Chapter 2

Ivy looked a bit annoyed when she heard us.

She pointed to the last item on the paper and said, "How can you say we're not paying anything? Didn't we give her a chance to join our hometown? Not just anyone gets those subsidies, even if they want to."

My mom rolled her eyes. "Why would I want those subsidies? Living in Soeulain brings Audrey in about 30 thousand a year, plus the government covers her health insurance.

"Why would she move to your backwater village just for a few thousand bucks?"

This time, Theo's dad, Wade Ramsey, was the one who lost his cool.

He cared a lot about his reputation and was fiercely attached to his village.

He was always dreaming that one day, their village would get redeveloped, and he'd score a new house and a fat payout.

As soon as he heard my mom say that, he couldn't take it and exploded.

He snapped, "What do you mean by backwater village? Our hometown is actually pretty nice. Just because you live in the city doesn't mean you can look down on us. Who doesn't have farmers in their family tree?"

My mom cut him off right away. "My family's been in business for five generations, never a farmer in sight. It's not that I look down on you, but you're picking a fight where you can't win. That's just overestimating yourselves."

Wade jumped to his feet. He might be short, but his voice carried. "How are we overestimating ourselves? Isn't it your daughter who's desperate to get married now that she's almost thirty? My son doesn't mind at all.

"Theo is a real catch. It's just that he can't show what he's truly capable of here in Soeulain. If we were back home, even ten girls like your daughter wouldn't measure up to him."

Ivy added, "Exactly. It's only because Theo actually likes Audrey that we're even considering this. Back where we're from, marrying someone from out of town is pretty much unheard of."

I had had enough, unable to hold back any longer. I shot to my feet and declared to everyone, "Clearly, we're not going to reach an agreement today, so let's call off the engagement party. Just treat this as a dinner on me."

Sean chimed in without missing a beat. "No problem, I'll just use my membership card. This meal's on me, especially for Audrey."

Theo quickly pulled me aside, clearly upset. "What's that supposed to mean? You're just calling off the engagement suddenly?"

He kept going, "You're so bossy. Everything's decided by you. If you want to get engaged, we do it, and if you don't, we don't. So I guess what I think, or what my parents think, doesn't matter at all? Are we just extras in your story?

"We're getting engaged today, no question. Everyone back home already knows, and they're waiting for me to send them some pictures so they can celebrate with us."

I shot back, "Don't be ridiculous. If you really wanted to get engaged, you wouldn't have done something this crazy.

"Didn't I give you a choice back then? If your family couldn't afford it, why did you all agree so quickly?

"Since you agreed, you should've made it look presentable. Your family's just waiting for some pictures, but my closest relatives are sitting right here, watching the whole thing turn into a joke."

Theo just stood there, fumbling for words, but nothing came out.

Seeing him like that, I really couldn't be bothered to say anything else.

Just as I was about to turn away, Theo suddenly blurted out, "This is all because of you, isn't it?"

I laughed in disbelief, "You seriously think it's my fault your family pulled off something this ridiculous?"

Theo shot back, "Well, you kept saying your family would give double the demands. Who wouldn't want cold, hard cash? Of course, I had to hold out for it."

He started sounding even more self-righteous. "And it's not like I'm doing all this just for me. I want you to have a better life, too. You're a girl. If you don't take the money, your brothers will just blow it anyway."

I snapped, "Are you crazy? Who do you think you are, trying to boss my parents around with their own money? Let's break up. I'm honestly sick of you and your family's attitude."

Ivy came over and grabbed Theo's hand. "Alright, that's enough. Don't waste your breath on her. If she doesn't want the engagement, so be it. Just wait. She'll come crawling back to us one day."