Nathan, meanwhile, stayed super humble and low-key. Seeing my dad so impressed, Nathan’s grin just got bigger.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Yvonne darted over like a little bird. “This time, it’s definitely Dad! He said he was coming.”

But when she opened the door, she froze. “Ryan? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Braylin."

I was in the kitchen helping my mom when I heard Yvonne’s voice. I dropped the veggies I was holding and rushed out to see what was going on.

There was Ryan, handing Yvonne the gifts he’d brought. He looked up and saw me–wearing an apron, hair tied back messily, looking more like a housewife than anything else.

Ryan was caught off guard for a moment, and then his eyes landed on Nathan sitting on the couch–his handsome face went completely blank.

I walked over and asked quietly, “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

Right then, Nathan stepped up and said, “I’m here on behalf of the company–brought some gifts over."

Ryan’s face relaxed a little when he heard that. He nodded, “Wow, your company really knows how to treat people.”

Nathan just smiled and didn’t say anything else.

My parents joined us, and when Ryan realized there were elders in the house, he blushed a bit, looking a little awkward.

“Hello, Uncle, Aunt. I’m Ryan, a friend of Victoria’s,” he introduced himself, clearly holding back from saying anything more.

My parents welcomed him warmly, but once we were back in the kitchen with the door closed, my mom turned to me with a serious look. “Victoria, those two outside–Nathan and Ryan–are they both the ones Yvonne was talking about? Are you dating both of them?”

I gave a nervous laugh and explained, “Nathan’s just a friend. I’m just seeing Ryan right now.”

My mom glanced into the living room, where my dad was chatting with the two guys.

“I think Nathan’s a better match for you. He’s a bit older, and Ryan looks younger than you,” she said, already sizing them up.

I quickly explained, “Mom, personality matters more than age.”

“How can age not matter? Women don’t age as well as men,” she said, sounding worried.

As I carefully dropped the fish balls into the boiling water with a spoon, I replied, “Mom, I’m not looking for anything serious with him.”

“You just want to date, not get married? Does he even know that? Who gets into a relationship without thinking about marriage? If you’re just messing with his feelings, that’s not okay,” my mom said, still believing in that old-school ‘one true love, one lifetime’ thing.

Her words left me so stunned I didn’t even dare breathe, let alone talk back.

“Victoria, don’t string him along. His folks would never go for someone like you,” she sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I mumbled, just trying to make her feel better.

Just as dinner was about to be served, Jared walked in. He paused when he saw the two extra men in the house, then shot me a meaningful glance–like he was silently asking, ‘What kind of dinner party is this?’

I called everyone over to eat. When my dad heard Ryan was working in Braylin as a diplomat, he got so excited his hands started shaking as he poured Ryan a glass of wine. Years in the system had made him sensitive to status and connections–it was practically in his blood. He probably thought Ryan was destined for greatness.

And honestly, Ryan really does have a bright future ahead of him.

After some small talk, my dad found out I was working with Jared and Nathan. He didn’t overthink it, just assumed we were business partners tied together by mutual interests.

New Year’s Day 2015 felt like the beginning of a whole new chapter–like someone had flipped the script on my life, and everything was spinning out in ways I never saw coming.

After dinner, my dad, Nathan, and Jared were all pretty drunk. Their drivers came upstairs to collect them.

I left Yvonne with my mom and walked Ryan back to his townhouse.

All we had to do was cut through the park below to get to his place.

Ryan obviously wasn’t much of a drinker, but tonight he’d had more than usual. He was a bit unsteady on his feet.

I reached out to steady him, and he leaned into me, his voice low. “Vic, did I do okay tonight? Do you think your parents… like me?”