Chapter 5: Show a little feeling and you all swoop in to take advantage

"First things first-a house rule. When you greet me, don't call me 'son-in-law.' That sounds awful." Aiden blinked. "So what should we call you?" Remy Fouldes thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Just call me 'bro' from now on." Aiden bent at the waist and called out, "Bro!" Pffft- Remy spit out his wine, coughing and sputtering. Beside him, Nina Looske laughed so hard her shoulders shook. Serves him right. When Remy stormed off, scowling, Aiden couldn't resist calling after him, "Bro, you still have to do the toast rounds!" "There's another banquet later!" Remy stumbled. "To hell with your toasts!" He muttered a stream of curses and ducked into the makeup tent. Aiden stood there, all innocence. "Didn't Second Brother just get a physical?" Nina asked, stifling her laughter. "Mr. Looske looked over the report himself. Everything checked out." Aiden looked puzzled. "He must be kidding." Nina glanced toward Graham Looske, who sat at a distance, busy trading toasts, and held her tongue. The wedding dragged on for hours before the guests finally dispersed, each clutching a fat stack of business cards. It felt more like a networking event than a wedding. At dusk, they woke Remy from a nap on a lounge chair in the makeup tent. Soon, the whole Looske family gathered in the lavish dining room. At the long table, newlywed Nina sat beside Harley Looske, and Remy got to sit close by thanks to her. Chairs scraped as everyone settled in. Graham Looske sat kitty-corner to Remy, his displeasure written all over his face. "Let me introduce you-this is my eldest brother and his wife," Nina said calmly, standing up. Remy jumped up too. Hudson Looske, the family's business titan, had a kindly air. Compared to Graham, Hudson was miles better. Seeing Remy being so polite, Hudson stood up as well. The two kept bowing to each other, back and forth, neither willing to stop. "All right, enough, the Looskes aren't that formal," Harley cut in, waving a hand. "Eldest Brother, Maria, let me raise a glass," Remy said, lifting his drink and downing it in one go. Hudson hurried to follow suit, skipping the empty pleasantries. His wife, Maria, didn't dare dawdle either, afraid Remy might act up and put them on the spot. Heirs-apparent always tread carefully; as the family's next in line, Hudson wasn't about to slip. "I'll raise one too!" came a piping little voice. Only then did Remy notice a little girl sitting between the couple. "That's their daughter, Brittany," Nina explained. Remy nodded. It was no secret Hudson had a child late in life. The kid was ridiculously cute. "Bro, look out for me from now on!" Brittany chirped, lifting her glass of juice. The air froze. The family hierarchy had just tangled into a knot. "Don't call him that. You should call him Uncle," Maria corrected right away. Brittany pouted. "No! The uncles around here all call him 'bro.' I want to call him 'bro' too!" Everyone: "..." "So, um… do I get a little gift?" Remy jumped in to break the ice. Hudson's eyelid twitched. Thankfully, he'd prepared. He pulled out a contract. "These are a few businesses I own outright. Pick one you like and I'll transfer it to you." Remy stared. That was generous. Harley rapped the table. "Forgot the rules already? No business talk at the table. Save it for after dinner." Only then did Hudson catch himself. He grinned at Remy. "We'll talk in private later." Remy sat down, pleased as punch. Nice. "This is Second Brother and Sophie. Their kid's away on a work trip," Nina continued. "The rest down the table are the family's standout younger generation." Remy's earlier warmth cooled. All those faces looked down on him. To put it bluntly, they were in cahoots with Graham. No need to butter them up. The Looske family's infighting was notorious. It used to be Hudson squaring off against Graham; now Nina had joined the fray too. Since Remy had married in as a live-in son-in-law, Nina wasn't considered 'married out,' so she was still eligible for the inheritance. Remy saw Hudson's intent right away. He lifted his glass with lazy indifference, not bothering to stand. He ignored the others' looks, tossed back his drink, and bent to his food. Harley didn't bat an eye. "Eat." Reluctantly, Nina sat. Remy had just made an enemy of Graham for life, and she knew it would splash onto her. She'd always watched from the sidelines while her two brothers crossed swords. Now Remy had dragged her right into the fight. Graham couldn't keep a lid on his fury. He gritted his teeth and fixed Remy with a murderous glare. Remy flat-out ignored him. Whatever. Hudson kept a straight face, but inside he was giddy. Remy had played it just right. "What's on the schedule for tomorrow?" Remy asked, halfway through the meal. "In the morning we visit Grandpa at the nursing home. Not much in the afternoon," Nina replied quickly. "Great. Then we'll go buy a car in the afternoon," Remy said, deciding on the spot. Harley didn't object. Graham, though, shot up instantly. "Buy what car? Since when does a live-in son-in-law get a car?" Remy didn't even look up. "The Looske family." Everyone: "..." Graham's eyes flashed. "Remy Fouldes, don't push your luck. You're just a live-in son-in-law. You really think you matter?" The younger cousins glowered too. Remy smiled. "Second Brother, this is the dinner table, not that heated brick bed you like to hold court on back home. The old man's not dead yet. It's just a car. Who says you get a say?" "We get that you want to climb, but you-" Ahem, ahem. Harley cleared his throat and cut him off. That was the signal. He didn't hesitate. "Buy it." Remy wasn't angling for anything else; he just wanted to rip off the family's fig leaf in public. Nina ate in silence. Remy glanced over and put on a touch of wounded innocence. "You don't even feed me anymore when we eat?" Nina froze. Since when had she ever fed him? He'd taken her out plenty, but they'd always eaten their own food. Everyone at the table stared, like they were seeing a unicorn. Even Harley looked up. Nina's tough as nails. They expected her to blow up, but instead, she set down her chopsticks and deftly started peeling shrimp. Jaws dropped. Was this the famously hot-tempered Nina? Remy savored the shrimp she peeled, basking in it. Across the way, Aiden's mouth twitched. This was killing him… Was this still the Looske family? "Nina's such a homemaker-she'll be great at looking after her husband and raising kids," Sophie remarked, sweet as vinegar. Everyone was sharp enough to hear the jab beneath the praise. Nina's eyes flared. She thought Remy would fire back for her, but he just enjoyed himself, not lifting a finger. That stung worse than Sophie's barb. It felt like cramming twenty years' worth of indignities into one day. Her hands shook as she peeled. If only she hadn't kept Remy as her backup all those years. Remy couldn't have cared less. He'd been her backup for a decade; this was nothing by comparison. "I'm full," Harley said, jumping to his feet and leaving in a flash. Almost as soon as he left, the table erupted into chaos. Remy polished off the last few shrimp, stood up, and strolled away. Halfway to the door, he looked back at Graham and the rest. "A perfectly good meal, ruined by you." "Bunch of vultures. The minute feelings come up, you all pounce for the freebie."