8 Pursuing You Is My Right
1034 Words
When Amelia arrived home, she felt the peaceful and joyful atmosphere in the house: her mother listened cheerfully to her father talk enthusiastically about the prospects of America. They prepared a big dinner together.
It was such a warm atmosphere! Amelia was deeply moved. It was a rare scene in the Smiths, much like her childhood.
She didn't even bother changing her shoes and rushed over to kiss her parents on the cheeks.
"My dear mom and dad, how happy you are today! Is there any good news in our family?"
She was so moved and didn't notice the ambiguous look on Mia's face or hear the meaningful words: "There's going to be a lot of good news!"
Amelia pouted and nuzzled her shoulder, "What good news? Tell me."
"You'll find out soon enough."
Early on the 8th, Mia instructed Amelia,
"Your father's leader, Mrs. Jones, is hosting a dinner party. She's the head of the personnel department, they invited us there. You and their daughter are in the same class in primary school. Don't go anywhere today."
"Mom, I have something to do," Amelia wanted to see Oliver, whom she hadn't seen in a few days.
"No, it's a family event," Mia said unhappily.
Amelia quickly fell silent. She didn't want to upset her mother, who had been so cheerful for the past few days, and wanted to prolong the warm family atmosphere.
After changing her formal clothes, Amelia stood and waited in front of her mother, and Mia frowned,
"Oh, why not put on your makeup? It's quite impolite to see someone important in this way. Go and put on your makeup."
Amelia had to go back to her room and get out the cosmetics. Then she stood in front of the mirror and said to herself, "That's much better, mom won't complain anymore."
Amelia smiled at her mother, "You always don't like me to wear makeup. What makes you change so completely?"
Mia glared, "That's nothing about makeup. That's because of Oliver. We just do not accept him. Don't you always put on your makeup before dating him?"
Amelia kept silent to not make her mom angry. Mia noticed that James's tie didn't look right. "A gray suit with a red tie. That's so outdated. Go, change it to a black one." James chuckled and changed his tie.
When they arrived at the hotel, Amelia secretly asked her father, "Dad, What's the name of Mrs. Jones's daughter? I can't remember."
Her father smiled mysteriously, "I know, but I can't tell you."
When Amelia saw Lucas and Sophia already seated in the private room at the luxurious hotel, there was no Mrs. Jones's son.
Amelia understood everything: this dinner was not so simple, it was totally a blind date. She had wanted to try her best to greet Sophia, but failed, because she felt quite unhappy to say anything.
Lucas only caught a glimpse of Amelia. Then he stood to greet the four elders, but in that brief glimpse, he took in everything about her:
She applied thin cosmetics and showed a little inconspicuous unhappiness on her exquisite face.
She wore a loose light gray sweater with dark blue jeans when she smiled constrainedly, it was as if she understood all the intricacies of the world, more like a seasoned woman than a pure student polluted by society.
Once seated, everyone began praising Lucas's impressive achievements at such a young age.
Mr. Leo Jones kept exclaiming, "The younger generation is truly remarkable! To have a young and promising entrepreneur like you emerging from New York is a point of the entire city."
Seeing how highly Mr. Leo Jones esteemed Lucas only solidified Mia's resolve to consent to this match.
Lucas seized the opportunity to inquire about the prime piece of land in the center of the city subtly, and Mr. Leo Jones nodded and gave him a positive response.
The smiths, of course, could not notice the seemingly careless but in fact vital conversation.
Lucas was very satisfied as he finally got an opening to get the city's approval for The Blackstone Group to develop the valuable land.
The dinner was more than an ordinary gathering and a blind date.
Amelia, as one of the central figures, was inwardly scoffing:
Love and courtship were personal matters, but Mr. Williams had made them so complicated. Did he think that bringing in a big shot would change her mind? It was all so ridiculous for her.
Amelia sat between Sophia and Mia. Sophia pretended not to meet Amelia for the first time, asking about the Smiths in general.
Sophia pretended not to recognize her, so she could not correct her in front of everyone.
Lucas assessed each member of the Smith family, concluding that Mia was the real head of the family and is a shrewd woman, whose cunning was buried much deeper than her mother's.
So, he made an effort to talk to Mia more, showing his affinity.
The elders were considerate, and they all left first when the dinner ended, leaving Lucas to drive Amelia home so they could spend more time together.
Amelia couldn't refuse directly, so she stood by Lucas's car, waiting until they were out of sight before looking up at Lucas and refusing, "I'll just walk home and I need to date Oliver."
This was clearly another way of gently turning down Lucas without causing him embarrassment.
Lucas smiled slightly and said,
"I'll drive you wherever you need to go. It's getting late and it's snowing. It's unsafe to walk alone. Besides, could you please give me a chance to show my sincerity?"
What an infuriatingly stubborn person, Amelia thought angrily. He was always brazen-faced. If she doesn't speak her mind clearly now, he'll only keep trying again and again.
Of course, Amelia wouldn't get into Lucas's car. She pondered how to make him completely abandon his pursuit. "I'm deeply in love with Oliver. There's no chance for you."
Lucas stepped forward to pull her into the car, but she stepped backward forcibly, saying,
"As long as you are not married, I have a chance. Pursuing you is my right, and you have the right to reject me."
- Writer
