Thomas saw his mom come back and quickly got up to pull out a chair for her.

"Mom, come sit down. Look at all this food Uncle Alex made—it looks so appetizing!"

Sophia sat down, and Alexander brought over the last dish, standing beside her.

He deliberately gave her an extra glance.

But Sophia intentionally ignored his presence and only said to Eliana, "Since you're treating me to dinner, I won't hold back."

Eliana brought ...