Chapter 304


    “Wasn''t there a traffic jam when your mom was on the way? That must be why she''ste. Michael told


    us about it just now.”


    My mother''s attention was fixated on Josephine at this particr moment, but she still had not realized


    Josephine was doing it on purpose. Instead, she took her time and exined everything to the woman.


    I felt anxious in my heart. Josephine''s first words had given me the impression that things were not


    going to go well today. I immediately looked toward Michael when I felt worried and noticed he was


    wearing a sullen expression on his face.


    Just then, Josephine tidied her hair and replied in a sarcastic tone, “What traffic? That was just an


    excuse Michael made up for me. I was setting up a spa appointment with a friend andpletely forgot


    about the meeting today.”


    At that moment, even if my mother was oblivious, she could still see that Josephine had no regard for


    us at all, and her expression turned grim immediately.


    When Michael, who was sitting next to Josephine, noticed the tension in the air, his expression


    darkened as well. “Mom, watch your attitude!” he reminded his mother in a hushed tone while looking


    at her with a gloomy gaze.


    Although Josephine was not fond of me, she still had to show Michael some respect. Despite the


    dissatisfaction in her eyes when she looked at me, she said nothing in the end.


    “You''ve been waiting for a while, Mom and Dad. Please help yourself to some water.”


    Because I did not want the atmosphere to turn sour, I did my best to ease the tension between our


    families, hoping to keep them from causing any moremotion.


    At the same time, the waitress began serving the dishes as well, which helped to reduce the


    awkwardness in the air.


    “Mrs. Shaw, given howte it is, you must be hungry as well. Let''s eat first.”


    When Michael noticed that Josephine did not respond, his gaze shifted to my parents.


    “Sure, sure.”


    My parents had spent their entire lives in the countryside and had never dined in such a fancy hotel.


    They could not help but get excited when they saw the scrumptious dishes being ced on the dining


    table. Moreover, they had poor table manners as well.


    Seeing this, I was left speechless and felt a little embarrassed by their gawking. If Michael was the only


    one here, I might not be that embarrassed. After all, he was aware of my family''s predicament.


    However, Josephine was present at the scene as well. She was already bothered by the lifestyle and


    status differences between me and Michael. Her already bad impression of me was bound to be


    worsened by my parents'' behaviors.


    Sure enough, she had a contemptuous look on her face when she noticed my parents'' poor table


    manners. There was a hint of disdain in her eyes, and I felt ufortable when I saw the way she


    looked at my parents.


    “Have you two been living in the countryside all this while? Judging by the way you''re eating, it seems


    like...”


    I could not tell if Josephine was trying to humiliate my parents or if she had had enough of them. Even


    though she did not finish her sentence, I could already tell what she was trying to say.


    My expression was sour when I turned to look at Josephine. At that moment, my parents were the only


    ones who had yet to react to the situation.


    “Mom, you should leave for your spa appointment if you have nothing nice to say.”


    It was evident that Michael was enraged as he cast a stern gaze at his mother. Josephine was about to


    say something but stopped herself upon Michael''s warning. Clearly, she was furious too.


    When my parents noticed Josephine''s hesitance after being warned by Michael, they realized he was


    the one who had the final say in most matters.


    My mother then cleared her throat, shifted her gaze to Michael, and prepared to say something.


    However, for some reason, a sense of uneasiness arose in me.


    Sure enough, what my mother said next had confirmed my conjecture.


    “Michael, your wedding with Anna is just around the corner. Shouldn''t there be some things that are


    held in our tradition?”


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    My mother''s tone was casual, but the excitement in her eyes gave me an idea about what she was


    going to say next.


    Nervous, I clenched my fists and quickly interrupted her, “Mom, it''s our first meeting today. Why don''t


    we talk about traditions some other time?”


    I knew what my mother was going to say next, had I not stopped her. Knowing my mother''s


    temperament, she would not be satisfied with just a betrothal gift.


    “It''s fine, Mrs. Garcia. Just state your request if you have one. Me and Anna''s wedding is just around


    the corner. It will be toote if you tell me about it next time.”


    I tried my best to deter from the topic, but Michael was oblivious to the nervousness in my tone.


    Although he and my mother shared some unpleasant interactions in the past, I was going to be married


    to him. Since my parents were about to be his inws, he was naturally more polite toward them.


    “Sure! Since you''re insisting, I might as well tell you.”


    My mother gave me a disapproving look, and I could tell she was ming me for not allowing her to


    speak. At that point, my nerves got the better of me, and I could not utter a word. Furthermore, Michael


    had allowed my mother to express her wishes, so it would be inappropriate for me to stop her again.


    “I''m not sure if this is a tradition in your city. In the countryside, whenever a woman marries, the man is


    expected to give a betrothal gift.”


    As soon as she finished her words, my mother shifted her gaze toward Michael''s face and scrutinized


    his expression. However, Michael''s face revealed nothing as he remained deadpanned. On the


    contrary, Josephine furrowed her brows, as if dissatisfied with my mom''s request.


    “Mrs. Garcia, how much would you like?”


    Michael''s face remained calm and expressionless. I could not tell what he was thinking at the moment.


    A betrothal gift of thirty to fifty thousand was nothing to a person of Michael''s status. However, I was


    concerned that my parents would use this opportunity to demand an outrageous sum.


    When she heard Michael''s response, my mother''s face immediately lit up. She then excitedly held up


    two fingers toward Michael.


    “Twenty thousand?”


    Josephine was unfazed when she saw my mother extend two fingers. After all, twenty thousand was


    just pocket money for their family.


    A frown formed on my mother''s face as she shook her head in dismissal of Josephine''s guess.


    “Obviously not. How can it be a mere twenty thousand?”


    “Two hundred thousand?” Josephine furrowed her brows as she spoke. Despite believing I was not


    worth that sum of money, she did not say much.


    On the other hand, Michael remained expressionless the entire time, as if he did not care about how


    much she was going to request.


    As I watched the situation unfold, I could not help but frown as I turned to look at my mother. Even in


    the countryside, a betrothal gift of that amount was extremely outrageous. No one in their right mind


    would spend that much money on a betrothal gift.


    Although my parents were greedy and asked for two hundred thousand, I did not think it was utterly


    ridiculous.


    However, her next words caused my eyes to widen in disbelief. “It''s two million. Not two hundred


    thousand.”


    My mother wore a slight smile on her face as she uttered those shocking words.