"Sigh… I think we should call it a night," Pearl said, rubbing her temple as she ended the call with her and Foca's dad.
"Yeah," Cole agreed, exhaustion finally catching up to him. "I'll go get the car ready."
Goodbyes were exchanged in a way that felt heavier than usual.
Luca pulled Cole into a solid bro hug, giving him a small but sincere smile—you've got this. Tuesday followed with a warm embrace. Foca hugged him last, apologizing quietly for how a night meant for catching up and family bonding had spiraled into a full-blown shitshow.
Cole waved it off immediately. None of this was Foca's fault. If anything, they'd just have to schedule another dinner to make up for this one.
Foca promised they would.
Before leaving, Cole turned to Hyouka, who politely shook his hand—then, without a shred of shame, immediately asked for his autograph.
Cole blinked.
Then laughed.
"Bold," he said, amused, before signing anyway.
Hyouka beamed like she'd just won a prize.
Cole waved once more and headed out.
"I'll get the car too," Luca said shortly after, nodding at Tuesday. The two exchanged a look—silent, perfectly coordinated. This was clearly the moment to give Foca and Pearl some space.
Unfortunately…
Hyouka, brilliant menace that she was, caught none of it.
Not a single hint landed.
She just sat there, happily flipping through the dessert menu like the emotional landmines around her didn't exist.
Luca sighed.
Tuesday cracked her knuckles.
They took matters into their own hands.
Each of them grabbed one of Hyouka's arms and lifted her—not roughly, but firmly—from her seat.
"Hey—wait!" Hyouka protested. "What about my food?!"
"Don't worry," Tuesday said soothingly, like she was handling a toddler mid-tantrum. "We'll get it to go, boo-boo."
Hyouka opened her mouth to argue.
Thought better of it.
Luca, Tuesday, and their now-reluctant plus-one waved a quick goodbye to Pearl before dragging Hyouka toward the exit—dessert dreams postponed, dignity slightly bruised.
And just like that, the table was left quieter.
Only Pearl and Foca remained.
The real conversation was about to begin.
Foca stood from his seat and walked over to his sister.
"Be honest with me," Pearl said softly, already knowing the answer. "One of the reasons you invited me to dinner tonight… was because of that Korean brat, wasn't it?"
Caught red-handed, Foca didn't dodge it.
"I'm really sorry," he said quietly. "It was one of the reasons. But I wasn't going to bring it up anymore. I promised you and everyone[1] that day that I'd handle everything related to my company on my own."
He let out a slow breath.
"I genuinely just wanted to spend time with you and Cole, tonight. We haven't really had that lately. I didn't expect everything to blow up like this."
Pearl reached up and gently cupped his face with both hands, thumbs brushing his cheeks.
"Hey," she said warmly. "Don't beat yourself up. This isn't on you."
Her voice softened, but her eyes sharpened.
"And honestly? This stopped being just your problem the moment we realized what kind of mess this really is. This isn't some spoiled nepo baby acting out. It's bigger than that."
"Yeah…" Foca sighed. "What a shitty day."
Pearl huffed a quiet laugh. "Couldn't agree more."
Then her expression changed—no softness, no teasing. Just truth-seeking seriousness.
"Foca," she said firmly. "Tell me. Why is Cole's sperm donor so afraid of you?"
No excuses. No deflection.
Foca swallowed.
"I never meant to hide it," he said. "But it was for Cole's sake."
He leaned back against the table, eyes distant.
"It happened a long time ago. Not long after you and Cole got married. Back then, Cole was still stuck in his parents' grip—constant guilt-tripping, gaslighting, emotional blackmail. That was when he was just starting to learn how to stand on his own."
He paused, jaw tightening.
"One day I was visiting you two. I overheard Cole yelling on the phone—really yelling. When I asked him about it, he just… broke. At the time, his father's business was failing. His parents were begging him for money. When that didn't work, they started pressuring him to ask you. Or Dad. Or anyone in our family."
Pearl's brows furrowed.
"He refused them every time. But they called him every day. Same time. Like clockwork."
Foca's voice lowered.
