The atmosphere at dinner tonight was somewhat strange.

After dinner, his mother, Sheila, and his little brother, Thompson, gave Dean a look that said 'you're on your own' and then quickly made their exit. They showed no intention of curling up in the living room as usual to watch television and pass the time.

This made Dean even more certain that what Sinclair had asked for his help with was going to be awkward.

Sure enough, what you fear is exactly what happens.

When only two people were left in the living room, Sinclair, this 'precocious' little girl, approached Dean with a hesitant air. She sheepishly said, "Big brother, could you do me a small favor?"

The usually fearless Dean gulped, feeling anxious. "Tell me what it is first!"

"It's simple. I want you to go on a date with a classmate's sister," Sinclair said, squinting her adorable eyes and smiling.

"Huh?"

Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

That's it?

But he still had to put on a show.

His expression turned serious, and he said somewhat reluctantly, "Sinclair, you know I have a girlfriend. I love her more than myself. You're asking me to make a mistake."

Sinclair rolled her eyes scornfully. "Oh please, Dean. You just like to mooch off women. Even though I also hope my future sister-in-law is a rich lady, you absolutely have to help me with this today."

"The reason?"

"Because my classmate is very handsome, and I need to figure out a way to get him. But he's very aloof and doesn't even want to talk to me. I was thinking, if you could win over his sister, we'd have something to talk about!" Sinclair stated her case with righteous indignation.

Dean was flabbergasted. He eyed Sinclair up and down, noticing her cute attire and proper figure, and said speechlessly, "But you're only eleven years old! And you can't just make your big brother sacrifice his happiness for your own hormonal choices!"

"So what?" Sinclair responded matter-of-factly. "I just think it'd make me look good in front of my girlfriends to have him around. Don't think of it in such a dirty way, you lecherous adult! Besides, for a jerk like you, this should be no burden at all!"

"But you don't have to resort to such methods!"

Dean felt a headache coming on. "It might be hard for a guy to chase a girl, but isn't it easier for a girl to go after a guy? See what he likes, then deliberately show him you're into that too. First, attract his attention. Once he's hooked, keep him hanging. Then he'll start coming after you."

Sinclair nodded. "I thought the same thing. That's why I want you to hit on his sister."

"So... he's only interested in his sister?"

"Yes!" Sinclair said gleefully. "He's a loner and can't go three sentences without mentioning his sister. So, even though he's handsome, no one is chasing him. I think that's quite cool."

Dean pressed his hand to his forehead, speechless.

What kind of crazy kids are these?

This is a disaster!

Dean, not wanting his own little sister to go down the wrong path, spread his hands and tried to reason with her. "Sinclair, I bet your classmate has always had his sister looking after him. That's probably why he's transferred the dependency he should have for a mother figure onto her. People like that often have certain psychological issues. You'd be better off picking someone else."

"So you're not against me dating early?"

"That's right! As long as you don't pick some weirdo, I don't object!"

Sinclair blinked mischievously and let out a cheer, yelling upstairs, "Sheila! Thompson! Did you hear that? Dean isn't against me dating early, so you're not allowed to try and talk me out of it anymore!"

After saying that, she gave the stunned Dean a sly smile. "Okay, Dean, I'll listen to you and pick a different target!"

Dean: "..."

Damn it, I've been tricked.

"TSK, TSK, TSK."

Upstairs, their mom, Sheila, shook her head in disappointment at Dean, then said to Sinclair in surrender, "Alright, since you've outmaneuvered both Thompson and Dean, I'll allow you to date early. But you're not allowed to do anything excessive!"

Dean asked, "So, this was Sinclair's application for early dating?"

"Yes," Sheila replied. "At her age, she's naturally curious about boys and girls. I'm worried she might be fooled by some jerk, so I had her fool you and Thompson—this young jerk—first."

Dean: "..."

So my poor little brother and I have become the family's jerk detectors.

Who could I even complain to about this?

His little brother didn't show his face. Dean didn't know if he was too ashamed, or if Sinclair had given him an even harder time, leaving him unable to face his younger sister, who had so clearly outsmarted her elders.

Dean could only hope that his sister would ultimately not become a nightmare for the boys at school.

「A few days later.」

Dean had been expecting a certain visitor, but they didn't arrive. Instead, he received an invitation:

Mr. Dean is cordially invited to grace the Seadragon Club with his presence on the evening of February 15th.

--Saul Aston!

Team Captain Monet had previously told Dean that his superiors would likely invite him to a gathering by the end of the month. This would mark his formal entry into their little circle. Monet had even suggested Dean learn some social etiquette.

Now, the invitation had arrived.

The Ashton Family had risen to become Los Angeles's most influential major family. This happened virtually overnight after they seized the Carmen Family's largest assets following the sudden death of its key members.

Saul Aston was a member of the Ashton Family but not initially a core one. His standing changed when he leveraged the power of the Chinese community to take over the political assets left by the Carmen Family. Only then did he gain a certain amount of influence within his own family.

Publicly, Saul Aston was also the boss of both Monet and Dean.

While Dean wasn't particularly concerned about this future boss who was supposed to shield him, he definitely planned to meet him. It was best to make contact to avoid being sold out and only realizing it later.

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