"Mom, we have arrived!" Ethan said when they entered the house.
His mother, who was in the living room, reading a book stood up and went towards them. "Welcome home, son," she said and touched his face. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, mom," he said. "And you?"
"I'm good." She shifted her gaze to Liz. "And who is this beautiful lady?"
"She's my girlfriend, Lissette." He lightly touched her hand. "Say hi to mom."
"Hello, mom. I'm Liz," she said with a smile.
Madeline smiled. "Liz, welcome to our home."
"Thanks, mom."
"Okay. Let's go inside," Madeline said.
'Mm..." Ethan said and smiled at Liz, who smiled back. They followed her to the living room.
"Mom, this is for you," Liz said handing her a goody bag. "I carefully selected this Kitenge fabric for you."
"Hmmm...it's beautiful," she said, looking at it. "I love it. Thank you very much, Liz."
Liz smiled. "I'm glad that you like it."
Madeline put the fabric back in the bag and placed it on the table. "So Liz, where do you come from and what do your parents do?" she asked.
"I come from Western province," she said. "My parents are sugarcane farmers."
Her brow wrinkled. "Mm... and what do you do?"
"I'm a university graduate, but I'm not currently employed."
"Oh..." Madeline held her chin. Does this vixen rely on my son for survival? She thought.
"Liz, what..."
Ethan interrupted. "Mom...this is not an interrogation," he said, reaching for Liz's hand and rubbing its back with his fingers.
"Son, I'm only trying to get to know my future daughter-in-law," she said then turned to Liz. "Liz, right?" Liz nodded. "Did I offend you with my questions?"
"No, Mom, you can me ask about anything," she said.
Madeline looked at her son. "See, she's okay." Ethan just gave her a fleeting smile and looked on.
"Liz, so what do you do now that you are unemployed?" she asked. "I'm hoping you don't just sit around the whole day."
"Of course, not Mom," she said. "I do online research."
"Mom, where's Dad?" Ethan asked. "Is he at Keziah Castle?"
"Where else would he be? You know he loves that place very much," she said. "Let me bring some tea and snacks."
"Let me help you, Mom," Liz said, standing up.
"No," she said. "I will do it myself. You are our guest. Just relax."
He held her hand and made her sit when his mother disappeared into the kitchen. "Don't worry, everything is fine," he said.
She smiled and nodded.
Madeline reappeared a few minutes later. Liz quickly pulled her hand away when she saw her.
"Mom, where is Lulu?" Ethan asked.
"I gave her a day off," she said, serving them tea and biscuits.
"Son, how is your company doing?" Madeline asked.
"It is okay," he said. "It is quickly picking the momentum."
"That's good to hear,"
"I talked to Ty. He told me that our hotels are also doing great."
Madeline furrowed her brow. "Instead of talking to Ty, you should talk to your father or go to the hotel more often," she said. "Why do you let that illegitimate child take your place? It is you who should always be at your father's side instead of him."
"Mom, you know I can't work at the hotel. It's not my thing."
She sneered. "Not your thing...Say that now. Before you know it, that stupid Ty will be inheriting the hotel."
Liz quietly sipped her tea as she listened to their conversation. Since they were talking about their family, she thought it was good to give them some privacy.
"Ethan, where can I find the restroom?" Liz asked.
"Go upstairs, the first door on your right is the door to my room. There is a bathroom in there."
"Okay," she said and left.
His room was very big. There was a well-made king size bed in the middle of the room. The gold and red drapes on the window matched the duvet on the bed.
Liz sat on the bed and wondered if marrying into a rich family like Ethan's would be a happy experience.
His mother seems tough. Would she accept me just like that, she pondered.
She got out of the room and quietly walked downstairs. Ethan and his mother were still talking.
"Mom, I plan to marry her soon," Ethan said.
"Over my dead body!" his mother said. "I can't accept her as my daughter-in-law. She can't help you with anything. She doesn't even have a job. Is she going to rely on you forever? Son, this kind of girl is not fit for you. She will bring you down,"
"Mom, how can you judge her so harshly just because she doesn't have a job?" Ethan asked.
"What kind of wife will she make?" his mother asked. "A decoration in the house? Son, you need someone who can add value to your life."
"Mom, it is not like she is uneducated," he said. "She graduated with First Class honors in her first degree. She can still be employed in the future and even further her studies."
"You don't understand, son. What I mean is that it would be better if you find someone from a family with the same social standing as ours."
"Mom..." Ethan started then stopped when he saw Liz. "Liz, you are back," he said and walked to her. "Mom, we will take our leave."
"I thought you were staying for lunch," his mother said.
"No. We have to go," he said. He needed to do damage control, in case Liz heard them. He grabbed her hand. "Let's go."
"No, Ethan, let's stay for lunch," Liz said. "We can't leave just like that."
It was true that her mother-in-law did not like her. She wasn't going to give her another reason to dislike her even more. She had no plans of leaving Ethan.
Ethan's mother sneered and went to the kitchen.
"Are you okay," Ethan asked, touching her cheek lightly. "Don't worry about what she said. She will come around sooner or later."
Liz smiled and nodded. "Mm."
Ethan continued. "You're not hard to love. She'll soon find out the good qualities about you, then accepting you will not be hard."
"I know," she said. "Let me go try charming her."
"Okay, good luck," he said.
***