Chapter 297 Acting strange

Xavier’s words were sincere enough to make Aevia’s expression soften. Yuki, however, continued staring at him.

There was something suspicious about the entire situation. Xavier had always been attentive, but showing up at the Alpha residence early in the morning to discuss the ceremony and have breakfast with her family was an entirely new level of consideration.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

He simply laughed.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing." She answered evenly.

"Then stop looking at me as though you’re trying to solve a murder."

Yuki rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth lifted despite herself. Her gaze drifted across the table.

Killian sat with a cup of coffee in his hand, seemingly detached from the conversation. His strawberry-blonde hair was neatly arranged, and his sapphire eyes remained fixed on the dark liquid in his cup as though it contained the secrets of the universe.

He hadn’t said a single word since she entered not that she expected him to welcome Xavier with open arms

Kieran and Kaden were still missing and speaking of the devil. The dining room doors opened.

Kieran stepped inside with Kaden following beside him. Yuki’s attention immediately shifted to the youngest triplet.

Kaden was dressed in a cashmere turtleneck paired with tailored trousers, the ensemble giving him an almost scholarly appearance. His long black hair had been arranged neatly, and he looked so polished that Yuki briefly wondered whether someone had threatened him into dressing appropriately.

It certainly wasn’t his usual style.

Kaden preferred rugged clothes, dark colours, and anything that allowed him to move freely. Seeing him dressed like a distinguished young academic was enough to make her question whether she was still half asleep.

Then his gaze landed on Xavier and his jaw locked. Yuki straightened in her seat.

Here we go.

She braced herself for the inevitable sarcastic remark, perhaps a cutting observation about Xavier’s presence or a reminder that the engagement was merely a political arrangement.

Instead, Kaden smiled. "Seems like we have guests," he chimed pleasantly.

He pulled out a chair directly across from Yuki and sat down, his movements relaxed. Kieran took the seat beside him, though the expression on his face was noticeably less welcoming.

Yuki stared at Kaden.

What in the world had happened to him?

She looked from his smile to his suspiciously composed posture, trying to determine whether he was planning something particularly unpleasant.

Then she turned towards Kieran.

His hand had tightened around the back of his chair before he sat down. The movement lasted barely a second, but she caught it. His expression was flat, and his eyes settled on Xavier with an intensity that made the air around the table feel a little colder.

"Is the Velmore family experiencing financial difficulties because of this engagement?" Kieran asked.

The question was delivered in such a serious, matter-of-fact tone that nobody immediately responded.

Yuki’s lips parted.

Xavier blinked.

And Killian...

Killian laughed.

It was a short, unexpected sound, escaping him as he lifted his coffee to his lips. He quickly covered it by taking a sip, but the amusement in his eyes was unmistakable.

Yuki stared at him in disbelief.

She could count on one hand the number of times she had heard Killian laugh like that. The sound was so unfamiliar that for a moment, she wondered whether someone else had made it.

Kaden, meanwhile, turned towards his brother with a look of mild reproach. "Kieran, don’t say such unlucky things about Yuki’s fiancé," he admonished, his voice remarkably reasonable. "If the Velmore family goes bankrupt, she’ll be stuck with him."

Aevia’s lips twitched.

Yuki slowly turned her head towards Kaden.

Excuse me?

Was he defending Xavier or insulting him? Because somehow, he had managed to do both in a single sentence.

Kaden only reached for his glass of juice, looking entirely unbothered.

Xavier maintained his cordial smile, though a flicker of surprise crossed his honey-brown eyes. "Rest assured, the Velmore family is doing perfectly fine," he replied. "We have no immediate plans to go bankrupt."

"Are you sure?" Kieran asked.

This time, he looked genuinely serious.

Xavier paused.

Yuki stared at Kieran, then at Xavier, waiting for someone to explain why they were discussing the financial stability of the Velmore family over breakfast.

"I can assure you that we’re financially sound," Xavier replied, his smile remaining polite despite the peculiar interrogation.

Kieran gave a faint nod, as though he had just received a satisfactory answer to an important business question. Then he asked, "Why couldn’t you have breakfast at your own place?"

