Seems Like Royalty

XXXIV: Giving up and a hot chocolate cup

A/N: Hello! I updated (obviously)! I am deeply sorry that it took me, like what, 5 days? It's because there was typhoon in our country and then there was a blackout so we had no electricity for almost 3 days. (Yes, no electricity. Die) But hey, here it is. :)

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34

            “It’s fine with me now,” I told them.

            Both mom and dad’s eyes bulged out with what I said. I couldn’t blame them. It shocked me too.

            “Honey, do you know what you are talking about? What you are agreeing to?” Dad asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

            “Yes,” I said.

            “Amber, are you sure? Tell me if your grandfather threatened you into doing this,” Mom spoke with lines on her forehead. I could tell that she was enduring a lot of stress lately. Perhaps due to my engagement.

            “Yes, I’m sure. And no, Grandfather didn’t threaten me. This is my decision,” I assured them.

            My agreement to having an intimate family lunch with the Golds was quite a shocker. However, I did know what I was putting myself into. And it wasn’t trouble. My family and I were just going to meet Ethan’s family. I think it was a great idea considering the arrangement my grandfather and Ethan’s father made. I was not going to run anymore.

            “You don’t have to do this, Amber,” Dad said. “We can tell them that the wedding’s off and we’d rather have a partnership without family relations involved. If they do not want a partnership like that then, we’d rather have no connections to them.”

            I hoped it was that easy. My mother and father hadn’t been able to persuade my grandfather to forget about the engagement and kick away the Golds. I figured that his company was more important to him than being on the good side of his daughter—my mom. He still wasn’t on my good side either but, I accepted the engagement.

            If this was what you called giving up then, maybe I was giving up. I wasn’t planning to but, since Blake seemed to surrender in this fight, I might as well do it too. There wasn’t anything left to fight for, anyway.

            “Mom, Dad, I have already decided on this. I’m fine with the engagement. I found out that the company wouldn’t survive without the Golds’ help.”

            “But, you just said you didn’t want to have anything to do with that company!” Mom cried, completely frustrated now.

            “The thing is I do care about that company, Mom. It had been within your family’s generations. My family’s generations. I cannot throw it all away just because of some silly freedom I’m fighting for,” I explained.

            “Being free is never silly,” Dad commented with his eyebrows furrowed.

            “You know what I mean, Dad. I have to do this.” He sighed deeply then, I noticed Mom crying already. “Mom…”

            She sniffed. “You know, I should say that I am proud of you for doing this. But, I’m not. Sacrificing your freedom and happiness is not courageous!”

            “I am not being courageous. I am being reasonable here—“

            “What about your wants? What about Blake?” My chest constricted in pain. “Tell me you didn’t think of him while deciding on this.”