CHAPTER 4: MOVE OUT

CHAPTER FOUR

Chris stared at his mom for a while, trying to understand what she was saying. "What are you talking about, Mom?" 

"That, that..." Chris looked to the side and realized that his mother was talking about Mia.

"You mean Mia? You know her?" Chris cocked his head to the side confused. 

There was no way his mother knew Mia.

She'd been in France all her life, and his mother had never smelt the border of France, not to talk of ever visiting, so how would she.

"Of course I do. You're always posting her all over social media. She's a model, is she not?" Mrs White asked her son. 

Chris sighed with relief, "Of course. Yes mom. I'd like you to meet Mia, my girlfriend." He said with a lot of love shining in his eyes. 

"That's a joke right?" Mrs White cocked her head to the side and Mia could see the resemblance between mother and son. 

"Pardon?" Mia asked. 

"It's a joke. There's no way she is your girlfriend." Mrs White tried to clarify with her son. 

Chris nodded with a smile, "Apologies, my mistake. I mean, fiancee." 

“Very well then, let's get to know the lady.”

They made their way to the dining area and started ordering. 

The waiter came and served them and they were all discussing Mia's life and so far were impressed.

“So Mia…” Mr White trailed off.

“Are your parents also from France?” He asked l.

Before she could reply, Mia felt something and started coughing it out. “OMG!” She gasped. “Is there meat in this? I can't have meat.”

Chris looked at her with a confused expression on his face and replied, “The food you ordered had to have meat in it, Mia.”

She scoffed, “You know I can't have meat.”

“Are you a vegetarian?” Mrs White asked.

“No, I have a cover shoot and I have to look great. Do you want me looking all chubby like you or something?” She asked and Chris's eyes opened wide.

“Mia!” He called.

“What? She looks great but I can't look like her. I would lose everything I've worked for. And can someone get me a waiter?”

Mrs White was trying to maintain her composure and Chris was feeling embarrassed at the moment. The waiter arrived.

“How may I help you?”

“Why did you serve this with meat?” She inquired.

He laughed. “The dish you ordered needs meat in it. You can't eat it without meat in it,” he explained.

“False,” she responded. “Back in France, I never had this dish with meat. Do you know that you almost ruined my career? You know I can get you fired for it.”

“Mia, stop it!” Chris cautioned her.

“Baby, he tried to ruin everything I worked for. He deserves to rot in jail in fact this restaurant deserves to close —”

“For the last time, stop it!”

She realized he was being serious and decided to stop it. “You got lucky,” she scowled at the waiter.

Mia grinned at Chris and Mrs. White was just brewing with silent anger. 

"If you're trying to play ignorant, I understand but that lady can't be your fiance." 

Chris looked at his mother with a frown, "I don't think I understand, mother." 

"When your father asked you to come back home, it was to take over the business and settle down. We both have the perfect image of our daughter in-law and this woman doesn't cut it." 

Mia felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach. 

Chris glared at his mother, "She has a name, it's Mia. And yes I will marry her." 

"No, you will not." It was his father's turn to speak now. "Are you trying to argue with your mother?" 

"Yes I am. If it's about Mia, I will." He deadpanned. 

Mia placed her hand in Chris’s trying to show his parents that they were a united front but that was a mistake.

Mrs White immediately saw it as Mia controlling her son against her, "Can't you see it? She's not meant for you! She doesn't have the grace or the aura of a Daughter of the White family. No matter how rich we are, we've always been humble and we preferred that legacy be carried on.”

"Mom, you just met her. You haven't even given yourself the chance to know her yet." Chris argued. 

"I don't need to. If I do, I'm sure I'll hate what I find beneath her beautiful skin and fake smile the most." 

Chris sighed. "Today was a very hectic day for me and I did not expect to come back home to this. So excuse me, I'd like to go to my room. We can have this discussion tomorrow when you're calm. Goodnight." Chris clutched Mia’s hand tighter and pulled her along with him as he stormed to his bedroom. 

Mia felt like her entire world was crashing, she was on the verge of tears. 

Chris cupped her cheeks and placed his forehead against hers, "Please don't cry. You know I can't handle it." 

"I'm sorry." Mia said, trying to control her tears, "It's just that...I didn't expect your mom to not like me. Is it my attitude or job? I can quit-" 

"You will not quit." Mia said with a low hum. He would never tell Mia to quit something that made her happy. 

It was her lifelong dream to be a model and he would support her every step of the way. She still didn't understand that it was her attitude that cost her the privilege of making a first impression.

"Don't worry, my parents are not exactly open-minded. I'm sure that the more time you spend with them, the more they'll get to see the real you. I fell in love with you." He pecked her lips and pulled her in for a hug. "For now, let's ignore them and focus on us. Why don't you cuddle me tonight, hmm? Your husband-to-be is extremely tired." He said with a smirk and she giggled shyly. 

That night they slept in each other's arms feeling good about the next day. 

But what Chris promised Mia never came. Mr and Mrs. White still hadn't warmed up to her after a week of her arrival. Mia tried everything she could but the old couple were just hell bent on making life hard for her and Ben. 

Chris didn't have a day of rest, his mom or his fiancee always had something to complain about and it was starting to mess with his head. 

_________________

"I'm moving out!" He announced one day during dinner. 

"What!" All three of them at the table chorused. 

"What do you mean by moving out son? Don't you like the mansion?" Mr. White asked. 

"It's not the mansion. It's the energy around it. 

Mia isn't welcome here and it's obvious that you will not be accepting our relationship anytime soon and I can't deal with the constant bickering. 

So I'm moving out. I already got my own apartment ready and I'll move in with Mia. 

You're free to visit whenever you like but you have to put your disdain for our relationship outside before you walk in.

"Are you seriously setting rules for me and your mother?" His father glared at him and Chris glared right back. 

"Yes I am. I will not stand by and watch you both hurt the woman I love." Chris replied, cutting through his steak. 

Mrs White sighed, "Alright. If that is what you want, we won't stop you anymore." 

"We won't?" Mr. White asked. 

He trusted his wife's instinct and he was shocked to see that she was backing down easily. 

"Yes, we won't. I just hope it doesn't become too late for you to realize just how much of a mistake you're making." She smiled at her son and stood up from the dining heading to her bedroom, her husband following right behind her. 

"Did we do the right thing?" Mia asked as she stared at Ben with concern. 

"We didn't do the wrong thing." He replied