The young man wore a gray T-shirt, and his deep black eyes, shadowed by long lashes, glanced at Cayden.
Mikayla stared at him, the flames of anger burning brighter in her eyes. She spoke coldly, "Sorry, I'm not familiar with you."
He chuckled and ran downstairs. "Mikayla, it's been so long since you came home. We might have grown distant." He turned to Cayden. "I'm Tony. Nice to meet you, brother-in-law."
Cayden gave a faint smile. Mikayla, not wanting to converse with him further, pulled Cayden upstairs.
Behind them, Tony snorted disdainfully, "Weirdo."
Mikayla led Cayden into her old room and slammed the door shut. Cayden looked around. The room was simple, with a single bed and a desk covered in a thick layer of dust. The shelves had a few stickers of celebrities, showing that the room hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
"You... you can sit on the bed. The chair is dirty."
Mikayla patted the bedspread casually and sat next to him. Noticing her low spirits, Cayden gently rubbed her head. "Feeling down?"
"I've never been happy in this house."
Not knowing how to comfort her, Cayden pulled her close, letting her lean on his shoulder. Mikayla surprised, looked up to find him gazing at her.
"Mikayla, I don't know what you've been through."
"But if you need me now, I'll always be here for you, okay?"
Mikayla hugged his neck, burying her head in his shoulder, inhaling the cool woody scent. She held him for a while, her dark hair tickling his skin, before nodding.
"Thank you."
Cayden gently patted her back, the warmth in his eyes making it hard to resist.
"Knock, knock." The door sounded. Mikayla got up to answer it. Alina stood at the doorway. "Time for dinner, Mikayla."
"Alina?"
"I just got back. Come on, bring your husband."
The three of them went downstairs. During dinner, Tony boasted about his academic achievements, his parents' praises filling the room. He flaunted his success like a child, laying his triumphs on the table for all to admire.
Felix cleared his throat. "Cayden, I have a small favor to ask."
Cayden put down his chopsticks. "Go ahead."
Felix exchanged a glance with his wife before speaking slowly, "Can you help Tony get a job at your company after he graduates?"
A smile played on Cayden's lips. "He can submit his resume. The HR department will screen it according to the process."
Felix forced a laugh. "I meant, could you help facilitate it?"
Cayden remained calm, sipping his coffee. "No, I can't."
An awkward silence fell over the room. The hope in Tony's eyes faded. Working at a prestigious company like W Group would undoubtedly enhance his resume.
Being Cayden's brother-in-law, he thought such a small request would be easily granted. But Cayden's refusal caught everyone off guard.
"Why not, brother-in-law?" Tony stared at him.
"If you're good enough, HR will hire you. I don't need to intervene."
Felix desperately signaled to Mikayla, but she focused on her meal, ignoring him.
Tony, dissatisfied, blurted out, "Then why can someone useless like Mikayla stay at your company?"
