CHAPTER 127: DINNER WITH DAD (1)

~Bonus Chapter for today:

This Chapter is dedicated to "Goldenbooks". Thank you so much for the review! I’m super grateful!

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Nick’s POV

Even though Mom had beaten me with her designer bag like it was a weapon of mass destruction, I couldn’t deny it—it was a damn good reunion. Being here with her and Vicky reminded me of what I always missed when I was out at sea.

Sure, I’d made a habit of calling them while sailing, but a video call never came close to this chaos, this warmth.

Mom was practically glowing when I told her I wouldn’t be sailing anymore. She hugged me, comforted me about losing my license, and then, because she’s my mom, immediately switched gears and started worrying about me stepping into management again.

Well... not yet.

I haven’t told my father. Everyone thinks I’ll be working in the office, and technically, I’ve let them think that, because deep down, I know he won’t reject my request.

He’s been waiting my whole life for this—waiting for me to take the helm of Knight Fleet Maritime and everything else that comes with the empire that I turned down years ago.

The difference now is I finally have a reason to stay. A reason strong enough to chain me to land and make me face the brutal, unforgiving world outside the sea.

Georgia.

For her, I’ll willingly step into my father’s shoes and build something bigger than myself. For her, I’ll stop running from the life I swore I didn’t want.

I will do this not because I don’t have a fallback for my career, but because this is the only way I can protect her and Katie.

I just hope my old man doesn’t decide to ’welcome me’ the way Mom did this morning. One beating from a luxury bag is enough for a lifetime.

I tugged on the crisp shirt and tailored pants Mom had laid out for me, after she learned that I would have dinner with Dad and the rest of the Knight family.

Of course, Vicky couldn’t resist sticking her nose in, raiding my closet like it was her personal runway. Tie, shoes, hell, even jewelry. My sister might as well have dressed me for my own runway.

Mom, naturally, didn’t waste the moment. She crossed her arms and gave me that look—the one that could slice a man in half. "If you had a wife, Nicholas, she’d make sure you looked this handsome all the time. Not just when I force you into it."

I smirked, running my fingers over the stiff collar. "So basically, you want to trade yourself in for someone younger who’ll nag me daily?"

She swatted me with a laugh, but her eyes said she was dead serious. And for a fleeting second, I pictured Georgia standing in this room, fussing over my tie, brushing her fingertips along my jaw before kissing me breathless just to ruin the perfect look.

Damn. If Mom only knew how close her wish really was a few days ago. She would kill me if I didn’t go through it.

Vicky left early with Mom, dropping her off before making a quick stop to pick up flowers—for me. Flowers, I was supposed to hand over later, like some obedient son.

She was thoughtful like that, always trying to soften edges I had no interest in dulling. Unlike me, she still believed in pretending, in sugarcoating. I didn’t. If I didn’t like someone, I didn’t waste my damn breath.

I parked a block away from the Knight ancestral estate, watching the mansion loom like a fortress against the dusk. When Vicky’s car rolled past, her horn cut the silence, and I gunned the engine to follow.

The moment we pulled into the driveway, she reached for the bouquet, ready to shove the bouquet into my hands. I ignored it and strode ahead, leaving her to play the dutiful daughter.

The heavy door swung open, and Violet appeared—my father’s legal wife, smiling sweetly at Vicky the moment she spotted the tulips.

"This is for you, Mom. Your favorite," Vicky said warmly, offering the flowers.

Now I hated tulips. Officially.

They hugged, kissed cheeks, shared a little picture-perfect moment. My jaw tightened, and I forced myself not to roll my eyes.

"Nicholas!" Violet’s voice chimed with syrupy delight. "It’s so good to see you, dear. How are you holding up? I heard about your license. Don’t worry—I know someone who can help you get it back in an instant."

Fake smile, fake sweetness... but the power behind those words wasn’t fake at all. I knew she could do it. And I knew she’d do it only to get me back on the ocean, far away from this family war.

"It’s none of your business," I bit out, my tone sharp as a blade.

Her smile didn’t falter—but before she could respond, a voice thundered from the staircase, deep and commanding.

"Nick! Watch your words. That’s not how you speak to your mother."

My father’s presence hit like a storm, his footsteps echoing down the steps.

I lost control of my eyes. I rolled it like there’s no tomorrow.

"How about we head to the dining room? Reagan and Liam are already there, and the maids have started serving the dishes," Violet announced smoothly, looping her arm around Vicky’s like they were two actresses in a family drama I had no interest in watching.

She tugged her toward the dining room with practiced grace, leaving me face-to-face with the storm I knew was waiting.

"Welcome back, son," my father said, his voice carrying none of the sharpness he had unleashed just moments ago.

His arms stretched open in invitation, a gesture so genuine I almost forgot he’d scolded me like a child from the staircase seconds earlier.

And so, I let him hold me.

The embrace was warm, tight, and far too long for a man who never liked to show weakness. It was the same kind of hug he gave me the day Oliver cleared my name in court, when I walked out of jail carrying nothing but bruised pride and reputation.

"I thought I lost you," he muttered into my shoulder, his voice soft and heavy with relief. "I almost had a heart attack."

Something twisted in my chest at that. For a moment, I almost believed I was still the little boy who wanted nothing more than his father’s approval.

Then came the dagger—delivered with his trademark dry humor.

"Good thing I didn’t... or else I’d have to haunt you in your sleep as a ghost."

Time froze.

And then—bam. His fist landed square on the side of my head.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" His roar echoed through the grand hall. Making everyone in the dining room run to the hallway, including the maids, to watch the commotion unfold. "Jumping off a goddamn moving ship. Not just once—but twice! Disregarding protocols, safety, and your entire crew! Are you trying to kill me and your mother with worry, huh, Nicholas?!"

My skull throbbed where he’d struck, but the sting didn’t matter. This was the part I knew was coming—the storm of disappointment, fury, and love all tangled in one.

And judging from the fire in his eyes, this was just the opening act. There’s surely more to come...

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Thank you Emilee_M_7396 for the Golden Ticket!