Flashback: Jason meets the Clovers at his company.
- Hui Corps-
Jason waited at the entrance of the company for Rosanna and Eric to arrive. Once they've exited from the car, his parents greeted them kindly with a hug.
"It's been such a long time since we've seen each other!" Julia chanted excitedly after giving Rosanna a kiss on the cheeks.
"Yes, it has! The last time we've seen each other were so many years ago! Oh, is he your son? He looks intelligent just like you've described." Rosanna eyed Jason from head to toe with complete satisfaction.
"Hahaha. I'm glad you find him likeable. Come. Let him take you on a tour around the company as we chat." Julia held Rosanna's arm and pulled her into the lobby. Meanwhile, Eric and Nick exchanged a shrug as they followed their wives from behind.
At the same time, Jason spoke whenever his mother quieted down. If Julia interrupted their conversation, he would wait until she finished before continuing. The tour around the company did not take more than half an hour because the Clover couple requested a pause on the tour. They mentioned about having a different motive for visiting the company.
The moment they stepped into Jason's office and closed the door from behind, the Clovers spoke about the arranged marriage between Jason and their daughter.
After settling down on the couch, Rosanna sniffed the pleasant fragrance of the flower tea before taking a sip. "This tea is delicious, Jason. Right, we came today to talk about your engagement with our daughter."
Before she could continue further, Jason excused his rudeness for interrupting her sentence. "I apologize for cutting into your sentence, but I cannot marry your daughter. The arranged marriage was an agreement Aunty and Uncle have settled with my parents. At that time, I was barely three years old."
"Oh? So, you're saying you don't even want to give my daughter a second of consideration? Is there a reason why you are calling off the engagement?" Rosanna's voice sounded calm, but the storm raging in her eyes couldn't be missed.
"Aunty and Uncle, I am in love with my current girlfriend. I am planning to propose and marry her. I want her to be my wife and only her. I am sure your daughter is as lovely as you. She might have a beautiful personality and a golden heart, but I only love one girl. If my girlfriend is not the person who is walking down the aisle with me, then I will remain single for the rest of my life."
Jason looked sincerely into the couple's eyes with unfaltering determination. Rosanna saw the strong passion in his eyes when he mentioned his girlfriend. 'He isn't lying about having a girlfriend. Hehe, but I can't let him cancel the engagement this easily.'
"Your words sound quite pleasant to my ears, but it is not enough to convince me. Sweet talks don't work on me. What you just said could be repeated by any men in the world. Besides, we want the best for our daughter, and your family is the most compatible with ours. Our daughter is already twenty-three this year. How could you call off the engagement all of a sudden?"
With her pinky slightly bent upwards, Rosanna stirred her tea with a small rose-gold spoon. Eric remained quiet as his wife wagged her imaginary tail excitedly. Though she hid the excitement in her tone, he could tell what was boiling in her mind the second she raised her pinky. She wanted to tease Jason!
"Aunty, I'm sure with your daughter's outstanding genetics, she will find a much better husband than me. Compatibility between family statuses does not represent anything. It is only a show for outsiders to see and envy. Happiness comes first. Your daughter's happiness should come first before anything. Would you rather marry her off to a man who matches her status or a man who could make her feel loved every day?"
He argued back with an inquiry, hyping up Rosanna's interest. From the minute he spoke about cancelling the engagement, she already knew he had someone in his eyes. She planned to play around a little, but he has gotten more serious! It's been a while since anyone stood up against her verbally.
'He has guts. Too bad he already has someone..' She thought to herself as she took another sip of tea.
Jason revealed a small smile when she remained silent. He thought she was thoroughly convinced to let him cancel on the engagement. Unfortunately, her silence didn't mean she was persuaded.
"I want both. Which parent wouldn't want their children to be happy and carefree in life? Our family may be wealthy, but my daughter is our precious gem. She's our everything. Every year, we make a birthday party for her and bring back gifts from wherever we travelled to. If her husband can support and love her, then we won't have to worry anymore. If you want to convince me, you need to do more than talking."
Rosanna crossed her legs and leaned into Eric's chest. She only wanted to fool around at first, but her chest began to ache when she mentioned her lost daughter. Eric sensed the change in her mood and comforted her in his embrace.
Sighing, Jason walked over to his desk and pulled out an old photo from his drawer. He placed the photo onto the table and pushed it towards Rosanna's direction. She lowered her gaze and spotted a little girl and boy.
Eric couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the picture. Carefully, Rosanna picked up the photo with shaky hands. The little girl inside the photo looked exactly like her when she was a child! She looked at the girl's round eyes and bright smile. She looked so happy!
Rosanna stuttered as she looked up at Jason. "This..This little girl is.."
Jason began telling them the story of how he met Selina. "The girl in the photo is my girlfriend, Selina. The little boy next to her is me. Our story contained many twists and turns that started many years ago...."
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