It was lunch break. Despite her reluctance, Arianne was dragged away by Sylvain to the restaurant his mother had picked.The destination alone was enough to clue Arianne in about who his mother should be. It was a high-end fine diner, the sort of place where a meal could burn through a hole in an average person's wallet. To choose a place like this meant Sylvain’s mother lived a pretty comfortable life after her second marriage, which made her abandoning young Sylvain even more baffling.Sylvain and Arianne arrived first. Ten minutes of waiting later, Sylvain’s mother finally came, along with a hard-hitting first impression.She looked like a rich housewife who had gotten used to a life of privileges and comfort. An air of shrewdness followed her, probably emanating from her cream-colored business suit designed by an international household name, her permed, wavy curls, and a pair of gilded-rimmed glasses. Whether it was intended as a fashion accessory or for actual sight-corrective
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed, making Arianne feel extremely uncomfortable. She knew that arriving with Sylvain would cause an awkward situation but she never thought that it would be this awkward. Breathing alone felt like a huge effort for her.Sylvain’s mother seemed completely fine on the surface. When the dishes were served, she chatted with Sylvain over daily household things. She even mentioned that she would introduce him to his stepfather’s daughter one day so that they could get to know each other. Sylvain suddenly put down his knife and fork and icily replied, “No need. I do not need to establish any form of relationship with your current family. No need to put in the effort. I have no interest in your husband or stepdaughter, nor you.”Sylvain’s mother finally displayed a sense of awkwardness, probably because Arianne, an outsider, was around. “Syl, don’t be so crass. It’s normal for you to feel conflicted now. I will wait until you feel calmer.”Sylvain c
Arianne laughed. “Nothing much. You know that Sylvain went to meet his mom, so what else could we possibly talk about, aside from average family-related topics? We talked so much that we lost track of time. We aren’t late. What are you doing here, anyway? Don’t you have anything to do? Get back to work. Working hours are starting soon. I’ve got work to do too.”“That’s right,” Sylvain played along. “What else could we talk about? I would have invited you along too if I’d known you’d be so curious…”Mark didn’t reply. He got up, straightened out his clothes, and left the office area.His attitude stumped Sylvain. “He couldn’t possibly have found out that my mom’s trying to weasel info on me, could he?”Arianne felt apprehensive, but no matter how she looked at it, it seemed improbable. “I don’t think so? He doesn’t have supersonic hearing anyway. Besides, so what if he finds out? We don’t know for sure if you’re leaving, and he’s not going to abuse his power with you.”Nevertheless
Sylvain’s expression changed. “Are you spying on me?”His mother retained a straight face. “Don’t say it like that. I just want to get to know you better. Isn’t that the quickest way to go? I’ve always prioritized efficiency in everything I do. Since it’s dinner with your girlfriend, you wouldn’t mind having me tag along, would you? I’m your mother, it’s perfectly normal for me to have a meal with her, isn’t it?”Sylvain didn’t know how to reject her, so he didn’t answer.His mother immediately got into his car and told her driver to drive the car away without her.Sylvain frowned as he drove his car to the restaurant where he and Robin were supposed to meet. “She’s not my girlfriend yet,” he reminded her before she got down from the car. “Don’t you dare make unfounded remarks. Consider this a casual meal.”“Okay, don’t worry. I won’t make things difficult for you,” his mother replied casually, as if she were very close to him. “By the way, your friend from this afternoon, why doe
“I’ve heard that you’re not actually boyfriend and girlfriend yet,” Ursula Siebeech-Jaark calmly said. “What a relief. He’s going to leave the country with me, to expand his career soon. Things would be quite tricky if he really had a girlfriend in this country. Besides… You’re both from completely different social classes. It won’t end well for you, Miss Cox.”Robin finally lost control and went very pale in the face. She wasn’t sure what to say.Just then, Sylvain emerged from the washroom. Ursula switched to a warm, genial expression again. “Syl, what took you so long?”Sylvain glanced at Robin and replied, “I was answering a call. It’s nothing.”Robin bit her lip. The current situation made her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles. It was obvious that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy her meal now, so she got up and said, “I have a family emergency, so I’ve gotta go, Sylvain. Please enjoy your meal with M—I mean, your mom.”Sylvain wasn’t sure of what had happened, but
Ursula didn’t dare say anything more, or otherwise, Sylvain would most certainly storm off.Both mother and son did not enjoy their meal. They left the restaurant after the meal. Sylvain stormed off straight away, leaving Ursula all alone at the restaurant entrance. Ursula felt very unsettled. After all, Sylvain had actually offered to walk Robin to the door when she left. She resented how her position in her son’s heart was nothing compared to that of a little girl. They say that mothers-in-law rarely liked their daughters-in-law—there was some logic in this statement. Regardless, she absolutely hated Robin.Sylvain uncorked a bottle of wine when he arrived home and downed two glasses of it. That allowed him to suppress some of his unsettled feelings.He pulled out his phone and called Robin. When she answered his call, he spoke in a slightly sunken voice. “Why did you leave all of a sudden during dinner? Was there really a family emergency? Or did my mom make you feel uncomfortabl
It did not matter if he was going to leave her or if their relationship would not end with a happy ending. All she could cling onto was what she had at that moment. After a long time, Sylvain gently sighed and let go of her. His expression still brimmed with excitement as he held onto her cheek and said with a croaky voice, “Let’s go to my place.”Robin knew exactly what he meant. For the longest time, they had been treating each other as friends and maintained their distance with each other. Therefore, Robin did not know if she should accept his offer and jump back into being in a relationship so suddenly. After pondering for a few seconds, she gritted her teeth and said, “I can’t. It’s so late now; my mom will be looking for me soon. I should go back now.”A look of disappointment flashed through his eye. “Would you be my girlfriend? I’m serious, I don’t care how your parents think of me. I won’t run away from you ever again.”Robin felt inferior as she recalled her conversation
“I’m not afraid. Let’s get registered tomorrow.”After saying that, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. Just as they were half undressed, the doorbell suddenly rang and it ruined the mood.Robin immediately returned to her senses. “Who could that be? Why don’t you go find out first…”Sylvain ignored the ringing doorbell. “I’ve been living alone for so long, no one would usually look for me. It could be that they’ve gotten the wrong house. Let’s ignore them.”However, the doorbell kept on ringing, so much so that Sylvain could no longer ignore it. He frustratedly went out to check who it was and saw that it was a woman dressed in a white knee-length dress. The woman looked extremely attractive with her tall stature and robust body. Additionally, her mixed-race face made her look even more attractive. Sylvain could not recall ever meeting the woman before and politely asked her, “May I know who you’re looking for?”The woman cheekily winked at him and pushe