[LAST NIGHT IN THE DAVIS RESIDENCE]
Silence reigned in the dining room; not a single word was spoken among the family of three.
"Break off your engagement."
The thick silence shattered with Mrs. Davis's remark. "Finn, we are not allowing you to marry into that family, even if Zoren Pierson himself is now part of it."
Mr. Davis nodded. "Finn, all these years, your mother and I have let you make decisions for yourself because we trust you. However, this is the time we must intervene. Nina, the Bennets, and the Cortezes are not good for you."
Finn didn't respond—not because he was reconsidering, but because he was observing his parents. "You left me alone because you trust me?" he repeated quietly. "I didn't know my parents trusted me so much that they left me to fend for myself at one."
"Finn!" Mrs. Davis's voice erupted in a mild shout.