Early evening at the Young residence.
For two weekends in a row, Waller Young had finally been given some time off. During dinner, his mother, Rae, couldn’t help but complain to her husband, “It’s so rare for Waller to have a weekend free from training, and he’s just been holed up at home all day instead of going out on a date. He’s completely wasting the opportunity.”
She sighed, frustration clear in her voice. “And what happened to that girl he gave the wine to last time? Why did it fizzle out so quickly?”
Leo Young wasn’t a man of many words, but when it came to their son’s future, he paid attention. Setting down his fork, he looked over at Waller and said, “After dinner, come see me in the study.”
Rae’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in, excitement bubbling up. “Are you going to lay down the law for our son?”
Leo replied with deadpan seriousness, “If he keeps dragging his feet, I just might.”
Waller kept his head down, quietly finishing his meal as if the entire conversation had nothing to do with him.
“Leo, do you have a photo of that girl? I want to see her,” Rae pressed on.
At that, Waller paused mid-bite, the movement of his fork stalling for just a second.
Leo caught the subtle reaction, amused. So, the kid does care—he’s just pretending not to. For a moment, even Leo had almost been fooled.
Suppressing a smile, he turned to Rae. “Actually, I do have a photo. I’ll send it to the family chat in a minute.”
The so-called “family chat” was just the three of them.
“Don’t eat yet! This is important, hurry!” Rae set down her fork, phone already in hand, ready to receive the picture.
She trusted her husband’s judgment; if Leo approved of the girl, Rae was sure she’d like her too. All the more reason she wanted to see what the young woman looked like.
Leo instinctively glanced at Waller.
Both the study and Waller’s room were on the second floor.
Leo and Rae exchanged a knowing look.
“Leo, be honest—do you think he has a chance this time?” Rae whispered.
Leo didn’t want to give her false hope. “It’ll be tough. But I’ll give him a nudge.”
“At the very least, he’s got to take the initiative.”
Rae nodded in firm agreement, then raised her fist in encouragement. “Go get ’em, Leo!”
Burdened with this new “mission,” Leo hurriedly finished the last of his meal and followed his son upstairs, Rae’s hopeful gaze on his back.

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