•London, 29/06/2025, 6:14 PM•
Dinner was going well between the Nights and the Whitehouse. The ship had not yet sunk. Nobody had said anything out of place or offensive, at least not out loud, and no one had brought up any sensitive topics.
Raven's father taught him to say as little as possible while still carrying on the conversation. Speak in hushed tones, and if you're going to lie about something, stick to your story while slipping in a few truths here and there. The best lies have a few truths fixed in that has been twisted slightly.
Liam, on the other hand, hadn't said much because he wasn't interested in any of the topics. It would be impolite of him to interrupt the adults' conversation, and Rachel and Raven were on their phones. He could have done the same, but there wasn't much he could do. His friends were most likely preparing to travel to different countries to visit their parents.
Furthermore, he had no intention of speaking to Raven. Theodore noticed the kids weren't saying much, so he decided to do some light conversion, mostly out of politeness.
"Do you have any plans for your vacation, Raven?" He inquired.
"Nope. Adam persuaded me to play a game, so I'll see how long it holds my attention." Raven said as he put down his phone.
"Which game?" Diane inquired.
"Limitless Online, was that the one. Yes that's it. It came out a month ago I'm pretty sure." He gave a nod.
"Oh." Henry became intrigued. "Rachel enjoys it as well, and she even brought the headset with her. Maybe you and your friend could play it together."
"I rather not/I'm fine." Raven and Rachel both stated. Many people believed they hatted each other, and they did, but not frequently. They were sometimes cool, and sometimes they were at each other's throats.
Raven doubted that the game could keep him entertained for that long. He intended to play it for a week and see how it went. It's not like he had any plans.
"Raven I meant to tell you this morning but I wouldn't be able to come in for a few months. I'll be back by the time you return to school. I have a lot of business to attend to in America. Diane and Henry will also be staying while I'm away." Theodore claimed, making the boy look at his father almost wanting to strangle him, but he knew better.
Raven was going to do it after the man had gone to bed. He couldn't fight much and there would be no witnesses. He nodded as a light went off in his head.
"I just remembered Adam asked me and a few if our friends to take a trip Singapore. Unfortunately, I will not be present. Adam even persuaded his butler to accompany us. I wouldn't want to miss it now that I've already accepted." Raven spoke in the calmest tone he could muster at the time.
'Clever little shit.' Theodore thought. Raven's friend's parent contacted him and asked if Raven would be going because the group goes everywhere together. He didn't know what to say, so he just said Raven hasn't made up her mind yet.
The man planned to discuss it with Raven after dinner as well.
"Perhaps Liam and Rachel can accompany you?!" Diane exclaimed, hoping to set up something so the three of them could bond a little more.
"We're afraid not." Raven said, drawing all attention to himself. "Only nine of us are going, which we unfortunately can't change because Adam has been planning the trip since last month. It's far too late to make any adjustments."
Raven's expression was serious on the outside, but on the inside he was praising his brilliance. The majority of what he said was completely false. Adam had planned the trip two days before, so everything was done on short notice actually.
As he looked at Rachel, another light went off in his head. He smiled briefly, sending shivers down her spine. Rachel only needed a few seconds to realize his story had a few holes in it.
She knew Adam, and he was not the type to plan things ahead of time. They boy had traveled to a different country just to spend the weekend with his parents because none of his friends were available and he was lonely.
Rachel was certain Raven was leaving so he wouldn't have to stay with Liam, Henry, or Diane.
"We only have room for one person because one of our friends had to cancel. Rachel should accompany us; she wants to own an airline, right? She wanted to go there as well, but couldn't because she was too young and didn't have the time." Raven's plan was to follow in Adam's footsteps and drag the girl to a different country just to spite her.
Of course, Raven would have to put up with her for the next two months, but it would be worth it. At least, that's what he hoped.
"That's a fantastic idea!" Diane yelled, oblivious to her daughter's thoughts. "But, Raven, where will Liam go? Are you sure you only have room for one?"
"Please, Mother. I do not think..." Rachel was going to protest but was not given the opportunity.
"In fact, Dear, I believe Rachel should go alone." Henry's words killed Rachel's hope of escaping. However, it did peak everyone's interest.
