P.O.V Mason:
After telling Ethan everything, my friend commented,
"I understand everything about the contract and how you married without knowing her, and that each of you has your own adventures, well, she does because you're already breaking the agreement you both made of not having a fixed lover. I'm sure your mom won't accept her. You know how much she adores Paige, and Sarah, even without knowing about the contract, won't want to see you with another woman. You're the master of your own life. I just want to say, think carefully about what you're doing, get to know that woman well before formalizing things with her. Over time, your mother will have to come to terms with the fact that she's the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with," he advises me, not knowing Peyton.
I'm sure that when she gets to know Peyton, she'll adore her because my precious Peyton is perfect.
After lunch, we go back to our respective jobs. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. More relaxed, although that changes the moment I step onto the floor where my office is located. Outside my office, my mother is talking to my secretary. I just hope she didn't tell her how many times she's seen Peyton coming here. That would get me in a lot of trouble with her.
I love my mother more than any other woman. It's a different kind of love because she's the one who gave me life, raised me, and made me who I am today.
"Mother, how nice to see you," I greet her enthusiastically and hug her.
"I wish I could say the same," she responds in a cold tone.
"Mom..." I reproach.
"I've come to find out the whole truth once and for all," she says, entering my office.
I have no choice but to follow her inside my office. She sits in front of my desk, maintaining a serious demeanor, and in her eyes, I see the pain and anger she feels about what she knows about me.
"I didn't intend for it to happen like this, Mom. I didn't want it to happen. We simply met, and it happened," I try to explain to her.
"What is it that you didn't intend?" she asks, annoyed.
"Falling in love. I met her while I was engaged to Paige. I couldn't do anything to break the contract and lose the company. You know that my whole life has been focused on being the CEO and taking charge of everything related to it," I nervously explain.
"Are you telling me that you've been with her since before you got married? Seriously?" she asks indignantly.
“I haven't been unfaithful all this time. I've been in contact with her since I met her, but we didn't get together until much later. It happened during a supposed business trip. Paige found out, and I didn't see her again until recently when she arrived here," I say distressfully.
"Has she always known about Paige?" she asks, and I feel like I'm being interrogated.
"Yes, she knows everything. That's why she's waited for me for so long. When I can get a divorce, we'll get married and be happy together. That's why yesterday, when you told her you didn't want to meet her, it hurt her so much," I explain, hoping for a favorable response from her.
I watch her burst into laughter, and I don't understand the reason for her amusement.
"Do you really believe that she's with you without any ulterior motives? Please! Don't be naive. It's logical that she wants more than just love from you. Let me think. Did you pay for her life without her having to work since she met you? It's obvious that you did! It's also too easy to see that she's interested in your money and the fortune you'll gain when the contract is fulfilled. If it were the other way around, why didn't she ask you to be with her, forget about the contract, and start fresh? Does she have an education? Did you pay for it? Or is she one of those who just stay at home and do nothing?" she angrily shouts at me.
"That's not true. She works, well, not now, but she used to, and she wants to work here, but I refused. When I can be with her, we'll both strive to succeed and make the company one of the best," I explain.
"Where did she study?"
"In another city, Mom," I respond, starting to get annoyed.
"Did you pay for her education?" she asks, and I remain silent in response. "Don't answer. Your silence speaks for itself. You're even more naive than I thought. I don't believe you really know that girl, whose name I don't even want to know. I don't want to meet her now or in the future. I'm completely sure that she doesn't love you the way you love her. If she did, her heart wouldn't have tolerated the fact that you'll be with another woman for three years, and she would have asked you to leave it all behind for her. When you realize the truth, it will be too late. That's all I'm going to say. She's not a good woman, and she's not right for you," she says, standing up from her seat.
"Mother, it's not like that. You have to get to know her before you judge her," I angrily protest against her attitude and words.
"I don't need to get to know her to know what she's really like. Just because she appears a certain way in front of you doesn't mean she's like that all the time. Remember my words. You'll remember them," she says, leaving my office.
I put my hands to my head as my mother's words spin in my mind. It can't be true what she's telling me. She just doesn't know her, and that's why she judges her without knowing her. When she does get to know Peyton, she'll change her opinion. I'm sure of it.
Peyton is the most sincere and noble woman I know. She has no interest in material things. The time I spend with her is more important to her than gifts. Besides, if she were as my mother says, she wouldn't have studied to earn.