Engaged to the Heartless Heartbreaker ✔

Chapter 46 - Charity

"Oh, I'm surprised of the frankness you're displaying tonight, dear." She smiled forcibly. "You were saying a while ago you're going home, then now you're rejecting a drink."

I didn't answer her. I was wondering if my frankness was a good or a bad thing for her. I could see the changes in her facial expressions since we had started talking. She seemed amused, irritated, amazed...

"You are an interesting woman, dear," she told me.

Okay, so she found my frankness a good thing.

"Since you're frank, I want to be frank as well." She gulped the wine from the glass she was holding. "I know that my son has an eye on you. That's why, I want to know if you feel the same thing for him."

"No, I don't feel the same," I said, being vocally truthful about how I truly felt for the first time, "I can only accept him as a friend."

Why shouldn't I tell her the truth? In the first place, this was what I planned to tell Javier at the end of the night.

She smiled and gulped again her wine. Afterwards, she stated, "That's great, dear."

I opened my eyes widely. I thought she was going to get angry.

"I'm relieved! Whew!" she said, faking a smile.

Well, as I observed Javier's mother, I could smell something fishy in her.

"You don't know how hard I've prayed for this because you know what? I could never allow someone who is a nobody to be part of this family."

Huh?

"Though you are under the care of Carol Saavedra-Sarmiento, still that doesn't make you a Sarmiento. And even if you indeed are a Sarmiento, I could never allow someone who is connected to the Sarmientos to be part of this family. I hope you understand that, dear."

What was she saying? Wasn't she a friend of Mommy Carol?

And what was with the use of the irritating endearment when she was actually trying to step on me now?

"Why?" I asked, too surprised of myself how my voice trembled as I stated that single question word.

"Why? Are you asking me why, my dear?" she spat out.

Oh, why was the world filled with so many horrible people? I thought the governor's wife was some sweet woman. Well, it looked like I was mistaken. Javier even told me before that she liked me. All this time, she was only faking it.

"Are you asking me why I won't accept a commoner to our family?"

"That I can understand," I said, trying to imply that her being a hater of the poor was too obvious and actually stank like urine. "I was actually asking why you couldn't accept someone who is connected to the Sarmientos? What is it with them?"

She laughed. "Because the Sarmientos think of themselves as the only righteous family in this province! Tell me, how could they accuse us of corruption, dear, as if they were certain of it? Ever wonder why Nigel Sarmiento isn't anymore part of this event? Because he thought that this charity event organized by the Suarezes since fifteen years ago is one big means so we could have millions to corrupt."

Wow! She just said it herself!

Now I knew why Nigel was no longer part of this event. He must have discovered how lame and unscrupulous these charity events the Suarezes were organizing. Why? Hadn't I just learned that they were using this affair to campaign for the governor?

"Tell me, how could they think of themselves so righteously? Have they done something beneficial to the province for them to say that? Tell me, what have the Sarmientos done to help the province?"