Chapter 27 Confrontation
While my mother and Evan were having a brief conversation, Wendy tried several times to say something. However, my mother simply glanced up at her and said in a cool tone, “Mrs. Stafford, do you have anything else to say?”
There was a clear note of displeasure in her voice. Anyone with any sense of propriety would have taken this as a cue to leave.
However, Wendy simply forced a few awkward laughs. “I’m just so surprised. After all, Juju and Samuel haven’t-”
“Are you about to say they haven’t officially broken off the engagement?” My mother’s eyes grew colder. “If you’re going to cling to that point, then I’d like to ask you, as parents, don’t we have the right and duty to properly discipline our children?”
Wendy opened her mouth, but my mother beat her to it.
“Mrs. Stafford, let’s put it another way. If you think that Juju and Samuel are still engaged, then what’s with the girlfriend by Samuel’s side? Did you or Mr. Stafford allow Samuel to be a
two–timer?”
This question left Wendy blushing in embarrassment. “Well…
I…”
“There’s no need for all these excuses. From the start, what have you treated Juju as? You casually suggest she repeat a year in school just to keep Samuel company.
“If Samuel fails to get into college after three or five years, should Juju keep him company for three or five years too? And if Samuel spends his entire life fooling around and never wants to marry Juju, should she wait for him forever?
“Why? Just because of some verbal childhood engagement?”
“Wendy, don’t forget that the relationship between our families began because my late husband saved Mr. Stafford.
“Then, when Juju was practicing Latin dance, it was you who begged me to let them pair up as dance partners. I only agreed because they got along well. And now, is this how you repay
Us?”
My mother’s barrage of questions left Wendy speechless.
Ha ha ha. I wanted to give my mother a standing ovation. Her sharp tongue was truly satisfying–no wonder she was the top leader in Juville. Even when she spoke with a smile, she exuded an undeniable authority that brooked no opposition.
Wendy’s face turned from green to red in quick succession. That’s not what I meant. Don’t be angry. I came today mainly to discuss the engagement…”
“Don’t bring up the engagement again. You all received the custom–made rings supposedly for Juju, and without verifying their authenticity, you took it upon yourselves to announce our families‘ engagement at a business conference. Do you even know what respect means, Wendy?
“Before deciding on the engagement, did you ever ask the
people involved? Did you ask for my opinion? And what about.
Π
the gifts Juju returned last night? I don’t believe you’re completely in the dark about that.
“Is it only the things that benefit you that you’re in a rush to acknowledge, while you conveniently ignore anything that doesn’t work in your favor?”
My mother still had a smile on her face as she said this. Exactly. She was usually gentle and kind, rarely losing her temper, but when she did, no one got off easy.
Just then, my father arrived, accompanied by Francis, who was nearing 50. They seemed to sense that something was off in the living room.
After exchanging a look, Francis walked in with a slightly
awkward expression. He was surprised to see Evan sitting on
the couch.
I was about to stand up and introduce my relationship with Evan when he gently squeezed my hand and calmly said, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s discuss how to officially cancel the verbal childhood engagement.”
“But Samuel isn’t here!” Wendy protested, implying that the discussion couldn’t proceed without him.
She still wanted to cling to me even after all this. I was so angry that I felt like a pufferfish, my cheeks puffed up in frustration.
But before I could say anything, Evan glanced at her and said, ” I’ll have someone bring him over.
“No!” Wendy refused without hesitation.
Evan’s expression darkened slightly. “Wendy, Samuel is only injured, not dead, and certainly not incapacitated. As a man, he
should take responsibility for his actions and face the
consequences.”
With that, Wendy had nothing left to say.
Half an hour later, Samuel was brought over by Xavier.