Forbidden Love

Chapter 75

She walked up to her dad, who immediately circled his arm around her shoulder while giving her a warm smile.

"Let's get out of here" she suggested to her dad, because she was already hungry. He nodded in agreement and they left Paula and Sean alone in the living room.

Amy began to drool at the sight of all the sea food placed on the dinning table. The chefs went all-out tonight in making dinner. Anyone who walked in here for the first time would think this was a fancy restaurant.

Henry sat at the head of the table while Amy took her own spot by his right. She rubbed her hands in anticipation, already devouring the food with her eyes.

"Easy, honey. We need to wait for the others" Henry said as he noticed his daughter's eagerness to eat.

Amy frowned after that, folding her arms and counting down the seconds when her mom and Sean would finish their conversation. While waiting, she couldn't help but notice her dad constantly staring at his watch, like he was expecting someone else. She then took her time to carefully look at the table. It was only now she noticed that the table was set for five and not four, like she had thought. So, there is one other person.

A few minutes later, Paula and Sean walked into the dinning room.

"Finally" Amy dramatically sighed.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, sweetie" Paula apologized as she took a seat beside her daughter.

Sean took a seat across from her mom, leaving the seat by her dad's left empty.

"Henry" her mom finally acknowledged her dad.

"How have you been, Paula?"

"Good... Thanks for inviting me over"

"You know you're always welcome here... How is your little boy?" Her dad asked with a fond smile.

Amy smiled to herself, as she watched her parents get into a conversation without any awkwardness. The door bell rang, indicating that the last guest has arrived.

"Please, excuse me" her dad suddenly said, leaving the table.

"So, do you have any idea why we're here?" Paula's question was directed to Sean, since herself and Amy are clueless about what's going on.

"Not quite... But I'm glad, because it gave me a chance to see you again" Sean replied.

"Me too, darling"

Here we go again.

A minute later, Henry and his best friend, Bryan appeared in the dinning room. Amy's heart sank when she saw Bryan, as the memory of him abandoning her at the hotel returned.

Why did her dad have to invite him too?

"It's good to see you again, Paula" Bryan greeted her mom.

"Likewise, Bryan. I didn't know Sean was back"

"He took us all by surprise, but he won't be staying for long"

"He told me the same thing.. you must be proud of him"

"Absolutely"

"Guys, I'm right here" Sean said, gesturing at himself. They both laughed at him.

Amy, for the first time didn't join the conversation. She remained quiet, as her parents, Bryan and Sean talked among themselves.

Paula noticed Amy's sudden change in demeanor. She moved her head close to Amy's ear and whispered,

"Honey, are you okay?" She noticed that Amy was hesitant before she nodded.

"Did something happen?" She looked into her daughter's eyes and she could swear she saw hurt in them.

"No, mom" Amy whispered back, forcing a smile to make her reply more convincing.

Paula decided not to question Amy any further, but deep down she couldn't help but worry about her daughter. Something must've happened between them, she thought to herself, as the two avoided each other's gaze.

"Let's dig in, shall we?" Henry's voice brought Paula back to reality. They all started to eat.

Amy wasn't too excited about the meal in front of her anymore as she lost her appetite the moment Bryan walked into the dinning room. How can he act so calm after what he did? She felt like yelling at him for being so cruel and insensitive, but she couldn't, at least not in front of her parents, or Sean. In order not to seem rude, she joined in on their conversation once or twice.

Forty five minutes into dinner, Henry clinked his glass of wine with a spoon, and stood up from his seat.

"I want to thank you all for being here today. I know most of you have important things to do..." Henry paused and took a quick glance at Bryan and Paula.

"But, this won't be complete without you" he continued.

"This journey started from a beautiful friendship over three decades ago... A friendship built on sincerity, loyalty, love and above all, trust"

Bryan bent his head in guilt. He betrayed their friendship the moment he started seeing Amy, so none of the qualities Henry mentioned can be attributed to him. How will he ever make up for his betrayal?

"Against all odds, this friendship stayed strong and was even passed on to the next generation"

If only you knew the whole story, dad.

"So... To make this beautiful friendship complete, I would like to announce the engagement of my beautiful daughter, Amy, to Bryan's goal oriented son, Sean"