Hotel Humiliation

My in‑laws, Bob Golding and Annie Fisher, looked at me with puzzled expressions. "Noah Wilson, didn't Maya Golding say that she was working overtime today and couldn't come back for the holiday celebration?"

Yes, Maya had said that she would be working overtime today. She even told me that she would have meetings all day and might not be reachable.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized something was wrong. Maya usually had a busy schedule at work, so it was common for her to be unreachable. She never bothered to give me a warning in advance.

"Bob and Annie, this is a surprise. Do not concern yourselves with this. Today is a holiday, so we should be a happy family."

While Bob and Annie changed their clothes, I called Maya. The call rang until it ended on its own, yet no one answered.

As I stared at the black screen, my heart sank.

Maya's department had always been strict. Even if there were projects, they would not go somewhere high‑end like Seaview Hotel.

As soon as we got in the car, Annie started to nitpick as usual. She looked at the good luck charm hanging from the rearview mirror and spoke with pursed lips. "Noah, it is not that I want to criticize you. You have been married to Maya for so many years, and your taste has not changed at all. You are still like a hillbilly. Maya works for a professional organization. Watch yourself."

When I was still with Maya, Bob and Annie despised me, a small business owner. They wanted Maya to find someone with a suitable background who worked in an office.

Even though I built my company into a major success, everything they wore and the house they lived in were paid for by me. However, they still thought I was a nobody who married a princess.

"Mom, my mother made this for me for good luck."

She rolled her eyes and pinched her nose in disgust. "When you dine with Maya's colleagues in the future, do not mention your parents. Let alone what your parents do, so you do not embarrass Maya. Jeez, I wondered why the car smelled like chicken shit."

Both of them had retired and had always looked down on my parents for opening a chicken farm. In the rearview mirror, I saw the two of them frowning.

On the wrist Annie used to hold her nose was the Patek Philippe my mother bought for her when she visited during Christmas.

The gold cross on Bob's neck was bought by my dad from a jeweller at a high price.

"By the way, your parents will not be coming today, right? It is a holiday, so do not bother them to wash up before coming."

At the red light, I stepped on the brakes and turned to look at the two of them. "Do not worry, it is just us today."

When I saw Annie's relieved expression, I smiled.

For something this humiliating, it was enough to have the two of them there. Why should my parents be there?

I paused and stepped on the accelerator. "Maybe you will not see each other again. With luck, you will not even be able to see me, your hillbilly son‑in‑law anymore."