It was early in the morning, and the day was just barely getting started. While he was tempted not to show his face anywhere, even in his own restaurant, Alexander Hopkins Senior was not afraid to show his face in public. Despite all the shit that he had experienced over the last few months and the legal mess that Jefferson had to work above and beyond to get him out of, being able to go out and enjoy a good breakfast was the whole reason he was paying such an enormous fine in the first place. That being said, staying home all day would have been similar to sentencing himself to prison, so Mr. Hopkins preferred to get his money's worth and get out there to enjoy the freedom that he handsomely paid oodles of his fortune to preserve. As he strolled into his own restaurant for breakfast at his usual table, he was surprised to see there was already someone sitting there reading a newspaper. Not only was this person sitting at his table, but she was also occupying a specific seat as well. Mr. Hopkins didn't appreciate making the effort to come out of his shell to dine at his favorite place, and while he was tempted to get the staff handle it for him, the old man decided to use the opportunity to handle it civilly and with manners.

     "Parson me," Mr. Hopkins started, "But I do believe you're in my seat."

     The person occupying that specific seat stopped reading and pulled down the newspaper to reveal herself to the old man. Lauren Carter looked back up at the old man and grinned at him with a playful smile.

     "I was told by someone with good authority that this seat was the best," she replied, folding up her newspaper.

     "Ms. Carter," Mr. Hopkins said, as he was pleasantly surprised to see her, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

     "Well, I thought we should have a talk," Lauren said, "Break bread and try to get past what's been going on within our family."

     "Our family?" Mr. Hopkins repeated, as that part stood out for him.

     "You'll find out eventually," Lauren said, as she held up her left hand to reveal a pretty impressive diamond sitting rather nicely on her ring finger. It was the last thing the old man expected to see, but the site of the impressive engagement ring on Lauren's hand had the effect that she expected it to have.

     "When did this happen?" the old man said, grinning from ear to ear. This was honestly the first time he hadn't faked a smile in months, as he was genuinely happy to hear that his youngest boy was going to get married.

     "Last night," Lauren answered, "It was quite a romantic evening."

     "This is fantastic!" the old man said, calling a member of the staff to walk over. "I'd like a bottle of our finest champagne!"

     "I'd rather not," Lauren said, not in the mood to drink so early.

     "Hang on," Mr. Hopkins said, turning back to face her. "Are you expecting?"

     "I am not," Lauren said, "I just not the kind who likes to drink this early."

     "Well, since you're going to be family," Mr. Hopkins started, as he sat down at the same seat he took the first time they met at this restaurant. "I'm happy to share my favorite seat as long as you use it properly."

     "While the gestured is appreciated," Lauren replied, "I can assure you we are not on good terms at the moment, Sir."

     "Oh, I see," Mr. Hopkins said, already aware of the reason why. "So, you've come to give me a good scolding, Ms. Carter?"

     "Something like that," Lauren replied, "Don't you believe one is deserved?"

     "I'm confident that they are all well deserved," Mr. Hopkins agreed, "What exactly did Alexander tell you?"

     "He didn't have to tell me a thing," Lauren answered, "Russell showed us the video right after we left your place that night."

     "Ahhh," the old man said, taking a deep breath. "What do you expect me to say at a moment like this?"

     "I'm not sure," Lauren said, "While I'm not a parent myself, I still find it rather odd you'd do something like that to your own child."

     "I was raised to believe you should push your kids to their limits to make them tough," Mr. Hopkins explained, "I was raised to believe that making them strong prepared them for the harsh, unforgiving world we live in."

     "I can see how one could think that," Lauren conceded, "But I was raised to believe it was our job to provide for the child and raise them to prosper on their own in a world left to them better than what it was like when we got it."

     "That's a fair assessment," Mr. Hopkins said, "I know a lot of people who believe in that and think we should protect them and even coddle them."

     "There is a big difference between protection and coddling," Lauren countered, "Xander's success isn't something for you to be jealous of because your children are the result of your hard work, not your competition. His success should be your success, so why isn't that good enough for you?"

     "That is also a fair point," Mr. Hopkins said, "With my youngest son, it never felt like I had anything to do with his success. He just sort of went off and did it all himself and I had nothing to do with any of his successes."

     "That's where we disagree," Lauren said, "Where do you think Xander learned how to conduct himself the way he does? He spent a lifetime emulating the man he looked up to, and how that man conducted himself. He was always watching you, Mr. Hopkins, even when you didn't know it. You were always teaching him how to be a man by example. He's more like you than you know, and that's also why he's the successful man he is. You had a lot to do with that."

     "Alexander will never admit that," Mr. Hopkins retorted.

     "Doesn't make it less true," Lauren retorted, smiling back at him. "You should celebrate his successes and be happy he's not weening off your trust funds and just playing video games all day and getting drunk every night."

     "I'm finding it very difficult to disagree with you," Mr. Hopkins said, as he knew any kind of resistance would be quite futile. "The more I listen to you defend him, the more convinced I am that he's found the right person to spend his life with."

