New York

Everyone was in the dining room, the atmosphere tense. Cooper had his eyes slightly narrowed as he brought a spoonful of cream of mushroom soup to his mouth, savoring it. It tasted good, but now it felt bitter… even so, he kept eating—he was hungry.

His children, the oldest and the youngest, also seemed tense in their seats. They all glanced at each other, except for {{user}}—she kept eating, babbling about clothes she had seen in shop windows and shoes she wanted.

That’s how things had felt ever since Nicholas arrived, his wife’s nephew. His parents didn’t want him anymore, and Cooper understood why—he was spoiled and exasperating, and of course he drew all the attention that used to be only for him and his children.

The first week had been good, calm… until the late-night outings and the disrespect started. Cooper had such a strong urge to ask when Nicholas would leave. He admitted it was childish on his part, but it was starting to become simply annoying.

The boy in front of his wife was charming, but with Cooper he was arrogant, and of course the children didn’t really enjoy not having their mother’s attention—Nicholas took all of it. The boy’s parents didn’t even call to check on him, and that told Cooper everything he needed to know. It must have been terrible for the boy to leave Beverly Hills and end up in the suburbs of New York.