Chapter 94: Tour
The dining hall of the Purnas estate was lively now—filled with laughter, warm food, and the nostalgic sound of clinking plates.
Richard sat at the long wooden table, sunlight from the chandeliers reflecting off the polished grain. Beside him, Jack was already three servings deep into fried tilapia and rice. Estello was mid-conversation with one of the agri-logistics execs, laughing heartily with a glass of local coconut wine in hand.
Then came the voice Richard always had trouble dealing with.
"Richard..."
He turned just in time to see Anita, his mother, standing near the kitchen doorway—hands on her hips, eyes narrowed.
"You’re getting taller again," she said, half-teasing, half-serious. "What’s happening to you?"
Richard blinked, then let out a sheepish laugh. "I, uh... must be working out more. I take vitamins. Maybe too much calcium?"
Anita walked over, giving him a look that pierced straight through him—the kind only a mother could give. He was taller than the last time she saw him and his physique is more refined. His eyes also give that distinct color. Did he wear contact lenses? Anita thought.
"You’re already taller than your father ever was," she muttered, circling around to her seat. "And now you’re thinner too. Doesn’t your girlfriend feed you?"
Jack, mid-chew, almost spat out his rice and slapped the table.
"Auntie—!" he choked between laughs. "You may not believe it, but Mira, that secretary of ours is lovey-dovey with him!"