Shattered Inside (Yandere!Cheater x Reader)

XXXIV

"—and then she had to cook it all over again because I dropped the pot! I sometimes still don't understand why Mom still allows me in the kitchen."

Matthew started laughing uncontrollably, his emotions being genuine since a long while. Lily, too, was laughing along to the funny stories James told with a toothy grin. Tiffany was the only one who wasn't roaring with laughter, but there still was an amused smile on her frail lips. Munching on the delicious cake Lily's parents had brought while telling each other funny stories — it was mostly James who did all the telling because the Arcanum family didn't have a lot of funny stories to begin with — was a lot of fun.

James covered his eyes with his hands, laughing all the while. "Oh, and there was this one incident where my sister almost forgot to turn off the microwave—"

Matthew's laughter quickly died down once his mind was able to register what peculiar words his ears had just picked up. "...sister?" he interrupted the boy, curious and slightly irritated all out of a sudden. He leant forward, closer to the boy with narrowed eyes. James, taken aback, simply nodded slowly, not sure how he was supposed to understand his reaction. "You have a sister, huh." Eventually, Matthew retreated once he could no longer ignore the warning glare his wife shot him.

"Yes, I have a little sister. Her name is Hannah, and she's seven years old."

Back straightening unnaturally, Matthew forced a smile onto his lips. "How cute," he seethed through clenched teeth, startling James a little bit. But before he could question his sudden strange behaviour, Lily's squeals distracted the both of them.

"She really is cute! A bundle of joy, really—" Lily exclaimed, followed by a longing exhale. "I'm sure your days are never boring with her, James."

"Never," he confirmed through chuckles.

Matthew nodded, turning his gaze back to James again. "So, little lion—" Somehow, that nickname stirred something inside of James' mind, pulling him into the past he thought he had forgotten. The past was full of vibrant colours, beautiful voices, and wonderful emotions — until it all turned grey and silent. Rubbing his eyes, he returned back to the present at hand. "—what do you want to do when you're older?"

There was no hesitation in his voice as he answered, "I wanna do something in the business area, I think. That's what I've always wanted to do— like it's in my blood." Matthew's lips quirked up upon hearing that answer, and he felt a rush of happiness, along with pride, surging through his whole body.

The beaming smile on his lips didn't twitch as he nodded, satisfied fully. "Maybe Lily has told you already— but you know, I own a company," Matthew drawled, to which James nodded upon recalling that she indeed had told him just a few moments prior to her parents barging into her bedroom. Supporting his chin in his palm, with his elbow resting on the table, a charismatic smile graced Matthew's lips. James' eyes were full of admiration as he gazed at the composed and gallant man, wishing to be just as enchanting as him one day. "If you'd like, you could come over and visit my company building! I'd give you a personal tour—"

James' eyes went wide in surprise. "That sounds amazing!" he cried out in happiness and gratitude. "I'd love to, sir."

"Ah, no need for formalities, son. You can just call me by my first name." Though he deeply wanted for James to call him 'Dad', he knew that it was still too early for that. At least this was a small step towards his goal — and a small step was better than no progress at all. "We're almost family now, aren't we?"

Though embarrassed, James nodded eagerly since he had already felt a connection with the man ever since they've made eye contact about an hour ago. "A-Ah, thank you, Matthew."