161 MEETING UP WITH THE FAMILY LUKE’S POV I arrived at Tiffany’s house–not actually her house, her parents‘ house–and I had no idea what to expect, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for what I saw. I had agreed for her to take me to see them and talk about this whole pregnancy stuff. But I wasn’t too happy about this. It’s my fault anyway. The moment we pulled up to the massive gate, I was quite surprised. I was really, really surprised. The building was mountainous, just like mine. And here I was, thinking she wasn’t in my status. I thought she was just an average lady, middle–class, and normal. But I guess I was just wrong. Why didn’t she live with her parents? Why was she residing in a different location? Tiffany noticed the expression on my face and placed a hand on my knee. “What’s with that face? Are you surprised with what you see?” I sighed, shaking my head, not giving her a response to her question. She understood my silence perfectly, so she turned her face away, looking in another direction. I stopped my car, and we both left as the gates slowly opened. I was still startled by the sight before me. The driveway was lined with perfectly manicured lawns and flower beds. The mansion in front of us was three stories tall, with a grand entrance and a balcony overlooking the front yard. I couldn’t believe her parents owned this place. I turned to her. “Wow, how come you never told me you were this wealthy?” Tiffany chuckled at my question. “You never gave me a chance to. I nodded. “Oh right.” “Yes, because you just considered me to be your…” “Okay, okay, I totally understand. You don’t have to tell me that, alright?” “You knew what I was going to say?” I chuckled. “Probably.” “Let’s just go inside,” she said, holding my hand. I gave her an unfriendly look, and she quickly took her hand off mine. We made our way towards the entrance, and I was still not happy about this meeting. Hold on, why did the hell did I even agree to this shit? Oh right, I didn’t want her to start thinking like I was some heartless man or something. I took a deep breath the moment we entered the house. I was greeted by a grand foyer with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were adorned with expensive paintings, and the floors were made of marble. “Tiffany, darling, you’re back!” A woman’s voice interrupted my thoughts. 161 MEETING UP WITH THE FAMILY 2/4 I turned to see a woman in a designer suit walking towards us with open arms. Tiffany ran to her, and they embraced in a hug. “Mom, this is Luke. Luke, meet my mother, Mrs. Elviro.” Tiffany introduced us. “Elviro? That name sounds really familiar,” I said inaudibly to myself. “You said what?” Tiffany turned to me. “Oh, it’s nothing.“I replied, shaking my head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Elviro.” I shook hands with her. “Oh, please call me Veronica. I’ve heard so much about you, Luke Reynold.” She smiled at me and turned to Tiffany. “Tiffany, dear, you can please take this man inside the house now. We’ll need to get this discussion started as soon as possible.” “Okay, mother,” Tiffany nodded and turned to me. Luke, come on.” She walked, and I treaded behind her. Every room was tastefully decorated with expensive furniture and art pieces. She was really this wealthy; it was still kind of surprising. But I shouldn’t even be thinking about that right now. We just need to get straight to business. Settling in the living room, this young man walked in our direction, with some of his fellows behind him. He wasn’t putting on a shirt, and his body was filled with tattoos. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t just like that sh*t. Tattoos were not my thing. “Luke, meet my younger brother, Todd.” Tiffany introduced me to him. “Hey Tiff, who’s the new guy?” Todd asked with a smirk. “This is Luke, the man that I told you guys about earlier today.” Todd raised his eyebrow. “And when did you do that?” She shot him a glance that made it look like he was absurd. “You’ve forgotten?” “I can’t care less.” He shrugged and walked away, along with his fellow. “Your brother looks like a gangster,” I told Tiffany. She shook her head with a sigh. “What can I say? That’s his life.” “Tiffany, my beautiful daughter, you’re back.” This man moved closer to the both of us, smiling, and then he hugged Tiffany. It was her father. “Luke, meet my father,” Tiffany told me, smiling delightfully. “Luke Reynold? What a great thing to see you! I’m Manuel.” He shook hands with me. “Wait, Manuel. Like, Manuel Elviro?” “Yes, I’m Manuel Elviro. And you’ve heard about me. There was a time when I wanted to work on a 161 MEETING UP WITH THE FAMILY project with you. But I changed my mind.” “Oh, why exactly?” Manuel laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that.” “So, hold on. You’re Manuel Elviro; that means your daughter is…” 3/4 “Hey guys!” I heard her voice, and I turned around. It was Bethany, just as I thought. And I was really surprised to find out that she was Tiffany’s sister. So many shocks are coming at once. How nice was that? Bethany’s expression changed the moment she saw me. “What is this man doing here?” “Who? Luke?” Manuel asked. Bethany’s dark look on me didn’t fade one bit. “Yes, Luke. What the hell is he doing here?” “Easy, sis,” Tiffany said, and I moved to her, fixing her hand on my chest and the other around my neck. “This is Luke, the father of this baby I’m carrying right here.” She rubbed her tummy. Bethany laughed. “Let me get things straight around here. You literally let this man get in between your legs?” Tiffany’s smile toward Bethany vanished. “Can you please be respectful?” ויי “I can’t even waste any more time around here. I’ll be in my room, just in case anyone’s looking for me.” Bethany walked away. “Okay, Luke. We don’t have much time because I have somewhere to be headed right now. So please, take a seat.” “Well, thank you.” I smiled at him and sat down. Veronica showed up in the living room. “So, Luke Reynold. Our daughter right here has told us that the both of you are expecting a baby.” “That was what she told you?” I raised an eyebrow. “Yes, any problem with that?” Veronica asked me calmly. “Not really. But I just need to make things clear around here.” “Hold on. Before you say anything, we’d like to let you know that we want the both of you to get married any time soon,” Veronica told me. I looked at her for a moment, and I laughed a little. “I’m sorry. Say what now?” “Yes, Luke. You will have to get married to our daughter to make her pregnant.” I chuckled. “You do know I’m married, right?” “Well, you should have thought of that before you went ahead to have sex with Tiffany.” “You guys don’t get it. I wasn’t….” I paused immediately and shook my head. “Ugh nevermind.” 161 MEETING UP WITH THE FAMILY “Luke Reynold,” Manuel said harshly, crossing his arms. “Are you trying to tell us that you don’t want to take responsibility for Tiffany’s child?“