Invitation

Chapter 102 - Invitation

Mike sat at the dining table, pushing food around his plate while the recording replayed in his mind. He couldn't get Mr. Jason's face out of his head. The man hadn't shown the slightest hesitation when he drew his knife on Claire, nor had he given her a chance to explain herself. He had simply accused her of abandoning Sam and attacked her with a fury that Mike couldn't understand.

"You left Sam there! How dare you—how—how—how—HOW!"

Each shout had been followed by another stab. Claire had barely managed to react to the first strike before Jason drove the blade into her stomach again. Blood spread across her clothes, but she hadn't screamed or tried to fight back. She had stood there, staring at the man who was supposed to be an ally, as though her mind couldn't accept what was happening.

What bothered Mike most was that Claire hadn't been helpless. The Doomsday System had flooded her vision with warnings and emergency options before the first strike even landed. She had several seconds to activate a defensive skill, use a healing potion, or call for help. Yet she had done nothing, not even attempting to move away from Jason. It was almost as if her body had stopped responding to her commands.

Mike's appetite had disappeared. He set his fork down and wiped the sweat from his temple, trying to make sense of what he had witnessed. Jason had clearly blamed Claire for Sam's death, but was that enough to explain his actions? Even if he believed she had abandoned his son, why had he killed her without asking a single question? And what had prevented Claire from defending herself when the system had given her so many options?

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting toward the dishes in the middle of the table. He needed to review the recording again, especially the moments he had skipped while searching for the scene at the estate. There had to be something he was missing, something that explained why Claire had frozen in front of Jason.

"Mike."

He didn't respond.

Rem, who was sitting right beside him, turned from her plate and studied his face. She had been trying to get his attention for a while, but he seemed completely lost in his thoughts.

"Mike, I'm talking to you."

He continued staring at his food, apparently unaware that she had spoken.

Rem's patience finally ran out. She leaned toward him and shouted directly into his ear, "MIIIIIIIIKE!"

Mike jerked in his chair, nearly knocking his glass over. His fork struck the edge of his plate with a loud clatter, and he turned toward her with an irritated expression.

"Geez, Rem! What is it?"

"What's wrong with you? I've been calling you for ages!" Rem shot back. "Mom's been talking to you, too. Can you at least pay attention when someone's speaking?"

Mike rubbed his ear and gave her an annoyed look. "You could have just tapped my shoulder instead of trying to destroy my hearing."

"I tried calling you normally. You were the one ignoring me!"

"Fine. What did I miss?"

Rem pointed toward May, who was sitting across the table with a serving spoon in her hand. She had been watching their exchange with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, but when Mike finally turned to her, she gave him a small smile.

"Oh, Mike, there's something I forgot to tell you."

Mike picked up his fork and took another bite before answering. "What is it?"

"You can't go out tomorrow. We've received a dinner invitation, and we'll all be attending."

He paused and looked up. "A dinner invitation? From whom?"

"Mr. Jason."

Mike nearly stopped breathing. He lowered his fork, staring at May as the name sank in. Of all the people she could have mentioned, it had to be the one man he had just watched murder Claire.

"What?" he asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

May blinked at his reaction. "What's wrong? Why are you so surprised?"

Mike quickly looked back at his plate, forcing himself to relax. He couldn't explain that he had watched Jason stab a woman to death through a system recording. As far as May knew, there was nothing unusual about accepting an invitation from the man.

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting that name."

"Well, Samantha called earlier and invited us. She specifically asked for you to come, so I told her we'd be there."

Mike's expression changed slightly at the mention of Samantha. If she had personally requested his presence, there might be a reason beyond an ordinary family dinner. He wondered whether the invitation had anything to do with Sam's death, but he had no evidence to support that suspicion.

He considered refusing, though he quickly dismissed the idea. If Jason was hiding something, avoiding him wouldn't help Mike discover the truth. Attending the dinner would give him an opportunity to observe the man, listen to what he said, and see whether his behavior matched the person Mike had witnessed in the recording.

Of course, that didn't mean he should walk into the house expecting to confront him. Mike knew almost nothing about what had happened between Claire and Jason, and acting on incomplete information could put him in danger. For now, he would keep his discovery to himself and pay close attention to everything that happened tomorrow.

"All right," he said after a moment. "I'll come with you."

May's expression brightened. "Really? That's great! I thought I'd have to spend half an hour convincing you."

"Why would I refuse?"

"Because you always complain whenever I ask you to attend these gatherings."

"That's because most of them are boring."

Rem snorted beside him, drawing an immediate glance from Mike.

"Something funny?"

"No."

"You just laughed."

"I coughed."

"That was a suspicious cough."

Rem rolled her eyes and returned to her food while May shook her head at their exchange. The conversation might have ended there, but May seemed to remember something else. She set down her spoon and looked at Mike with a knowing smile.

"Since you're agreeing to come tomorrow, I'll treat you to your favorite drink later."

Mike looked up at her, and his expression softened slightly. The offer sounded innocent enough, but there was an understanding between them that made the words mean more than they appeared to. He held her gaze for a moment before giving her a small nod.

"As you wish."

Rem's face turned bright red. She looked at Mike, then at May, and seemed to realize that she had no desire to remain at the table for the rest of the conversation. Without saying another word, she pushed her chair back, grabbed her plate, and stood up.

"I'm done eating."

Mike glanced at her plate. "You barely ate anything."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"You were hungry a minute ago."

"Well, I'm not hungry now!" Rem snapped before hurrying away from the table with her plate. Her footsteps echoed up the stairs, and a moment later, a door closed upstairs.

Mike watched her leave with a puzzled expression before turning back to May. "What was that about?"

May merely smiled as she picked up her glass. "Nothing. She's just growing up."

"That explains absolutely nothing."

"You don't need to understand everything, Mike."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but May had already returned to her meal, clearly unwilling to elaborate. Mike decided not to press the matter. Whatever had caused Rem to flee the table, he suspected asking more questions would only make things worse.

He resumed eating while May explained a few details about the following evening, including when they would leave and what they might need to bring. Mike listened and responded when necessary, making a conscious effort to keep his attention on the conversation rather than the recording.

Still, he couldn't ignore the implications of tomorrow's dinner. Less than a month after Sam's death, he would be sitting across a table from the man who had killed Claire. Jason might see it as an ordinary family gathering, but Mike would be watching him closely, looking for any sign that could help him understand what had happened.

Read up to 139 chapters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/KDaddy935?vanity=user