Chapter 1095
Mandy couldn’t shake the thought that Jackson’s sudden investigation might have something to do with his car showing up at Capital Med School a few days ago. Benjamin looked absolutely miserable. “A bunch of people from my department are heading over to the Robinsons’ tonight to congratulate William. What are we supposed to do?”
The room went silent. No one had forgotten their last visit to the Robinsons during the holiday. The memory was still fresh and honestly, pretty painful.
Mandy thought for a moment, weighing her options. Finally, she said, “We’re going.”
Benjamin gaped at her. “We’re going?”
He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. There’d be so many people from his department tonight. If they saw the Robinsons freezing him out, how could he ever show his face at work again?
Rosie frowned, clearly not thrilled. “We had that huge blowup with them last time. Going now would just be embarrassing.” She glanced at Mandy, then added, “And with so many people around, if they ignore us or worse, it’ll be even more
humiliating.”
Mandy glanced over at Benjamin. “If everyone else goes and you don’t, it’s basically announcing to the whole department that you and William aren’t on good terms. Trust me, that’s not the kind of attention you want. No one will stick their neck out for you after that.”
Benjamin went quiet, clearly thinking it over.
Mandy pressed on, “Look, there’ll be a crowd. We just need to bring some nice gifts, show up, make an appearance, and keep it moving. People will see you there and still think you’re close with William’s family. You’ll keep your reputation and maybe gain a few people looking to get on your good side.”
Benjamin had to admit, she made sense. But he still looked worried. “What if William or Mabel decide to embarrass me in front of everyone?”
Mandy saw right through him. “Relax. They’ll be too busy hosting everyone else. We keep it low-key, stick together, and nothing bad will happen.”
*
That afternoon, the family set out for the Robinsons’ house because Lydia needed to check on Mr. and Mrs. Robinson’s health.
Seeing Lydia again, William had a lot on his mind. Who would’ve guessed his own niece was actually a special consultant for the Inspectorate?
Lucinda, never one to miss a chance to shine, walked up to William with the brightest smile. “Uncle William congratulations on your promotion. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and that your career keeps taking off.”
William gave her a warm smile, then looked from Lucinda to his son, Nathaniel He paused for a second then said, “You are all grown up now. You should be learning from Lydia, really trying to become the kind of talent this country needs.”
Lucinda stared at him, completely confused. She was the one offering
congratulations, so why did he turn it into something about Lydia?
Nathaniel looked even more put out. “Dad, we all know Lydia’s amazing, but
honestly, out of all the rich kids in the Capital, who could possibly be as ridiculously talented as her?”
He still felt dizzy from earlier. The family had barely had time to celebrate William’s return before William dragged him off, scolded him for being a disappointment William had gone on and on @bout how Nathaniel needed to shape up, and serve the country in the future.
Nathaniel couldn’t help but wonder if those three days being questioned by investigators had messed with his dad’s head.
William just snorted. “I’m not asking you to be as good as Lydia. If you could reach
even a third of what she’s done, we’d count ourselves lucky.”