Everyone turned to him with curiosity. "What is that?" The mom asked.
“I’m proposing to my girlfriend tomorrow.” He answered and the room fell silent. His mom's smile faded instantly. It sounded like good news, but to her, it wasn't. Rather, it was bad news. A very bad one. “You are what?”
“I’m proposing to Stella.” Jethro repeated, still smiling. “I’ve made up my mind.”
Sir Orton set down his fork. “Jethro, we have talked about this. We have told you several times that she is not fit for this family.”
The mom shook her head. “So this is the good news you wanted to share? That’s not good news, Jethro. We have told you again and again—Stella is not the right girl for you. You have complained that you suspect she's cheating on you. Now you wanted to marry her. Has she bewitched you?"
She asked, but Jethro’s expression hardened. “I'm just suspecting, but I don't believe she's actually cheating. She can't cheat on me. Not after all that I've done for her. I love her. And she loves me. That’s all that matters.”
“No, it’s not,” his mother said firmly. “Love isn’t enough when the person you are with doesn’t bring peace into your life. That girl has no respect for you or for this family. I don't want someone like her to be my daughter-in-law. You are my only son, and I don't want you to make a mistake. I don't want a woman that will destroy all that your father has built. You need to be very careful.”
“She’s misunderstood,” Jethro said, his voice rising slightly. “You’ve never given her a chance. The handbag brand I opened for her is now among the biggest in the country. I believe she will make a good partner. She's hardworking and takes business seriously.”
Sir Orton leaned forward. “Son, listen to your mother. Listen to us. We are not trying to control you. We are trying to protect you. Yes, she's running the company well, but it's not enough to get married to her. Besides, you spend a lot on it. You funded everything and handed it to her. She's building it, but let it not be your reason for marrying her.” The father finished, but Jethro shook his head. “I’ve made my decision. No one is going to change my mind.”
Anabel sat quietly as she had her eyes on her plate. She didn’t know what to say. She had her own battles not long ago, and she knew how it felt to be torn between love and family expectations. Her own fell, and now they were getting back together.
The mom sighed deeply. “I just pray your eyes open before it’s too late.”
"Mom, my eyes are open. I know what I'm doing. I'm not making any mistakes. Stella will make a very good wife." Jethro said, and the mom looked at Anabel, who was busy with her food as if the conversation didn't concern her.
"Anabel, you are not saying anything. Can't you tell your brother he's making a mistake?" The mom said, and she stopped eating and looked up at her. "I don't have anything to say. If he loves her, he can go for her. We can't stop him from getting married to who he wants to marry, even though she doesn't behave so well. Let's leave him to go for his heart." She finished.
The table fell into a heavy silence. The earlier joy was now clouded by heavy tension. Anabel glanced at her brother, then at her parents, and quietly resumed eating, her thoughts drifting between her own second chance and the storm that might be waiting for Jethro.
After dinner, she went back to her room. That night, Desmond called her, and they talked for hours before they finally slept off.