Victor and Margaret are at It Again

"What happened?," Selene asked incredulously.

"It looks like a suicide, but we're pretty sure it's just Drakos tying up loose ends," Ben explained.

Selene looked stunned, "I don't know how to feel about it. I'm not glad someone is dead, but…." She trailed off.

"It's okay, honey," her mom said, reassuringly. "It's okay to have mixed feelings."

"I guess so," Selene replied, still feeling strange.

Referring to Victor, Ben said, "He probably didn't want Brown to be caught and end up testifying against him. He can't afford yet another charge against him. But, I'm not sure murder would have been the way I'd gone if I was him. What's he thinking?" Ben shook his head, "But then, we know how desperate he is ever since we found Anie. Even before that."

"I told you to call me mom, now that you're engaged to my dear Selene," Anie gently reminded her soon-to-be son-in-law.

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to it," Ben replied.

"Speaking of which," Anie continued. "This is a good way to stop talking about negative things and move on to something positive. When are you both going to start planning the wedding?"

Selene and Ben smiled, but Selene was first to answer, "It's a little early don't you think? Plus, we just wanted things with Victor to die down a bit more."

"Pfft," was Anie's response to that. "It's never too early and you can't wait until things are perfect to do things as there's no time that's ever going to be just the right time."

Selene's head tilted to one side in consideration of her mother's words of wisdom. "I guess you're right. Should we start this weekend?," she asked Ben and then turned back to her mother.

Ben didn't have a chance to respond before Anie exclaimed, "Absolutely! First thing on the list should be your dress. We can go shopping!"

"If I may," Ben interjected, "I think we should secure the location first since that might take the longest."

Selene looked surprised, "How do you know so much about planning weddings?"

"I may or may not have asked Elise about it," Ben answered with a lopsided grin.

"Elise is married?," Selene asked in surprise again. "But I never saw a ring on her finger."

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I guess it never came up," Ben replied. "She and her partner have been married for a couple years now. I don't know why they don't wear rings. I never thought to ask."

Selene chuckled, "Typical to not ask for these crucial details!" Anie joined her knowing her husband wouldn't have asked either.

"Still, that's funny because when I first met her, I was super jealous," Selene admitted. "She's so beautiful and, in the beginning, I even thought you and she might have had a thing together."

Ben let out a genuine laugh and replied, "Me and Elise? Now *that's* funny."

"Well, anyway," Selene said in embarrassment. Then she tried to change the subject, "I think instead of the wedding, we should first plan a celebration with all our friends and family. We've been trough so much but somehow in the midst of everything, we managed to get engaged and so did Peter and Johnny! And now Max and Lucy are together and that's worth celebrating too! What do you all think?"

"That's a great idea!," Anie exclaimed.

Ben nodded, "Sounds good to me."

Selene texted her friends as the foursome continued talking about the celebration.

Later that night, when Selene and Ben were talking in bed, Ben reached over and pulled Selene close before he said, "At some point, we should go see my parents." He kissed her forehead, "I know you probably don't want to. I don't either quite frankly." He took a deep breath and let it out, "But, I just feel like we should, I don't know why."

"I understand," Selene said, looking up at him earnestly. "You're right. I'm not necessarily look forward to it, but it does seem like the right thing to do. They're still your parents after all." Despite everything, she still didn't want to come between them.

"Thank you," Ben said and kissed her. Once the kiss started becoming passionate, he moved to her ear and whispered, "Now, how should I reward you for being such a good fiancée?"

Selene smiled shyly, "I don't know. What did you have in mind?" To her pleasure, Ben spent the next couple of hours answering her question.

The next few weeks flew by for Selene and soon it was the night of their celebration. They had all decided to hold a double engagement party to delight of everyone involved.

Ben was able to use his connections to book a famous Chinese restaurant that also hosted events such as this one.

When he entered the banquet hall with Selene, she whispered, "I love seeing all my loved ones dressed up and having a good time." For some reason, she didn't feel as intimidated seeing everyone in fancy clothes since she knew most of them. It also made her feel more confident in her own choice of a rose gold chiffon dress.

"I'm glad. I just wish my parents hadn't made such asses of themselves and could be here to celebrate with us," Ben said with a frown. "But it's their loss, right? Look at this place!"

Selene squeezed his hand for support before they walked further inside. Recalling the events of a week ago, she silently reminded herself that there was nothing more she could have done and she shouldn't let it ruin her evening.

As Ben had suggested, they had made plans to have dinner with his parents a week or so prior. Unfortunately, Margaret was determined to have it be a repeat of what had happened all those years prior.

Selene had purposefully shown up wearing a business suit. She told herself that she was done trying to impress them. Still, she wanted to show them that she knew her worth.

The greetings had been stiff as she had expected, but it appeared that Ben's father was trying to make an effort. Dinner had been a mostly silent affair with Ben trying to make conversation. Finally, when dessert was being served, Margaret spoke up, "Now that we've had our meal, let's get down to business."

Ben reached under the table to hold Selene's hand.

"I cannot approve of this engagement," she said matter-of-factly.

Ben became visibly upset. He took the napkin off his lap and threw it on the table. "I don't know why I thought anything would be different."

"Nothing has changed since the last time we met," Margaret stated. "Natalia Devons is a better match for you both as a woman and business partner."

Selene remained silent but gave Margaret a wry smile.

Noticing this, Ben's mother scoffed, "You clearly disagree."

"Of course, I disagree," Selene replied quietly. "As Ben's mother, I would like to have a good relationship with you, but if you stand by your opinions on our engagement and future marriage, then I guess that can't be helped. It won't change anything though."

"How dare you?!," Margaret exclaimed.

But before she could continue, Ben stood up. Selene stood with him, still holding hands. "How dare she? How dare you?," he retorted. "We have tried our best to be filial but I won't have you disrespecting our relationship. It's up to you. Someday, if we are lucky, we will have children. *Your* grandchildren. You decide whether your prejudices are more important than having a relationship with us and them."

The couple did not allow Margaret to respond, turning and walking away. When they had left, Margaret huffed, "Over my dead body."