Chapter 161 – Mom Under the Table
Karin was the only one who prepared dinner tonight.
She made "Caprese" chicken breast with roasted sweet potato fries.
On large white plates lay juicy pieces of chicken breast, baked until golden brown, topped with fresh tomatoes, soft slices of mozzarella, and basil leaves, lightly drizzled with olive oil.
Next to them, neatly piled in a mound, were the roasted sweet potato fries — soft on the inside, with a crispy crust, lightly sprinkled with salt and Provençal herbs.
The dish looked simple, yet appetizing and cozy, just like home cooking.
Everyone sat down at the table.
(Let’s begin...)
For a while, the usual evening silence reigned — just the clinking of forks and soft sounds.
Karin made sure everyone had enough of everything; Phoebe was a bit quiet, and Runo cast a few attentive glances at Sohen.
Finally, she put down her fork, folded her hands on the table, and asked calmly:
- (Runo). "Sohen, tell me honestly... what happened today? You hardly left your room all day. You sat in front of the computer and your phones, and you didn’t even come out for lunch properly. We all noticed. Is it... something serious?"
Karin and Phoebe also looked up.
Everyone waited for an answer.
Sohen paused for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and began to speak calmly, choosing the simplest words possible:
- (Me). "This morning, before the match, I turned on the news... and saw a live address by the President of the United States. She announced that, starting today, almost all cryptocurrencies are banned in America — the very digital currencies I mainly deal with."
- (Runo). "..."
He paused, looking at Runo to make sure she understood.
- (Me). "Imagine there’s this special kind of digital currency that doesn’t belong to any bank. People all over the world use it, send it to each other, and invest in it. I’ve been doing this for several years now — buying, selling, and holding it. And now the president has said that all of this is now illegal within the United States. Everyone was given just three days to exchange this digital currency for the new government-issued digital dollar. And anyone who doesn’t make it in time could lose everything."
Runo nodded slowly, listening very intently.
- (Me). "When I heard that, I immediately realized the market was about to take a huge hit. Prices for these digital currencies started plummeting. Lots of people rushed to sell everything; the exchanges couldn’t keep up, and some stopped paying out funds altogether. So I spent the whole day in my room — saving whatever I could. I moved funds to safer places, closed out risky positions, and withdrew whatever I could still withdraw."
He sighed and added more quietly:
- (Me). "To put it briefly... this morning, the U.S. government effectively destroyed the part of the financial world where I made my money. And I was just trying not to lose everything I had."
Silence fell over the table.
Karin looked at him seriously, Phoebe frowned slightly, and Runo remained silent for a few more seconds, processing what she’d heard.
Then she nodded slowly:
- (Runo). "So... you spent the whole day trying to save your money because, all of a sudden, America banned the very same electronic money you were using?"
- (Me). "Yes. That’s exactly right."
Runo sighed and shook her head:
- (Runo). "Well, well... And I thought the worst thing that could happen to money was when a bank goes bankrupt. Turns out, things are even more complicated in your world."
She picked up her fork again, but now she was looking at Sohen with obvious concern.
- (Runo). "Did you manage to save at least some of it?"
Sohen nodded briefly:
- (Me). "The essentials — yes, but it was a very tough day."
Karin said quietly:
- (Karin). "Then eat properly. And don’t go hungry all day again, even if the world goes crazy again."
Phoebe just silently pushed his plate closer to him.
It grew relatively quiet at the table again, but the tension had already eased a bit.
Everyone continued their dinner, and Sohen was finally able to eat properly after a very long and exhausting day.
...
Some time passed.
All four of them were still in the kitchen.
Sohen sat at the table, slowly sipping cold soda and calmly chatting with Runo about gardening — which bushes would be best to replant this year, whether they should add new mulch, and how one of the garden beds had barely taken the fertilizer last spring.
Grandma answered willingly, with interest, sometimes smiling.
Karin stood a little to the side.
Her phone was mounted on a special holder, and a video about sports cooking was playing quietly on it.
Karin was staring intently at the screen while trying to recreate a simple dish from the video — she was quickly mixing something in a bowl, periodically checking the video for reference.
Phoebe hadn’t taken her eyes off her phone for the last ten minutes.
She was actively texting someone, and you could tell from her expression that she wasn’t particularly enjoying the conversation.
Sometimes a slightly annoyed, almost comical expression would cross her face — her eyebrows would furrow, her lips would purse, and then she’d quickly start typing again.
Sohen noticed this out of the corner of his eye a few times and could barely hold back a smile.
He couldn’t help but think that even when Phoebe was angry, she still looked very cute.
(Our Phoebe is the cutest girl in the world even when she’s mad, haha...)
Suddenly, the protagonist’s younger stepsister jumped up from her chair and sighed heavily.
