

You seem deeply affected by them caring now and not before. Are you worried they will convince him? If not then they will eventually see it worked itself out and stop caring. If not, well they aren’t involved in your relationship so what do they matter? Not everybody will like you, it’s wasted energy to try and make that the goal.
I agree with this advice to a point. For me, it is a 50/50 decision. Fudging dice and cheating is part of dming to me, but it is a decision of when, where, and why. Crushing your players under under a severe string of bad luck can kill the game, but so can everything going their way. The point to me is to make the game compelling rather than a power trip, even if I am ultimately on my players’ side