A Family of Overt and Covert Conflicts

"Sss—Nathan Ford..." Ava Sterling didn't have Nathan Ford's patience and immediately erupted.

The two ended up tussling in the back seat of the car, leaving each other with bruises, much to the old man's amusement.

Soon, they arrived home, where the Ford family had been eagerly awaiting the elder Mr. Ford's return, gathering outside the door early.

"Father, you're finally back. We've missed you so much." Aunt Susan Johnson was the first to approach, pushing Ava Sterling aside to support the elder.

Caught off guard, Ava nearly stumbled and fell, but suddenly, she felt a strong grip around her waist. Turning around, she found Nathan Ford steadying her.

"Thank you..." Ava said, glancing at Nathan Ford.

Hearing Ava's thanks, Nathan replied with feigned arrogance, "You're really helpless, can't even walk without tripping."

"You..." Ava rolled her eyes at Nathan Ford but decided not to argue, considering he had prevented her from falling.

Honestly, Ava didn't care for the Ford family, except for the elder Mr. Ford. 

Had she known she'd have to deal with all these relatives, she would have staunchly refused Nathan Ford, regardless of the consequences. 

Facing these aunts and uncles was excruciating.

But since she was already here, there was no turning back. She could only hope Nathan Ford wouldn't trip her up further.

"As the whole family is here, why is it that only Dylan is missing? Sister-in-law, you know. I think it's quite irresponsible of Dylan. Such an important occasion as Grandfather's return, and everyone has dropped their affairs to be here. Why is he the busiest?" Aunt Susan started gossiping to Aunt Karen Ford beside her.

"He's busy, but I believe Dad won't mind," Aunt Karen replied tersely, clearly not interested in engaging further with Aunt Susan.

"How busy can he be? Look at Nathan; he personally went to pick up Grandfather. It's about being filial or not. There's no such thing as too busy," Aunt Susan, not pleased with the rebuttal, quickly showed her discontent.

Seeing Nathan Ford caught in a domestic squabble felt like a scene straight out of a drama to Ava Sterling. 

The Ford household was bustling with activity, but for Ava, the real show was seeing Nathan entangled in the midst of a family feud between his aunt and cousin. 

She couldn't help but relish the thought of him dealing with the situation, especially since he was always so quick to bully her.

"It's quite the spectacle," she thought, amused by the unfolding drama.

"How can you say our Dylan is disrespectful? I don't appreciate that kind of talk about my son," the aunt retorted, clearly offended by the accusation against her child.

"Enough, if he didn't make it, then he didn't make it. Is it really necessary to argue over this?" the grandfather intervened, finally putting an end to the quarrel, much to everyone's relief.

Ava genuinely felt for her grandfather. To travel such a long distance only to mediate petty squabbles was no small feat.

Although Ava had heard of Dylan Anderson, she had never actually met him. It seemed he was someone who existed more in conversation than in reality. Yet, she found herself indifferent to the whole situation.

Dinner time proved to be the real challenge. 

Ava naturally found herself seated next to Nathan Ford, much to her dismay. 

It wasn't just the proximity to Nathan that bothered her; she simply didn't want to be part of the dinner at all.

Despite the abundance of food, she felt incredibly uncomfortable, as if sitting on pins and needles.

"Nathan, make sure Ava gets plenty of food," the grandfather instructed, his eyes gleaming with joy as he watched Nathan and Ava, clearly delighted by their interaction.