     "You may be in the doghouse right now, but it will pass." Lauren told him, "It might pass like a damn kidney stone, but it will pass. Xander will forgive you because you're his father and he loves you. I'm not sure when that day is, but eventually we all have to forgive our family for their transgressions. Just give it time and be patient."

     "I thank you for such wise words," Mr. Hopkins said, "Will you still be joining me for breakfast?"

     "Well, I'm here aren't I?" Lauren said, "And I'm not done lecturing you."

     "Oh, well that's a shame," the old man responded, "I was actually hoping you'd tell me more about the daycare you two are building."

     "Xander knows a good investment when he sees it," Lauren said, trying not to toot her own horn that hard. The project was her idea but none of it would be possible with out Xander's backing. Still, if the venture was profitable, which was looking quite likely, he'll be seeing a return on his investment rather quickly.

     "I'm hearing a lot of good things about it to the point where I'm bummed out I can't invest in it myself." Mr. Hopkins said with a chuckle, "But that is how the cookie crumbles, and I'll just make my fortunes somewhere else."

     "I'm sure you'll land on your feet," Lauren said as she wasn't buying any of it, "And so will Xander if you let him fly away from the nest. The fact that he's this independent is simply astonishing. Were you ever this successful at his age?"

     "No, I wasn't." the old man confessed, "I wasn't this successful until my mid to late thirties. What he's done is truly remarkable."

     "Well now that we've found something to agree on, let's order." Lauren said as she took out a menu and didn't hesitate to splurge, aware that the old man was going to happily cover the tab as he was grateful she was even talking to him at all.

     "So, when is the wedding?" the old man inquired.

     "We haven't figured it out yet," Lauren said, "But it won't be too long."

     "That's good," Mr. Hopkins said, "If it feels right, don't drag out the engagement. I have an exquisite villa in Fiji I could offer for your honeymoon."

     "Tempting," Lauren replied, "But I might have to pass. I don't think we're going to go tropical for our honeymoon. Just a feeling I have."

     "My son doesn't like sand," Mr. Hopkins added, "I'm not sure why, he was just never a fan. Each to their own, I suppose."

     Conversation was light for the rest of the meal, but Mr. Hopkins found the company and the mood to his liking as their time together progressed. When it was all said and done, Lauren stood up and put her coat on to signal she was going to depart.

     "It was nice to see you again," Mr. Hopkins said, very appreciative.

     "Well, if you behave I will make an effort to show up more often." Lauren said, as part of this visit was to offer an olive branch along with the well deserve scolding. She felt it was best to whack him several times with the stick and then offer him the carrot if he took his licks like man.

     "I would happily surrender my favorite seat for the pleasure of your company," Mr. Hopkins said, "It's yours whenever you want it."

     "Thank you," Lauren said with a smile, "Enjoy your day Mr. Hopkins."

     As Lauren was walking away, Jefferson was actually just arriving which was the real reason Mr. Hopkins was going out for breakfast in the first place. Thankfully for him the lawyer was late as usual and didn't interrupt his time with the young lady.

     "Is that who I think it was?" Jefferson asked as he took a seat across from him.

     "That it was," Mr. Hopkins said, "She surprised me for breakfast."

     "What did she want?" The lawyer asked, quite curious about it.

     "To offer an olive branch," The old man answered, "And I happily accepted."

     "That's interesting," Jefferson said, "What made you eager to accept?"

     "The pricey engagement ring on her hand," the old man answered, "She's going to be family soon, and I see a lot of my son's mother in her. This is going to be a good match and I couldn't be happier about it."

     "That's great," Jefferson said, surprised by quite delighted, "Congratulations!"

     "She's the real deal, Jefferson." Mr. Hopkins said, "She's not after him for the money and they appear to genuinely love one another. It's almost as if the situation I brewed helped form a stronger bond."

     "After the fines you paid, that was on expensive test." Jefferson reminded him, "Just promise me you'll never do anything that foolish ever again. If you do, at least let me in on it next time so I can cover your ass, so you won't end up on video and handed over to the prosecution on a silver platter."

     "Duly noted," The old man replied, "But to be fair, you handled all this rather well despite not being in on it. Good work, Jefferson."

     "Well, you don't pay the big bucks for my charm." Jefferson added.

     "I don't pay for that too?" Mr. Hopkins asked.

     "You pay me so much, that I tossed in the charm for free." Jefferson added, "You know I'll be here to take good care of you whenever necessary. I'll be sure to contact Russell Benson to make sure that you'll still get invited to the wedding whenever it happens."

     "Good to know," The old man said, "I don't plan on missing it."

     "Keep out of trouble and you should be fine," Jefferson reminded him, "Especially since the bride to be is cooling off already."

     "Enough of that subject," Mr. Hopkins said, as he appeared impatient, "Let's get down to what you came here to discuss. Did you bring the papers?"

     "I did," Jefferson said, taking them out of the attaché case he brought.

     "Very good," The old man huffed, "We need to make a few changes, and order something to eat. This might take a while."