Camila had gone ahead of her son and talked to her grandchildren about what their father planned to do. Daniel was furious, that was something that belonged to him and no one else but him. But Camila was very worried about the decision he was about to make and wanted to warn her grandchildren. Things were getting a little out of hand.
- What did you tell my children, Mom? -
- That you're going to do something crazy and bring into your house a woman who is not old enough to be their mother.
- That was for me to talk to them about, not you -
- They're my grandchildren, Daniel.
- They are my children and no one can intervene in my decisions or in the way I raise them, much less get ahead of me to do something that is my duty -
Camila had no bad intentions, she was dismayed by all the scandal that was about to happen. Daniel Crusher married to a young girl who clearly only wanted his money. No woman her age would marry someone older with 3 children. It was well known that the only ones who met those characteristics were either mistresses or "trophy wives".
- Do you know the social uproar you're going to cause? -
- I'm not interested in that, Mom, I've never been interested in -
- That's because you've never committed an act as insane as this -
- I don't want to discuss this matter any further. I am very grateful to you for everything you have done for me and my children since Emily died. But I am going to ask you to stop meddling in my private affairs and above all to stop involving the children.
Daniel was known for his hard and explosive character when he reached a limit, but this was the first time that Camila was the direct target. He had never spoken to her that way before, and all for defending a woman who only wanted to take everything from him and would surely leave him later. In his head Camila already had the whole story planned: he would marry her, he would make a fool of himself, after getting good money out of him she would abandon him and he would become the laughing stock of the whole society.
No other woman would want to marry someone like that. With his reputation tarnished by a meaningless affair, this was a disaster! And what would happen to Harry and Susan? They would also be part of this embarrassment and would be affected. Actually, Camilla had rather old-fashioned concepts and a lot of imagination.
- You'll change your mind when you meet her -
- I doubt it very much -
- If you close yourself off like that you'll only continue to believe nonsense.
Because of her unwanted intervention, Daniel decided that the children should not attend the meeting. It would be better for them to meet her alone without Camila's influence. Maybe this way they would erase what, Daniel was sure, she had told them about her. Things were going to be smooth and flat, he had everything planned out in detail so that his children could live with Deanna without major inconveniences. And now he would have to deal with the preconceptions their grandmother had implanted in them.
Lynda had already taken it upon herself to spread the word that Daniel was about to be "hunted" and turned into a showpiece. The woman had no qualms whatsoever. She was convinced that there was no better match than him and that she was his ideal partner, but he had changed his ways and was now after younger women. You could tell he had hit his "mid-life crisis". And of course, everyone started talking about it.
The only one who seemed undaunted and unperturbed by his son's decision was Charles. He had a very peculiar relationship with Daniel because in many ways they were quite alike. He trusted his ability and his way of handling things, and that was why he had given him the position of CEO of the company. And it had been a good decision, because since Daniel had taken over the company, it had diversified and expanded rapidly. He was convinced that he knew what he was doing.
-Don't pay any attention to what your mother says, son. She always exaggerates.
- I know, Dad, but I'm worried about this habit she has of anticipating things -
- She's always been like that, you just have to stick to your decision, she'll eventually accept it... So tell me, is my new daughter-in-law pretty? -
- Very much so... - That statement came out of him without even thinking about it.
- Ah, that's good. I'm happy for you, a pretty woman always brightens the day -
What was that? Yes, Deanna was pretty, but very? Daniel didn't know at what point he had come to that conclusion. But if he thought about it a little, he wasn't entirely wrong. She had many things that made her pretty besides her face, her eyes, especially her hair, the long legs, the friendly smile, the freckles on her back...
Was he seeing her as a woman? No, of course not, how could he? It was only because her appearance served to justify their supposed relationship, and nothing more. It had nothing to do with her distinguished demeanor when she was serious, or the way she gestured with her hands when she spoke, or the pout she made with her eyes when she was angry.
Daniel tried to justify himself by saying that he had only observed her to learn from her and not to make too many mistakes during the meeting.
-Don't lie to me that you didn't find Daniel attractive," Laura told her.
They were with Harry drinking a coffee outside the campus.
- Of course he is attractive...
- I don't know if I want to hear this - Harry said
- He's very popular with the ladies –
- I do not doubt it, he has a nice smile and expressive eyes -.
- No, I don't want to listen to this - Harry repeated, but none of them paid attention to him.
- Besides, he's known to be quite the gentleman -
-... his black hair suits him... And he makes that nod of his head when he wants to affirm something... his hands are very masculine... -
- At what point did you look so much at my brother? -
- I didn't look at him. What are you talking about? -
- "He's got nice this, nice that." Come on, Dean! You were looking him up and down - Laura gave him a light punch on the arm.
It was true. When had she ever looked him up and down so much? Well, it was natural, he was supposed to be her fiancé and they had been dating for months. It was logical for her to inspect him a little. The fact that he was attractive made the situation a little lighter, at least she would pretend to be the wife of a handsome man and having to see him every day wouldn't be such a burden. It balanced things out a bit with his "special" character.
- You're unbearable sometimes, Harry, you know that, don't you? -
- I don't want to hear you talk about my brother like he's a man -
- What's he supposed to be, then? -
- My brother... it's grotesque that you see anything "attractive" in him -
- What? -
- That happens, Deanna, because for Harry his brother is some kind of supreme deity. We are being blasphemous when we refer to him as a mere mortal - Laura explained to her.
- You're in trouble, kid. That man is not even close to being a God.
And yet, Deanna kept going over in her mind all those little things she had seen in him in just two encounters; the details that characterized him.