Chapter 5: family introduction
They got to the mansion in no time. The moment the cars drove in, Kathe’s mouth fell open in awe because it was just like a royal palace, with a beautiful pool fountain at the entrance. Not just that, the first gate view was like a fairy tale garden, the ones you could only see in movies.
"Do people live in such a place?" she asked, stretching her head out like a naive kid that was being shown a video game for the first time.
"Maintain yourself, we are close to the main building," Jark dragged her head back into the car.
Kathe turned her head back into the car and stared at Jark with her mouth open. "What? Why are you staring at me?" Jark couldn’t help but ask.
Kathe rolled her eyes at him before responding. "Did I just hear you say we are not close to the main building? If we are not close, then what is this?"
Jark rubbed his forehead slightly to relieve himself from the headache Kathe was giving him.
"It is just the entrance and please don’t ask me any questions until we get there."
She rolled her eyes at his cold behavior, but she kept looking around till the car got to the main entrance. The servants stood at the left and right side, and in the middle stood three ladies. One was an elderly woman; just by looking, Kathe knew that was Jark’s grandmother. Beside the old lady, on the right-hand side, stood an elegant woman. That was clearly Jark’s mother. On the old lady’s left-hand side stood a young lady, delicate-skinned, fair as the moon, with a face as delicate as a model. Excitement was clearly written on her face, but Kathe could not identify who she was.
Jark stepped out of the car first. He was about to open the car door for Kathe when the delicate lady bounced on him.
"I missed you. We have been waiting all day for you. Did you miss me?" she kept throwing questions at Jark while acting cute.
Jark ruffled her hair gently before he replied, "I missed you too."
The delicate lady dragged Jark away from the car. On seeing that Jark was occupied, Kathe decided to step out from the car herself.
The moment she stepped out, all eyes were on her.
"Hey, get his bags inside," the delicate lady commanded Kathe, mistaking her for a maid.
Jark immediately let go of her hands and walked back to Kathe.
"Grandma, Mom, meet my wife, Kathe."
Everywhere became silent for a moment. Jark’s mom was surprised, but the delicate lady was more surprised.
"Your... your... wi...fe?" she murmured.
Kathe made use of the opportunity to slip her hands into Jark’s palm, holding him tightly and making the ring on her finger show.
The old lady stared at Kathe slightly before speaking up. "Let’s speak inside. Come in."
She turned around and walked inside with the help of her walking stick. She gave the air of a noble lady. Jark held Kathe’s hand and walked in, passing the delicate lady who stood in shock as they walked inside.
The sitting room was filled with tension, with everybody’s eyes on Jark, but especially Kathe. She could feel the daggers from the pretty lady’s eyes.
"Jark, when did you get married, and how? Without my permission or our family being around? Did she threaten you?"
Shashe could not keep her calm anymore. She was clearly furious, but Jark never paid attention to her. Instead, he was looking at his grandmother with a smile, leaving the room in silence.
The old lady was more reserved as she stared at Kathe and Jark before breaking the silence again.
"She is a beauty, just the way you told me."
Her statement was like a bombshell to Shashe and Rhea.
Shashe was shocked by the old lady’s words.
"Mother, you knew of this?" she couldn’t help but turn to ask the old lady.
The old lady nodded slowly. "Yes, I knew and I approved of it. Is there anything wrong?"
Her voice was clear as crystal.
Shashe gave a dry chuckle. "Mother, this is marriage, not child’s play. A marriage that none of us attended, Mom. I didn’t even see my son get married or give him my blessings, and you are okay with that?"
Rhea decided to chime in, her voice filled with anger.
"Grandma, this is not fair. You didn’t even inform us about Jark’s marriage. How could he marry a total stranger whom we are not sure matches Jark’s status, is she even worthy to stand beside him? What is her achievement? Who knows if she is a gold digger or maybe a whore?"
"Rhea!" Jark’s voice came like a raging thunder.
Smack!
The old lady smashed her walking stick on the table, which startled Rhea, plus Jark’s angry voice.
"Enough! I don’t want to hear any more words. Jark here is just your childhood friend and nothing more. You have no right to dictate his life."
"Mom," Shashe exclaimed, knowing that the old lady’s words hurt Rhea.
But the old lady raised her hand, stopping Shashe from speaking, and continued, "And as for the wedding, it will happen again in a grand style at its due time. For the time being, we will host a banquet for them both, so you have nothing to worry about, Rhea. So know your boundaries."
Her words were meant to clear the air, but the last statement was directed at Rhea.
Tears were already dropping from Rhea’s eyes. She could not bear the embarrassment. She stood up and gave Kathe a dagger stare before running out. As a fellow woman, Kathe knew that Rhea had feelings for Jark, and it was not just about pure friendship. It seemed the old lady was throwing hints at her.
After Rhea ran out, the old lady continued again. This time, she turned to face Kathe with a smile.
"Kathe, you’re welcome into the family."
Kathe stood up and walked respectfully to the old lady’s side with a sweet smile on her lips.
"Thank you, Grandma."
The old lady smiled at her, using her hand to smooth Kathe’s hair.
Shashe snorted and walked out.
The old lady quickly covered up with her voice. "You both need to go freshen up. Dinner will be ready soon. Go now."
Jark nodded at the old lady as the two of them exchanged eye communication before he took Kathe to their room.
"Here’s your towel," he handed her a towel.
"Thank you." She collected the towel, but her eyes were still on Jark.
"What is it?" he asked while taking out his clothes.
"Your grandma knew about your plans too?" Kathe asked curiously.
Jark stopped and looked at her briefly before he replied, "Yes, she wanted me to get a wife soon."
"Oh, that means she knows about the contract?" Kathe asked.
Jark shook his head as he replied to her, "No, she knows nothing about that."
Kathe widened her eyes at him. "You played your grandma too?"
Jark smirked at her and continued working in silence.
"She likes you." Kathe decided to break the silence once again, making Jark stop what he was doing.
"You mean my grandma?" he asked Kathe, his hands resting on his waist, clearly tired from hearing Kathe talk.
Kathe rolled her eyes at him. "No, I mean Rhea."
Jark lifted his face to look at Kathe, amused. "Are you being jealous?"
Kathe’s face turned red out of anger. "Of course not. Why will I be jealous? I only told you that because I felt it. It’s useless explaining things to you."
She turned her face away from Jark.
Jark couldn’t help but smile at her cute behavior and decided to tease her more.
"She is just my childhood friend, nothing more. Dear wife, stop being jealous."
Kathe quickly ran into the bathroom to hide her face from Jark, who was clearly teasing her. Jark couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.
The old lady was passing by their door when she heard her grandson, Jark, laugh. She smiled to herself and walked away.
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