Sofia thoroughly enjoyed watching Ella lower her head before her.
This was the first time someone from such an old aristocratic family had bowed down to her!
She deliberately paused for a moment, savoring the tension in the air. Ella looked like she was about to slap herself just to break the silence. Only then did Sofia slowly speak up, "Veil, how about we just let this matter go? Auntie's fine, really. Be a good boy and let them off this time, will you?"
After all, the Hunt family held deep roots in Veyport City.
It was good enough to get the upper hand slightly—if she really pushed it too far, dealing with them later would become troublesome.
Veil yawned lazily and waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, if there's nothing else, you can scram now. But next time I hear you say anything bad about Auntie or Daisy, it won't be this simple to settle things."
"Yes, yes, of course! Thank you, Young Master Veil, for your generosity!"
Ella quickly bent over in gratitude, pulling her husband and son with her as she fled the private room in panic.
It wasn't until they exited the hotel that she furiously flung her husband's hand away.
"Roroh Hunt! I've never been humiliated like this in my life! Who the hell is that kid?! If you don't tell me right now, I swear I'm not letting this go!"
Ella, who just minutes ago looked like a refined politician's wife, now resembled nothing more than a furious shrew. Her voice was sharp and fierce as she lashed out at Roroh.
Kevin was fuming too. He still hadn't gotten over the mother-daughter duo from earlier. "Yeah, Dad! Why did that brat just show up and steal my date right in front of me?! We couldn't even say a damn word in protest!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Kevin hesitated.
Because when his father had exploded in anger and slapped his mother earlier, he had been so startled that he accidentally let out a fart.
Well… no one knew, so he wasn't about to bring that up.
Roroh took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough! Do you even realize who that Young Master Veil is? He's the direct heir of the Lancaster family from Luxhaven City—that Lancaster family! The one whose name shows up on the national news all the time!"
"You know I'm about to be transferred to the provincial level, right? If Veil so much as says two words about what happened today, do you think those voting for my promotion won't hesitate to pull back their support?!"
It wasn't that Veil's father would misuse his power for personal affairs. No, matters like this had nothing to do with the Lancaster family directly.
They were on completely different levels—several tiers apart.
But that didn't stop people below from trying to read between the lines.
Better to err on the side of caution—that was the unspoken rule in their world. And Roroh? He'd lived by that rule too many times to count.
"You have no idea how arrogant that Veil kid is. If it were any other young master, I could've smoothed things over with an apology. But you just had to go and offend him! Even called him out by name! You're lucky all he did was slap you! Do you even understand?!"
Roroh was fuming.
Because of his wife and son's petty drama, he had nearly thrown away his entire political future. His heart was still pounding from the scare, and yet he didn't even dare go ask Veil for clarification. The uncertainty was eating him alive.
Gulp.
Ella swallowed hard, her back drenched in cold sweat.
She may not be in politics herself, but after all these years at Roroh's side, she understood just how serious this was.
Uneasy, she said, "Was my attitude not humble enough just now? Should I go back and slap myself in front of Sofia a few times? Maybe that'll help us fix things…"
The moment she realized Veil's true identity, she knew she had stirred up real trouble.
Whether she could get along with Sofia or not no longer mattered.
If her actions ended up ruining her husband's shot at a promotion, her cushy life would come crashing down!
This was about the future of the Hunt family.
Even as fear clawed at her, she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter. Why did Sofia, that fox-like woman, have such good luck?
She'd actually managed to build a connection with someone like Veil Lancaster?
If she had given birth to a daughter, she would've been way better than that Daisy girl!
As these bitter thoughts churned in her head, Ella turned to her son with growing resentment in her eyes.
"Forget it. From now on, stay out of Falkner family matters. I'll handle them myself. Once their family shifts their focus, I'll lend them a little convenience. After all, they're major businesspeople, contributing to Veyport's tax revenue and creating jobs. Framing it that way makes the favor justifiable."
Roroh rubbed his temples, too exhausted to speak further, and stepped into the Audi that had been waiting outside.
Ella and Kevin followed him into the car.
The three of them, heavy-hearted and quiet, slowly drove away from the hotel.
…
Inside the emperor suite, Sofia was over the moon, gleefully picking out food for Veil and pouring his wine with a bright smile.
There wasn't even a trace of the elegance of a future mother-in-law—she looked more like a doting maid!
Daisy watched the scene silently, too nervous to say a word of truth.
If she told her mom now that Veil wasn't really her boyfriend but just a stand-in to fend off trouble…
She'd probably be disowned by the Falkner family before dawn!
After a while, Sofia beamed at Veil and said, "Veil dear, it's getting late. Don't go home tonight. Just rest here. Auntie will book a double room for you."
Daisy's eyes widened!
Wait—what?
A double room? Not a standard room? Not a queen bed room? Not even the presidential suite?
That didn't make sense!
Based on how her mom had been acting, shouldn't she be pushing for them to share a bed or something?
Why change her tone now?
She stepped closer, curiosity bubbling up, and whispered to Sofia, "Mom, is that really necessary? I mean, if we're just going to sleep in separate beds in a double room, he might as well go home."
Sofia turned her head and rolled her eyes dramatically.
She was genuinely annoyed—did her daughter really not understand her intentions by now?
To make sure nothing went wrong, she had to remind her out loud: "You silly girl. A double room doesn't have to mean two separate beds, okay?
There's a purpose behind this. It's not as simple as you think. Honestly, how could I have given birth to someone this dense?"
Did Daisy think Sofia randomly chose a double room?
No—she was thinking ahead, planning several moves in advance.
Everything she did was to make Veil's night as comfortable as possible.