Chapter 48: Chapter 48

"I thought it was a terrible idea for you to have invited your father for dinner tonight," my mother complained, leaning over the bathroom counter while applying gloss to her lips.

"I'm sorry to ruin your plans, but I think it's important for your boyfriend to meet your entire family, especially the father of your daughters," I replied, curling the last strand of my hair with a curling iron. "Besides, he's staying in Brazil now."

"What? Ian plans to stay in Brazil?" my mother exclaimed, surprised. "After all these years that I kept him away from us?"

"He wants to reconnect with his daughters. I think it's only fair," I said, looking at her through the mirror.

I finished my hair and put the curling iron down on the counter. My mother tried to change the subject and asked me to forget about her dating Edgar, but I couldn't help but laugh at her. I reminded her that she had left last night when she should have stayed with her daughter whom she hadn't seen in years.

She didn't have a good reason to defend what she was doing, and I couldn't change my mind about it being wrong. My mother looked away, and I continued to admire her beauty despite our disagreement.

Although I was a bit angry, I still loved her and wanted to hug her and tell her how amazing she looked and how much I loved her. But I couldn't let her think that everything was okay. I wanted her to realize on her own that being with Edgar for a trivial reason was ridiculous.

"Stefanny, the ride is here!" my aunt Ana yelled from downstairs.

"I'm coming." My mother responds. "Are you ready?" she looks at me.

I nod my head. My mother agrees and leaves the bathroom. I take one last look at myself in the mirror, adjusting the bodice of my red flared dress, and take a deep breath. I felt like that night would be long.

***

It felt like I was living a dream. A bad dream. Now, in addition to having siblings whom I've never even met in my entire life from my father's side, I would be Benjamin's sister and... Two bratty stepsisters. I observe the two teenage girls sitting in front of me, watching me mockingly.

"Don't worry, they don't bite," Benjamin whispers in my ear, amused.

Those girls seemed to know everything about my entire life.

"I'm very happy to see you all together," Edgar comments with a huge smile on his lips.

I wasn't so sure if it was true.

The long table was filled with people who wouldn't get along, for example, Benjamin's mother and my mother, my father and Benjamin's father, me, my sisters, and the twins. I think the only one who would come out unscathed from that dinner would be Benjamin, because I had a gut feeling that something tense was going to happen.

"I'm also very happy, darling," my mother puts her hand on Edgar's, which draws an almost deadly look from Benjamin's mother.

Continuing... The long table was filled with Edgar, who sat in the center, my mother to his left, Agatha, Alex, my father, me, and Benjamin. On the other side, Benjamin's mother was seated to the right of Edgar, facing my mother, "ironic, isn't it?" and next to her, skipping two curious empty chairs, were the twins.

"Well, Alice," Edgar draws my attention. "Your mother told me you lived abroad. Did you like it there?"

"Of course, she was Joshua's mistress," one of the twins comments, eliciting giggles from each other.

I look confused at the girls. How did they know about him? Edgar was waiting for my answer.

"It was... "I move my attention to him. "It was very good. I went in search of work. And after I stabilized a bit, I started college."

"Really? What for?"

"Learning how to seduce Joshua," the twins whisper mockingly, giving me a cynical look.

I looked a little perplexed at those girls.

"Arts," I answer without looking at Edgar.

"Don't pay attention to them. They're just trying to annoy you. They like doing that to strangers," Benjamin whispers in my ear.

"Oh! The same college that Benjamin wanted to attend. Although... It was the fifth one he was doing," a rude tone says. "My son is always a disappointment when it comes to being someone in life."

Benjamin sighs and shrinks.

"I wanted him to study medicine. Just like me. But... He chose to waste his life doing useless colleges," he spits out the words.

I move my gaze to Edgar, observing him a little indignant.

"Do you think an Arts degree has no future?" I furrow my brow.

"Living from art?" he laughs mockingly. "We're in Brazil, darling. It's a tough path."

"I think you're mistaken," I disagree. "Any talent can lead you to success."

"So, you mean if someone can breathe well, they'll be successful with that?"

"Are you comparing a biological factor with talent?" I say perplexed.

"Yes. Why not? What if that person's talent is breathing well?"

I was even more perplexed by his words. Before I could respond, my mother interferes in the conversation.

"Well... How about we make a toast, huh?" She stands up from the chair and raises a champagne glass. "I want to make a toast to my happiness, for three reasons. The first, because I've been cured of cancer. The second, because I have a wonderful man like Edgar.” Wonderful? “And... because we're all gathered here tonight, as a happy and big family." She smiles. "Karla, I want us to be great friends, despite... Well, you know. Just like me, you have children. And I know you want the best for them. So... I want to offer you this toast."

Karla, Benjamin's mother, smiles, a fake smile that you could see from miles away. Edgar stands up.

"It's an honor to have such an incredible woman like you in my life. And I also want to propose a toast to happiness." He raises a champagne glass. "And... Since everyone is gathered here. Ian." He greets my father with a nod, and likewise, my father returns the gesture. "I can't think of a better moment than this to ask the new woman in my life to marry me. Stefanny." He turns to her. Placing the champagne glass on the table, he takes a small box out of his suit pocket. "Stefanny Martins Montenegro, will you be my wife?" He opens the small box, showing a diamond ring.

