CHAPTER 5: SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

Sloane felt a chill down her spine. She didn't expect so much from the stranger. But for a split second, she had high hopes that he would be her ticket out of this suffering she's in.

Everything crumbled. Her supposed husband didn't even look like he could afford the least dollar notes to get himself a better quality shirt than the cheap one he was wearing.

Carlo Alistair?

No way! That had to be a joke. It wasn't who they thought it was.

“Good morning, mom," Carlo greeted Ms Wentworth. "I—”

Ms Barbara Wentworth was shocked to the bones. She most definitely didn't hear what he just said.

Mom? This had to be a joke! A joke of the century!

She chuckled mildly in surprise. "What..did you just call me?”

Carlo appeared lost in the family heat.

"Mom,” he replied. "I mean… you are my mother-in-law.”

He had broad grins cycling over his face. But they were quickly swept away when Ms Wentworth launched a slap right on his cheek.

Sloane just stood there, trapped in her own disappointment. She knew that any attempts to help him would put her in a dire situation.

Sharon got up and approached Carlo. She used her index finger to nudge the flesh around his face and hands. Then, she felt the fabrics of his shirt.

“Carlo Alistair?" She bursted into loud fits of laughter.

Sloane could not take it anymore. She would not stand there and watch them make mockery of a person who didn't do anything wrong to the family.

“Enough of that, Sharon,” Sloane said firmly. "Where are your manners?”

Ms Wentworth fired back at Sloane immediately.

"You don't get to intimidate my own child in my presence. Know your place."

Sloane heaved a sigh. “But he has done nothing to be mistreated here."

John cut in. “That's right," he said. “He has done nothing. I almost forgot for a second that this thing standing in our house right now would not have been here if my late father didn't go around frolicking with your low life mother!”

Sloane was wounded by that statement. She swallowed it down and remained strong. There was no need to respond to that.

John got up and stormed out of the house.

"What do you want?” Ms Barbara asked Carlo.

Carlo cleared his throat and replied, “I am your son-in-law."

The response triggered Ms Wentworth even more. She was getting really irritated by the unyielding boldness of the young man standing in her home.

Who did he think himself to be?

“Now, you should listen to me very carefully," she said.

Carlo just stared at her.

“I have no idea what sort of business you have with my daughter. But I will give you a little piece of advice. Snap out of it before you start regretting it. Do you understand me?"

Carlo nodded his head.

Ms Barbara grabbed her purse and took out a dollar bill and flung it in the air, towards Carlo.

“Judging by your looks, you probably had to trek all the way to this place to get a little attention. But you see, the Wentworth family will not have people like you wal—”

Carlo cut her off with a rather unsettling question.

"People like me?” He queried her. "What ..would that mean?”

Ms Barbara gnashed her teeth angrily.

"It simply means that there is no room for good-for-nothing people around this family. Do you understand what I'm saying? Now, you should pick up this dollar bill and get lost from our lives. I don't want to find you here when I get back here.”

The woman threw a disappointing glare right on Sloane before she disappeared from the room.

Sharon laughed mockingly. “Carlo Alistair, the third generation grandson and heir to the multi trillion dollar enterprise, Golden Gates!" She laughed even more. “What a shocker! Sloane, I guess you definitely got married to the right person to someone of your status. A freaking lowlife! Thank you! Because of you, the family's business will go down!"

Jacob spoke for the first time.

"That's enough now, Sharon," he said. “You have made your point clear enough. Now, pick your manners where you dropped them and leave this place."

With a prolonged bitter sigh, the sassy girl left them. Jacob got up and looked at both Sloane and Carlo for a good while. He was short of words to even speak in the situation. What was done was already done.

"I apologise for the insults,” he said to Carlo politely.

Carlo grinned mildly. "It's okay.”

Jacob looked at Sloane. "A moment with you, please."

He took her outside for a brief moment.

"What do you intend to do now?”

Sloane was clueless. She didn't know what to do at this point. The slightest hope of this stranger helping her had been bashed completely.

She shook her head and said, “I don't know. But I won't get married to that spoiled brat called Bradley."

Jacob stroked his cheek and smiled at her.

“It's okay, Sloane. It's your life and your decision to make."

He left her and went back in. Carlo was still standing there.

“What's your name, again?" He asked Carlo.

“Carlo," Carlo replied. “Carlo Alistair."

Jacob smiled. “What an irony," he muttered. “Welcome to the family, Carlo."

He said nothing further and just disappeared. Carlo was left alone when Sloane joined him.

“Hey," he said while trying to smile.

Sloane looked at him pitifully. She felt bad that she had to drag an innocent person into this mess.

“Hey," she responded and forced a smile.

“I'm sorry about everything," she said. “I pulled you into all of this. It's my mistake."

Carlo said nothing for a while. Then, out of the blue, he said, “I'm famished. Do you have something I can eat?"

Sloane was shocked. “What?"

Carlo kept mute. She shut her eyes for a while.

“Hmm," she exhaled tiredly. “Come with me. Let's talk when you've eaten."

They both left, headed to a restaurant in the city to grab something edible. Sloane had no idea what she was to do next.