Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Expressing their surprise, they remarked. “This restaurant must be quite pricey, isn’t it?”
Mia, linking arms with Patricia, replied calmly. “It’s fine. Patricia enjoys the food here.”
Edna immediately inquired. “How much does a meal cost here? I should bring Sean here next time.”
Mia responded casually, “It’s not too expensive, just a few hundred dollars.”
“A few hundred dollars? That’s barely more than my son’s wages.”
Mia glanced over with a playful smile. “Well then, we’ll eagerly await your treat next time.”
Upon hearing this, Karen’s smile faltered. She couldn’t afford to treat them, but she didn’t want to appear inferior in front of Patricia, so she spoke impulsively just now.
Karen would be absurd to splurge hundreds of dollars on a meal here!
As dinner commenced, everyone sat around the table.
Karen and Edna sat on either side of Patricia, engaging in fond conversation and reminiscing about old times.
Observing Patricia’s rekindled smile, Mia understood her enduring yearning for family, even if her own family might not love her as much or might even scheme against her.
Nevertheless, if it meant bringing Patricia joy. Mia was prepared to overlook it all.
Out of the blue, Karen inquired, “Mia, are your brothers single?”
“I’m not sure.” Mia replied.
“Oh, you’re aware of how lovely your cousin Sally has grown up to be since childhood. I think she and your brothers would complement each other well. What do you think?”
Upon hearing this, Mia’s expression darkened. “I beg to differ.”
“But Mia, once we’re family, we’ll be even closer,” Karen insisted.
Mia could tell that Karen had an ulterior motive.
Considering Sally’s history of associating with troublemakers since middle school, she appeared to be nothing more than a spoiled brat. How could she possibly be the right match for Mia’s brothers?
Eva chimed in with a laugh. “It’s clear that she wouldn’t be a suitable match. Their backgrounds simply don’t align!”
Mia couldn’t resist giving Eva a thumbs up in agreement!
Mia discreetly averted her gaze, felgning ignorance.
Beside her, Karen appeared taken aback by Eva’s direct remark.
Struggling to respond, she said, “Why does background matter so much nowadays? Our family showed Mia kindness in the past. Just because she’s found wealthier relatives, does that mean she should forget about us?”
“As far as I know. It was only Patricia who showed kindness to Mia. It’s not fair to credit the rest of you.
“Besides, my brothers¨Cin¨Claw are looking for partners whose backgrounds match theirs, or at least aren’t impoverished!”
Eva’s words were sharp and unapologetic.
Feeling humiliated, Karen’s eyes teared up. “Who are you to label us as poor? Is money all that matters?”
Edna intervened abruptly, reproaching. “That’s enough! Show some decorum, will you? They are from wealthy backgrounds, unlike Sally. Have you no sense of shame?”
“Fine. I guess I’m just an unwanted guest here, right? I’ll go.”
Frustrated, Karen slammed her hand on the table and rose to leave. Patricia quickly reached out to restrain her. “Karen, please don’t be upset.”
“Patricia, Mia’s family is overstepping their bounds. Despite our financial struggles, we were the ones who raised Mia.”
Dominic interjected firmly, “Let’s clarify this. It was Aunt Patricia’s family, not yours. Your family isn’t involved in this.”
Eva gestured toward the door. “Feel free to leave if you wish.”
“Fine. I’ll leave immediately. Who cares, anyway?”
As Karen made her way toward the door, she hesitated, her eyes flickering back to Patricia.
Mia grasped Patricia’s hand firmly and spoke in a composed tone. “Let’s focus on our meal.”
“But what about Karen?” Patricia replied.
“She can simply call Sean to pick her up directly; it’s not a big deal.”
Mia remained resolute, refusing to let Patricia be swayed. She recognized Karen’s typical tactics and was unwilling to entertain them.
If they didn’t establish boundaries now, Mia feared Edna and Karen would only become more audacious.
and troublesome in the future.
Edna gestured dismissively. “Oh, don’t mind her, that’s just her temper.”
As Karen reached the door, nobody attempted to stop her or convince her to stay.
Faced with the embarrassment of returning, she stormed out of the room In a fit of frustration,
Once the meal concluded, there were no further incidents.
“Mia, I need to use the restroom,” Patricia remarked.
“Aunt Patricia, I’ll come with you,” Mla replied.
Edna also insisted on joining them, and eventually, Eva accompanied them as well.
From outside the restroom, they could hear heated arguing.
“I’m sorry: I didn’t mean to.”
“Madam, do you have any idea how costly this gown is? You couldn’t afford to reimburse me even if you sold everything.”
“It was just a small splash of water.”
“This fabric can’t handle any moisture: it leaves permanent marks. It seems you’re not familiar with high-
end evening gown materials!”
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Mia hesitated to intervene, but Patricia had already recognized the person.
As she approached, Patricia found Karen standing before an elegantly dressed woman, Regina Lawson, wearing an apologetic expression.
Tears welled up in Karen’s eyes as she spotted Patricia.
“Please, Patricia, I need your help. I accidentally splashed a bit of water on her dress while washing my hands, and now she’s demanding compensation.”
Regina’s voice grew louder, “Isn’t compensation expected when you damage someone else’s property? It seems rather uncivilized not to.”
Edna promptly fired back, “Who are you calling uncivilized? My granddaughter is wealthy now. What gives you the right to accuse us? She could easily afford a bracelet worth a hundred thousand dollars.”
Turning to Mia with pleading eyes, Karen Implored, “Mia, please help me.”
Mia’s patience was wearing thin; It seemed Edna and Karen were simply troublemakers.
Mia spoke nonchalantly, “How do you want me to help?”
Regina remarked, “This dress of mine isn’t expensive, Just 5,000 dollars.”
“Mia, given your wealth, you surely won’t be short of this amount, right? This woman’s audacity to look. down on us is astonishing. What’s 5,000 dollars for a dress? The one you’re wearing is far more.
luxurious.”
Mia was momentarily speechless. “She didn’t look down on me; she simply looked down on you.”
Karen’s expression tensed. “But aren’t we familly?”
“I only regard Patricia as my family,” Mia replied, her tone cold.
Casting a glance at Patricia, Mia suggested, “Why don’t you head to the restroom? I’ll wait for you outside.
“Patricia! You can’t simply ignore me. If you don’t help me, I’ll end up getting arrested today. You need to help me cover the compensation.”
With tears in her eyes, Edna grabbed Patricia’s hand, pleading. “Patricia, when you weren’t around, it was
Karen who looked after me. Can you bear to see her like this?”
Mia couldn’t stand to witness the situation unfolding any longer; she had foreseen this outcome.
Nonetheless, seeing Patricia so joyful was a rare occurrence; Mia was determined to prevent the situation from escalating any further.
Turning to Karen, she offered, “I can help.”
“Oh Mia, I knew you would lend a hand. After all, this amount of money is insignificant to you, not even a fraction of your monthly allowance. Please, show me some kindness, Mia?”