Chapter 59: The Ashford Family Meeting

"You definitely look like a Thorne."

Richard’s words lingered for a moment before he stepped aside and welcomed Damon into the house.

"Come in. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you properly."

Damon accepted the invitation and entered alongside Vivian.

Catherine greeted them with a warm smile, then immediately drew her daughter into a hug. Vivian returned it without hesitation, her earlier composure softening in her mother’s arms.

"It’s good to have you home," Catherine said, smoothing Vivian’s hair before holding her at arm’s length.

"You’ve been keeping yourself busy lately. I was beginning to wonder whether you still remembered where we lived."

"Mom, I’ve been here plenty of times."

"Of course you have." Catherine’s smile widened as she glanced at Damon.

"And I suppose you’ve been too busy with your fiancé to visit more often?"

Vivian’s cheeks colored almost immediately.

"That’s not why."

"I didn’t say it was." Catherine gave her daughter an innocent look that made Vivian’s protest sound even less convincing.

"I’m only happy to see you. You seem to be in a good mood these days."

Richard chuckled as he gestured for everyone to move toward the sitting room.

"Let them come inside first. You’ll embarrass the girl before they’ve even had a chance to sit down."

"You’re enjoying this just as much as I am," Catherine replied, following them with an amused smile.

"I haven’t said anything."

"That’s because you’re waiting for your turn."

Vivian looked at Damon as though hoping he might rescue her, but the faint amusement on his face told her she wasn’t going to get much help.

She pressed her lips together, trying to hide her embarrassment, and followed her parents into the sitting room.

After everyone had settled down,

Catherine made sure they had refreshments before taking the seat beside her daughter. Richard sat opposite them, looking relaxed now that the initial greetings were over.

Catherine spent a little time asking about their journey and whether Vivian had been getting enough rest.

Her questions were ordinary, the kind a mother asked when she wanted to know how her daughter was doing without making a serious occasion out of it.

Vivian answered easily enough until Catherine turned the conversation back toward Damon.

"So, Damon, has Vivian been keeping you company, or has she been making you do everything her way?"

"Mom!"

Catherine laughed at her daughter’s immediate reaction. "What? I’m asking a perfectly reasonable question."

"She’s been fine," Damon answered, giving Vivian a brief glance. "Though I suspect she’d disagree with me if I said she was easy to handle."

Richard laughed, and even Catherine seemed pleased with the answer.

"That sounds like my daughter," Richard said.

"She’s always known what she wants. When she was younger, she once spent an entire afternoon arguing with me because I wouldn’t let her join a training session that was meant for older children. She refused to give up until I finally agreed to let her try."

"Dad, you make it sound as though I was a difficult child."

"You were a determined one," Catherine corrected fondly. "There’s a difference, although at the time I wasn’t always sure which one I was dealing with."

Vivian shook her head, but the smile she tried to suppress gave her away.

Damon listened as her parents shared a few more harmless stories, learning things about her childhood that she had never mentioned to him.

Each time Catherine approached a particularly embarrassing detail, Vivian tried to steer her toward another subject, which only made her mother more amused.

Eventually, Catherine’s attention returned to the relationship itself.

"More importantly, are you happy, Vivian?"

The question was gentler than the teasing that had come before it. Vivian’s expression softened, and for a moment she seemed unsure how to answer with her parents watching her so closely.

She glanced at Damon, then lowered her eyes with a small, shy smile.

"Yes, Mom. I’m happy."

Catherine studied her daughter’s face before reaching over to squeeze her hand. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her, and she didn’t press for more details.

"Good. That’s all I wanted to hear." She turned toward Damon, her expression warm but sincere.

"She may be stubborn, and she can be a little too serious about the things she cares about, but she’s precious to us. I hope you’ll continue to treat her well."

"I will," Damon replied simply.

His straightforward answer seemed to satisfy Catherine.

Vivian’s face grew warmer again, especially when her father gave her a knowing look.

She moved a little closer to Damon, pretending to be interested in the refreshments rather than acknowledging that her parents had just discussed her relationship in front of her fiancé.

The conversation continued comfortably for a while.

Richard asked Damon how he and Vivian had been spending their time together, while Catherine occasionally added something about her daughter that Vivian would have preferred to keep private.

Their teasing never became unkind, and the longer they talked, the more relaxed Vivian became. Damon, for his part, found the family atmosphere easy to settle into.

It was only after the conversation had naturally slowed that Richard’s manner changed. He glanced briefly at Catherine, who gave him a small nod, then rested his hands together and looked across at Damon.

"There’s something else I wanted to speak with you about," he began.

"Vivian told us that you’ve been looking into your parents’ disappearance and that you’ve discovered there are still unanswered questions."

Vivian turned toward her father as the conversation took a more serious turn.

Damon gave a small nod. "That’s right. I’m trying to understand what happened to them. So far, I haven’t found enough information to make sense of it."

Richard listened, then leaned back slightly before speaking.

"The Thorne and Ashford families have known each other for a long time," he said.

"There are things about that relationship that you may not have been told, particularly when it comes to your mother. Your family’s history is connected to ours in ways that still matter today."

Damon waited, letting Richard choose his words.

Richard’s expression grew more serious as he looked directly at him.

"Now, let’s discuss the main reason you came here—the disappearance of your parents."