surprise, and i knew i had her full attention.

"oh... was that too casual? i apologize. i used to call him grandfather but he insisted on having me address him the same way otoha does," i said as i took in the dumbfounded expression of otoha's mother and her ex-fiance.

well, i said i wouldn't casually use his influence but if i didn't bring this up once, her mother would never put down her prejudice.

"you... have you met father?" this time, it was otoha's father who spoke up, curiosity burned in his eyes.

i looked at otoha first to clue them in that we met him together before responding, "yes. it was more than a month ago, uncle. we went to her cabin up in the north. since then, we communicated occasionally through phone calls."

the room went eerily quiet. the only sound was the clinking of silverware against the porcelain plates and the occasional shifting of chairs.

"well, i suppose that explains a lot," hiroyuki said with a thoughtful look, stroking his chin. he had a twinkle in his eye, and i could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "you've gotten his approval."

"no wonder he mentioned you to me," hidekazu also said.

at this point, all attention focused on me and otoha's mother remained flabbergasted at the side. as for her ex-fiance, he looked more humiliated than when we made fun of him before.

even when he became otoha's fiance before, he never had direct contact with her grandfather.

otoha's mother was visibly taken aback. "you... you've been speaking to father?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"i am, auntie. although not as much. sometimes, i actually feel like i'm troubling him a lot."

and that was the truth. i asked him for the favor of helping juri. and then recently, with marika's aunt. i got indebted to him long before i could do something in return.

at this, the air shifted and the questions suddenly leaned more towards my connection to the eccentric old man.

otoha helped me in answering and together, we commanded the room. i shared his words of wisdom, making them laugh with the old man's peculiar sense of humor. of course, auntie still thought i was lying but when i described that cabin and how he seemed to be able to talk to animals during our visit back then, it became unmistakable.

anything that auntie was preparing went down the drain and she deflated like a balloon running out of air.