At B District the next week, the whole neighborhood was buzzing with activities. The narrow street was occupied by streams of cars and taxis dropping guests.
Relatives from far and near were making their way into the Ju’ans’ Residence. Although it was supposed to be a simple ceremony, how could Mrs. Ju’an not flaunt this important occasion? The wedding of her only son.
So despite Mr. Ju’an’s orders, she was still inviting more guests even as the house was becoming piled up with people.
“Layla, take this box to the guest room. Have you cleared it?”
As her mother shoved a box into her hand, Layla couldn’t help but groan inside. “Mum, don’t you think these people are too many? This home is becoming like a marketplace for goodness sake.”
“Oh, shut up, you have no idea what you’re saying.” Mrs. Ju’an waved her hand. “Most of these people are not happy about your brother’s wedding, especially that old witch over there.” She pointed at a woman who was busy scrutinizing the room decorations.
“If I didn’t invite them and show them how well-off our family is, how can I still be called the confident and fearless, Mrs. Ju’an?”
Apparently, Mrs. Ju’an saw this occasion as a great opportunity to put those people who had been secretly envying her in their place.
Once they saw how rich and happy her family was, they’d stop being jealous, and instead, grovel at her feet.
“Mum,” Layla whined. Her mother’s words didn’t even make sense.
She just wanted those relatives out of the house as soon as possible. Especially those scary women who kept trying to match her up with their sons.
“By the way, have you seen your brother?” Her mother asked.
Layla shook her head. “The Dude has been down lately. Can you believe he didn’t leave his room yesterday?”
“Huh? Really?” Mrs. Ju’an blinked. She had been so busy with the guests that she didn’t notice that.
It had been a week since her son moved in with them because of the wedding’s preparation. However, she hadn’t had much time to talk with him.
“Hmmm. How unfortunate, I shouldn’t have overlooked this important thing. Your brother needs to talk to someone.”
“About what?” Layla didn’t know why the woman was suddenly sad.
“It’s the wedding jitters, Dear. When your father and I were about to be married, did you know he spent three days without communicating with anyone?”
“Urgh! Is that it?” Layla rolled her eyes. And she thought it was something important. Her mother was just overreacting. “And you’re going to talk to him about it?”
“Of course, your brother needs someone to comfort him.”
“That’s lame, Mum. He’s not a baby. If it’s some minor anxiety, he can overcome it.” Layla looked irritated and she walked away.
Argh! She just wanted this occasion to be over with. Maybe after her brother got married, their mother would finally start treating him like a man.
“Agnes, do you know that my son graduated from the best Engineering College in Country C?” Mrs. Ju’an was startled by the voice.
She turned around and saw her sister-in-law whose greedy eyes were fixed on her daughter’s back. “So what if he graduated from the best Engineering College? Isn’t he a decade younger than my Layla?”
Mrs. Ju’an didn’t pretend not to know what the woman was thinking. She lifted her chin and scoffed.
“But age doesn’t matter nowadays–“
“Don’t even think about it,” she snapped. “Your son graduated from the best College, but did he graduate with the best grades?”
After telling the woman off, Mrs. Ju’an headed to her son’s room, but she met him at the door.
“Ah, my boy, are you alright?” The woman was surprised to see her son looking a bit haggard.
But he didn’t answer her question. Instead, he held her hand and said softly, “Mum, have you seen Dad?”
“Your father is in the yard playing chess with his colleagues,” she replied with a small frown. “Do you want to see him? I can get him for you.”
“No, I’ll get him myself,” Jason said. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with both of you.”
“Huh? Then I should get Layla too.” Mrs. Ju’an thought that maybe her son wanted to have a family meeting. After all, they hadn’t sat together as a family since the wedding preparations commenced.
“Layla doesn’t need to be present. I want to speak with both of you, alone.”
Seeing her son’s expression, Mrs. Ju’an couldn’t shake off her anxiety. And she slowly nodded to his request.
Her gentle son now looked like a chick beaten by the rain. Was he so anxious about the wedding?
…
“M–Mr. Lim. This– This is from the Manager of the Arts Department.” Assistant Jiang’s hand trembled as he placed the invitation card in front of his Boss.
And he took several steps back to keep a safe distance from the man.
It had been almost a week now since the Manager of the Arts Department gave him this invitation card to give to the CEO. However, the assistant knew that he wouldn’t dare to.
But he promised the manager that he’d deliver the invitation card. So after a long battle between his fear and honesty, his honesty won and he decided to do the right thing.
“Assistant Jiang.” Andrew picked up the card, flicking it with his fingers. “Now I’m fully convinced you’re tired of your job.”
“N–No no no, Mr. Lim.” Assistant Jiang shook his head rapidly. “I– I just. I just thought–“
“You thought it is under most that I see this invitation?” The man’s voice made him shudder.
Assistant Jiang scratched the back of his neck. Ah! If he said yes, wouldn’t he really lose his job?
His Boss was a hundred percent against the wedding. It would be like making fun of him by shoving the invitation card in his face.
Assistant Jiang gulped again. Maybe he should have let his fear win the bottle. With each second, his Boss’s expression was turning darker.
If he ran out now, he might not get to return. And if he stayed without saying anything, he might get chased out with a notice that he should never return.
His Boss was turning more dangerous every time, the assistant was no longer certain about his fate.