Both Wanda and Tyler knew exactly what was going on. Right now, Thomas still didn’t know that the girl Tyler was seeing was Rachel. If he found out, all hell would probably break loose.

Tyler rubbed his temples. He couldn’t shake the gloom in his eyes. He received a WhatsApp message from Jason.

[Dude, tomorrow’s your old man’s birthday. It’s been forever since the guys got together. Shouldn’t we have a few drinks to celebrate?]

The mere thought of tomorrow’s scene made Tyler sneer.

[Sure, as long as you can actually drink.]

Jason quickly caught on and sent a shocked emoji. [Don’t tell me you’re bringing Rachel with you!]

Tyler immediately fired back at that ridiculous reaction. [She’s my girlfriend. Why wouldn’t I bring her? Am I supposed to keep her hidden forever?]

Jason sighed. [Couldn’t you at least give them a heads-up first? Jumping straight into the deep end like this, are you sure your old man’s heart can take it?]

But Tyler looked like he couldn’t care less. [He’s the one who kept urging me to date and carry on the family line. Now that I am, he’s not happy about it?]

Jason honestly felt like laughing. [Buddy. My man. The point is who you’re dating. Ah, forget it. I know I won’t be able to talk you out of this anyway. Good luck tomorrow, you’ll need it.]

Tyler knew Jason too well. That guy would probably show up just to watch the drama unfold. He put away his phone. On the other side of the room, Wanda had just finished reheating the food.

“Sir, I’ll bring the food up to Ms. Lloyd.”

“I’ll do it. It’s late. Wanda, you should rest. Leave the dishes. You can clean them up tomorrow.”

Wanda was getting on in years and couldn’t quite keep up with the younger folks anymore. Hearing Tyler’s words, she nodded quickly.

“Thank you, sir. Just leave the dishes here when you’re done.”

“Okay.”

Once Wanda went upstairs, Tyler put some food on a plate and headed up as well. He didn’t knock. Instead, he quietly pushed the door open.

Only a small bedside lamp lit the room. Rachel was lying on her side on the bed. Under the soft glow, he could see her long lashes trembling slightly. She had a beautiful nose and fair, smooth skin. She was clearly exhausted and fast asleep.

Tyler didn’t want to wake her, but if she didn’t eat now, the food would get cold. Wanda had said earlier that eating well was important at a time like this. He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Time to eat.”

Rachel, half-asleep, waved her hand in the air like someone shooing a mosquito. She accidentally smacked Tyler right across the face.

It happened out of nowhere. He sat there stunned for a moment. His gaze fixed on her. Rachel didn’t seem to realize what she had done–she probably thought she was still dreaming, swatting away some giant mosquito.

She rolled over and went back to sleep.

Tyler didn’t bother waking her again. He just sat beside the bed and quietly started eating by himself. In her dreams, Rachel thought she was eating something delicious.

Sure enough, hunger woke her up. Groggily, she opened her eyes, only to see Tyler sitting by her bed, enjoying his food. The smell made her stomach growl loudly.

Tyler looked up and asked, “Finally awake?”

Rachel sat up and glanced at the plate. There wasn’t much food left.