Ch 105 - Meeting the Family

"How should I know where your worthless grandson is?" Yvonne joked with Margaret. She knew that her grandmother didn't love Simon as much as their cousin, Kelly, who had been successful in the family business. No one dared to make fun of her.

"Grandmother, haven't you noticed that I've brought someone with me?" she asked.

Margaret looked at the handsome young man standing behind Yvonne.

"This is my boyfriend, Brian," Yvonne said, holding his arm, as she smiled up at him. "His family owns an internet company that is ranked as one of the top twenty in the industry."

"Nice to meet you, Grandmother," Brian said as he smiled and extended his hand to her, looking like a perfect gentleman.

"Hello," Margaret said, shaking his hand as she scanned him with her sharp eyes. He did look like a rich kid.

She briefly asked Brian questions, and he answered them all appropriately, which impressed her.

"My granddaughter is a little naughty," she said, smiling at him. "Although she's almost twenty, she still acts like a high school student."

"Don't worry, I like her personality," he said, glancing lovingly at Yvonne. "And we're quite compatible."

As everyone watched this exchange, they were envious. This was the first time Margaret had met Brian, and she was treating him with courtesy. Judging by her tone, she seemed to have accepted him into the family.

Brian's background was indeed compatible with the Phillips family, and it looked like he would be successful in the future. Margaret believed that he would be a good addition to the family.

Standing to the side, Yvonne's mother, Elizabeth, was happy.

"Well, you two go and have fun," Margaret said, smiling at them. Then she glanced at Elizabeth. "Your daughter is smart. Looks like she's going to be getting married in a few years."

Elizabeth beamed with pride. Margaret was satisfied with Brian and was happy with Elizabeth for having such a good daughter.

Margaret slowly walked over to Alice, who immediately bowed her head slightly.

Look at her, Elizabeth thought. She's just putting on an act!

Alice's daughter, Kelly, had been successful at everything she did, and Margaret had always placed her above Elizabeth's children.

"Where's Kelly?" Margaret asked Alice. "Why isn't she here yet? She's not avoiding me because I told her to find a boyfriend, is she?"

"Of course not," Alice denied. "I just called her. She's on her way and should be here soon."

"That's good," Margaret said, nodding. "As her mother, you have to push her a little more. Yvonne has found a boyfriend, and it's time Kelly found one as well."

Alice respectfully replied, "Yes. Of course."

"Your grandmother seems to value your cousin more than you," Brian said to Yvonne as he watched Margaret chatting with Alice.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Yvonne asked, staring angrily at Alice. "Since we were young, Kelly could do no wrong, and she's always been the favorite grandchild. In the last two years, Grandmother has been determined to find a husband for her. It's obvious that she means to pass control of the family to Kelly someday. How are the rest of us supposed to accept that?"

Brian smiled confidently, "Don't worry about it," he said. "You have me now, and you won't lose me to your cousin."

"I know," she said, squeezing his arm and smiling sweetly. "You're right. And nobody in the world is better than you. My cousin can't possibly do better this time."

Brian wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and his gaze held a trace of evil. Since he intended to be the favored son-in-law, he couldn't let Margaret hand control of the family over to someone else.

A white BMW slowly approached.

"Kelly's here!" called a young man, taking advantage of her arrival to get a little attention.

Everyone looked over to see Kelly drive to the left side of the gate and park her BMW. A few minutes later, Kelly stepped out of the car.

She wore a short dress which showed off her long legs, and her face was beautiful. Brian had seen a lot of pretty young girls, but Kelly was much prettier than any of them.

Kelly greeted her relatives as she walked through the courtyard to reach her grandmother. "Grandmother, I'm sorry I'm late," she said.

"It doesn't matter if you're late," Margaret said, not angry at all. Kelly had always been her pride and joy. "Although, for a moment there, I was worried that you were avoiding me so I couldn't urge you to find a boyfriend."

"Oh, Grandmother, I wouldn't do that," Kelly said with a faint smile.

"Hello, Mrs. Phillips," Sharon said. "Kelly invited me. I hope that's okay." She and Kelly had been classmates since kindergarten, and they were very close, so Kelly often brought her to family gatherings.

Margaret spoke to Sharon for a while, and then she noticed a young man standing behind Kelly. Everyone was staring at him, sizing him up, and trying to guess his identity.

This boy was dressed very plainly, like a poor country boy. Why had Kelly brought him to the party? He wasn't her boyfriend. They were clearly from two different worlds.

"Kelly, who is this?" Margaret asked.

"Oh," Kelly said, moving to stand next to Alex. She wanted to introduce him as a friend, but Sharon spoke first.

"This is Alex," Sharon explained. "He's just a poor student at Preston University. He normally lives quite frugally and rarely eats in restaurants. Kelly said she wanted to bring him here to let him see what he's been missing." She was afraid that Kelly would tell Margaret that Alex was her boyfriend.

"So that's how it is!" Margaret nodded approvingly. Everyone nodded in understanding as they whispered to each other.

"Just by looking at his clothes, you can tell that he's poor," someone said. "It'll be a good experience for him to see our family gathering."

"Kelly is too kind," someone else said. "She's already doing a good deed, aiding him at school. Bringing him to a family gathering is going a bit too far. Maybe we should give him some money and send him to have a good meal in a restaurant."

"I hope he works hard and gets a good job after graduating. Too many people in society get financial aid and just squander it. I hope he isn't like that," said a third person

Kelly was unhappy that Sharon had made Alex look inferior. She glanced at Alex and was startled to see that he didn't show any signs of anger at her relatives' pity. Instead, he appeared very calm and collected.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She turned to Margaret and said, "Grandmother, don't listen to Sharon. Alex isn't just some poor student. He's actually my boyfriend."

She had finally said it. She didn't dare look at Alex, afraid that he would be angry with her. What if he denied it and exposed her as a liar?

Alex was surprised by Kelly's announcement. A wry smile appeared on his face. He should have guessed this would happen when he had agreed to come to the party, but he simply hadn't thought it through.

Margaret was stunned, as was everyone else.

"Kelly, you're telling me that he's your boyfriend?" she asked with a serious expression. Anger blazed from her eyes. Whatever the truth was, Kelly would be able to see her disapproval and would take back her words.

"Yes," Kelly confirmed. Although she was afraid, she refused to back down. She was every bit as stubborn as her grandmother. She smiled, trying to ease the tension. "Let me introduce you."

"There's no need," Margaret said. She didn't even glance at Alex. As far as she was concerned, the thought of Kelly being with this boy was a joke. "Kelly, you're not to see him again. The family gathering is about to start, so send him home."

Margaret turned around to leave. She had made her decision and her word was final.

"But Grandmother, I really like him," Kelly said.

Margaret abruptly turned back. Kelly was blatantly disobeying her words, which was something that no one in the family dared to do. If it had been anyone else, she would have been furious, but Kelly was her favourite grandchild.

"Kelly, you know perfectly well why I don't approve of him," she said, controlling her anger. "And I refuse to repeat myself, so let him go."

"Your grandmother is doing this for your own good," Alice said, coming to stand next to Kelly. "Listen to her. If it makes you feel better, then we can help him find a job after he graduates, but you have to let him go."

"I'm sorry, Grandmother," Kelly said, refusing to listen. "I can't."

"What?" Margaret said, glaring at her. It had been years since she had been this angry. When she realized how determined Kelly looked, she was at a loss for words.

"Deal with your daughter," Margaret said angrily as she looked at Alice.