"Thanks, Dad."
Sonny helped Olivia into her seat, then said, "I'll go wash my hands."
By the time he returned, Jessica had already served everyone a bowl of soup.
Sonny had intended to serve the elders himself, but since Jessica already did it, he thanked her and sat beside Hank.
Hank was on his left while Luke was on his right. Olivia sat on Luke's other side.
"Sonny, hurry and try the chowder," Hank said expectantly.
Sonny picked up his spoon and took a sip.
"How is it? Is it good? Last time, you said my soup was missing something, so I've been making it over and over again. Jessica got so tired of it she almost got sick, but I think I finally got it right."
Jessica added, "Sonny, you have no idea. Your grandparents and I were all afraid of soup. Your dad made this chowder every single day. He only stopped after all of us agreed that it tasted good."
The elderly couple nodded in agreement.
"Your dad said you're always so busy and use your brain so much, so he wanted to make something nutritious for you."
Hank asked again, “How is it, son? Is it good? Is it better than the creamy corn soup I made last time?"
Sonny had always liked the sweet, comforting flavor of corn soup.
"It's delicious. It's much better than the first fish chowder you made," Sonny answered honestly.
Hearing this, Jessica and his grandparents silently sighed in relief.
If he had said it still was not good, they would have been forced to drink fish chowder every day again.
"Then drink more. Don't work yourself too hard. Your company has plenty of senior managers. Let them handle some of the workload," Hank said while placing some food on Sonny's plate.
"I will, Dad."
"Remember to get enough rest. Don't stay up late all the time. Don't think you can get away with it just because you're young. It's bad for your health.”
Sonny also served his father and grandparents some food. The three of them beamed happily.
Jessica quietly ate her meal. She rarely interrupted when the father and son were talking.
Sonny did not serve any food to Jessica, but when he noticed her empty plate, he said, “Jess, you and Dad spent the whole afternoon preparing these dishes. You should eat more."
Hank glanced at his wife. Seeing that her plate was empty, he immediately picked up some dishes and filled her plate. “We're a family. Why are you being so polite? Just eat whatever you want."
Jessica smiled. "I'm not being polite. Sonny, you should eat more."
Olivia curled her lips and rolled her eyes.
As the meal continued, Sonny said, “Dad, I'm going on a business trip and won't be able to come over for dinner next week."
"A business trip, huh?"
His grandparents immediately looked concerned and asked, "Where are you going? How long is the trip?"
"I'm going to Clearfield. I won't be long. It'll just be one week. Business trips are normal for me. After I come back and rest for a while, I'll be heading to Havenmill. Laurence has some important matters to handle, so I need to be there and oversee things personally."
Although he was the vice president, he was also the second-largest shareholder in Longtail Group.
Olivia asked, "How long will you be gone?"
She always felt an emptiness in her heart whenever her grandson was not in Wiltspoon. The older she became, the more she wanted her family close to her.
She envied Grandma May. During her lifetime, the old woman had enjoyed the greatest blessing an elder could hope for, surrounded by devoted and filial descendants.
She also lived a long life.
Olivia hoped that she could be just as fortunate. Sonny was successful and dutiful. If
she had a long life, she could enjoy even more years of his care.
She also wanted to have tea with her future granddaughter-in-law.
Thus, she took care of her health.
"I can't say, but I'll definitely come visit when I'm back."
Sonny could not promise when exactly he would return.
Now that Laurence revealed his identity and took over the Longbottom family, he had countless responsibilities. Longtail Group would largely fall on Sonny's shoulders instead.
Laurence had to take control of Longbottom Corporation and firmly establish his authority over the company.
"I see."
The old couple could only sigh softly.
They were filled with reluctance, but they could not ask him to stay.
A grandson as outstanding as Sonny was not meant to remain by their side all the
time.