An Unwavering Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 25: Words of Wisdom

[Percorso Restaurant Four Seasons Hotel, Saint Petersburg]

In the sixteen years of Yuri Plisetsky's life, he had come across a lot of weird things. Yet he swore there was nothing weirder than having the mother of your ex-girlfriend show up out of nowhere and take you to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, just to talk.

"How have you been, Yuri?" Vivian asked, sipping the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon in her hand.

He refused to meet her gaze. "I'm fine, ma'am. What are you doing here in Saint Petersburg?"

"I attended the International Financial Congress," she answered. "And it just so happened to be held here. I already talked to Ayumi, and I just wanted to hear from you. Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Yuri was extremely uncertain. He knew he hurt Ayumi, and her mom would likely take it against him. But there was something about Vivian Lin that made her seem so trustworthy, so he told her everything—from his first encounter with snotty Singaporean socialites to the day he called Ayumi a slut.

After his confession, he bowed down expecting Vivian to lash out, but all he got was a disappointed sigh. "Oh my... you two are such strong individuals, yet somehow you both managed to let criticism get the best of you."

The truth hurt a lot more when someone else said it out loud. "I know, ma'am. I hated how they talked about me. I lost confidence, and I wasn't able to control my anger because of that."

Vivian looked at him with pity before giving him a warm smile. "Yuri, I'm going to tell you something I haven't told Ayumi before." She paused, recalling a memory. "I went through the same thing when I dated her father."

He gaped at the sophisticated older woman in shock. Of all the things he thought she would say, he never imagined that.

"I wasn't born rich. I came from a middle-class family in Taiwan, and I met Hiro when I was at Harvard on a scholarship. Back then, all I wanted was to graduate and get a stable job to look after my family. But then Hiro happened, and suddenly I got thrown into a world much larger than my own."

Yuri scowled at the familiar feeling as she continued. "He brought me to meet his family after he proposed. The amount of scorn I got from his parents and their friends was unbearable. Everyday I get people telling me to 'go back to the pigsty I came from' and I got accused of being a gold-digger. It got to a point that Hiro and I were under so much stress, and I just wanted to leave him behind to return to my old life."

"What did you do?" he couldn't help but ask.

Vivian smiled. "I didn't. I stayed because I love him, and I knew that he loves me too. It was pain-staking, but we made it work. We both focused on being the best people we can be, and now look at where we are. We proved them wrong, didn't we?"

He was fascinated by the story of Ayumi's parents. The bond they had, he realized, had such deep roots. That explained why they seemed more open-minded and more tolerant than he expected. "Yeah..."

"That was why were so accepting of you and Ayumi. It's because we saw ourselves in you. When we saw you, we realized our daughter was in love with a remarkable young man. I agree that you come across a bit arrogant, but you're hard-working, strong-willed and competent. That was what we saw, Yuri, not your money or your status."

"Ma'am Vivian..."

She leaned in anticipation as she said, "With that said, there's only one thing I want to ask: do you love my daughter?"

There was no hesitation in his answer. "I do. I love her. More than she knows."

"I assure you, Ayumi feels the same way. She thinks about you a lot, even until now. Kamoshita has been informing me of how she's doing since arriving in New York. I heard she constantly fiddles with a snowflake pendant around her neck. I assume it was a gift of yours, am I wrong?"

That made Yuri's eyes widen. She still has the necklace he gave her on their first real date. She was still holding on despite telling him otherwise.

"No. It did come from me..."

"Listen..." she said after a while. "My daughter has never been an ordinary teenage girl. Ever since she was born, she was raised to be the successor of the Matsumoto Corporation. She has too much on her plate for a girl her age, and being in a relationship with her is certainly going to be difficult. Now I don't doubt whatever feelings you have, but I want you to be certain. If your feelings for her are not strong enough for you to accept the baggage that comes with her, then I think it was for the best that you two separated."

He gulped at the bluntness of Vivian's words. He couldn't deny the truth in them. They were only sixteen, yet they have gone through more hardships than a normal teenage couple would. There really was a lot that came with being Ayumi's boyfriend. She needed to be loved by someone strong enough to handle it.

"But if you do," she continued. "Then I'll tell you the same thing I told Ayumi. When you skate, you give it the best you could. You never let criticism ruin your performance, right? Because no matter what they say, you love what you do. So why would you allow criticism to ruin your relationship and tear you away from the person you love?"

Yuri was speechless as he took those words in.

After dinner was over and paid for, Vivian offered to bring Yuri home in her car. They sat at the backseat while the chauffer maneuvered through the streets of Saint Petersburg, and he has been silent since their earlier talk. When they arrived at the foot of Lilia's house, he was surprised when she pulled him in for a motherly hug.

"I know you lost your mother," she stated. "And I know you're very independent, but you're still young. There's nothing wrong with having someone look out for you. I may not be your real mother, but I hope I can fulfill that role somehow. Feel free to come up to me for anything you need, even if you and my daughter never end up together."

He was so overwhelmed by her show of support, and he found himself hugging back. "T-thank you, ma'am."

"Stop calling me that, son. You can call me auntie or mom if you want."

"Yes... auntie," he replied.

While he watched her car speed away, he was once again reminded of Ayumi. She was so much like her mother. They were both intelligent and rational, yet thoughtful and understanding. They were the type to always put other people before themselves. While he found something admirable in their selflessness (a trait he struggled with), he knew it was one of the reasons his relationship fell apart. Ayumi helped her friend even though she knew the risks of doing so. She left him thinking that she was doing what was best for him, and she gave up on her own happiness for it. She carried all the burden, slipping further and further away.

Ayumi was acting too selflessly, and he was really getting tired of it. He wanted to do something to end her stupidity. How he was going to do that, however, was the big question.