May laughed warmly as she accepted the gift from Ryder.
However, Ryder didn’t hand all the gifts to May. Instead, he held out a box to her and said, “Mrs. Baker, this is a set of Chanel cosmetics I bought for you. I thought it would suit your elegance perfectly.”
“Oh my!” May’s eyes widened immediately at the mention of Chanel. “A whole set of Chanel cosmetics! This must cost quite a fortune, doesn’t it?”
Ryder smiled. “Not at all, just a little over ten thousand dollars. Nothing worth mentioning!”
Over ten thousand dollars, nothing worth mentioning! For someone like May, whose family lived modestly, this was an astronomical sum.
“Oh, Mr. Steele, you’ve already been so kind to Emma at the company, and now you’re bringing such a luxurious gift for me. Really, you’re far too generous. I feel embarrassed to accept it,” May said, holding the cosmetics box as if it were priceless, though her words carried a hint of insincerity.
Ryder smiled graciously. “It’s nothing, really. It’s our first meeting, after all.”
“And Mr. Baker,” Ryder added, turning to John Baker, “this is for you-a bottle of wine from 1988.” As he spoke, Ryder handed over the wine.
Before John Baker could reach for it, May snatched it up with a gleaming smile. “Wine, and from 1988 no less! This must easily cost tens of thousands, right? I’ve heard that the older the vintage, the more expensive it gets.”
Ryder lowered his tone deliberately. “Around twenty thousand. I had a friend help me get it-it’s not something money alone can buy.”
“Oh, Mr. Steele, you’re handsome, wealthy, and sophisticated! You’ve even gone to all this trouble. Honestly, I’m at a loss for words.” Then, with a sudden shift in tone, she glanced at Kayden. “Unlike some people, who’ve been here twice now and still come empty-handed. They really act like this place is their own home. Such shamelessness!”
“Cough, cough!” John Baker cleared his throat, chuckling awkwardly. “It’s just good to have you here, Mr. Steele. Please, come inside and have a seat.”
Ryder nodded politely and handed the rest of the gifts to Emma. “Emma, these are for you, and there’s something here for everyone to enjoy.”
Emma smiled graciously. “You’re too kind! A single visit shouldn’t cost you so much!”
“It’s only natural. It’s my first time visiting your home, after all.”
It almost felt like a young man visiting his future in-laws for the first time!
“Kayden, come sit over here too,” John Baker said, gesturing to a chair.
Kayden hesitated for a moment before nodding and sitting down. Though he hadn’t been invited, leaving now would only make things more uncomfortable for John Baker.
Once everyone was seated, John Baker quickly poured himself a glass of wine. He raised the glass and said, “Mr. Steele, I invited you here today mainly to share a meal and thank you for looking after Emma. But there’s also a small matter I hope you won’t mind.”
As he spoke, he downed his glass in one gulp.
Ryder raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Mr. Baker, he’s your friend’s son, which makes him a friend of mine and Emma’s as well. There’s no offense taken-I didn’t even give it a second thought.”
He continued, “Actually, he just likes Emma and wanted to stop me from dating her. With someone as beautiful as Emma, who wouldn’t fall for her? Honestly, I admire Mr. Scott’s courage.”
Ryder’s words made Emma blush deeply. He certainly had a way with words, enough to stir anyone’s heart.
“See that? Now that’s what we call class! People raised in prominent families just have an air of humility in everything they say and do. Unlike certain others, who’ve spent just as much time in a wealthy family but have no manners or grace whatsoever,” May said pointedly, clearly aiming her comment at Kayden.
“You flatter me,” Ryder responded with a modest smile. “Mr. Scott and I had a bit of a misunderstanding, but now we’re better acquainted.”
With that, Ryder poured a small amount of wine into his own glass and handed another, generously filled, to Kayden. “Mr. Scott, let’s have a drink together and bury the hatchet. From now on, we’ll consider ourselves friends. Of course, I’ll drink with you as well.”
His gesture wasn’t lost on anyone-it was a subtle power play at the table. John Baker noticed it too but said nothing. After all, it was Kayden who had offended Ryder, and it was Kayden who needed to apologize.
John Baker nudged Kayden gently. “Kayden, drink up.”
Kayden looked at the glass in front of him, then at Ryder’s glass with its modest pour. He smiled lightly. “I’m sorry, but I can’t drink this glass of wine.”
The room fell silent. Ryder’s smile froze, and John Baker’s expression turned to shock.
May, noticing the tension, immediately chimed in. “What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to disrespect Mr. Steele? He poured you a drink, and you won’t even touch it? How rude can you be? We brought you here to apologize to Mr. Steele, and you’re acting like you’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Exactly! If you weren’t the son of my father’s friend, do you think we would’ve gone to so much trouble for you?” Emma added, siding with her mother to scold Kayden.
Kayden sighed, then explained, “I’m not drinking this because I think Mr. Steele should fill his glass too. If we’re friends, why not drink equally? What’s the point of him pouring so little for himself? It’s obvious he just wants me to apologize. Sometimes, it’s better to be direct instead of playing these games.”
With that, Kayden took the wine bottle and filled Ryder’s glass to the brim.
The boldness of Kayden’s move left John Baker stunned, though he said nothing. After all, this was Kayden’s nature-pride was in his blood. It was a trait shared by his father, Ambrose Scott, whose arrogance and defiance had once earned John Baker’s loyalty.
Ryder’s expression darkened as he stared at his now-full glass. Anger flickered in his eyes.
“Mr. Steele,” Kayden said calmly, “this is how friends drink together. Since you’ve said you don’t care about what happened earlier, I won’t bring it up again either. Let’s drink this and put the matter behind us.”
With that, Kayden downed his glass in one go.
His words carried an unmistakable message: it wasn’t just Ryder forgiving Kayden-it was Kayden choosing not to hold a grudge either.