“White-Flavored Latte and Chocolate-Colored Cake.” Jack finished giving his order to a beautiful waitress.
The waitress nodded her head with a smile and wrote the order then. She turned to the young man, waiting for his order.
The young man hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “I’ll have the… Regular coffee and Cheese Cake, thanks.”
The waitress wrote it down and left to put in the order for the chef.
Jesse glanced around the cafe, feeling slightly out of place.
The cafe was clearly a popular spot for rich young ladies and masters, with its fancy decor and piano music playing softly in the background. 𝑜𝒱xt.𝒞𝑚
“Are you happy with your current apartment?” Jack asked while arranging the bowl with fresh fruit on the table.
He moved it out of the way, and then there was a small plate with sugar cubes, which he also moved to the side.
“It’s enough for me.” Jesse replied without having that much affection for his current place.
At least he had a roof over his head.
“At least I am not on the streets. I am grateful for that.”
Jack nodded while tapping his finger against the table.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to start.
“Oh, Jacky, how fancy to see you here!”
Jack and Jesse turned to the person with the high-pitched voice. She was a woman with fancy attire and a make-up filled face.
Her lips were dark red with lipstick with blush streaked across her high cheekbones.
She had a very thin-looking body, and it looked like she was a person who took hours every morning to apply make-up to look as beautiful as possible.
She still lacked natural beauty.
“Madam Amber.” Jack forced a smile. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“As well, as well!” Amber giggled with her gloved hand in front of her mouth.
She then glanced sideways at the young lady beside her and introduced her.
“This is my daughter, Emily. You met her last time when she barely reached your knees.”
“Emily, ah, I remember you. You’ve grown plenty.” Jack smiled with a more genuine one.
“Mm, nice to meet you.” Emily replied with a shy nod. She had shoulder-length blond hair with a few loose curls at the ends.
She had a petite frame, and her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity. Her voice was more soft-spoken than confident, but there was a warmth to it that made others feel at ease.
“Mm, who is he?” Amber asked while flapping a napkin in front of her mouth. She looked at the dull-looking young man with a frown. “A distant relative of yours, perhaps?”
“Actually, he is my son.” Jack replied with a warm smile. “Jesse, this is Amber Saward. She hosts a popular cooking show on television. She also has a weekly book club in our neighborhood, where my wife visits.”
“Huh, a son?” Amber replied, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “He isn’t the son of yours and Anna, isn’t he?”
“No.” Jack shook his head. “He is my firstborn from my… previous relationship. Haha, it is a little bit complicated.”
“Oho…” Amber looked stunned and stared at the dull-looking young man with a deep look. ‘So, it won’t be Zach who inherits the Rothsmith Empire, but this Jesse will. That changes everything.’
“We have to be going, but have a wonderful day, Jack.” Amber smiled and then glanced at Jesse. “It was lovely to meet with you, Jesse Rothsmith.”
She then grabbed her daughter’s hand and left the cave.
Emily looked over her shoulder and waved goodbye to Jack before disappearing into the distance.
“She might not look like it, but she is an influential member of our community.” Jack said and then he saw the waitress come with a tray. The tray had two plates of cake and two cups. “It is good to get along with her.”
After the waitress placed the plates and cups on the table, she returned to the kitchen.
Jesse nodded at Jack, took a small spoon, and began to eat a piece of cake. It was delicious, with different flavors assaulting his taste buds.
He ordered Cheese Cake, but there was also something secret hidden in the ingredient.
Jack ate a piece of his Chocolate-Colored Cake. It was a chocolate cake with a rich and decadent flavor.
As he savored each bite, he looked at his son and said.
“I suppose I should tell you the reason why I wanted to talk to you today.”
“Mm?” Jesse looked at his father with a spoon in his mouth. He swallowed the cake piece and wiped his lips with a napkin.
“I want you to meet my family.” Jack said while stirring another spoon into the White-Flavored Latte.
There was foam on the surface, creating a delicate pattern. “I already told my wife about you. She is willing to accept you into our family, but we haven’t said our children yet.”
“You have… more children?” Jesse expected it, but he wondered how many. “How many?”
“A daughter and son. They are your step-sister and step-brother.” Jack said. “I don’t want to hide this from them anymore.”
Jesse nodded, but his expression looked very complicated.
“I don’t know… This all is happening so suddenly.” He sighed and took a sip of the coffee.
“You can tell them I don’t mind, but I don’t know if I am ready to meet your family. I met you yesterday, and I feel like this is all moving too fast. I just need some time to process everything.”
“Ah, I completely understand.” Jack shook his hand in a hurry. “There isn’t any hurry to meet them. Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you.” Jesse heaved a sigh of relief and returned to eating the cake.
Jack looked at his son with a complicated expression. He opened his mouth and said.
“There is also one thing I want you to think about.”
“Hmm, what is it?” Jesse asked while finishing eating the last piece of cake. He had to admit that it was the best cake he had ever eaten.
“I want you to think about the possibility of moving to our house.” Jack said and interlaced his fingers.
“It’s bigger, more spacious, and you would have servants to take care of you. If you happen to injure yourself in your current apartment, it is life-threatening.
“Also, that way, you could become truly part of our family, the Rothsmiths.”
“Moving with you…” Jesse lowered his head and didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, he would be with a family that knew about how hard it was with Humanoid Imperfecta disease, but on the other hand, they were still strangers.
“It is a big decision, I know.” Jack wiped his lips with a napkin. “You can take your time.”
“Mm.” Jesse nodded and finished drinking the coffee.
“Well, enough of that stuff. I don’t want to overwhelm you with such heavy decisions.” Jack laughed softly. “Today, I wanted to spend time with you, like a father and son, to get to know you better. We can do whatever you want to do; I will pay for everything.”
“Anything?” Jesse asked.
“Mm.” Jack nodded with a smile and finished his latte. He then asked. “Well, what do you want to do?”
Jesse smiled and interlaced his fingers. “I’ve always wanted to go skydiving.”
