Sitting in the company car, Diana asked the driver to take them directly to the William Group building.
“Diana, you have done so well!” Mrs. Anderson gasped as they pulled up outside the well-decorated pharmacy. She was very impressed with Diana’s work.
“I am so proud of you,” Mr. Anderson gushed.
Diana showed them all around the pharmacy, pointing out systems she’d implemented and new products they had on offer.
Mr. Anderson nodded his approval; the pharmacy was well-stocked with high-quality products.
Diana still hadn’t told Brian that her parents were in town. And as they would discuss the deal directly with Simon, he was not scheduled to meet them.
Upstairs in his office, Brian looked at the clock. It was about lunchtime, and he worried that Diana would forget to eat. So, he brought some food with him and went downstairs.
Brian entered the pharmacy and called out, “Diana, it’s lunchtime.”
Hearing his voice, Diana recalled that she hadn’t told him her parents were there!
Brian came closer and asked, “Why are you ignoring me? Come and have your lunch.” He put the food on the table and started opening the boxes.
Diana stepped back and whispered, “Why are you here?”
Brian was confused. Wasn’t it normal for him to do something nice for his girlfriend?
“Diana, who is this?” Mrs. Anderson heard the noise and came over.
“He…he is…” Diana hesitated.
Seeing his daughter’s reaction, Mr. Anderson had an inkling that the man standing before him had stolen his daughter’s heart. He looked at Brian with a critical eye. Well, he is handsome, thought Mr. Anderson. But Diana can surely do better!
Brian was caught unawares by the presence of Diana’s parents. But he quickly gathered himself and greeted them reverently, “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. I am…” Brian stopped for a moment and glanced at Diana, who looked rather nervous, before continuing, “I am Diana’s boyfriend. My name is Brian William.”
Diana stared at him. She hadn’t prepared herself to tell her parents about their relationship. Moreover, she hadn’t decided whether to forgive him or not. Now he had told them everything!
“Diana, you never mentioned this before.” Mrs. Anderson looked at Brian with a friendly smile. The man standing before them was tall and handsome. Besides, he was polite and well educated. Mrs. Anderson was quite satisfied.
“So tell me, Brian, what do your parents do?” Mrs. Anderson asked.
“Well, my…” Brian was about to answer, but Diana interrupted him.
“Mother, what a weird question! Aren’t you supposed to meet Mr. William now?”
Mrs. Anderson looked at her watch. Their meeting with Simon was rather soon. “We will pick this up again later, Brian. It was nice to meet you.”
“Mum, hurry up!” Diana pleaded, ushering her mother out of the shop.
Brian stood still and saw Mr. Anderson looking at him with raised eyebrows. He smiled. It seemed his future mother-in-law rather liked him, but Mr. Anderson would take a bit more work.
Diana led her parents to the restaurant in the William building.
Mrs. Anderson was rather curious about Brian and asked, “Diana, when did you guys start dating? How old is he? What do his parents do? What does he do?”
“Mum, you just asked a thousand questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?”
Mr. Anderson smiled coldly and said, “I don’t think he is a good man to marry.”
“Oh, darling! He is handsome!” Mrs. Anderson laughed.
Mr. Anderson had to admit that much was certainly true.
Diana didn’t want to continue discussing this topic. Luckily, the dishes she had ordered arrived at the table.
“Alright, let’s eat first.”
After their long journey, Mr and Mrs Green were famished. The food smelled delicious, and they were eager to try it. Soon, they were both focused on the food and stopped asking questions.
After dinner, Diana then brought her parents to the place where they would meet Simon.
Simon arrived late and was very apologetic.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t expect there to be a traffic jam at this time.”
Mr. Anderson smiled. “It’s okay.”
Simon sat down and started chatting with Diana’s parents.
“Your daughter is so considerate and talented. She is doing a great job of running your company.” Simon was eager to complement Diana to make up for his treatment of her previously.
Diana’s parents looked very proud.
“She is still young, though,” Mr. Anderson pointed out.
Simon continued, “Girls are better than boys anyway. My son always makes me angry. Have you met my son?
His question made Diana rather anxious.
Simon continued, “He is in charge of the William Group. His name is Brian William.”
“Brian William?” Mr. Anderson murmured.
Mrs. Anderson immediately recalled that Brian was the man they had met before. She smiled and answered, “Yes, we met. He is very polite.”
He’s never polite to me, Simon thought.
Mr. Anderson whispered to his wife, “When did we meet his son?”
Mrs. Anderson nodded her head in Diana’s direction till Mr. Anderson realized what she meant.
Realizing what was now at stake, Mr. Anderson turned deadly serious, all of the friendliness gone from his expression. He would not allow them to get Anderson’s Pharmacy and his only daughter!
Though they had just signed the contract, Mr. Anderson abruptly pulled his wife and daughter out and said goodbye to Simon. Then they left immediately.
Simon was gobsmacked. What had he done?