3
This time, I didn’t cover for Ryan.
I got home and told Mom and Dad everything, exactly as it happened.
Mom was heartbroken.
“My precious daughter, we’ve never even raised our voice at you, and she dared to do that?!”
“That boy, Ryan, he’s so foolish. When we get home, we’ll give him a good beating.”
Mom and Dad were furious.
Ryan didn’t come home until very late.
His eyes were bloodshot.
I guessed Mom and Dad must have chewed him out over the phone.
Ryan gritted his teeth, stubbornly looking at me without speaking.
I sighed.
“Ryan, what were you thinking today?”
“Chloe, I finally found someone I like. Why can’t you be more understanding?”
Ryan’s gaze was full of blame and displeasure.
He shook his head slightly. “And you told Mom and Dad? How is Brittany supposed to get along with
them now?”
I stared at my brother, stunned. How could he say something like that?
Ryan continued, “Mom and Dad just called me, they cursed me out for ages. Brittany heard everything, she was crying…”
Mom and Dad arrived home two days later.
Ryan completely dropped his defiant facade in front of them, obediently admitting his mistakes.
To appease Mom and Dad, he even grabbed my hand and slapped his own face with it.
All three of us were stunned, seeing his bloodshot eyes.
Families are easily softened, and they forgave him for the most part almost immediately.
Mom and Dad demanded Ryan break up with Brittany.
<
Ryan didn’t answer. He just kept kneeling, begging for forgiveness.
A week after Mom and Dad came home, Ryan showed up with Brittany without a word.
Ryan grinned. “Mom, Dad, Brittany said she wanted to meet you.”
Brittany wore a simple, elegant cotton dress, her hair in a high ponytail, with only light makeup.
As she entered, she kept her head slightly bowed, looking incredibly timid.
I almost didn’t recognize her.
“Mr. and Mrs. Davis, Chloe, hello.” She spoke softly, the picture of a gentlewoman.
My parents didn’t like Brittany.
But guests were at the door, so they couldn’t just turn them away.
- Mom shot Ryan a displeased glance.
Clearly, she wasn’t happy about him bringing someone home without warning.
But Mom and Dad still played the good hosts.
Mom cooked a table full of dishes, and Dad even brought out his prized wine.
I sat on the sofa watching, sighing inwardly.
Mom and Dad were still giving Ryan enough face.
At the dinner table, Brittany completely changed her attitude, becoming incredibly attentive.
She kept serving Mom and Dad food.
“Mr. Davis, this fish is light; Ryan said your blood pressure is a bit high, so light food is perfect for you.”
Then she turned and served Mom a piece of braised pork.
“Mrs. Davis, your skin is amazing.”
My parents still kept poker faces, but they had relaxed slightly.
Ryan watched from the side, his eyes full of smugness, as if saying, *See? My girlfriend is so thoughtful.*
I sighed and kept eating.
I knew my parents.
They might seem polite on the surface, but that was just their good upbringing.
They loved me the most.
Knowing how I’d been treated, there was no way Mom and Dad would accept Brittany as their daughter-in-law.
Brittany even served me some food. “Chloe, eat more, you’re too thin.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I picked up the food she’d served me and put it in Ryan’s bowl.
Brittany’s eyes instantly turned red.
“Chloe, do you really hate me that much? We’re going to be family, and family shouldn’t hold grudges overnight.”
Ryan immediately jumped in, “Chloe, you’re going too far this time.”
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the living room turned awkward.
Mom and Dad stopped what they were doing and looked at Ryan in unison.
Ryan’s eyes darted around. “I… I just think Chloe isn’t being fair.”‘
Brittany didn’t sense the shift in atmosphere.
Her eyes gleamed with undisguised calculation.
I chuckled to myself. She was finally dropping the act.
r
After dinner, Brittany volunteered to wash the dishes.
I could hear the water running and her softly whispering to Ryan.
“Your parents seem pretty easy to handle. This house must be expensive, it’s a villa in the city center. When we get married, make them pay for more…”
After they finished the dishes, Dad put down his teacup and said coolly, “You’re a clever girl, aren’t you?”
Brittany thought she was being complimented and grinned.
Ryan didn’t catch the hidden meaning and cheerfully nodded.
“Yeah, Brittany’s really sensible.”
Mom’s smile was barely held together.
I chuckled aloud. “So, you two are getting married?”
