Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,99

and tone feel quite reassuring.

“Pleasure meeting you, Mr. Van Gatt,” I reply back.

“Let me check if dinner is ready.” Petra leaves me alone with him, and I swear I hate her for a second for doing so.

“Thank you for what you have been doing,” Roy tells me in a low voice, a hand on my shoulder, as we walk in the direction of the dining room.

“Oh, that’s what friends do.” I play humble—it’s always the smart thing to do in a situation like this.

“She wasn’t eating anything for nearly two weeks,” he confesses. And I’m amazed at his ease in telling me that.

“Yeah, I’d noticed that.”

As we reach the dining room, I find Petra talking to Janine, and she asks me, “What do you want to drink?”

“Um, I’m fine with a juice or a soda,” I tell them.

Petra looks at her dad and says, “See? I told you.”

“Fine, I’ll try out that juice, then,” Roy instructs as Janine goes to the bar and fills our glasses with a green liquid.

“Janine made a green detox juice,” Petra explains to me.

Seeing Roy’s expression laced with disappointment, I tell him, “You may drink whatever you feel like. I just don’t drink alcohol.”

But Petra doesn’t seem to be on board with that. “He’s gonna drink a healthy juice for once.” She then takes two glasses and gives me one, while Janine gives another one to Roy.

“Well, cheers,” Petra says as we all raise our glasses and clink them together.

After taking a sip, I can’t help but praise Janine for its delicious flavor.

Petra does the same and then asks, “What do you think, Dad?”

“You really want to know?”

While I can’t help crack a laugh at his reply, Petra, on the other hand, just rolls her eyes. “Matt, please have a seat. Dinner is gonna be served soon.” Oh, did she just call me Matt? That’s, like, the first time she’s ever called me by my nickname. I try to conceal my astonishment by taking another sip of my drink, and I quietly take a seat in front of her dad.

After we all sit down, Janine starts pouring some soup onto my bowl, and Roy takes this opportunity to break the silence and asks, “Petra told me you have been involved in, um, political activism?”

Now that’s an unexpected question. “Uh, well, it’s more like teaching and promoting social rights through videos and podcasts,” I explain. “I’m not campaigning for any candidate. At least, not anymore, since Bernie lost in the primaries.” Not sure why I told him all that with such ease, but I just couldn’t help it.

“Ah, yes, I have watched some of your videos on YouTube.”

“Really?” Petra and I say at the same time.

“You did?” she asks him again, even more surprised than I am.

“Yes. You’re very talented,” Roy praises. And I’m left totally speechless at his statement. He really went to the extent of checking out my videos? “Are you thinking of pursuing academics or teaching as a career?”

“Um, well, being a professor is a viable option. But first, I’ve got to finish my degree, and then we’ll see.”

“That’s why you changed from finance to philosophy?”

“Dad!” Petra admonishes.

“What? I’m just asking.”

Letting out a quick chuckle, I tell him, “Yeah, I felt like finance was not my calling.”

“Why did you enroll in it in the first place, then?” Roy keeps asking.

And I remember Alex advising me to always be honest and not to lie. So I decide to tell him the truth, even if it bothers me to no end having to bring my Pops into the conversation. “My dad kinda persuaded me. And since our relationship hasn’t been the best, I agreed to give it a try.”

“Sounds so familiar…” Petra fesses up. And we can’t help but have a laugh at her comment.

“But you like finance, don’t you?” Roy asks her.

“Yeah, so far the classes have been interesting.”

“The program is excellent,” I reassure him. “It’s just not what I wanted for me.”

“Do you accept donations for your YouTube channel?”

Another question that is totally unexpected. “Um, yeah, I’ve got a Patreon account.”

“Great, then I’ll gladly support it.”

I raise my eyebrows at his statement, and I try hard not to gape. Petra does the same. Roy, a capitalist of Wall Street, supporting a YouTube channel promoting social rights, progressive agenda, and wealth redistribution? What world do I live in? “Um, that’s great. Thank you. But don’t feel obligated.”

“I don’t feel obligated,” he repeats, smiling at me. “I admire people that fight for what they stand