Abelle- A Chinese Romance

Teared Apart By Wealth (Part 9)

"Abelle?" my father pressed on. "I just don't understand anymore......James and I are close friends, if I want to eat lunch with him that's none of your business! If you're worried about this being a scandal, trust me, if James loves Chelsie as much as he does in his proposal then he will marry her in the end. You don't have to worry......worry about me distracting James...or..." My parents glanced at each other, sharing a similar face expression. "We're not worried about this causing a scandal......it's James's social position in this country. He's the son of the most wealthiest CEO in the nation, and he will soon be the heir to it all once he gets married! Chan Teng despises the way that you're always ending up in the tabloids with her son. It puts not only the Chan's family name at stake but also for their company as well. We wouldn't want Chan Enterprises to break apart because of some rumors and troubled minds do we?" I make a grunting sound before answering, "Yes I understand." Li Shan nods his head approvingly and says, "You should worry more about your head injury for now. Get some rest, your mother and I need to discuss on what we're going to do next for you in your soon-to-be wedding." I quickly get out of my seat from the armchair and race out of the room down the hall. I can't believe what I just been told........this is completely not fair! I stop at the top of the staircase and see Jack slowly walk past the staircase to go inside the kitchen. James's words from our last meeting enter my mind, "I'll give you a clearer answer....when you return to Beijing." 

Dinner was really quiet. The Ting family and mine sat in the dining room to eat, while Jack and I had our food outside on the deck. "So.....I told your mother and mine that the wedding's going to be stalled for a while," Jack speaks up. I look up from my plate of fish and vegetables at Jack's face; he seemed to be a bit disoriented. "Oh....you didn't tell them--" "No I didn't tell them the exact truth." I look back down at my plate and felt just really...disheveled. "They wanted me to talk with them privately. They asked how I felt about the upcoming wedding...that's when I told them that you and I weren't ready yet." Jack gives me a moment to let all the words sink in. If you think I feel relieved, I'm not. The wedding is only stalled (who knows how long), it's not cancelled! Our engagement isn't stalled either, why couldn't Jack tell them the whole truth? "How did they react?" Jack leans back in his seat and sighs. "I don't know how your parents felt, I couldn't read their expressions. My mother was disappointed in me...my father didn't even listen after that." Now it seems like both of us are in trouble. Actually, I'm the main one who caused all of this. "My mother," I began, "really wanted me to get engaged to you. I'm not sure why though....but what makes her think that we both match?"

Realizing how rude I sounded in my question I shook my head and blurted out, "Just forget about that. I don't know what I'm saying anymore...." Jack looks away from me and murmurs something I can't hear. "Jack?" He turns around with a scowl, which surprises me. "Are you really that naïve?" I dropped open my mouth in shock. Why was he giving me this kind of attitude? "By the surprised look on your face, you're probably wondering why I'm asking. I'll have you know Abelle that your mother wasn't the one that started up this engagement. I did. Yes, I hand-picked you like a flower in a field full of different kinds. Why did I do that?" I gulp and tried to tell the inside of me to calm down. My heart was racing and I could feel its fast pulse in my ears. Jack picked me to be his fiancee. He picked me to be future wife. He picked me because......... Jack laughs which makes the table between us wobble a bit. "I chose you to be my fiancee because I heard from my mother that you were a charming lady and very attractive..of course you're a model for that. I haven't met you personally but there was this one time that I thought I saw you. It was one of Jina Chan's birthday parties, I'm positive I saw you there."

Oh great Jina Chan? The last birthday party i ever attended of Jina's was when she turned 12. After that party, she had complained of me being such a brat that I decided I would never go to any of her parties ever again, it didn't matter if I was invited or not. "I don't remember you at all," I say plainly. Jack gives me a secretive smile before saying, "Why would you remember? I wasn't there to spot you out, but I do remember seeing a little girl prancing around with her friend. I'm sure it was you and James then." I feel my cheeks grow hot and the stirring of butterflies in my stomach. Okay, this has got to stop. "Jack! Where are going with this? We should talk more about important stuff now....don't include James in any of this." Jack nods his head and turns his head away so that he's facing a bush of roses. "What happened to the ring?" I see Jack's eyebrows go up for a second. He doesn't answer so I kick him under the table. Noticing the attention, Jack mutters, "My mother has it." "Oh." Jack glares at me and says, "What? You wanted that precious diamond ring? I thought you didn't want to marry me.... Maybe you are one of those women who seek out fortunes from their man." I can't believe he's accusing me of being a gold digger! "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I shout as I stand up from my seat. "Where in the right of your mind states that I'm a gold digger?!? WHERE? Because although fortune is important in a marriage, love has to matter too!"