"Alright, let’s eat first."
Pauline Warren couldn’t grasp the exchange of glances between Evelyn Clayton and Yvette Warren, assuming they were just exchanging pleasantries, so she stepped in to smooth things over.
The family sat down at the dining table, and only then did Yvette Warren smile and greet Silas Sinclair and Shane Sinclair.
"Shane, have you been busy lately? I haven’t seen you come to visit me," Yvette Warren said jokingly. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire·net
Shane Sinclair smiled faintly, "The company has been busy lately, so I haven’t had time to visit you, Aunt. But since you’re here today, we’ve prepared a lot of your favorite dishes as an apology."
Yvette Warren nodded with a smile, "I heard that Apex is about to hold a shareholders meeting."
Silas Sinclair and Shane Sinclair’s hands slightly paused as they drank their tea, a faint sharpness flashing in their eyes.
Pauline Warren didn’t notice anything amiss, and smiled, "Yes, we are planning to announce—"
"Announce a stock adjustment," Silas Sinclair seamlessly continued his wife’s sentence.
Pauline Warren was interrupted, feeling a bit strange, glanced at her husband.
Silas Sinclair subtly shook his head at Pauline Warren.
Pauline understood that she shouldn’t tell Yvette Warren that the Sinclair Family was planning to transfer shares to Evelyn Clayton.
Though puzzled, Pauline Warren held back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
The couple exchanged glances, while Yvette Warren pretended not to notice, smiling as she turned to Shane Sinclair, "Anyway, Shane, you’ve been focused on work for years, it’s time you thought about your future."
Shane Sinclair’s hand paused as he set down his teacup, then he smiled after a moment, "I’m not in a hurry."
"You may not be in a hurry, but we, as your elders, certainly are," Yvette Warren glanced at Evelyn Clayton, "Look, your sister’s child is already this big, and you’re still single. People will laugh at you."
Shane Sinclair’s smile faded a bit, "It seems Aunt has someone in mind for me?"
Yvette Warren readily agreed, "You guessed it right. Even if I want to introduce someone, it depends on your willingness. But I do have someone suitable in mind, we can arrange for you to meet sometime."
In such a setting, Shane Sinclair couldn’t directly refuse, so he just smiled and nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
There was a moment of awkward silence at the dining table.
No one spoke, making the atmosphere inevitably tense.
Feeling uneasy, Pauline Warren was about to say something to ease the atmosphere when her husband, Silas Sinclair, asked, "Why didn’t your husband join us today?"
"He’s busy," Yvette Warren’s smile visibly faded, "I’ll bring him to visit when he’s free during the New Year."
Just then, the servants started serving the dishes, slightly easing the tension.
During the meal, everyone spoke little, engaging in occasional light chit-chat.
The meal was quite quiet, making the youngest, Sharon, somewhat uncomfortable.
After the servants cleared the dishes, Sharon gently tugged on Evelyn Clayton’s sleeve, softly asking if she could leave first.
Knowing Sharon was bored, Evelyn Clayton didn’t want to keep her, so she smiled at the others, "Sharon is a bit sleepy, I’ll take her to nap."
Yvette Warren readily agreed, "I’ll come with you, it’s a good chance for me to spend more time with Sharon."
Hearing this, Pauline Warren became slightly nervous and was about to say something, but Evelyn Clayton spoke first.
"Sure, Aunt, it’s a perfect time for us to chat too."