In the afternoon, Jayson attended a business and commercial gathering. Amid the mingling and toasts, he spotted Esteban and Sanaa in the crowd. He had promised Sidney to handle matters related to the Calderon family, but he had no intention of visiting the Calderon family himself. This unexpected encounter came at the right time. From a distance, he noticed they had also seen him, and he casually made his way to a corner of the venue.
Soon, they gradually approached, and Jayson stood tall, facing their direction. He politely called out "Dad," and then raised his glass to toast him.
Esteban and his daughter had been unhappy with him for a long time, so they weren't in the mood to be polite. Esteban scowled and didn't raise his glass. Jayson held his glass high in the air, completely unbothered, as if he had expected this reaction. With elegant composure, he took a sip of wine and smiled, waiting for them to speak first.
Jayson usually appeared serious, and when he wasn't smiling, he carried a somewhat cold and intimidating aura. But now, unusually, he smiled as he looked at them, making Esteban and Sanaa uneasy, not knowing what he was smiling about. They were momentarily speechless, and both sides stood there in a silent stare.
Sanaa, being young, couldn't keep up the eye contact and eventually looked down, unable to face him. Esteban cleared his throat, then spoke, his tone a bit heavy: "I never imagined things would end up like this after I agreed to let my daughter marry you."
"What are you saying, Dad? I haven't treated your daughter badly."
Esteban knew Jayson was brushing him off, which only made him angrier.
"I trusted you enough to let my daughter marry you, and now, when my family's in trouble, you can't even offer a hand? What kind of family are we, then?"
"Dad, during the holidays, I always make sure someone sends you a gift. Like on Thanksgiving, didn't I have a vintage whiskey set sent to you? As for helping out, well, I can only offer so much, right?"
When Esteban heard about the gift, his confidence immediately faltered. He had always been fond of fine things, and the vintage whiskey set had struck a chord with him. Despite his frustration with Jayson, he couldn't help but appreciate the gesture. But someone as greedy as him wouldn't let go of things so easily just because of a thoughtful gift.
"What's a vintage whiskey set worth? Not even a single favor for the project, and you're offering me a few million like I'm some kind of beggar?"
"Dad, you're joking, right? Even a beggar wouldn't get a few million without earning it!" Jayson scoffed, finding this family's attitude almost laughable.
Jayson was still evading him, and Esteban was growing increasingly frustrated. With people coming and going around them, he lowered his tone, clearly annoyed. "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"
"I understand, but I've also told you I have work-related reasons. You're a businessman too, don't you understand?" Jayson casually set his glass down on the table and grabbed a new one to taste. "This wine really isn't that good," he muttered.
At this point, Sanaa couldn't hold back anymore. "Is this how you treat family?"
"Have you ever truly considered us family? If you did, you wouldn't be making things difficult for Sidney and me over something like this." Jayson clearly thought Sanaa wasn't worth talking to, and his tone turned cold and biting. He didn't even bother to look at her.
"You're something else!" Mr. Calderon snapped, clearly irritated by Jayson's dismissive attitude. "I swear, Jayson, you've got some nerve!"
"Let's put it this way—don't say I'm being unreasonable. Tomorrow I'll still transfer 30 million to your company's account as a gesture of Sidney's and my gratitude. You can use it to take a vacation or whatever. As for work matters, handle them on your own. If there's ever an opportunity to collaborate with you in the future, I'll be more than willing to cooperate. But until then, I hope you won't bother me or Sidney anymore." He set his glass down again and stepped closer to them. Jayson was a head taller than Esteban, and as he came closer, Esteban felt the pressure rise, almost unable to breathe. "You know I have a lot of people who owe me favors," Jayson said with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "If they find out I'm unhappy and decide to take matters into their own hands... well, who knows?" As Jayson spoke, his smile was tight, more like a mask than an expression of amusement. The words slipped from his lips with a smooth, almost chilling calmness, but there was a dangerous edge beneath. Esteban and Sanaa stiffened, a sharp intake of breath escaping them.
