Page 157 of Delilah In Discretion

Blaine and Shin both harbored a look of shock while Andrew, who was now entering the room, seemed satisfied with her answer as if he knew, too. Their wives, along with Vivienne, seemed unfazed; however, Killian was slowly growing more and more pissed at my father.

“Mazel tov!” Luca exclaimed from the living room, causing the tension in the air to thicken even more.

I looked down at my watch and nodded softly. I was damn impressed. Blaine was right; three minutes into talking, Killian seemed about ready to strangle my father… but not yet. I gave Shin the side-eye to initiate damage control, as Blaine suggested.

“Anyway, Calvin, I see you’ve updated the furniture and aesthetic of your home since I last visited?” Shin asked.

Calvin sighed. “It had to be done, Masahiko. Not all of us are humble enough to have the same furniture as when we first moved in. I don’t know how your wife tolerates it,” he said, causing Hana to agree wholeheartedly, even though I knew personally that they changed it frequently.

“See, Shin. I told you that old furniture makes our house look plain and boring!” she complained, and Shin nodded in understanding. I noticed Killian had also calmed down.

So, Shin is basically used as a target for my father to throw under the bus. Because he knows most of it is just bullshit, he’s the only one truly able to bite his tongue and tolerate it...Not bad, Blaine…although watching him sneak a candy bar from Maia’s purse had me second-guessing both him and myself.

Soon, my father guided us to the patio, and I sat with Sterling to my right and Luca to my left. I was uninterested in the fake business plan Blaine and Shin had conjured up for Killian and my father, so naturally, my mind drifted elsewhere.

My eyes landed on Delilah speaking to Kimiko by the rose garden, looking as beautiful as ever. If it wasn’t for her father sitting directly across from me, I would have taken a picture of her and made it my phone wallpaper. Cheesy, I know, but she did this to me. She made me feel like a high school teenager with his first crush all over again.

“Archer, my boy!” Luca exclaimed beside me, effectively shifting the focus of the conversation to me, and I remained stoicas he threw his arm around my shoulders. “You must be feeling the pressure of Stephan being out of the picture. Tell me, how are you holding up?” Luca asked with a smile.

I grabbed his wrist and unwrapped it from around my neck as I ignored his face. “Fine… not as bad as I would have imagined it to be,” I muttered, and looked discreetly to the garden to see Delilah and Kimiko being called in by Vivienne and Brielle to help Pierce arrange the table for dinner.

I looked her up and down for a moment before our eyes locked as she walked. I sent her a sly wink, and she rolled her eyes, smiling, and entered inside.

I leaned down to grab my water when I heard Sterling whisper. “You’re treading on thin ice, my friend. Very thin ice…” he warned.

I looked over at him for a moment before gazing over to Killian, who seemed impassive but still cautious as he sent me a quick glance as well.

I took a sip and groaned as Luca whispered in my ear, too. “I agree.”

Placing the glass on the table, I stood up to go back inside, and all eyes turned to me. “Gentlemen, excuse me. I’m going to head indoors for a bit.”

I approached the glass door when I stopped in my tracks. Eugene entered slowly, almost timidly, and placed his hands in his jacket pockets as everyone looked over at him.

“Eugene, what an unexpected surprise,” Killian uttered.

I remained silent as Eugene sent me a look. It didn’t take a genius to know his eyes were telling me to keep quiet. For now, I would oblige to his unspoken request, given his record of not being entirely sane.

He looked over to Killian and nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Blaine beckoned him over harmlessly. “Come sit with us for a moment. Dinner will be ready soon. Does Brielle know you’re here yet?” he asked.

Eugene sighed as he sat down. “If she did, we most likely would be having a staredown... so no, not yet.”

I entered the house, feeling as though I’d mingled enough with them.

Kimiko was assisting her mother and Vivienne with a few things while Maia, Pierce, and Brielle were having their own conversation about how dessert would be served.

Making use of the distractions, I looked around my home slowly for the girl I’d been waiting to see all afternoon, and lo and behold, there she was, coming out of the den. I smirked as I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she bit her lip, placing her arms around my neck.

“What are you doing so far away from everyone, Princess? You shouldn’t just be wandering off like that, hmm? My father could have forced you to listen to him talk, and no one would be there to save you,” I muttered, kissing her neck.

She smiled. “Just wanted some time... to think. And to get away from your constant stares.”

“Was I that noticeable?” I asked, knowing she caught me every time I took a peek.

She rolled her pretty eyes. “In front of my dad? You definitely have an early death wish.”

“Then you must be a death certificate, because I am dying to have you right now.”

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