The monthly dinner was a lavish event. The housekeeper whipped the cleaning staff to polish the house until it sparkled, and the chef used everything in his arsenal to impress the family members—or rather, the chairman and his heir.
It was a stage for the two wives to flaunt their extravagance, and the children to brag about their achievements. If the family were a company, then it was the employees' presentation day in front of the boss.
At least, that was how it usually was.
The last monthly dinner of the summer, however, felt off. The chairman was already home, looking tired and aging. The employee thought it might be due to the children; one of them was absent, being sent away by another child; another one was being all moody because he had been grounded for weeks.
