“Ladies and gentlemen—food is what brings us together tonight. To begin, let me introduce the teams preparing our main course.”
“From China: Wuying ‘Willa’ Zheng, who also teaches biology at Marshall Middle School; Xuefeng Yao and his wife, Mary—both educators at Arrow Rock Elementary; and Doctors. Xiang Dong and Zhi Wan, members of my mobile medical team.”
“From Đà Nẵng, Vietnam: Xuân Vũ Hàn and Mai Anh Vũ—recent arrivals seeking a better life here.”
“From right here in Marshall: my cousin Jessica Nguyễn and her business partner, Tracy Trần.”
“And from Seoul: Minjun Tongbang, Eun-Gyung Kae, and Tae-Yeon Han—recent spring arrivals preparing to teach at Marshall High School—joined by their teammate and my cousin, Ellie Park.”
“These three teams are presenting regional dishes featuring one of our most aggressive invasive species: the American alligator. Each week, these creatures push farther north from the ruins south of St. Louis. These three made it as far as my fish farms—and had to be culled.”
“The rest of tonight’s culinary offerings come from our locally diverse community. I want to thank everyone for your contributions to this evening’s celebration.”
“And a special thanks to the staff of Continental Catering of Columbia, who’ve made it possible for those same families—and their workforce—to relax tonight while someone else does the serving.”
Matt didn’t add that he owned Continental Catering—or the other two dozen Columbia businesses involved in the event. Money would move, books would balance, and his personal coffers would continue to fill. He feared he might soon need to draw from that rainy-day fund.
“Mom, Dad!” Kevin called, waving as he practically dragged Mall behind him.
“I’m sorry, Kevin,” Mall whispered, her voice tight with panic. She hadn’t realized he was someone important—this important.
“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked, taken aback.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she said, pulling back as his parents approached. She was a V’ren girl with no status. These were the highest-ranking people she had ever encountered. They would surely chastise her, humiliate her, maybe worse. She tried to pull away.
Matt sensed the panic. He knew exactly what this was. Kevin Wood had brought a low-caste girl—or worse, one with no status—to his party. A potential PR disaster. He grabbed Angelina’s wrist and nodded toward the young couple.
Mall took a step to retreat. Kevin didn’t let go. In fact, he moved with her. That has to be a joke, she thought. But no—she knew the kiss had been real. The rose in her hand proved it. So did the stuffed animal he’d won for her. He wasn’t false. Just… clueless.
She stepped back to steady herself—and bumped into something solid.
“Kev,” Matt said cheerfully, just as Angelina appeared on her other side, gently closing off her exit.
“Just breathe,” Angelina murmured. “Pretend you want to be here, Mall. Everything is going to be fine.” It was the same calm voice she’d used to coax terrified, trafficked women from freight trailers for two decades.
“So what’s up, Buttercup?” Matt asked, flashing a smile full of warmth and reassurance—the kind that made most people feel seen and safe.
But Mall wasn’t most people. She wanted to vanish. The bold, charming girl Matt had noticed earlier now trembled in front of him.
“My lord,” she managed, eyes lowered. She tried to kneel-bow, but her limbs wouldn’t obey—until Annie Roxas gently took her arm.
“The flowers on your dress,” Matt said kindly. A small thing. But fear often made people forget even what they were wearing. If she remembered, that was a good sign.
“Mall,” Kevin said gently. “What’s wrong? These are my people.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Now. I’m so sorry, Lord Marmaduke. I wouldn’t have said yes to him if I had known.”
“I’m glad you said yes. You two make a cute couple.”
“Matt?” Kevin asked, glancing nervously toward his parents.
“She’s scared,” Matt said simply, then turned to her. “Low caste? No status?”
She gave a tiny nod.
“It is a caste thing, Kevin. There are 109 High Lords for over 120 Billion V’ren in the universe.”
“That doesn’t matter to me.”
“Me neither, but it matters in social context right here, right now. We’ll talk later,” he said, speaking low to her again. “For now, just stand tall. Meet his parents. Let the media see you’re not afraid. You have my full favor. If you don’t show your fear, the media will love you. Just hold his hand and let him help you through this.”
“Kevin,” Marie said warmly as she approached—just a mom about to meet her son’s first real crush. She could tell the girl was nervous—though not why. The why could wait. For now, decorum.
“Are you going to use the manners I tried to teach you?”
“I was just waiting for Dad to catch up. He is so much older than you, after all.”
“I heard that, boy,” Leonard said with a laugh as he arrived, slower but smiling.
“Mom, Dad, Uncle Matt, Angelina,” Kevin said, stepping into the moment. “This is my friend, Mall Kerr.”
“I’m guessing she’s more than just a friend,” Leonard said, eyeing the rose. “Unless that rose no longer means what it used to in my day.”
“She could’ve won it for him,” Matt offered smoothly, defusing the moment with ease.
“You two,” Angelina said, laughing. “The press is watching.”
“As your High Lord, I want you to call me Uncle Matt,” Matt said kindly, turning to Mall. “And just follow Kevin’s lead, okay?”
Mall wasn’t stupid. She still didn’t understand what was happening, but a High Lord’s order wasn’t something to ignore. “Yes, Uncle Matt. Everything is fine. And… he did win this for me.” She held up the oversized squishy cat.
“Good job, Kev,” Matt said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I know you’re uncomfortable around all of us astronomically elevated people—and your stuffy, ancient father.”
He grinned. “Now, take her back to the fair. Have a great time. Be back at my house by eleven sharp.”
He pulled a sleek black card from his pocket and handed it to Kevin. “This’ll cover anything she wants. And if I don’t see enough charges on it by the end of the night, I may have to rethink your status.”
“Anything she wants. Got it. We’ll be back by eleven.”
“Go have fun. And Buttercup?” he added with a wink. “Let your farm boy who dreams of tractors teach you how to run the go-karts.”
As the two walked off—Kevin waving, Mall still dazed—Marie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“She’s brave,” Marie said quietly to Angelina.
“She’s in love,” Angelina replied.
“Same thing,” Matt said
Marie sipped her wine and muttered, “Not even British peerage pulls rank that hard. And that’s coming from a Bouvier.”
Angelina choked laughing. “I need that on a damn T-shirt.”
Back behind the wine table, Annie leaned in as Mall passed.
“You did just fine, sweetheart. You’re family now.”
