Brian frowned at the sight of his father’s number flashing on the screen and walked out to take the call.
“What is it this time?” he said in a low voice.
Influenced by the warm atmosphere of the dinner, Brian’s tone was unusually bright, but Simon’s words quickly changed that.
“We are going to have a family party. You and Sybil must come!”
Brian instantly understood the meaning behind the ‘family party.’ As a rule, not only the children of the William family would be invited, but also other families that were friends with the William’s. It was essentially an elaborate dating party.
“I don’t want to. I am busy.”
Brian rejected his father’s invitation directly. He was bored of meeting all those women trying to catch his attention. He was different now. He didn’t need to prove he was a charming man by attending such parties, as he had now fallen in love. He didn’t want to waste time on other women.
“You are ridiculous!” Simon shouted furiously. “I can accept that you have fun with ordinary girls. But how could you refuse to attend such a party?”
“Haven’t you assigned me a fiancée already? Why do you still want me to join this party?” Brian said coldly.
“That’s the reason you must attend this party,” Simon uttered.
“What do you mean?”
“You are no longer young. And Carol is back now. This is a chance for you to announce your engagement.”
“What? You haven’t even asked me if I want to!” Brian shouted angrily.
“I have agreed to the engagement with Carol’s parents. There is no way we can back out now! We are cooperating with Mr. Jefferson now, and this deal is worth a tremendous amount of money. The engagement will show our commitment. I will not allow you to say no in this matter!”
“Why do you always force me to accept your ideas? I don’t love Carol, and I will not get engaged with her! You handle your promise with her parents. It’s none of my business!”
“This is serious! How could you be so childish? When will you start acting like an adult?” Simon yelled.
“You have never respected me,” Brian said in a cold voice. “You just think I am a tool to help you keep your power to be used at any time you like. Have you ever thought that I am my own man? What about my dignity?!”
“You have the cheek to speak about dignity with your father? How dare…”
Brian ended the call before Simon could finish his next bit of criticism.
The veins on his forehead were popping out by that point; he had forced himself to hang up before he said something he might regret.
Kate heard their quarrel. She sighed and tried to comfort Brian.
“Brian, you are right. Of course, you should be able to choose your own wife. Your father was always so obsessed with money and power. He never cared about us. That is why I chose to divorce him. So, Brian, stay true to yourself, don’t change for him.”
Actually, Diana had also heard the conversation. But it would have been improper for her to make any remarks. After all, it was Brian’s private matter; she wasn’t the one that he loved. Yet Diana couldn’t help feeling vexed about it. She and Brian had become quite close in recent days; it didn’t seem impossible that she could fall in love with him one day.
After finishing dinner, they all said goodbye to Kate.
“Diana, I saw your room earlier today. It is wonderful! Can I sleep with you in your room tonight?” Sybil asked.
“You have your own room. Why do you want to take Diana’s room as well? Brian questioned irritably.
“Take? No! I said that because I like her. Is it OK with you, Diana?”
Diana felt lucky to have met Sybil and to have become one of her friends. She smiled and said, “It’s not a big deal. I also want to chat with Sybil.”
Brian looked at her hesitantly. He had planned to have a talk with Diana, and now Sybil had ruined it.
Meanwhile, Simon William was in a furious state. He had never expected that Brian would talk with him so rudely. He could accept Brian’s attitude, but if he refused to show up to the party, Simon’s business with Carol’s father would be impacted. No! He couldn’t allow that!
And Simon blamed all of this on Diana. He had sent his people out to investigate her and found that Diana was intimate not only with Brian but also with Kyle.
Simon made a call. He decided Diana had to know who she was dealing with; he was going to teach her a lesson. Life is not a fairy tale; ordinary girls do not marry rich men.