CHAPTER 4

When we reached the mansion, Navid immediately got out of the car and entered the mansion without even waiting for me.

I took a loud breath before I got out of the car.

When I entered the mansion, Mama Amanda immediately greeted me with a hug.

She kissed both of my cheeks while holding my arms. "I missed you," Mama Amanda sweetly said before she took one of my hands, then she pulled me towards the living room where Papa Samuel, Uncle Karlos, Auntie Jenice, Donna, Hany, Salome, and Navid were waiting.

A happy smile immediately appeared on the lips of the three siblings when they saw me.

Salome came to me first and hugged me tightly.

"I miss you!" Salome said happily to me.

I smiled at what she said and hugged her back. "I miss you too," I replied to her.

When Salome and I let go of each other, Hany immediately came to me and hugged me, and then Donna followed.

Hany held both of my hands as she faced me. She looked at me from head to toe.

She frowned. "You've lost weight," she commented.

“I think the same. Are you on a diet, Elle?"Donna, the youngest of the siblings, asked. She was behind Hany, and Salome was next to her.

"Or maybe our cousin isn't taking good care of you," Salome interjected while raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

I even saw her giving Navid a glare, but my husband didn't even care.

I turned to Aunt Jenice, the mother of Donna, Hany, Salome, and Papa Samuel's younger sister, when she suddenly walked towards me and said, "Oh, you three! Seriously, stop hogging Elle."

Hany immediately let go of me to make way for their mother.

Aunt Jenice gave me a warm hug and kissed me on the cheek, then faced me. She had a warm smile on her lips as she stared at me. "Navid is really lucky to have such a beautiful and kind-hearted wife."

My heart jumped at that comment.

'I hope Navid thinks the same,’ I wanted to say, but I chose to just smile instead, as an answer to Aunt Jenice's remark.

“Alright, let's end the chit-chat for now, and let's all go to the dining room first. We can keep the food waiting,” said Papa Samuel.

“Samuel is right. You can all interview and chat with Elle later,” Uncle Karlos, Aunt Jenice's husband and the father of Donna, Hany, and Salome, said.

Donna then chimed in. “Papa is right. And I'm starving too.”

Salome frowned. “But isn't it too early for lunch? It's still ten.”

Hany rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, please! Stop complaining, you guys!" Hany then took one of my hands and gently pulled me towards the dining area. "Let's go, Elle. Let's eat. You see, I already know how to cook sinigang, and you need to taste it!" She said excitedly while still pulling me towards the dining room.

"Hany! Stop pulling Elle!" Donna shouted.

"Shut up!" Hany yelled back, still pulling me towards the dining room.

When we reached the dining room, she pulled a chair for me and sat me down, then she excitedly filled the soup bowl that was on the side of my plate with the sinigang soup.

"Go on, taste it!" She said excitedly right after.

I laughed softly at what she was doing and her reaction. She looked like a kid as she stared at me with excitement in her eyes.

I shook my head before slowly tasting the broth of the soup she cooked, and the emotion I saw on Hany's face changed from excitement to nervousness. She even raised her clasped palms while staring at me.

I put the spoon down and looked at her with a smile. "It looks like you really know how to cook sinigang now. It's delicious," I commented.

Hany's face suddenly lit up upon hearing what I just said. Gradually, a wide smile appeared on her lips before she jumped for joy. "Yes! I did it!" She screamed in glee, which made me laugh.

"Seriously, you are already 25 yet you are still acting like a kid," commented Salome, who was already at the door of the dining room. Following her are Donna, Aunt Jenice, Uncle Karlos, Mama Amanda, Papa Samuel, and finally Navid, who seems to have no interest in what is happening.

Hany's eyes turned to Salome. "Whatever. You're just jealous because, until now, you still don't know how to cook. You can't even make a simple sunny-side-up egg. That's why Dane doesn't like you."

Donna chuckled at what her sister said, but Salome gave her a sharp look, so she quickly shut her mouth and ran to me. She was about to take the seat beside me, but Hany quickly stopped her.

Donna turned to face her sister with a frown.

"What?"

Hany raised her left eyebrow. "Why are you sitting there? Are you Elle's husband?"

Donna pouted. "I'm going to sit here," she answered, then went to the seat on the other side, which was still next to me, but Hany stopped her again.

"What is it this time?" Donna asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'll sit here," Hany nonchalantly said, then pulled the chair next to me, where Donna was supposed to sit, and sat there.

