CHAPTER 100: PRESSURED PROMISE

The tension between the two men seem to have escalated and my mother and I didn’t want to be a part of that conversation. As a result, we kept our mouth closed as we waited for the storm to pass. I had a very heavy feeling in my heart as I waited to hear what Raphael had to say. I also had no idea why Raphael seem to be putting off his wedding, but whenever I heard or saw him act like he didn’t want to marry Rosabella, I couldn’t help but feel slightly hopeful. At first I didn’t want to acknowledge my feelings, but the longer I tried to hold it in, the more I was forced to realize that I was hoping against hope that Raphael would change his mind about marrying Rosabella.

"I’ll marry her sooner or later as planned. There’s nothing for you to worry about," Raphael said flatly.

"You better keep your promise. I won’t stand for any changes in the plan now that you two are officially engaged," Bennett said forcefully, enunciating each word.

Raphael seemed to have shut himself out of the conversation because he didn’t reply to his father regarding that topic. All Bennett could do was glare at his son, and I could tell that he was feeling very angry inside. Even my mother was hesitant to step in to improve the mood between the two.

"I won’t let your selfishness put our business at risk. You better remember that," Bennett reminded his son darkly.

Since Raphael still refused to say anything, that was how our dinner out came to an awkward end.

...

The argument Raphael had with Bennett during dinner left my mother feeling restless and worried. I could tell from her expression that she wished the two of them hadn’t had such an intense argument. The fact that she paid a visit to my bedroom later that night only confirmed that she was having trouble sleeping.

"I don’t think you should worry about them too much. I’m sure they can patch things up between them. I guess it’s normal for them to have arguments now and then," I said in an attempt to reassure my mother that everything would be fine.

"I know that, but it’s still very hard for me to stop worrying. I don’t like seeing Bennett so upset, but it’s not like I don’t understand Raphael and what he is thinking. I guess he is so busy, and he might not be ready to have the wedding ceremony yet," my mother shared her thoughts before letting out a loud sigh.

"I’m sure there is nothing for Bennett to worry about. Raphael will get married when he is ready," I replied before flashing my mother a smile that I hoped would lift her spirits.

My mother stopped pacing back and forth in my bedroom and came to sit next to me on the bed. I remembered all the times we sat side by side on the bed and talked about random things. My mother turned in my direction before she smiled at me. I found myself smiling back at her naturally, thinking of how thankful I was that I still had my mother as my endless supporter. Every time I recalled all the small talks and discussions that we shared sitting side by side, I felt lucky that we could share everything with each other. However, that was how things used to be in the past. As for right now, I could no longer confidently say that I could share everything with my mother just as before.

"You’re right, I guess I should stop worrying about those two. What about you?" she asked, sounding suddenly excited.

"What about me?" I asked, feigning innocence.

To be honest, I knew what my mother was asking about, but I just wished she wouldn’t bring up the topic about my date with Daniel. It was probably too much to ask for her to completely forget that the date ever happened in the first place.

"Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. The date! How did your date go? Do you like him? Bennett kept on saying that he is the perfect bachelor and that he is so nice and caring. His family background is also perfect, and he’s a selfless person who dedicates quite a lot of effort to philanthropy," my mother said, pressing her hands together as if praying for my date with Daniel to work out.

"I think he’s nice and all that, but I don’t like him like that," I replied before pausing to see my mother’s reaction. She had a stunned look on her face as if she was expecting a completely different response from me.

"I don’t think he’s a bad person, and he was really nice to me when we talked, but I don’t think I like him in that way. On top of that, I keep telling you that I don’t want to have a boyfriend," I explained desperately.

"Why don’t you give the guy a chance? I’m sure he’ll be great for you, unlike, you know..." my mother said, shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes. I could tell she was about to mention my treacherous ex-boyfriend and was thankful she stopped herself before she voiced his name.

"I don’t know about that. I feel like it’s not the right time. I still want to focus more on my career, and I feel like there’s so much that I still need to learn," I explained, trying to shift her attention elsewhere.

"I still think you’ll be happier if you have a man to support you. I don’t want you to live your life alone the way that I did," my mother said with intense worry in her voice. I knew she was referring to the many tiresome years she raised me alone as a single mother.

–To be continued...