A second laugh bubbled out of Killian.

He lowered his cup, pressing his lips together, but the amusement in his eyes only deepened. The funniest part was Kieran’s expression. He looked as though he were conducting a serious financial audit rather than questioning their future brother-in-law about his breakfast arrangements.

Alexander parted his lips, clearly preparing to intervene.

Kaden beat him to it.

"He’s probably here to finalise the remaining details for the engagement and take Yuki to school afterwards," he explained smoothly. He turned towards Kieran, his expression almost stern. "You should be more hospitable. It’s not as though feeding an extra mouth is going to bankrupt us."

Yuki nearly choked on her own breath.

Kaden was being sensible.

Not merely tolerable, not even pretending to behave himself for a few minutes. He was actually defending their guest, making reasonable suggestions, and reprimanding Kieran for his lack of hospitality.

She stared at him as though he had grown another head. Alexander looked as though he were developing a headache and it wasn’t because of Kieran’s questions. It was Kaden’s sudden transformation into the most reasonable person at the table that concerned him.

The youngest triplet was usually the first to complain about unnecessary gatherings, the first to make a cutting remark, and the last person anyone would expect to play the gracious host. Yet here he was, calmly defending Xavier and offering perfectly sensible explanations for his presence.

Alexander narrowed his eyes at his son.

Something was wrong.

Kaden was in far too good a mood for someone who usually looked as though the world had personally offended him.

Kieran, on the other hand, clicked his tongue and reached for his glass of water. He took a sip, then placed it back on the table with a quiet clink. "Excuse me," he said, pushing his chair back. "I’m not feeling well. I’ll take my leave."

Kaden immediately turned towards him. "Where are you going?" he asked, his brows drawing together. "It’s rude to leave when our future brother-in-law has joined us for breakfast."

He sounded so genuinely disapproving that Alexander had to suppress the urge to stare at him. Kieran paused, looking at his brother as though he had just started speaking an unfamiliar language.

Our future brother-in-law?

Since when had Kaden become so sensible?

Kieran was already in a foul mood, and the thought of sitting through another minute of this ridiculous breakfast while Xavier smiled his way through every uncomfortable question was more than he could stomach.

"I’m genuinely not feeling well," he repeated, his voice restrained. "I apologise for disrupting breakfast."

He inclined his head towards Alexander before turning away. Kaden watched him go, then looked towards Xavier with an apologetic expression.."I’m sorry about that. Kieran is rather introverted, and he isn’t used to having visitors around all the time."

The explanation was so absurd that Yuki almost laughed.

Xavier wasn’t some stranger who had wandered into the mansion uninvited. He had known the triplets for years, and his presence was hardly unusual, especially now that he was engaged to their adopted sister.

Yet Kieran had looked as though he would rather endure a root canal than share another five minutes with him.

Yuki’s gaze followed Kieran to the door, her brows knitting together. Kieran wasn’t usually like that.

He could be blunt, cold, and occasionally difficult to deal with, but he rarely allowed his emotions to show so openly. This morning, however, his irritation had been impossible to miss.

The dining room door closed behind him.

Killian lowered his coffee cup, his amusement fading into thoughtfulness. Something about the scene bothered him.

Kieran was a master at keeping his emotions under control. Even when he was angry, he usually managed to conceal it behind that cool, detached expression of his. For him to leave breakfast so abruptly, especially in front of guests, was unusual.

’Perhaps it’s because of the engagement,’ his wolf suggested.

Killian’s brows furrowed. ’ I doubt that.’ He rejected the idea.

Kieran had known about the engagement arrangements and understood the political implications, even if he disagreed with the way his brothers had handled certain matters.

Besides, there was no reason for him to react like this merely because Xavier was sitting at their table.

’ He rejected his mate, and yet he still can’t stand the sight of another male pursuing her,’ his wolf pointed out with a snicker. ’Have you forgotten that wolves can be possessive?’

Killian’s fingers tightened around his coffee cup. ’ That’s different.’ Killian replied.

’Is it?’

Killian fell silent.