Chapter 16 SIXTEEN
Victor settled into the armchair across from them like he'd done it a thousand times. Probably had. Patricia was already pouring him a scotch, no ice, like she knew exactly how he took it.
"So this is the woman who finally caught Callum's attention," Victor said, raising his glass slightly. "Patricia called me right after the engagement announcement. Nearly gave me a heart attack. This one's been married to his work for as long as I've known him."
Callum made a sound that might have been a laugh. "I'm sitting right here, Victor."
"And you know I'm right." Victor took a sip, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiled. "Both you boys, running yourselves ragged trying to keep up with what your father built. It's good to see you actually living a little."
There was genuine affection in his voice.
"Well, Lennox, congratulations," Victor said warmly. "I hope you know what you're getting into, marrying into this chaos."
"I'm starting to figure it out," Lennox said.
"Give it time. They grow on you." Victor settled deeper into his chair. "So tell me, how did you two meet? Patricia mentioned something about a business dinner but she was light on details."
Callum answered before Lennox could. "Daniels, about three months ago. We were at adjacent tables, started talking about the wine."
"And you just couldn't resist his charm?" Victor asked Lennox, grinning.
"Something like that."
"Well, I'm happy for you both." Victor raised his glass again. "Truly. It's about time someone made this one slow down and remember there's more to life than quarterly reports."
He launched into a story about Callum and Cole as kids, something about them trying to build a robot that ended up destroying half the garage. The way Victor told it had everyone laughing, even Cole cracking up at the details.
"Your father was so mad," Victor said, shaking his head. "Not because you broke things, but because you'd used parts from one of his prototypes without asking."
"We thought he wouldn't notice," Cole added, grinning.
"Thomas noticed everything." Victor's expression went a bit more serious. "He was a brilliant man but hard on you two. I hope you know that."
"We know," Callum said quietly.
The conversation kept flowing after that. Victor had story after story about the family, about building the company with Thomas, about watching the twins grow up. He was charming, easy to talk to, the kind of person who made everyone in the room feel comfortable.
Lennox found herself relaxing a bit. He seemed genuinely happy about the engagement, genuinely fond of Callum and Cole. Not suspicious or judging like she'd worried he might be.
"Remember that summer you two tried to start your own tech company?" Victor was saying. "You were what, fifteen?"
"Sixteen," Cole corrected. "And it actually made money."
"For about three months before your father shut it down." Victor laughed. "Said you needed to focus on school, not side projects."
"Classic Thomas," Patricia said, shaking her head.
They kept talking, the stories getting funnier and more relaxed. Margot asked about some charity event Victor was organizing. Patricia mentioned something about the club. It all felt very normal, very family.
"You know, Lennox," Victor said after a while. "I'd love to take you to lunch sometime. Get to know you better, welcome you properly to the family."
"Oh, that's really nice of you."
"Not at all. It's important that you feel comfortable here. This family can be overwhelming at first." Victor smiled at her. "Plus I want all the embarrassing stories about Callum that he won't tell me himself."
Everyone laughed. Callum rolled his eyes but he was almost smiling.
"My assistant will reach out next week and we'll find a time that works," Victor continued. "Somewhere nice and quiet where we can actually talk."
"Sure. That sounds good."
Victor kept the conversation going, asking Patricia about her latest renovation project, teasing Cole about something Lennox didn't quite catch. He was good at this, making everyone feel included, keeping things light.
But Lennox noticed he didn't really ask her much, compared to how Patricia and even Margot had peppered her with questions during dinner, Victor seemed almost distant. Like he was being polite but not particularly interested.
Maybe he just needed time to warm up to her. Or maybe he didn't like her and was just being diplomatic about it for Callum's sake.
That thought made her stomach sink a little. If Victor was as close to the family as everyone said, having him disapprove would make everything harder.
An hour later, people started saying their goodbyes. Patricia hugged Callum, told Lennox again how lovely it was to meet her. Margot promised to call about dress shopping. Cole gave them both a nod that felt less hostile than it had at dinner.
Victor walked them to the door, still chatting easily with Callum about some board meeting next week.
"It was great meeting you, Lennox," he said as they reached the front entrance. The car was already waiting in the circular driveway.
"You too. Thanks for being so welcoming."
"Of course." Victor smiled at her, but it felt polite rather than warm. Professional. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
He shook Callum's hand, said something about golf next month, then stepped back as they headed to the car.
Lennox climbed in, exhausted from the whole evening. Callum got in beside her and immediately pulled out his phone, checking messages.
As the car pulled away, Lennox glanced back through the window. Victor was still standing in the doorway talking to Patricia, who'd come out to see them off. He looked relaxed, comfortable, like he belonged there.
She turned back around, settling into her seat.
"Victor seems nice," she said.
"He is. He's been like an uncle to us, honestly. Especially after my father died." Callum was scrolling through emails. "He helped us navigate a lot of the transition, kept the board from tearing itself apart."
"He really cares about you guys."
"Yeah." Callum glanced up from his phone. "He's one of the few people in my life I actually trust completely. Why?"
"No reason. Just getting to know everyone." Lennox looked out the window at the passing trees. "I think he might not like me very much though."
"What? Why would you think that?"
"I don't know. He was polite but not exactly warm. Maybe I'm just being paranoid after dinner."
Callum shook his head. "You're overthinking it. Victor's just reserved with new people. Give it time. Once he gets to know you, he'll come around."
"You think?"
"I know." Callum went back to his phone. "Victor judges people by their character, not their background. Once he sees you're genuine, he'll be fine."
Lennox nodded and turned back to the window, watching Greenwich blur past. Callum was probably right. She was just on edge from the whole evening, from being scrutinized and questioned and assessed.
Victor was fine. A little distant maybe, but that was normal when meeting someone new. The lunch next week would probably help. They'd talk, he'd realize she actually cared about Callum, and everything would be fine.
She tried to ignore the small voice in her head that wondered why someone so warm with everyone else had been so carefully neutral with her. Like he was holding back, reserving judgment.
Or like he already had an opinion and was just too polite to show it.