Chapter 1301

“Alright, Mom.”

Joseph said this and sat straight down on the chair.

But Melvin, sitting nearby, found him an eyesore. He always looked at him with disdain, lounging on the sofa with his phone in hand; no one knew what he was even looking at.

Joseph lowered his eyes, trying hard to suppress the emotions inside. His hand, hanging by his side, was tightly clenched. He thought it was better to avoid trouble than create more of it.

After all, he didn’t come home often—just for one meal, hardly worth turning it into a standoff.

But while Joseph thought this way, his parents didn’t, especially Melvin. The moment Joseph sat at the table, his father’s temper flared.

“I’ve seen the news online lately. How are you handling it?” As soon as Melvin sat down, his voice came sharp and accusing.

Joseph’s face darkened, but he still replied, “I know about it. It’s true I didn’t handle it well this time, but I’ll make sure to deal with it properly from now on.”

“And how exactly will you deal with it?” Melvin knew full well what his son was like. All he had was a mouth for talking, nothing else to back it up.

With a cold snort, Melvin said, “The whole internet is in an uproar. They’ve already signed a deal with Aurora. Do you think any of this has anything to do with you anymore?"

“Or do you still have some way to stop them? I told you before, Daniel’s partnership was very important. I gave it to you hoping you’d complete it. And what happened?”

Joseph tightened his grip on the chopsticks, staring at the steaming dishes in front of him, none of which he could bring himself to eat. These were meals his mother, Crystal, assumed he liked, but the truth was he liked sweet, while everything here was salty and spicy.

Looking at this family, sometimes Joseph truly wondered what the point of his persistence even was. But he still exhaled and said, “That situation with Daniel was an accident. But he did say he’d give me another project, and I’ll follow up with him on that later.”

Joseph didn’t dare admit he had already fallen out with Daniel. Even if they talked about projects later, Daniel probably wouldn’t give him anything worthwhile. Up until now, Joseph still hadn’t figured out how to tell his parents the truth, because he knew exactly what kind of people they were.

“Can any other project be as important as the Southside land?” Melvin’s voice rose higher with each question. His words were like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into Joseph’s heart.

Just as he was about to say something back, Crystal stepped in to smooth things over. “Alright, don’t upset your father. It hasn’t been easy for him; he’s been supporting this family all along. He’s saying this because he hopes you’ll strive harder in the future!”

Joseph fell silent.

Hearing his mother’s words, he swallowed his anger again. The hand resting on the table clenched tighter and tighter, until finally, he could feel the neatly trimmed nails digging deep into his palm. Only that pain kept him clear-headed.

Otherwise, he really didn’t know what he might do. His parents were always pressuring him, forcing him. Melvin blamed him, while Crystal told him not to get angry, not to lose his temper—one played the strict role, the other played the gentle one.