Returning home after several years, despite everyone being incredibly kind, there was still a slight sense of unease. Especially when facing his father, Harold; Nick missed him quite a bit when they weren't together, but as soon as they met, things felt off after just a few sentences.
The saying that fathers and sons are natural rivals is not wrong at all. It was rare for him to return, and having built such a massive career, Harold naturally turned the conversation toward business within a few minutes of meeting.
It started with asking about everything under the sun and then moved on to all sorts of career advice. Although Nick knew this came from a place of love, it felt exhausting when there was too much of it.
The moment you show a look of impatience, his dad will always catch it immediately and take the opportunity to give you a lecture. It was as if you hadn't been back for years and he hadn't had the chance, so now that he finally did, how could Harold let such a satisfying opportunity pass?
Fortunately, his stepmother Helen stepped in to play peacemaker, which relieved him quite a bit. Seeing that things weren't going well between him and his father, Helen immediately called out to Lily, "Your brother has been traveling all day and is tired. Go take him up to his room to rest for a while, and call him down when dinner is ready."
"Oh, okay." Lily's eyes darted around, and she immediately stepped forward to grab his hand, saying, "Nick, come on, I'll show you to your room." As she left, she even made a face at her father, Harold, making him chuckle.
With no one left to tease, Harold turned his gaze toward Ryan, who was helping Helen prep dinner. "Ryan, don't be so busy. Come over, grab some coffee, and take a load off."
Under Lily's lead, Nick arrived at his bedroom on the second floor. Looking around, Nick smiled and said, "The furniture and layout haven't changed at all, just the room."
Lily suddenly jumped onto Nick's bed and giggled, "Mom said you hadn't been back for a long time, Nick, and she was afraid you'd feel like a stranger, so she told us not to touch your room. Except for the mattress and the bedframe, which are brand new, everything else is exactly the same."
Nick nodded, then walked over to his bookshelf and casually pulled out an old copy of Popular Mechanics to flip through. Because Nick had loved military gear and engineering since he was a kid, he had bought many tech magazines like this when he was young. He hadn't expected they would be preserved until now; it was truly impressive.
As the internet becomes increasingly developed, the survival of physical periodicals has become much harder. Many of the publications Nick liked as a kid had ceased publication, with only a few struggling to maintain an online presence.
Nick sat down, opened his desk drawer, and looked at these familiar items; they instantly filled him with memories.
"When we moved before, I wanted this, but Mom scolded me and made me put it back," Lily said, pointing to a snowflake crystal ball ornament wrapped in yellow tissue paper inside Nick's drawer. It was a snowglobe with a lighthouse and two small figures carrying lanterns inside.
Shaking the crystal ball, one could see white snowflakes falling. The glass had been wiped very clean; it looked like Helen had taken extra care of it during the last move. On the base of the crystal ball, there was a small chip, which Nick had caused while playing with it as a child.
Looking at this snowglobe, Nick couldn't help but fall into deep thought. This crystal ball was a birthday gift his mother had given him when he was a child, and it was also the last birthday gift he ever received from her. It held extraordinary meaning for him.
The young Lily didn't know this, but Helen knew it perfectly well. Because as a child, whenever Nick felt wronged or encountered something unhappy, he would hide in his room holding the crystal ball and cry.
In the blink of an eye, Nick didn't expect so many years to have passed.
Time was truly a cruel mistress...
"Nick, are you okay?"
Lily's voice woke him from his reverie. Wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye, Nick said with a smile, "This crystal ball is chipped, I'll keep it. I'll buy you a brand-new one later."
"Deal!" Lily grinned lightheartedly, her eyes narrowing with joy.
Nick rubbed her short hair and continued to look through his things. Inside were some old birthday cards he had received, several locked journals from his high school days, and some short stories and poems Nick had written casually.
She was incredibly thoughtful. Nick sighed, feeling a deep sense of gratitude toward his stepmother. If it were just a cold, empty room, Nick might not have felt anything, but everything being so familiar moved him inexplicably.
"Nick, you rest for a while, I'll call you when dinner is ready." Seeing her brother constantly spacing out, Lily felt a bit bored and stood up to leave.
"Okay." Nick nodded and watched his sister walk out. After playing with the familiar objects for a bit, Nick lay directly on the bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. In his dream, Nick was still a six or seven-year-old boy, struggling to stand up on roller skates with his parents' encouragement. He was so small then, and his parents were so young.
"Nick, time for dinner."
"Oh, okay, coming." After waking up, Nick sent his sister downstairs, then went into the bathroom to splash some water on his face before heading down to the dining room with a smile.
"So many dishes, and today is only the night before Christmas Eve," Nick said with a grin.
Harold, sitting at the head of the table, said with a proud smile, "Knowing you were coming back, your mother started preparing the kitchen early this morning."
"You finally came back for a few days, so the day you return is our official holiday," Helen said, walking over with a hot platter and smiling warmly at him.
Nick couldn't help but feel touched and then smiled, "Then I will definitely come back more often in the future, and we can have holidays every day."
"Sounds perfect!" Helen replied immediately with a smile.
Lily also hurriedly shouted at him, "Nick, you're not allowed to break that promise!"
"Haha." Nick laughed, then stood up and grabbed a premium bottle of bourbon he had brought back this time, saying to Harold, "Let's have a drink, us father and son."
Harold glanced at the bottle, then nodded with a smile, "Pour some for Ryan too."
"Sir, I really shouldn't drink on duty," Ryan hurriedly shook his head.
Harold shook his head with a reassuring smile, "It's fine, we're in our own home. Come and have a drink with me; consider it a thank you for taking care of my son this past year."
"Sir, I..."
Before Ryan could finish, Nick interrupted, "Since my dad said so, just have a drink with him. I'm not going out again tonight anyway, it's completely fine."
Seeing that Nick had given the green light, Ryan could only nod. Ryan wasn't supposed to drink while on duty, especially since he served as Nick's primary driver, so the security department's corporate regulations in this regard were incredibly strict.
After the holidays, two new security members from the firm would join. Together, they would form Nick's permanent personal security detail, responsible for his safety. As his wealth and influence continued to expand, the firm's security tier for him also continued to rise.
Not only that, but the local police side also gave special attention to founders in important tech research fields like him, as well as high-profile entrepreneurs. In fact, the private security firm had already cleared permits for lethal and non-lethal defensive equipment. For example, guns and advanced tasers were first equipped directly to Ryan.
"Helen, come join us. There are so many dishes, don't keep working," Nick called out toward Helen, who was still busy in the kitchen.
While Harold, sitting to the side, winced slightly at the casual way Nick addressed her, his father ultimately didn't speak up so as not to ruin the warm family atmosphere.
"There's still the main roast, it'll be ready in a minute, you guys start eating first..." Helen leaned halfway out of the kitchen kitchen door and looked at them with a wide smile.