Chapter 772

Whenever Samantha spoke about Quintis and his family in front of Knox and Maverick, the remarks were always laced with hostility.

By contrast, Samantha showed nothing but affection for Knox, Tristan, and Maverick. After all, they were seen as the most promising of the younger generation—the ones destined to uphold and expand the Lycan family legacy. The family's future rested on their shoulders.

Maverick was caught off guard by Knox's dismissive comment and was momentarily speechless. In the end, he turned to Jack with an apologetic look and said, "I'm really sorry. They are just being disrespectful." He looked genuinely remorseful.

Though Maverick was the eldest among them, there was little he could do. Since the younger ones hadn't outright insulted Jack, but had merely chosen to keep their distance, he couldn't force them to act otherwise. It was, after all, their choice.

Jack didn't hold it against Maverick. He had more or less figured out why Knox and Greta treated him with such blatant contempt.

First, Samantha had long harbored resentment toward Emily, and by extension, to her children as well.

Second, there was the ingrained class prejudice. They saw Jack, who'd grown up at the lower social class, as someone crude and lacking refinement.

Greta's tone during that phone call had already made that bias abundantly clear.

What's more, Jack had lashed out at Greta, calling her a brat and humiliated her. She now used the family banquet as an opportunity to rally others and ostracise him in return.

There was likely a fourth reason. Jack's sudden reappearance posed a direct threat to Tristan's standing within the Lycan family, which may have fueled the quiet hostility from everyone else.

Whatever the reasons, one thing was clear-Jack wasn't going to get through this family banquet peacefully. Chapters first released on find✦novel.net

The younger crowd at the table chatted and laughed among themselves, ignoring him completely. Every now and then, a few would shoot him glances and whisper to one another, as if he were some kind of oddity.

And maybe he was. What else would you call a guy from the lower rungs of society stepping into the heart of a powerful, prestigious family?

Still, there were two exceptions. Aside from Maverick, who occasionally asked about how Jack had been doing over the years, there was one quiet girl who seemed genuinely curious about him. She kept sneaking glances in his direction with her big, bright eyes.

Noticing she wasn't ignoring Jack, Maverick took the opportunity to introduce her. "Jack, this is my younger sister, Tatiana Lycan."

Jack vaguely remembered Tatiana. She was a few years younger than him, and when he left the family years ago, she'd still been a toddler just learning to walk. He hadn't expected her to grow up into such a graceful young woman.

Jack smiled and greeted her. "Hi."

To his surprise, Tatiana smiled back and asked, "What are you doing now? Are you still in college?"

Jack replied, "Yes. I'm studying in Alnewgo. What about you? Where are you studying?"

Tatiana responded, "I'm a freshman at The Montclair Conservatory. Why didn't you apply to a university here in the capital? The schools here are amazing, and it's closer to Grandpa."

Jack gave a faint smile and replied, "I think Alnewgo is great. It's an international city, and I really like the vibe there."

As soon as he finished speaking, Greta sneered, "Tatiana, you're way too naive. You think people from the countryside can just waltz into a top university in the capital? You're really underestimating the standards here. Even the vocational colleges in the capital require high scores!"

Around the table, several cousins and relatives snickered, as if convinced Jack couldn't even get into a two-year program, let alone a proper university.

Jack couldn't be bothered to engage. He simply picked at the dishes near him and replied, "Though the capital's great, there is no need to be arrogant."

Still, Jack was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Tatiana and Bella to be at the same school. If the opportunity came up, maybe he could ask Tatiana about her.