Henry had made it clear that Liam was to take over after his retirement. Diane didn't think it was her place to make a decision because it was his life's work.
She didn't mind either. Rachel has always wanted to run an airport; the mere thought of it excites her for some reason. She had always wanted to be in charge of something like that since she was a child.
She initially desired to be a flight attendant, then a pilot. Less than 5% of pilots are female, but she was confident she could become one. When she was ten, she decided she'd be all of them and own an airport.
Of course, she was a child at the time and had no idea what a huge responsibility that was, but her determination never faded. It only grew as Rachel got older. She, like Raven, was going to pursue a career in business.
She had an uncanny ability to read people. She could tell what kind of person someone was just by the way they carried themselves.
"I wanted to send Liam to a study camp until school resumes." Henry stated. Hearing this, Liam's face paled. His father shipping him off to some stupid camp was the last thing he expected. "It's also in London, which is one of the reasons I wanted to open a new branch for my company here."
Henry's company focused on technology. They created computers and sold them all over America and a few other countries.
The Whitelocks were a young rising family in the world. Their ground-breaking computers had taken America and a few other countries by storm.
Henry wished to establish a new branch in the United Kingdom because most of the geniuses appeared to be coming from there recently. Raven's school also used computers made by his company.
Theodore was the type to give credit where credit was due, and he knew Henry's company could do wonders for the UK. He wanted the best for his son, and if Henry could innovatively help Raven, he was willing to set aside his pride for a while.
"Liam, we talked about it on the plane." Looking at the boy, Henry sighed. "Your grades spoke for themselves. This camp will assist you and help you to improve them."
"B-But what about my friends? If I'm forced to go, why isn't Rachel coming as well?" As they watch the scene unfold in front of them, Liam raised his voice and pointed at Rachel, who was not seated next to Raven.
The one thing they can both enjoy is scandal. They would just sit side by side and watch with great interest whenever something like this happened.
"Young man, lower your voice." Henry's voice became much more stun than before, causing the boy to shrink significantly. "We are in the presences of our host. You will not embarrass me in this situation."
Raven drew Rachel's attention to him by tugging on her shirt.
"How did you two do in school?" He mumbled low enough so only she could hear him.
"My lowest grade was Physical Education and it was a B. His best grade was a C in Mathematics." She replied in hushed tones. Raven almost fell out of his chair as a result of her words.
Math was one of his strong subjects, as was Rachel's and his mother's. Their mother taught math at one of America's top universities, so how could Liam be so bad at it?
He literally lives with a teacher, and a damn good one at that. When Diane attempted to teach the boy the most basic of subjects, she and Henry had similar thoughts. Liam rarely paid attention to her instructions.
The few times he attempted the questions, he would almost always get it wrong and claim he was correct and her answer was incorrect. The woman didn't want to abandon the boy, but he was making it difficult.
"B-But..." Liam wanted to argue further, but his father wouldn't allow it.
"You WILL attend this camp, young man. This decision is finally. If you continue to argue, there will be consequences."
Liam clenched his teeth and pushed the table away from his seat, he got up and stomped out of the room. Diane and Henry followed him out of the room.
"Please accept my apologies, Theodore; the meal was delicious. We'll be leaving; I hope you can look after Rachel while we're gone." Henry stated. He chased after his wife and son after seeing Theodore's nod, leaving the three in an awkward silence.
"Huh." Raven was the first person to speak up. "I was expecting to hear gunfire tonight, so it could have gone much worse."
Rachel laughed, but she covered her mouth. She had completely forgotten Raven had forced her to accompany him on this trip. Theodore smacked Raven on the back of the head, causing him to jerk forward quite a bit.
"Ow! What, I'm being truthful!" Raven yelled angrily. His father made a shaky motion with his head.
"My trip is in a week, and I'll see you both off." Theodore said. "Rachel, your room is ready, and Raven... go take a proper shower."
"Hm." While smelling his shirt, the boy hummed. "Do I stink or what?"
"No, I just want you to take proper shower, none of that minute shit."
Raven shrugged and reached for an apple on the table. His sister and he walked up the stairs, leaving Theodore alone. Now that he wasn't dealing with any drama, he could eat, the man barely touched his food during dinner. He can now eat in peace without having to deal with his 'lovely' visitors.