Ryan got home later than usual.
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
And somehow that always made things worse.
The moment he stepped inside, one of the house workers approached carefully.
"Your parents are waiting in the dining room, sir."
Ryan immediately sighed.
"…great."
He already knew this wouldn't be a normal conversation.
Parents only waited together when they wanted something.
Or hated something.
Sometimes both.
Ryan loosened his tie slightly before walking toward the dining room.
And the second he entered—
He could already feel the tension.
His father sat at the head of the table scrolling through something on his phone.
His mother sat beside him looking calm.
Too calm.
Which was dangerous.
Ryan dropped his basketball bag carelessly near the chair.
"You called me?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
And that silence alone irritated him already.
Then finally—
His father turned the phone screen toward Ryan.
Pictures.
School pictures.
Lia and Ryan together.
The basketball court.
The water bottle.
Ryan walking her home.
Lia laughing beside him.
Ryan's jaw tightened slightly.
"…you're stalking me now?"
His mother sighed softly.
"Ryan."
That tone.
The disappointed rich-parent tone.
Ryan already hated where this was going.
His father placed the phone down slowly.
"Who is this girl?"
Ryan stared at him.
"You know who she is."
His mother crossed her arms lightly.
"So the rumors are true."
Ryan stayed quiet.
Because honestly?
He didn't feel like explaining himself.
Then his father spoke again.
Cold.
Sharp.
"She's becoming a distraction."
Ryan laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because he was annoyed.
"A distraction from what? Existing?"
His father ignored the comment completely.
"That girl is everywhere now."
Ryan's expression darkened slightly.
"Her name is Lia."
His mother spoke this time.
"And she's clearly getting attached to you for the wrong reasons."
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Ryan looked at her slowly.
"…what does that mean?"
His mother sighed like the answer was obvious.
"She knows who you are."
Ryan blinked once.
Then once again.
Like he genuinely couldn't believe what he was hearing.
His father leaned back in his chair.
"Girls like that always know exactly what they're doing."
And there it was.
The insult.
The disrespect.
Ryan's jaw tightened instantly.
"She's not like that."
His father scoffed softly.
"You're young. You don't see things clearly yet."
Ryan laughed bitterly.
"No. YOU don't see clearly."
The room became quieter.
His mother's expression hardened slightly.
"Watch your tone."
But Ryan was already angry now.
Really angry.
"She never asked me for money."
"She never cared about my family."
"She didn't even know half this stuff before people started talking."
His voice got sharper with every sentence.
"And honestly? She hates attention."
His father stood up slowly.
"And yet somehow she keeps ending up in it."
Ryan stepped forward immediately.
"Because people keep DRAGGING her into it."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then his mother said the one thing that truly made him angry.
"She's changing you."
Ryan froze slightly.
"What?"
"You're distracted."
"You argue more."
"You're careless now."
She looked directly at him.
"That girl is becoming a problem."
Ryan stared at her for a long moment.
Then laughed quietly.
But this time?
There was no humor in it.
"No," he said softly.
"She's the first real thing around me."
The room went silent.
Even his father looked surprised.
Because Ryan rarely spoke seriously.
Ryan looked between both of them slowly.
"You think she wants money?"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"She barely even lets me buy her food."
His mother looked frustrated now.
"You're too emotionally involved."
Ryan immediately replied:
"And maybe that's NORMAL."
His father's expression darkened.
"You are embarrassing this family."
Ryan scoffed.
"For liking someone?"
"No," his father snapped.
"For throwing yourself into messy public drama over a girl who clearly comes from nothing."
And that sentence—
That sentence crossed the line.
Ryan's expression changed instantly.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerously calm.
"She is not 'nothing.'"
The room became silent again.
Even the workers nearby slowly disappeared from the area.
Because everybody could feel it now.
This fight was becoming serious.
His father stepped closer.
"You will end this situation."
Ryan didn't move.
"No."
"You will."
"No."
His mother looked shocked by how quickly he answered.
Ryan grabbed his bag again roughly.
Then looked directly at both of them.
"You don't know her."
His father replied coldly:
"And I don't need to."
Ryan's chest rose angrily.
Because suddenly—
All he could think about was Lia laughing earlier.
Lia smiling.
Lia slowly healing.
And these people reducing her to a gold digger without even knowing her.
Ryan looked at his parents one last time.
Then quietly said:
"If hurting her is part of being this family's perfect son…"
A pause.
"I'm not interested."
And with that—
He walked away.
Leaving complete silence behind him.