NIKOLAI
The sound of my cutlery clinking against the porcelain was the first thing I heard after the greeting. I had dropped them because I didn't know if this meant an ambush by my parents to make peace with Mag.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Foster and Mrs. Foster."
I smiled out of mere courtesy, though inside I felt the urge to squeeze the glass until it shattered. It put me in a very bad mood when they did these kinds of things.
"Magnolia," I said in a controlled tone.
She responded with that smile of hers, fake to the bone. We were not on good terms after she spilled coffee on my shirt at our last breakfast.
"Sorry for being late, but I had a meeting with a client. I didn't want to miss lunch with you. I hope I arrived just in time."
"Sit down, dear. We're just starting," my mom said ch
