Gloria’s call stopped him mid-turn. She was looking at him, wide-eyed with sudden realization.

"We’ve been here all this time, but you haven’t taken a single photo of yourself." She put her hands on her hips. "That won’t do at all."

Neville was a little flustered after getting exposed. He had been so careful to stay behind the camera, to capture others rather than be captured himself.

It was safer that way—fewer records, less visibility, reduced chance of being known.

"That’s really not necessary," he said quickly. "I prefer taking photos of other people than taking one of myself."

"Nonsense." Gloria reached for her light brain. "Here, I’ll take your picture with mine."

"Auntie, really—"

"I won’t hear another word." Her tone became commanding.

Neville retreated a step, shaking his head. "I appreciate your offer, but—"

"Neville. Hope." Gloria’s eyes narrowed. "Are you seriously going to refuse a sixty-year-old woman, your elder, this favor?"

She was actually pouting with her lower lip jutting out in a way that made her look decades younger and somehow didn’t feel off.

Neville found himself utterly defenseless against Gloria’s antics. He sighed, accepting his defeat. But as Gloria stepped forward victoriously, an idea struck him.

"Wait," he said, reaching out to catch her arm. "I have a better idea."

Before she could protest, Neville gently positioned her to stand beside him, her shoulder brushing against his. Then he held up his light brain’s holographic screen, angling it to capture both of them against the backdrop of the sunset-painted sky.

"A selfie," he explained, seeing her confusion. "This way, we’re both in the picture."

Gloria exclaimed in delight. "Oh! How clever."

Neville adjusted the angle, checking the preview on the screen. The lighting was perfect, and the spectacular glow of the sky stretched behind them. Gloria leaned in slightly; her smile looked natural rather than forced.

One click captured the moment.

Neville turned the light on to show her the result. He wasn’t sure how to feel about this.

"Oh, it’s lovely," Gloria unhesitatingly praised it.

"But..." Her pout returned, though less convincing. "I still wanted to take one of just you."

Neville quickly turned off his light brain before she could think of another way to make him take his solo photo.

"Another time, I still need to cook the food. It’ll take a little more time to eat."

Gloria’s stomach chose that moment to voice its agreement, and she threw up her hands in surrender.

"Fine, fine. But don’t think you’ll get away next time!"

Neville gestured toward the garden’s exit with a sly smile, "Sure."

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

"Please, make yourself at home," he said, ushering Gloria inside. "I apologize in advance if it’s a bit messy."

Gloria stepped across the threshold and paused, her eyes sweeping across the interior.

In reality, the apartment wasn’t messy at all. If anything, it was almost aggressively tidy, like it hadn’t been touched as much as it resembled those model units that were fully furnished.

There was little furnitures but it was carefully arranged. The surfaces were clean and uncluttered. The walls were bare of personal touches except for a single shelf displaying a few small items that looked to be memorabilia from his time at the orphanage.

The only area that showed any real sign of extreme change was the kitchen. There was an array of cooking equipment and specialized appliances occupying every available surface.

Gloria settled herself on the sofa with a small dining table. Neville put a plate of bun-like Ppang on the table along with a jar of homemade Makan.

"Something to pad your stomach while waiting."

The Ppang was unlike anything she had tasted before, and it was fresh. The Makan was not too oily and, in fact, a little salty too when applied to Ppang.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." He said while moving to the kitchen.

"This is really good," Gloria said, as she took another bite of the Ppang. Then pointed at the array of equipment in the kitchen. "I don’t think I’ve seen half of those machines before."

Neville felt a flush of pride but quickly forced himself to calm down.

"I like to experiment for new tastes from time to time," he said simply, pulling a blue apron from a hook and tying it around his waist. "I hope you don’t mind steak and mashed solanum. It’s simple, but I think you’ll enjoy it."

"Hmm~" Gloria made an appreciative sound as she tasted the Makan. "My dear, if your cooking is anything like this Ppang, I’m sure it will be fine."

Neville smiled and turned to his work, pulling ingredients from the temperature-controlled storage unit. The A5 Wagyu Beef was perfectly marbled, and the potatoes were fresh and firm.

Seemed like it was time to test his skills in making fine dining food.

○●○●

From the sofa, Gloria watched Neville move through his kitchen with ease. His movements wasted no time as he quickly prepared the meal.

