บท 18: Family Dinner
Irene knew that facing the rich family was an unpleasant experience. But she never thought that night she would feel as if they were deliberately pouring hot water over her head.
Directly across from her chair, Irene faced the woman Philip had chosen to marry Sebastian. Her curly blonde hair was left down, framing her adorable face that looked as innocent as a lamb.
Her name was Andrea Harvey, the daughter of a gold mining businessman who had worked with the Croix Company in making gold jewelry.
From a business standpoint, Irene could guess that Sebastian would benefit more if he got married to Andrea than marrying her.
"What does it mean, Dad?" Sebastian's voice was as sharp as a blade. The look in his eyes showed no compassion for his father. "I told you I wanted you to meet my future wife at this dinner."
Philip, who was seated at the head of the table, did not seem to be fazed by his eldest son's sharp gaze. He replied calmly, "Yes, I acknowledge that."
Sebastian hid his anger behind a smile. "But why did you invite Miss Harvey to our family dinner?"
Andrea turned her head in the direction of Sebastian and Philip. Her face turned sad as she said, "Uncle, should I just leave?"
Philip's tone softened as he spoke to Andrea. "No, Andrea. You stay here."
Philip then turned to Sebastian. "Yes, I let you bring that woman of yours, but I never said I would accept her as one of us." Philip laughed before saying, "That woman is nothing but a mockery to her family, Sebastian."
Before Sebastian smashed the table, Irene held his arms. She put down her cutlery because she had no appetite for the food.
Without trembling, Irene faced Philip's mockery. "You have such a creative choice of words, Mr. Delacroix. But may I know, Why do you think that of me?"
Philip looked at Irene dismissively, as if she were a worthless piece of garbage. "Do you think I don't know you? You are 'the stone of Russell'. You have a mind and a nature as hard as a rock, but you have no achievements at all, just like a stone that has no price.
Gloria Delacroix, Sebastian's mother, chuckled and poured oil into the flame. "Oh, dear. She probably had a hard time to live after her mother died."
The corner of Irene's mouth turned up, but her voice was as cold as a snowflake. "Please don't bring my mother into our conversation."
The food on the table grew cold, and no one touched it because they were too busy insulting each other. They didn't look like a family, but strangers who couldn't understand each other.
Whenever they spoke, Philip and Gloria didn't want to look Sebastian in the eye, maybe they didn't like him or maybe they wanted to pretend he didn't exist.
The family situation confused Irene. Other families would flatter and lovingly welcome their son who brought honor to their family, but why didn't Sebastian get that?
Why, after all the hard work and honor he had brought to the Delacroix family, did he not receive any affection from his parents?
They were too cold toward him as if they had never considered Sebastian as their son.
"Dad, I respect you as an elder, but you have no right to rule my life." Sebastian raised his head, looking so confident and unafraid of the man before him. "Besides, don't ever insult Irene, because you are also a failure in this family, Dad."
CRASH!
Sebastian remained silent as Philip threw the glass right next to him. The shards scattered across the floor, sending a maid rushing to clean it up before anyone got hurt.
"Watch your mouth, Sebastian!" Philip rose from his chair and pointed his finger at him. "You can become the CEO of the Croix Company because I resigned from the company!"
Sebastian laughed to mock him. "No, you're wrong, Dad. You didn't resign from the company, but it was the company that forced you to leave."
Irene watched the father and son fight in silence. It seemed that there was someone powerful in the family, and he was the one who forced Philip not to interfere in the family business.
Could it be Benedict Delacroix?
According to the family tree, he was Sebastian's grandfather. He hadn't appeared in the media for three years, so Irene assumed he was dead. However, since Sebastian could act as he pleased in Philip's presence, it seemed that he still had Benedict behind his back.
"The dinner is over! It's up to you who you want to marry, but don't expect me to set foot in your wedding." Philip left the table with an angry expression on his face. He didn't even want to see Irene's face before he left.
Gloria clenched her fists and pounded the table. She looked at Irene with anger and contempt. "If you hadn't come to this house, maybe this dinner wouldn't be such a mess! I know a woman like you. You're just a gold digger who wants to marry for money!"
She continued, "Sebastian will regret marrying a woman like you one day."
Irene tried to keep a smile on her face, even though she felt like throwing a chair at her future mother-in-law. "Of course, a gold digger should be able to recognize another gold digger."
"You!" Gloria let out a harsh sigh because she didn't think Irene would dare fight her. "Andrea, Heather, let's eat at a restaurant instead. The food here makes me sick."
Heather looked at her brother as if she wanted him to say sorry, but Sebastian only responded with a shake of his head, a sign that he didn't want to comply with their parents' request.
Before Andrea left with Heather and Gloria, she approached Sebastian and handed him a black velvet box. "I am so sorry if my presence disturbed you, Mr. Delacroix. However, please at least accept my sincere gift."
Sebastian smiled. "You don't have to apologize, Miss Harvey. This diner is ruined because this family is not good at communicating. I'm sorry you had to witness something unpleasant tonight."
Andrea gasped, not expecting Sebastian to speak to her so politely. "I gladly accept your apology."
"Andrea! Let's go!" Heather called from a distance.
Andrea smiled at Sebastian before rushing toward Heather. In no time the dining room fell into silence, even the housekeepers decided to leave rather than witness the family feud.
Irene leaned her back against a chair and chuckled. "Wow, that was the shortest dinner I've ever had, and I'm still starving."
Sebastian held the gift box Andrea had given him and pushed it toward Irene. "I expected this meeting to be bad, but it turned out worse than I thought."
"What are you going to do with this gift?" asked Irene.
"That's up to you."
Irene: "She looks like a decent girl. I think I'll keep it for a while."
Sebastian got up and picked up his coat. "Be careful, sometimes there's a wolf in sheep's clothing." He gave Irene his hand, "Come on, we're going to take dinner outside."
Irene put the gift box in her coat pocket, then reached for Sebastian's hand. Although the family's meeting had been chaotic, she could at least get to know their characteristics to prepare herself after becoming part of the Delacroix family.
"Is your whole family like this?"
"Not all of them. Those who do not have great achievements prefer to respect me or keep quiet to avoid trouble."
As they left Philip's house, Irene lit a cigarette. "Family is a bunch of bastards after all."
Sebastian looked at her cigarette and asked, "Can you give me one?"
Irene smiled. "Of course."
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