Villain MMORPG: Almighty Devil Emperor and His Seven Demonic Wives - Chapter 2032

Chapter 2032: Perfect Family Portrait [Part 2]
Villain Ch 2032. Perfect Family Portrait [Part 2]

Carla let out a soft laugh, not quite genuine, but enough to pass.

Jason wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Where to?”

“Just out of town,” Evan said quickly. “Some hotel thing. Not far. Just a few days. I figured I could go. Recharge. You know?”

Jason squinted. “When?”

Evan hesitated just a second too long.

“The end of the month,” he said. “Only for three days.”

Jason frowned. “The end of the month? What kind of dumbass company runs a raffle and sends people out right before end of month evaluations?”

Evan shrugged. “Apparently mine.”

Jason chewed slower, thinking. “Is this one of those team-building things where they make you share a room with some guy named Greg and talk about synergy?”

Evan laughed. “No. It’s solo. Just me.”

Jason nodded, grunted, then reached for his water.

Carla stood up suddenly. “I’ll pack some snacks for you,” she said. “Just in case hotel food’s bad.”

Evan looked at her. A silent thank-you passed between them.

Jason kept eating.

“Well,” he finally said. “Good for you. Just don’t blow all your money there. And keep your phone on. In case something happens. I mean, you are grown up now… So, I can’t keep you in this house all the time. Man needs connection and vacation. ”

Evan smiled. “Of course.”

They ate in silence after that.

Evan didn’t taste much after the first few bites. His mind was already spinning ahead.

Not in panic. Not even in guilt. Just quiet calculations.

When he needed to leave. How to pack. Whether it would rain. How many faces would recognize him at the wedding.

But most of all, he kept wondering why his father had said yes so easily.

Because Jason never said yes easily. Not to vacations. Not to changes in schedule. Not to anything he hadn’t suggested first. And definitely not to Evan going somewhere alone on short notice.

But tonight?

Just a nod. A grunt. A warning not to blow his money.

It felt off.

But Evan didn’t push it. Didn’t peel back the skin to see what was underneath. Sometimes you got the okay you were hoping for and just had to run with it.

He cleared his plate. Thanked his mom. Said goodnight with a polite tone like they were just a normal family who loved each other a normal amount.

And then he went upstairs like the good man he always tried to be.

He heard the clink of plates, the scrape of chairs, the water turning on.

Then it was just Carla and Jason downstairs.

Still, quiet, warm with the leftover smell of dinner and old history.

Carla stood by the sink, rinsing the dishes, stacking them in the drying rack with a rhythm that had lived in her hands for decades. The sponge was soft, warm with soap and tap water, suds sliding between her fingers. The edge of the counter pressed against her stomach the same way it always had, just enough to leave a faint crease in her apron.

Jason walked over with the last two plates. She expected him to set them down and walk away. Maybe turn on the TV. Check his phone. Complain about the news.

But instead he rolled up his sleeves. Took the sponge.

“I’ll dry,” he said.

Carla paused. Not visibly. But inside, something bumped out of rhythm.

“…Alright,” she said softly.

She handed him the first plate. He reached for a clean towel and began drying in slow, almost careful circles.

They didn’t talk at first.

The sounds filled the silence. Water running. Dishes clinking. Soft squeaks from the towel. The occasional creak of the old cabinet hinges.

It wasn’t warm silence, but it wasn’t cold either. Just something in between.

Jason glanced at her. Then back at the plate.

“Okay,” he said, setting the dish aside. “Tell me what that kid’s really planning.”

Carla didn’t blink.

“It’s a vacation,” she said, wiping a glass.

“Bullshit,” he muttered, not even hiding it.

She shrugged. “He said what he said.”

Jason stopped drying. Held the plate still. Stared at it like it had secrets.

“This some company thing?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

Carla placed the rinsed glass in the rack.

Jason’s jaw tightened. “It’s Allen, isn’t it?”

She didn’t respond. But her silence was a confession in itself.

Jason slammed the towel onto the counter, just enough to startle the soap bubbles into jumping.

“Unbelievable,” he hissed. “Still with that damn name in this house.”

Carla finally turned to him. Not angry. Just tired.

“Let Evan go,” she said. “It’s Allen’s wedding. That’s all.”

Jason laughed, but it wasn’t amused. More like something bitter got stuck in his throat.

“Wedding? What kind of nerve does that bastard have throwing a wedding like he’s royalty? After everything he put you through?”

“He didn’t put me through anything,” she said quietly. “He just existed.”

“Don’t act like he didn’t ruin everything.”

“He didn’t ruin everything, Jason.”

Jason glared. “Are you planning to go too? Huh? Is that it? Going to see him?”

Carla’s brows furrowed. “Who?”

“Jordan Goldborne,” Jason said. “You think I don’t remember that name? The one night stand you barely remember. The rich pretty boy who disappeared like a goddamn ghost.”

Carla didn’t move. Her hands stayed submerged in soapy water, fingers slowly curling into fists beneath the surface.

Jason was breathing hard now, voice low but shaking.

“You going to run to him?” he said.

“No,” she said.

The word cut through the air sharper than anything else.

“I’m not going,” she said again. “I’m not attending the wedding. I won’t see him. I won’t see any of them.”

Jason stared at her, still fuming. But somewhere in his eyes, something eased. Like a door slammed shut that he hadn’t even realized he’d left open.

“You’re not?” he asked, softer now.

“No.”

He let out a shaky breath and leaned against the counter. The towel now limp in his hand.

Carla rinsed the last dish.

“I stayed, didn’t I?” she said. “After all the offers. I stayed with you. Raised Evan. Lived this life. Cleaned this kitchen.”