Donna screamed in annoyance before she went to the other side of the table and sat down, facing me. She was pouting, which made Hany laugh.

The other people with us just shook their heads at what the two were doing.

Who wouldn't be? They are already in their twenties, yet they are still acting like kids.

It seems that Salome is the only one who is mature enough to act like an adult among their siblings.

"Come on. Let's all sit down and eat,” Mama Amanda suddenly said, who sat next to Hany. Aunt Jenice followed, sitting next to a frowning Donna, while Uncle Karlos sat next to Aunt Jenice. Salome also sat next to the other side of Donna, and Papa Samuel sat in the middle and end of the long table. And lastly, Navid, who has no expression written on his face, sat beside me, and Salome was facing him.

When everyone was already seated, we all started eating. I was about to reach for the tray of my favorite menudo that was in the middle of the table when Salome suddenly spoke, causing me to halt.

"Navid, why don't you lend a hand to your wife? Can't you see that she's struggling?”

Navid looked at Salome with his cold gaze, but unlike me, Salome didn't even budge. Instead, she just raised an eyebrow at Navid.

“It's fine, Salome," I said, trying to ease the tension that was gradually enveloping the dining table.

I was about to reach for the tray of menudo again when Navid suddenly stood up. He effortlessly reached for the tray of menudo and wordlessly put food on my plate.

"It's fine now, Navid,” I said as he seemed to fill my plate with menudo.

He looked into my eyes. I swallowed my own saliva as I looked into his cold eyes.

“Ahm..."

Navid looked away. He returned the tray of menudo to the center of the table, then sat down and looked at Salome again, who was still raising an eyebrow.

"Satisfied?" He asked in a cold voice before he went back to eating.

Salome was about to speak, but Aunt Jenice gave her a threatening look. Salome just snorted and then went back to eating.

Salome and Navid have never gotten along. Whenever their paths cross, an argument between the two of them will always happen. And it intensified when Navid and I got married, and Salome found out how her cousin treated me.

Mama Amanda cleared her throat, seeming to get all of our attention and maybe to somehow relieve the tension that surrounded us all.

After getting our attention, except for Navid, who was quietly eating, she suddenly smiled and looked at me in particular, which made me wonder.

"Elle,” she started to say.

"Yes?" I answered wonderingly.

Mama Amanda then looked at Donna. "Donna, give Elle our present."

From Donna's bag, which I only noticed she was carrying, she took out a white rectangular envelope and gave it to me with a smile.

With a curious look on my face, I accepted the envelope. "What is it?" I asked with a frown as I looked around at the eight of them.

"Just open it," Hany replied, who, like Donna, was also smiling.

Even though I was still wondering, I still did what Hany said.

I opened the envelope and was even more surprised to see the contents of the envelope.

"Plane tickets to Japan?" I asked curiously as I looked at them.

They all nodded at the same time while smiling.

"It's for you and Navid," Donna answered with a smile.

My forehead only furrowed.

"It's for your honeymoon." Papa Samuel's continuation of what Donna said made my eyes widen. "It's been a year since you two got married, but you still haven't had a honeymoon yet."

Papa Samuel is right. Navid and I have been married for a year, but we haven't had a honeymoon yet. And that was because it was what Navid had wanted. He said he wants to focus his attention on the company first, but I know that's just his excuse. He just doesn't want to be alone with me.

"It's been a year, but you still haven't gotten pregnant, Elle. We want to have grandchildren already," Mama Amanda exclaimed, making my cheeks red.

Donna then chimed in. "Auntie Amanda is right. We want to see little Elle and little Navid already."

"So we decided to give those plane tickets to the both of you. Don't worry, everything is settled. All you have to do there is enjoy and have fun. Enjoy each other's company and, of course, make some babies! And we also chose the perfect time for your honeymoon. It's winter in Japan right now, which is perfect for honeymooners!” Hany said, which only made my cheeks redder.

I looked around at the eight of them, and they were all still smiling while looking at me. It looks like they have all planned this, and it looks like I can't say no to them, especially to Papa Samuel and Mama Amanda. But when I looked back at Navid, his gaze was on his plate, but I could clearly see how tight he was holding the cutlery.

He doesn't like the idea; I know that. But like me, he can't say no to them, especially to his parents.

I sighed. I don't know whether to be happy or scared of what his family did.