"You silly child, look at you, you’ve scared young Sophia." Violet Zimmerman glared at her son and gently patted Sophia Hamilton’s back.

"Thank you, Aunt," Sophia Hamilton jolted slightly and turned away, nodding to Violet Zimmerman, not because she disliked her but because she felt it was too much trouble for her.

Behind her, Evander Lancaster smoothly pulled Sophia Hamilton closer, one hand around her waist, the other casually playing with her ponytail, and said indifferently, "She wasn’t scared by me, she was nervous seeing you. I promised to bring her home to let the elder take a look. But you went ahead and called Big Brother and Second Uncle back. Sophia isn’t a product on display; how could she not feel nervous being watched like this?"

Violet Zimmerman...

Withdrew her hands and elegantly placed them crossed on her lap. She turned slightly to face her son over Sophia Hamilton, sighed unhappily.

On the nearby sofa, Robert Lancaster awkwardly scratched his eyebrow, Joseph Lancaster mirrored Violet’s posture, with legs crossed and fingers intertwined on his lap. The two not only shared the same sitting posture but also the same displeased sigh and gaze directed at Evander Lancaster.

Their eyes clearly showed blame and disapproval, though they were too polite to express their annoyance with guests present.

Sophia Hamilton held her juice cup, lowered her head, and pursed her lips in an attempt to minimize her presence.

Evander Lancaster continued to absentmindedly play with her ponytail. Violet Zimmerman raised her eyebrows, took a deep breath, and as she glanced at Sophia’s toes fidgeting inside her slippers, she subtly furrowed her brow and again sighed silently before shifting her gaze.

"Let’s eat, there’s another meeting at the company in the afternoon." She said and got up, heading towards the dining room.

"Come on, let’s eat! Aren’t you all hungry?" Evander Lancaster stood up with Sophia Hamilton. Her sudden movement caused Sophia to react a beat too slow, spilling some juice directly onto the cream-colored carpet.

Gazing at the visible mark on the carpet, Sophia Hamilton felt even more flustered, "I’m sorry, I..."

"It’s fine, the carpet needed replacing anyway!" Evander Lancaster said nonchalantly, then led her to the dining room.

Behind them, Joseph Lancaster was visibly displeased by Sophia Hamilton’s "clumsy" action. Watching the two leave, he frowned, turned back, saw Robert Lancaster still sitting on the sofa, pretending to scratch his eyebrow, and coldly said, "Go upstairs and call Little Min down."

At the dining table, Sophia Hamilton sat with Evander Lancaster while Violet Zimmerman took the head position, Joseph Lancaster sat next to her, followed by Robert Lancaster and his wife.

"Sophia, it’s your first time visiting the family, and I didn’t know what you like to eat. All the dishes are prepared according to Evander’s tastes, please eat more," Violet Zimmerman said politely. Despite not being completely satisfied with Sophia Hamilton, being accustomed to large social occasions, she maintained basic etiquette.

"Thank you, Aunt." Sophia Hamilton courteously bowed slightly. Though she was quite hungry, facing so many unfamiliar people, she oddly lost her appetite.

"Eat up." Violet Zimmerman picked up her chopsticks, and everyone else followed suit. Evander Lancaster directly picked up a bone dish and a steel spoon, spooning a little of each dish onto Sophia Hamilton’s plate, "Eat more, Aunt Xu’s culinary skills are very good."

Sophia Hamilton awkwardly smiled, glanced at the others around the table discreetly. Unsure whether her presence as an outsider was the reason or if it was the strict rules of the Lancaster Family, everyone ate their food silently with no exchange.