She took another bite of the Ppang, savoring it while letting her gaze wander across the apartment.

No matter how much he looked at it, this place reminded her of Grayson’s own penthouse. The living space of someone who buys something with everything and expects nothing to change.

The thought made her heart ache unexpectedly.

She read Neville’s file last night and had read it cover to cover after her son’s sudden declaration. Even if she highly approved of it, she didn’t want her sole opinion to cloud her judgment. And yet there was something about him that didn’t quite fit the profile of a struggling orphan.

Her gaze drifted downward as she went deep in her thought. Then, she noticed something beneath the table—a book.

Its edges slightly protruded from a shelf built into the table’s underside. The corner of what appeared to be a photo peeked out from between the pages.

Gloria quickly glanced toward the kitchen.

Neville was fully absorbed in his cooking, his back to her as he expertly seared the meat. The sizzling sound and the aroma of perfectly seasoned protein filled the small apartment.

He had told her to make herself at home, hadn’t he?

Moving carefully, Gloria pulled out the book. It was heavier than expected, and she realized immediately why—it was stuffed with A LOT of photos.

Real printed photos, printed on actual paper.

In an era where everything was digital, the stacks of physical paper prints were startling to see.

She opened the book with care, mindful of the contents, and found herself looking at a collection of portraits.

A lot of them seemed to be his colleagues from the company. She recognized little Sarah, the fox Bryan, and sneaky Jean with a smirk hanging from her lips. Each photo beautifully captured everyone.

Neville really did have an eye for photography.

Gloria continued flipping through the pages, careful not to mess the order. This time, the subjects were landscapes, cityscapes, and candid shots of daily life on Planet Xylos.

And then she reached the final two photographs that were seemingly hidden at the end on purpose.

Tucked at the very back of the book and separated from the others.

Gloria gasped as she saw whose photo it was.

Grayson.

The first photo captured her son walking toward somewhere. It captured his sharp profile against the morning light. It was clearly a candid shot, taken without Grayson’s knowledge or permission.

The second photo made Gloria stare blankly for a long time. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

It was Grayson’s photo while he was sleeping. His head rested against what appeared to be someone’s shoulder—presumably Neville’s, given the angle of the shot—his features soft with unconscious vulnerability.

She had not seen her son look like that in years.

Gloria stared at the photos, her mind racing.

These were intimate images, captured with care and kept hidden like precious secrets.

A smile curved her lips—slow, knowing, victorious.

So it was real after all.

She had suspected that it was fake, of course. But she liked Neville too much to give up the chance of having him join the family.

So, she could only poke Grayson to probe about something, and Grayson started spouting nonsense. Grayson was really terrible at hiding his emotions from her.

She had already noticed the way he spoke to Neville and the slight softening in his voice when Neville’s name came up. She had seen the protective glint in his eyes when she asked Neville to join her for a meal.

She was worried that Grayson was delusional, but now here was proof that the attraction ran both ways.

Only his stupid son needed to be whipped to learn the world of relationships.

Gloria glanced toward the kitchen again. Neville remained absorbed in his cooking, carefully plating the steak with careful attention to presentation.

Moving quickly, she activated her light brain and positioned the holographic screen over the two photographs after putting it on top of the other photos side by side. The camera function made no sound.

Two quick shots.

She slipped the book back into its place, arranging it exactly as she had found it. Then she reached for another piece of Ppang, her expression carefully regained its innocence.

Poor dears, she thought, her smile hidden behind the bread. Playing their little game of pretend, thinking no one knew.

Well, this mother had plenty of patience. But this mother could also... spice things a little.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her look up. Neville was crossing from the kitchen, a plate in each hand, steam rising from the perfectly prepared meal.

"I hope I didn’t make you wait for too long," he said, setting a plate before her.

Gloria looked at the beautifully presented dish. The steak was seared to perfection, the mashed solanum swirled in an elegant pattern, and a garnish of herbs added color and fragrance.

"Ahh~ I might eat a little too much tonight," she said coyly, complaining while her mouth was watering.

She could spice things up, but for now, she will enjoy the meal her future daughter-in-law—son-in-law (?) prepared.

Gloria picked up her utensils and smiled slyly.

This is going to be fun.