- (Phoebe). "Phew..."
Runo immediately noticed this:
- (Runo). "Phoebe, what’s wrong?"
The girl ran her hand through her hair and replied irritably:
- (Phoebe). "I was messaging a client from the website Maria and I run. She ordered a cosplay costume, and I’d almost finished it... but suddenly she said it ’didn’t fit.’ Now she’s asking for a new one... and as soon as possible."
Phoebe sighed again:
- (Phoebe). "Ugh... My schedule is already packed to the brim with other orders. I’ll have to stay up all night... I need help. Maria’s busy right now, so I wanted to ask you, Grandma."
- (Runo). "???"
Runo was slightly surprised:
- (Runo). "Sure, I’d be happy to help, but... Why me? You’ve never asked me to help with costumes before."
Phoebe paused for a moment, then said calmly:
- (Phoebe). "It’s different this time. I need your help... as a model."
Runo raised her eyebrows:
- (Runo). "A model?"
- (Phoebe). "Yes. Your body is perfect for this costume design... Come on, Grandma. You’ll understand everything as we go along."
Runo looked at her granddaughter for another second, then shrugged and smiled:
- (Runo). "All right. Let’s go, then."
The two of them left the kitchen and headed toward Phoebe’s room.
(Grandma in a cosplay costume... That’s interesting, hehe.)
As soon as Sohen was left alone, Karin, having finished cooking, sat down next to him.
She carefully placed her phone on the stand to her right — another sports-themed video was already playing on the screen, with the host’s quiet voice in the background.
In her hands she held a small ceramic mug, from which a faint scent of warm chocolate was still rising.
(Oh, that’s...)
She had made a chocolate fondant in the mug.
On top, the dessert had a thin, slightly cracked crust of a dark brown color.
When Karin carefully broke it open with a spoon, a thick, hot, almost liquid chocolate center immediately poured out.
She slowly scooped up a small amount, brought it to her lips, and tasted it.
The flavor was rich and deep, with the pleasant bitterness of high-quality dark chocolate and a gentle sweetness.
Karin squinted contentedly and nodded to herself — exactly as she’d wanted.
(This is definitely food for athletes, Mom, ha-ha?)
Sohen glanced at her phone and asked:
- (Me). "What are you watching?"
- (Karin). "I recently stumbled upon a channel on TheeTube by accident..."
Karin replied, scooping up another spoonful of fondant.
- (Karin). "There are lots of videos about sports and healthy living. I especially liked the cooking playlist. Today I felt like making something from there for myself..."
She was just about to say something else when the spoon suddenly slipped from her fingers.
With a soft, tinkling sound, it fell to the floor and rolled under the table.
- (Karin). "Oh..."
She leaned forward and reached under the tabletop, but her fingers only brushed against empty space.
The spoon had apparently rolled farther than it seemed.
Then Karin sighed, slid off the chair onto her knees, and a few seconds later got down on all fours to get a better look under the table.
- (Me). "Mom, maybe I should help you..."
- (Karin). "No. No. Thanks, sweetie, but I can handle this damn spoon on my own."
- (Me). "..."
(Damn it... She’s about to...)
Karin ended up right in front of him... from behind.
In this position, her figure looked incredibly revealing.
(Those clothes...)
She was wearing a light pink sports top with thin straps that hugged her chest tightly and left a significant portion of her back and waist exposed.
Below that were matching pink, form-fitting high-waisted shorts.
The fabric of the shorts clung tightly to her buttocks, accentuating every curve, every line, but something else caught the eye the most: thin black thong straps were clearly visible peeking out from beneath the edges of the shorts.
In the doggy-style position, they became especially noticeable — dark, contrasting lines against the light-colored fabric and skin.
(Damn... I’m about to...)
Karin seemed completely unaware of just how provocative she looked.
For a few more long seconds, she slowly ran her hand under the table, searching for a spoon, remaining in that position right in front of him.
Her thighs were slightly apart, her back arched, her buttocks raised.
(Damn it!...)
Sohen felt his own body react instantly.
Blood rushed down sharply and forcefully.
His cock swelled rapidly, grew in size, and stretched the fabric of his shorts tightly, forming a distinct, firm outline that was now impossible to hide.
Finally, Karin’s fingers found the spoon.
She picked it up, turned around to say she’d found everything... and froze in place.
- (Karin). "I found it! Sohen, I... Oh?"
Her face was almost level with his groin.
The distance was so small that she could clearly see how tightly the fabric of his shorts was stretched and exactly what effect her posture was having on him.
The large, clearly defined outline of his penis was almost pressing toward her face.
A thick, heavy silence hung between them.
Karin was still on her knees, spoon in hand, staring directly at his erection, while Sohen sat motionless, staring back at her.
(Shit...)