My father booked a private room in a high-end hotel, costing around four hundred dollars per person. Aunt Mey and her son were also joining us.
As soon as the dishes were served, I reached for my cutlery, ready to devour various delicious dishes. Suddenly, a smack landed on my hand, leaving instant red marks.
Aunt Mey smiled and scolded me, "My son isn't even here yet. How eager you are to eat!"
"It's not good for women to be greedy. Such an attitude shortens their lifespan, you know."
I slapped her in the face with my backhand and poured a glass of champagne on her face. Thinking about how she abused my mother and coveted her jewelry filled me with indescribable anger.
My father was stunned for a moment and when he realized what was happening, he pushed me away and protected his mistress. "Look, Aunt Mey is well-intentioned. You'll need to learn how to navigate the world better when you go out into society."
I found it both ridiculous and infuriating.
"Dad, do I really need to bow to others when I'm out in society?" When I stepped outside, everyone recognized me as the heir of the Kennedy Family. No one dared to expect me to act so polite to them.
My father looked a bit guilty. He had married into the Kennedy Family, even changed his surname and was instructed not to have contact with his relatives.
However, after my grandfather passed away, my mother had a car accident and was in a vegetative state, lying in bed. I never expected my father, who had knelt at my mother's feet and served her like a slave for half his life, to find an arrogant mistress in my mother's house.
Before I could say anything, the door was pushed open. A man with five feet three inches tall and blonde hair sat next to me. As soon as he opened his mouth, a wave of bad breath hit my face.
"Are you the person my mother introduced me to?"
My father handed a towel to Meylin and introduced him to me. "This is Aunt Mey's son. He's a great guy. When you two get married, he can help me manage the company."
This was funny.
The Kennedy Family's company had never needed my father's involvement. After the accident, I was so busy that I never had a heart-to-heart talk with him. Now, I realized that my father's posture was straighter as if he believed no one in the Kennedy Family could control him, so he could take charge.
How laughable.
I had been prepared by my grandfather since childhood. As the heir of the Kennedy Family, I had never intended to hand over the company to my father. My mother loved him madly because he looked good on the outside, so there was no harm in keeping him around.
My grandfather used to hug me and say, "You don't have to listen to your dad. He has no competency. What can he do except teach you to be a good daughter to him? If he ever wants to take over our company, remember to handle things without mercy."
Grandpa raised my mother as a pampered young lady and he feared he would spoil me into becoming just as love-struck. From a young age, he taught that all men were unreliable. If someone was up to something shady, they would take me to watch the spectacle.
My mother and I were different in that regard.
My mother truly treasured my father. Even in auctions, she would buy antiques worth hunderds dollars just because he liked them. Because of her sincere love, the entire Kennedy Family had never treated my father poorly and my mother had never wronged him a little bit.
He thought that with my grandfather gone and my mother in a vegetative state, he could freely take over the Kennedy family's property. Never did he realize that I was the one in this family who valued personal feelings the least.
Aunt Mey's son lit a cigarette with a greasy smile on his face. "Don't worry. Once you're with me, you won't need to work. Stay at home and cook three meals a day for me. It would be best if you gave my mom a chubby grandson within a year."
"If the first child is a girl, our family can't afford to raise her. We can marry her off to a wealthy family to bring us business opportunities."
My father seemed very pleased with his thoughts. They were perfectly in sync.
"Look," Meylin's son pressed on, "if you still can't deliver a son this time, I'll hold off on another child until the third one. After all, I wouldn't want to push you too hard. Having children can be taxing on a woman's health, you know."
I raised an eyebrow, looking at Meylin's son with a hint of murderous intent. "So, what are you trying to say?"
Meylin's son licked his yellow teeth. "So, I'll have to find another woman outside."
"Don't worry, I won't keep any daughters born from those women. But if they have sons, you'll have to help raise them alongside our son. I heard from Mr. Kennedy that your family owns the largest office building in Brookhaven, right?"
I took a sip from my cup.
Aunt Mey turned to Gustav. "This is my son, Logan Long. I've told you before," she said.
Gustav nodded, smiling. "I've heard that Logan has managed people before. What kind of work did he do?"
Logan replied proudly, "I was a team leader on an assembly line at a factory for a while."
Gustav smiled and turned to me. "Zoey, it's not appropriate for a young girl like you to be out in the business industry. After you marry Logan, let him manage the company so you can focus on taking care of your mother and me."
I frowned deeply. "Dad, you haven't even introduced these people to me yet."
Gustav said, "Didn't I tell you? Aunt Mey is the caregiver I hired to take care of your mom and…"
Before he could finish his sentence, I sneered. "A caregiver dares to sit at the table with me and even brings her family along to freeload?"
"I asked you to take care of my mom and this is how you do it?"
"Are there no sons of noble families in Brookhaven? Even in the village, no woman would take such useless trash and yet you dare to have delusions about a future with me."
Aunt Mey pretended to look troubled. "There was another family begging me to go to them, but I didn't. Mr. Kennedy, you said you would introduce your daughter to my son, so I agreed to take care of the vegetative person."
"If you don't believe me, ask around. What caregiver wants to care for a vegetative person? They're practically dead. Even touching them gives you the creeps."
I could tolerate everything until now, but comparing my mother to a dead person was crossing the line. "If it's so difficult for you, then just quit. Take your pay for this month and leave."
Logan stepped forward and slapped me, yanking my hair and hitting me while spewing filthy words. Gustav and Aunt Mey watched coldly, not even trying to intervene.
"Bitch, if you insult my mom again, I'll beat you more. Geez, women should be disciplined."
"Forget about this meal. Let's go home and get our marriage certificate. After that, don't ever leave the house!"
Gustav, seeing my bruised and swollen face, took out the household registration document. "My dear daughter, you're too headstrong. I've found you a man who can discipline you."
"From now on, stay home and have children with Logan. I'll manage the company with him."