Infinite Cashback System

They walked back to the table together. Susan and Chloe were deep in conversation, their heads bent close. Chloe was laughing at something his mother said, her shoulders relaxed in a way they hadn’t been when Jordan left.

Thank God. Mom’s working her magic.

He slid back into his seat. Chloe’s hand immediately found his under the table, squeezing once.

"Everything okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." He squeezed back. "Everything’s fine."

A waiter appeared with menus and a wine list. Susan ordered a bottle of Chianti without looking at the prices. Jordan watched the numbers in his head tick upward. Dinner at Giuliano’s wasn’t cheap.

But with Chloe at seventy-five percent chemistry, spending money on her literally made him money.

I could buy her the most expensive thing on this menu and still turn a profit. What kind of broken system is that?

The waiter took their drink orders and disappeared. Susan immediately turned back to Chloe.

"So what are you studying, dear?"

"Communications," Chloe said. "I’m a freshman at Pacific Crest. Same as Jordan."

"Oh, how wonderful! Are you thinking about going into journalism? Or maybe PR?"

"Actually, I’m interested in content creation." Chloe glanced at Jordan. "Streaming, specifically. Building an audience online."

Susan’s face lit up. "Like those YouTube people? Oh, that’s so modern! Jordan, did you hear that?"

"I heard, Mom."

"My friend Karen’s daughter does something with TikTok," Susan continued. "She has a million followers and gets sent free makeup. Is that what you want to do?"

"Something like that," Chloe said diplomatically. "I’m still figuring out my niche."

David had been quiet through this exchange, watching Chloe with the same careful attention he’d given Jordan earlier. Now he spoke.

"What do your parents think about that career path?"

Chloe’s smile faltered. Just for a second. Just long enough for Jordan to catch it.

"My mother’s supportive," she said. "She knows it’s important to me."

"And your father?" David pressed.

Dad, don’t.

"My father passed away last year," Chloe said quietly. "So he doesn’t get a vote anymore."

The table went silent again. But this time it was heavy. Uncomfortable.

Susan’s hand flew to her chest. "Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. We had no idea."

"It’s okay." Chloe’s mask was back, professional and distant. "It was almost a year ago. I’m dealing with it."

Jordan’s hand tightened on hers under the table. She squeezed back, hard enough that her nails dug into his palm.

Change the subject. Say something. Anything.

"Chloe’s an amazing singer," Jordan blurted out. "Like, seriously good. She has a vocal coach and everything."

Susan perked up immediately, grateful for the shift. "Really? Oh, you’ll have to sing for us sometime!"

"Maybe," Chloe said, her voice warming slightly. "If Jordan sings too. He’s been hiding a pretty impressive voice himself."

"Jordan?" Susan turned to him in disbelief. "You can sing now? Since when?"

"Since recently," Jordan said vaguely. "I’ve been... practicing."

"He’s incredible," Chloe added. "Like, professionally good. My vocal coach thinks he should pursue it."

"His what?" David leaned forward. "You have a vocal coach?"

"No, I went to Chloe’s lesson yesterday and her coach heard me sing." Jordan could feel his ears heating up. "It was no big deal."

"It was a very big deal," Chloe insisted. "Karina wanted to sign you on the spot."

Susan looked between them, her expression somewhere between proud and confused. "Well. I guess we’ll have to hear this miracle voice of yours sometime."

The waiter returned with their wine. Susan and David both ordered. Jordan declined, since he was driving. Chloe hesitated.

"I’ll have a glass of the Pinot Grigio," she said finally. "Thank you."

Once the waiter left, Susan dove back into conversation.

"So tell me about your family, Chloe. Besides your mother, do you have siblings? Where are you from originally?"

"I have a younger brother, Daniel. He’s fifteen. Still in high school." Chloe sipped her water. "We’re from Koreatown. My parents owned a dry cleaning business there for about twenty years."

"Owned?" Susan caught the past tense.

"My mother still runs it," Chloe corrected. "But it’s... difficult without my father. He was the heart of the operation."

"That must be hard on your mother," Susan said gently. "Running a business alone while raising two kids."

"She’s strong." Chloe’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. "We all are. We make it work."

David had been listening to this exchange with growing attention. Now he spoke again.

"And you’re paying for Pacific Crest how? That’s not a cheap school."

Dad, Jesus Christ.

"I have a scholarship," Chloe said, her voice cooling. "Full academic ride for tuition. I cover housing and expenses myself through work."

"What kind of work?"

The question hung in the air like a grenade with the pin pulled.

Jordan jumped in before Chloe could answer. "She’s a content creator, Dad. We already said that."

"Right." David’s eyes stayed on Chloe. "And that pays enough to cover eighteen thousand a year in housing?"

"David," Susan said sharply. "That’s none of our business."

"I’m just trying to understand the situation." David picked up his wine glass.

Chloe’s spine straightened. When she spoke, her voice was ice.

"With all due respect, Mr. McKnight, my financial situation isn’t your concern. I’m not asking Jordan for money. I don’t need his family’s wealth. I have my own income, my own life, and my own plans for the future. Your son and I are together because we care about each other, not because I’m looking for a meal ticket."

Holy shit.

David stared at her. Susan stared at her. Jordan stared at her.

Then his father’s mouth twitched. Just slightly.

"Good," David said. "That’s the right answer."

"David!" Susan smacked his arm. "You can’t interrogate the poor girl like that!"

"I wasn’t interrogating. I was testing." David turned to Jordan. "She’s got spine. I like her."

Jordan exhaled. Thank God. I thought we were about to get kicked out.

Chloe’s hand finally stopped shaking. She picked up her wine and took a long sip.

"Sorry about that," Jordan muttered to her.

"It’s fine," she said. "I’ve dealt with worse."

The waiter returned to take their food orders. Jordan ordered chicken marsala. Chloe got the seafood linguine. His parents went for steaks.

Once the waiter left, Susan steered the conversation toward safer topics. Classes. Campus life. The weather. Anything that didn’t involve money or dead fathers or interrogating his girlfriend about her income sources.

Jordan felt his shoulders slowly unknot. Chloe’s posture relaxed too, her professional mask sliding back into something more genuine.

"Oh!" Susan suddenly perked up. "I almost forgot. Jordan, your sister wanted me to ask you something. About Thanksgiving."

Thanksgiving? That’s like nine months away.

"What about it?"

"Cassie wants to host this year. At her place in San Francisco. She’s inviting the whole family, including..." Susan glanced at Chloe. "Well, including significant others. If you’re still together by then, of course."

"Mom."

"What? I’m just saying! A week is very fast, sweetheart. I don’t want you to feel pressure about long-term plans when you’re still getting to know each other."

Chloe shifted beside him. Jordan couldn’t tell if she was offended or relieved.

"We’ll see where we are in nine months," he said carefully. "But thanks for the invite."

Under the table, Chloe’s hand found his thigh. Her fingers traced small circles through the fabric of his slacks, moving higher with each pass.

Jordan nearly choked on his water.

She was doing this on purpose. Getting him worked up while sitting across from his parents. Her face remained perfectly innocent, engaged in whatever Susan was saying about Cassie’s new apartment.

Evil. She’s actually evil.