"He didn't want to ask any of us for help because he was terrified of being seen as someone who married you for money."
Pearl's chest tightened. "Why wouldn't he tell me? I would never see him that way."
"I know," Foca said softly. "But Cole sees it that way anyway."
Pearl looked away, blinking fast.
"He was barely holding it together," Foca continued. "He begged me not to tell you or anyone else. Swore he'd handle it himself."
He let out a short, humorless chuckle.
"But he had almost no personal funds. I knew he couldn't do it alone. So I offered to help."
"And he refused," Pearl guessed.
"Hard," Foca nodded. "So hard we actually got into a verbal fight."
Pearl's eyes widened. "You fought with Cole?"
"Yep. I kept insisting. He kept saying no. It ended with nothing resolved, and I left, thinking… maybe you really can't help someone who refuses help."
He shrugged slightly. "No hard feelings. I meant it."
Pearl stayed quiet, listening.
"A week later, I was back at Juilliard when Cole called me," Foca said. "I could hear it in his voice. He was done. Completely at the end of his rope."
His jaw clenched.
"So I met with his father. I made him an offer—with an ironclad contract. Very much in my favor."
Pearl sucked in a breath.
"He tried to negotiate," Foca continued calmly. "Didn't work. He signed."
Silence stretched.
"From that day on, I basically owned his company."
Pearl closed her eyes.
"After that, Cole's parents stopped contacting him—mostly. Every now and then, they'd try again. Asking. Manipulating. Trying to sink their claws back in."
"And Cole," Pearl whispered, already knowing.
"He'd give in sometimes," Foca said quietly. "Because he's Cole."
Pearl exhaled slowly, anger simmering beneath her composure.
"And that," Foca finished, "is why I gave Merth a chance to enter LEAVEN."
The air between them felt heavy.
Not with guilt.
But with consequences.
Pearl stayed quiet for a long moment.
Then she spoke.
"It seems my husband has been hiding things from me," she said, her voice layered with sadness, anger, and an aching kind of pity.
Foca reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.
"Don't go too hard on him," he said softly. "Cole's still being eaten alive by what happened back then. I can tell it still affects him."
He looked at her earnestly.
"So, as your brother… I'm asking you to be a little lenient with him."
Pearl hummed thoughtfully.
"Oh, don't worry," she said lightly. "I won't go ape shit on him."
Then her eyes turned wicked.
"Well… maybe just a little handcuffs and edging as a light punishment."
Foca gagged—visibly.
"My dear sister," he said, staring at her like she'd committed a war crime, "did you really have to share that information with me?"
Pearl smirked. "You're an accomplice."
She waved him off. "Besides, it's not even full-on smut. You'll survive."
Foca looked like he absolutely would not.
Then Pearl's expression softened, the teasing melting into something genuine.
"But really," she said quietly, "thank you. For being there for him all those times."
Foca shrugged, almost uncomfortable with the gratitude.
"He's family," he said simply.
"You might see it as just helping," Pearl replied, "but you have no idea how much it meant to him. You stepping in with his parents—limiting their contact—really helped him start healing. It gave him room to breathe."
"I'm just glad he's okay now," Foca said.
Pearl tilted her head, curiosity flickering.
"I am curious though," she said. "Why didn't you just ban them outright from contacting him?"
Foca sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Honestly? I think I was still a bit naive back then. I still wanted to believe people could change. I wanted to see the good in them."
Pearl smiled faintly, sadness threading through it.
"I used to love that side of you," she admitted.
"Well," Foca said quietly, " I still am, just grew up a little."
He didn't say it—but they both knew.
That was around the time his heart had been completely shattered by his cheating ex.
Pearl stepped forward and hugged him.
"Well," she said softly, "I still love you either way."
"I love you too, sis," Foca murmured, hugging her back.
They stayed like that for a moment.
Then Pearl pulled away, smirking.
"You owe me another dinner."
"Gladly," Foca replied, smiling.
And if one really squinted hard enough for a bright side—
Yeah.
The night ended on a good note.
[1] The Family. Vincent his father, Leonor his mother, Jonathan, Pearl and Alexandrite his older siblings.