Chapter 257 Luckily, I'm a Genius Too


Soon, the tables and chairs were set.


Everyone sat down to eat.


Ebony was arranged to sit in the middle.


Lloyd walked toward the seat next to hers.


Just then, Jon suddenly shouted from the other side, "Lloyd, over here."


Lloyd froze.


He looked over.


Jon patted Darryl, and the latter immediately said, "Yeah, the girls sit together, and we boys sit together too. Come and sit over here."


Lloyd slowly furrowed his brows but said nothing. Instead, he looked back in the direction of Ebony.


As soon as he took one step, the seats on both sides of Ebony were quickly taken by his mother and Chasidah.


In the end, Lloyd sat down between Jon and Darryl. Ebony was sitting across from him but at the far end.


Given the distance, if he wanted to pick up dishes for her, he would have to stand on the table.


Ebony also noticed the man sitting across from her. His face was cold and sullen. His presence there affected people's appetite.


Ebony mouthed to him in confusion, "What's wrong?"


Lloyd pursed his lips and gazed at her without a word.


Ebony didn't know what he meant but soon ignored him because those on her side were talking to her.


The meal lasted two hours.


Ebony got up to clean the table, but Grace and her mother stopped her.


Her mother smiled at her and said, "Leave the work to the juniors."


Ebony froze, looked up, and saw Carlton, Moses, and Stella get busy as bees. The three juniors volunteered to do the work.


Rita and Jacob were also helping.


Ebony, however, felt ill at ease. Compared with staying with her family, she would rather wash the dishes.


She lowered her head and said somewhat evasively, "I think I should go since I'm the host. I can't let the guests do the work."


Grace thought about it and nodded. "Makes sense."


With that, she shouted to Lloyd, who was sitting behind her, "Lloyd, you're the host. Why are you still sitting there? Go and give them a hand!"


Jon was chatting with Lloyd at that moment.


Seeing that Lloyd was going to work, Jon ended their conversation and waved his hand. "Go ahead."


Lloyd was speechless.


Ebony was led by the two seniors to the sofa.


Lydia and Eliza were staying there. Seeing Ebony come, they bunched up together and started chatting.


Lydia noticed Ebony's uneasiness and asked a question to liven up the atmosphere, "What's up recently, Ebony?"


Ebony thought about it and replied, "Nothing much. I bought out a small company and became their new CEO. Well, working non-stop."


Lydia was lost for words.


Eliza said, "I know about that. Your brother mentioned it."


Ebony smiled at her.


Lydia didn't know what to say. So, she was the only one who didn't know?


Chasidah said with concern, "Managing companies is exhausting, and so is being a celebrity. Ebs, do you like these jobs? If you don't, you can come home and inherit..."


"Ahem." Lydia suddenly cleared her throat to interrupt her mother-in-law.


Chasidah's words got stuck in her throat. She remembered the rules set by her children before they came. They shouldn't pester Ebony and urge her to come home. Instead of pressuring her, they should take one step at a time, or she would feel guilt-tripped and coerced.


Chasidah took a deep breath and corrected herself. "If you don't like them, I'll introduce you to other jobs. What do you like to do?"


Ebony looked down at her fingers, fell silent for a moment, and suddenly said, "I'd like to become a soldier."


Chasidah froze.


Not only Chasidah, but the others were also surprised by her answer.


Obviously, no one had expected her to like that kind of occupation.


In fact, being a solider had long been in the plans of her life.


Whether she had a new family or not, she had never thought of changing the ultimate goal.


Being an actress or a businesswoman was just her occupation at the current stage.


In the future, she would be a soldier, serve the country, and be a hero just like her father, Manuel, had done.


Once the words were out of her mouth, no one spoke again.


Ebony guessed that they were probably preparing their persuasive speech.


After all, it was rare for girls to serve in the army.


She then tried to figure out a way to persuade them and show them how determined she was.


Just then, she felt that the back of her hand was being held.


She looked up and met her mother's gentle eyes.


"About that, you can ask your second brother when he comes back."


Ebony was stunned.


Chasidah smiled at her daughter and said, "You haven't met your second brother, right? He's at the border and rarely comes home, but you've met Kelly and Tristan. The family of your second brother, including his wife, is made up of soldiers."


Ebony blinked vacantly.


She knew that her second brother's family were all soldiers, but boys and girls were different.


She hadn't expected her mother to be so open-minded.


Grace sighed and said, "Being a soldier is really hard. I feel this very keenly, but if you like it, I'm willing to support you. You can also ask Beau or Lloyd..."


"Ask Beau about it." Chasidah suddenly cut in.


Grace looked at her and said, "She can ask Lloyd. He also knows..."


"Forget about Lloyd." Chasidah thought for a moment and said, "It seems that Lloyd retired many years ago."


Grace sensed her strange tone and immediately retorted, "Lloyd is now a special adviser to the army and occasionally participates in actions!"


Chasidah smacked her lips and said, "The special advisors belong to the special talent system which is different from the military."


Grace reasoned, "Still, he's an insider!"


Chasidah countered, "I didn't deny that."


"Ugh..." Grace lost her tongue. Now she realized how much Chasidah disliked her son.


Just then, Ebony asked curiously, "Was Lloyd a soldier for many years?"


She knew that Lloyd used to serve in the army. She just didn't know how long he had been a soldier or what type of soldier he had been.


Grace's face froze. She awkwardly glanced at Ebony, waved her hand, and said, "Ha-ha, seniority is not important."


Chasidah immediately said, "As far as I remember, it's three years at most. Am I right, Grace?"


Grace was speechless.


It pissed her off. In a hurry, she explained to Ebony, "Three... years is not short. Well, it's more than a thousand days, right?"


"Only three years?" Ebony blinked in surprise.


Grace felt her face burning. She was too ashamed to raise her head. The second son of the Gibson family, Chadwick, had served in the army for over 20 years.


Lloyd's service was not even as long as the odd of Chadwick's service. It was embarrassing when they were mentioned in the same breath.


Since there was nothing to brag about, Grace downplayed it. "More... more than three years."


Chasidah snickered behind her hand.


Ebony suddenly blurted out, "He's awesome!"


Chasidah was surprised.


Grace was puzzled.


Ebony raised her head and looked in the direction of the kitchen. From that position, she happened to see Lloyd bending down to wash the dishes diligently.


She said, "Although it's just three years, he is recruited by the special talent organs after his retirement. On top of that, he is invited to participate in actions, which is proof of his competence. No wonder he possesses hacking skills. Only the versatile members of the special force will have such courses. So, isn't he a genius?"


With that, she pounded her chest and rejoiced, "It almost scared me. Luckily, I am a genius too. Hitting and scolding people is my specialty."