บท 12: Chapter 12
Saturday came like a flash to the surprise of Michelle, Derek and Nathan. They dreaded going for the family dinner, so they decided to have a movie marathon that day to ease their tension. Michelle ordered for some pizza that they would eat while watching the movie.
After the movie marathon, Derek and Nathan went upstairs to shower and get ready. Derek had wanted Michelle to join him in the shower but she insisted on cleaning up the mess they made in the TV room. She knew Derek was still ecstatic about Thursday night. He loved her surprise and the Armani suit she got him as a birthday gift.
Michelle was proud of herself for making him that happy, but that isn’t what she should be thinking about at the moment. She needed to get her mind ready for what is going to transpire tonight, as she was certain that Rebecca would stop at nothing to offend her.
She sat for a while in the living room, trying to prepare herself for the worse before going upstairs to get herself ready.
Michelle was a nervous wreck. She was scared about going for the dinner. She thought having a warm bath was going to help ease her nervousness but she was wrong. She tried opting out by making Derek see reasons why she didn’t want to go, but Derek insisted that she should attend not just because he needed her there, but because his dad was currently in Washington and was eager to see her.
Michelle stared at herself in the mirror one last time before leaving the room. Derek and Nathan were waiting downstairs in the living room, discussing.
“I’m ready.” She announced, getting both their attention.
Derek smiled at how beautiful his girlfriend looked. Her hair was straightened this time. She wore an elegant beige color pencil midi dress with lace, it hugged her body perfectly. He felt blessed for having this woman in his life. Derek stood up from the couch and made his way to Michelle. He kissed her on the cheek and said,
“You look beautiful.”
Michelle blushed at his compliment and replied,
“Thank you.”
Nathan also stood up from the couch and said,
“Wow Michelle, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks Nathan.” She replied with a smile.
“We need to get going. Dad sent his chauffeur to come get us.” Nathan then said.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot the wine you got for your dad.. I’ll go get it.” Michelle told Derek before excusing herself to go get the wine from the wine cellar.
“I’ll be waiting in the car.” Nathan said, leaving Derek alone in the living room.
Derek on the other hand was hoping his mom won’t ruin tonight’s dinner like she always did. He never for once liked what his mom did, but he had no idea why he hasn’t been able to say anything to her, to at least stop her from continuing her verbal abuse on Michelle. Maybe, it’s because he want to hurt her feelings, but she was hurting his without even realizing it.
He would get married to Michelle right here, right now if it were up to him, but he didn’t want them getting married under such tense atmosphere. If he had a choice, he would love to have a private wedding but his dad wouldn’t want that, as he was a well known businessman in the country and also Michelle was from a rich family, so having a private wedding was out of the question, as he wouldn’t want to upset his dad. But, he wanted something small and private because he was scared his mom would cause a scene and make false accusations against Michelle on that special day, since she was good at doing that.
His thoughts were all over the place. He wanted all this to be over pretty soon, but he doubts that would ever happen. Time was no longer his friend, as he was already getting impatient and desperately wants to make Michelle his wife.
All these thoughts were running through his head, when Michelle walked back into the living room.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting.” She apologized.
“It’s okay.” He assured her, placing his hand on her lower back as they walked out of the house.
They climbed into the black limousine, Nathan was busy on his phone. As soon as they made themselves comfortable, the chauffeur started the car. The ride was quiet, Derek occasionally have Michelle’s hand a squeeze, to assure that he was here for her. She smiled at him every time he did that.
After an hour’s drive, they arrived at the mansion. They all got out of the limo when the chauffeur stopped in front of the mansion. Michelle was always in awe of the mansion each time they came over, it was a beautiful sight. They walked to the door and as if on cue, it was opened by the family Butler, who greeted them as they walked into the mansion.
Mr. Howard Snr and his wife Rebecca were seated in the living room when they arrived. A smile grew on Derek’s face on seeing his dad. Their parents stood up to welcome them. Derek walked to his dad and gave him a warm hug.
“I missed you so much, Dad.” Derek said into the hug.
“I missed you too, son.” His dad replied, giving him a pat on the back.
Nathan also went forward to give his dad a hug. Michelle just stood there, enjoying the scene. She made sure not to make any sort of eye contact with Rebecca, who was already glaring at her.
When Nathan pulled away from the hug, Mr. Howard held out his arms for Michelle.
“Aren’t you gonna give me a hug?” he asked Michelle.
Michelle couldn’t help but smile as she walked into his arms. He held her in a warm embrace, she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed it. It has been a long time since Michelle felt this kind of fatherly hug. Mr. Howard was more like a father to her, ever since she began dating Derek, so she cherished every moment she shared with him, no matter how short they were.
“It’s so good to see you again, Michelle.” Mr. Howard said into the hug.
“Same here, Mr. Howard” she replied after the hug.
“I’ve told you a thousand times to stop the formalities.”
“I can’t help it. It seems weird calling you Derek, if you know what I mean.”
They all laughed at that, except for Rebecca who just rolled her eyes. Michelle then gave him the wine they had gotten for him.
“We got this for you.” She said, handing him the wine.
“I don’t remember us being short of wine… Besides, if we needed one, we can always get it from the best wine stores, not some roadside bar.” Rebecca commented, glaring directly at Michelle.
At that moment, Michelle felt so small. They haven’t even made themselves comfortable yet, Rebecca has began throwing words at her.
“Mom, I got the wine myself. It’s dad’s favorite… and it’s not from a roadside bar.” Derek said to his mom through gritted teeth.
“Oh really?... You shouldn’t have bothered yourself with that. There’s always plenty here.” She replied.
Nathan just rolled his eyes.
“Can we go eat now?” he then asked, already annoyed with his mom’s behavior.
“This is a family dinner, Derek. I wonder why you always bring her here… She isn’t part of the family yet, you know?” Rebecca made sure to stress the word 'yet'.
“That’s enough Rebecca! Michelle is Derek’s girlfriend and that makes her a part of this family… I asked her to be here. Do you have a problem with that?” Mr. Howard angrily said.
Michelle felt like crying, but she didn’t want to do it in Rebecca’s presence, so she doesn’t have the satisfaction that her words got to her.
“If that’s the case, then I’m sure Nathan also has a girlfriend but we don’t see him inviting her over.” Rebecca said, still glaring at Michelle.
“Mom, I don’t” Nathan sternly said.
Rebecca scoffed and walked out of the living room.
“I’m sorry about that, dear..” Mr. Howard apologized for his wife’s behavior.
Michelle nodded in understanding and they all went into the dinning room. When they were all seated on the dining table, the maids served them dinner. They were having, lamb salad, chicken salad with fregola for dinner.
“Why did you decide to move back to Washington?” Mr. Howard asked Nathan.
“C’mon dad, I don’t think that me moving back is a crime, right?”
“I never said so.”
“I just want to be close to my family… I’ve been away for too long.”
“So, how do you intend to manage the company in New York and the one here, at the same time?... You know, your presence would be needed there and having to travel back and forth would be strenuous on your part.”
“I know that, dad. But the truth is, there isn’t much work to be done there… I’ll be working from home most of the time. If my presence is desperately needed there, I’ll travel back.”
“Okay son. Just don’t get too worked up.”
“I’ll try not to.”
They continued eating, bringing up little topics here and there. Michelle barely ate her meal because Rebecca was glaring daggers at her.
Mr. Howard asked Michelle about her well being and that of her mom, which she answered with a sincere smile. She knew he was trying to make her feel welcomed, comfortable and accepted and she really appreciates it. But with Rebecca always on her case, she can never feel that way.
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