I look at that disgusted scene. And apparently, I wasn't the only one. Benjamin, his sisters, and his mother were all looking at that scene without emotion. My sisters were indifferent, and my father didn't care.

And for a moment, my mother seemed hesitant to accept. That brief moment of hesitation was enough to fill me with hope, but... I was just fooling myself.

"I accept."

The smile on her face infected Edgar, excited that she had accepted. Carefully taking the ring out of the box, he places it on her ring finger.

I change the course of my vision, staring at the screen of my phone on the table. And coincidentally, it was at the same moment that a message arrived on my phone. I analyze it.

Can u talk now?

It was a message from Gregory. He asked if I could talk to him now.

I pick up my phone and type a message to him.

I'm at a 'family' dinner. Why?

I respond, letting him know that I was at a ‘family’ dinner, and in a few moments, I receive another message from Gregory.

I don't know if I should be saying this here and now, but you're my friend, and I think you have a right to know what's going on.

Gregory starts to make me tense.

In his messages, he said he didn't know if he should speak here, in the messenger chat, let alone now, but he needed to say it because I was his friend, and he thought I had the right to know what was going on.

What's?

I ask what it is.

Samantha is trying something with Joshua. A romance.

Automatically, my heart freezes. What did he mean? Samantha is trying something with Joshua? Having a romance?

What? She can't!

Samantha couldn't do that. I know that when I left London, we weren't talking anymore, but that doesn't justify her wanting to have something with Joshua. And even though there's a complicated situation between us, it doesn't mean we'll never get back together again.

I know! Hannah also knows and she didn't like too

Gregory said that Hannah knew what her sister was trying to do and that she also didn't agree.

But Joshua wouldn't do that. Would he? I send my thoughts to Gregory.

But Joshua wouldn't do that. Would he?

Idk. I just thought u should know. Are u talking to him?

Gregory replied that he didn't know if Joshua would be capable of doing that, but he just wanted to tell me what was going on and asked if I still talked to Joshua.

No. He seems to be out of time. And I was apprehensive that I was disturbing him

I think u better talk to him

Gregory advised me to talk to Joshua.

Oh, and good luck at this dinner. I luv u

And at the end of his messages, he wished me good luck at the dinner and sent me an ‘I love you.’

Love you too

I returned his ‘I love you.’

I put my phone down on the table and let out a sigh, astounded by what I had just learned. Should I start to worry? Or imagine the possibility of something actually happening between them?

I knew I shouldn't entertain my thoughts because it never ended well when I started to overthink.

"Are you okay?" Benjamin asked.

I nod my head. I didn't want to tell Benjamin about this. It wasn't his business. Besides, I might have already exceeded the limit of problems to tell him.

I turn my attention back to the dinner as the first course of the night was being served.

"I don't know if you guys are used to eating caviar because it's a dish that comes at a pretty steep price," Benjamin's mother commented. "But I hope you like it."

That smile on Benjamin's mother intrigued me entirely.

"I hate caviar," grumbled Benjamin.

"What did you say, honey?" Karla looks at her son.

"I'm on his team," my father says with a laugh. "I hate caviar too. I ate so much of it in my childhood that... Jesus Christ. My mother forced me to eat it because of its vitamins, protein A and E, and unsaturated fatty acids. Many people only eat it because it's a luxury delicacy, but they don't even know the benefits."

"Your British accent gave you away, even though you can speak almost fluently," Karla seemed surprised by my father's words, and at the same time, she felt challenged.

"Your accent..." Edgar sounded curious. "Are you British?"

"Yes, sir."

"You can call me Edgar. We're among family, aren't we?" he smiled, similar to his ex-wife.

"Edgar," my father corrected. "I lived in England for most of my life, but I came to Brazil when I was twenty-one. That's when I met Stefanny."

"Why did you come to Brazil? Were you running away from something?"

"To be honest, yes. My father owned a large farm in the interior of England, but I didn't want to take on the responsibility of taking care of it, so... I decided to leave everything behind and come to Brazil."

"You talking like that... You sound like my son," he said and laughed.

I glanced at Benjamin and saw him shrink again.

"Benjamin doesn't want any responsibility. He's changed his major five or six times. I've lost count. I thought that if he had a good education abroad, it would serve for something. But... I was just mistaken." Edgar said each word without hesitation, as if he was trying to embarrass Benjamin.

"These things happen. Sometimes we just haven't found something that enchants us yet," my father justified.

"I don't believe that, Ian. You won't have your whole life to jump from branch to branch, like a monkey. Either you define what you really want once and for all, or you'll simply be useless."

Benjamin clenched the chair arm and his jaw, tense. Edgar seemed to have a great psychological effect on him, which shouldn't happen for a doctor.

I slid my hand over to Benjamin's, trying to calm him down. Gradually, he returned to normal and soon stopped squeezing the chair arm, intertwining our fingers.