CHAPTER 15: meeting the Simmons

When mr simons arrived, His daughters, his wife and Joseph were all standing at the dining . He could sense the tension in the room and wondered what had happened before he arrived. "What's going on here?" he asked.

Kelly's stepmother spoke up before anyone else could. "Joseph is here for lunch, dear. Kelly didn't tell me she had invited him," she said with a forced smile.

The tension at the lunch table was palpable as Mr. Simons joined the group. He was a tall, imposing man with a stern expression, and Kelly couldn't help but feel a nervous right, now she just hoped he wouldn't find out about their plan, it would be a drag if he did. As he sat down, he looked over at Joseph with a critical eye.

"So, Joseph, what brings you here today?" he asked in a curt tone.

Joseph didn't flinch under the man's gaze. "I came to see Kelly," he replied simply.

Mr. Simons snorted. "I see. And what do you do, exactly?"

"I'm a student at Crest High," Joseph replied, still calm and collected.

"Ah, I see. And what do your parents do?" Mr. Simons pressed.

Joseph hesitated for a moment before answering. "you should know them, the li corps," he said

Mr. Simons raised his head and he had a surprised look on his face."so you're Joseph li? you're welcome, I hope our hospitality suites your taste?"

Joseph shrugged. "I suppose so."

Mr. Simons seemed to relax a bit at this answer, and Kelly couldn't help but feel a pang of disgust. Her father was always so quick to judge people based on their status and wealth, and it sickened her. She was glad that Joseph wasn't intimidated by him, though. It gave her a small sense of satisfaction.

As lunch continued, Maria took every opportunity to try and turn Joseph against Kelly. She would make snide remarks about Kelly's personality or her family, hoping to plant seeds of doubt in Joseph's mind. Kelly tried her best to ignore her, but it was difficult.

Joseph, however, seemed unfazed by Maria's words. He remained polite and friendly to everyone at the table, even Maria, much to Kelly's surprise. She had expected him to call her out on her behavior, but he didn't. It made her wonder what he was really thinking.

As lunch came to a close, Joseph stood up to leave. Kelly followed suit, feeling anxious about what would happen next.

"Well, it was nice meeting all of you," Joseph said with a smile. "I'll be sure to come by again soon."

Mr. Simons nodded. "Yes, please do. It was good to meet you."

As Joseph and Kelly made their way out of the house, Kelly couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. She was glad to be away from her family, even if it was just for a little while.

After lunch, Kelly and Joseph went for a walk around the neighborhood. Kelly felt more relaxed now that they were away from her family, and she could finally breathe a little easier.

"So, what did you think of my family?" Kelly asked after a few minutes of silence.

Joseph shrugged. "They seemed... interesting," he said diplomatically.

Kelly snorted. "Yeah, interesting is one way to put it. I can't stand my father, to be honest."

Joseph looked at her with a sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Kelly shook her head. "No, it's okay. I just needed to vent a little, I guess."

They continued walking in silence for a few more minutes before Joseph spoke up again. "Kelly, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Why do you hate your stepmother so much?" he asked.

Kelly stopped in her tracks, surprised by the question. "It's... complicated," she said after a moment. "it's fine if you do not want to talk about it," Joseph replied.

Kelly nodded. "thanks for understanding."