MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

The family dinner continued, but this time, the focus shifted entirely to Anthony, or rather, to him and Vega.

"So, where did you two meet? How did it happen? Give us every detail," Mitchelle said enthusiastically, her eyes bright with curiosity as she smiled at her son.

Anthony sighed quietly. He could feel their collective gazes drilling into him; their eyes were so intent they could almost bore holes through his skin. Yet, he couldn't remain silent, there was no way to escape this conversation.

"We met at a cafe," Anthony began, a faint smile touching his lips as though he were reminiscing. "It was the first time we saw each other. I was already inside, having a bit of cake, when she walked in. And right there, I knew, I loved her. Her steps, her confidence, her face, her presence…" His smile lingered, soft and distant. "She bought a slice of cake then. I remember that the moment she turned from the counter, our eyes met. Just for a moment, but that moment was enough."

He paused briefly, his gaze growing unfocused, as though replaying the scene over and over in his mind like a broken record, trapped in that single instant.

"Then she left the cafe," he concluded calmly.

Silence fell over the table. This was the first time any of them had heard Anthony speak about someone like this. No, he had never spoken about anyone in such a way before. Not his friends, not his comrades, not anyone.

"You didn't go after her?" Collins asked, visibly intrigued by his grandson's story of love.

"Well, I did," Anthony replied with a small chuckle. "But she was already gone. She probably teleported."

The next moment, he continued, his voice carrying a calm and steady rhythm. "After that first encounter, I started visiting the cafe more often, not just that one, but several others too, just in case she had entered that place randomly and it wasn't her usual spot." His tone was even, but everyone could sense it, the sincerity, the quiet passion. The young man sitting before them was, without question, in love.

"But I didn't see her again for a while," he went on softly. "It felt as though the galaxy had given me something beautiful one moment, only to take it away the next." His eyes dimmed briefly at the memory. "But I later encountered her again, at the same cafe. And that time, we truly met. I remember vividly that I was seated in my usual spot when she walked up to me and sat across from me with her cake. I think that was the first time in my life I was completely frozen, hesitant to even speak."

Anthony chuckled quietly at the memory, his expression warm and alive. He spoke like an author writing a romance scene for a fantasy novel for his loyal readers, and for a moment, it felt like his mind had drifted away from the dinner table entirely.

Michael, Mitchelle, Irene, and Collins all stared at him silently. The way he spoke, the way his tone shifted, the distant look in his eyes, it was as if he were standing in that cafe all over again, reliving every second.

Anthony never hid anything about his encounter with Vega from his family. It wasn't as though they discouraged him from relationships, if anything, they had been eagerly waiting for him to find someone. Mitchelle had often teased him about wanting grandchildren, while Collins and Irene had long grown tired of his indifferent attitude toward romance.

"We talked for a while," Anthony continued. "This was around the time we had just returned from the Military Base Alpha-6 situation. After our conversation, we walked out together. After walking for a bit, she flew back to her residential island. She wasn't a Captain-ranked soldier at the time."

He paused for a moment, a faint, nostalgic smile gracing his face. "I still remember her first word to me, it was simply 'Hello.'" His voice softened as though he could still hear her melodic tone echoing in his ears.

"Sounds like a nice girl," Irene said warmly, smiling as she leaned slightly forward.

"She is," Anthony replied with quiet sincerity. "She loves children, she's a big fan of visiting orphanages and spending time with them. That's probably one of the things I love most about her."

The family exchanged glances and nodded in unison. From his tone alone, they could already tell what kind of person Vega was. Michael, however, had expected her to be more dominant, strong, perhaps even fierce, she was Klaus's daughter, after all. But the way Anthony described her painted a different picture, calm, mature, compassionate. In short, perfect.

"Tell us about your first date," Irene said eagerly, her eyes glinting. "I hope you went above and beyond. After all, you're not exactly short on money."

"Mom," Michael interjected smoothly, "Vega's also extremely wealthy. She's the daughter of Klaus and Amara, those two without even being combined are richer than all of us together. I doubt someone like her would be moved by material things."

But Irene didn't answer him. She simply stared at her grandson expectantly, a soft but knowing smile playing on her lips. She wanted to hear that he had done something meaningful. As a woman, she knew how deeply the first date could etch itself into a person's heart.

Anthony smiled faintly as he met his grandmother's gaze. He could easily sense her expectations, and his smile grew a little wider. He was confident, his first date with Vega had been perfect. Both of them had enjoyed every moment of it, every second etched into memory like starlight frozen in time.

With that, he began.

"Well, first of all, I bought a flying car, went to her residential island, and picked her up for the date," Anthony began, his tone calm but nostalgic. "For the date, we actually went to the Blue Planet, and the first place we visited was a restaurant of my choosing. But after that, we basically did what she wanted."