Chapter 160


    As Jocelyn led Melvin upstairs, her heart was anything but light. All she could think about was that he’d


    agreed to meet her parents as her boyfriend, and that made her happy. But she’d forgotten one critical


    piece – whether her parents would share in her joy.


    Standing at the door, she took a deep breath and nced back at Melvin.


    Melvin hadposed himself. He encouraged her to knock.


    She tapped on the door. It took a while for Daisy toe and open it. She wanted to smile but couldn’t


    when she saw Melvin, “Mr. Martinez.”


    “Mom,” Jocelyn lingered on the doorstep, hesitant to enter.


    Daisy eyed them both, “Come in.”


    Melvin strode in quite naturally with his hand still entwined with Jocelyn’s. He could feel the shock in


    Calvin and Daisy’s gaze. “I apologize for the abrupt visit today.”


    Calvin’s warmth towards Melvin was no way to find, and the eagerness to please his boss was notably


    absent this time.


    He nced at their joined hands and simply said to his daughter, “Jocelyn,e here.”


    The atmosphere had dropped a few degrees. Jocelyn walked over.


    “I’ll talk with her in my room,” Daisy said, pulling her daughter into the bedroom and closing the door


    behind them.


    Calvin and Melvin were left alone in the living room.


    Melvin put down his gifts and maintained decorum. This was his first time meeting Jocelyn’s parents as


    a boyfriend, and it seemed moreplicated than he’d anticipated.


    “Mr. Martinez, have a seat,” Calvin said.


    Melvin moved to sit down and replied, “Melvin is fine, sir.”


    Calvin handed him a cup of coffee. As a father, he naturally hoped his daughter would find a good


    match.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But as a father, he wasn’t keen on the idea of her being with Melvin.


    From what he could tell, the man who had dated Jocelyn for over three years was no other than Melvin.


    A man they’d never seen in all that time. He didn’t believe this was someone ready tomit to a


    lifetime with his daughter.


    Even now, presenting himself as a boyfriend, it seemed more like fear of losing her to another man


    than love.


    That wasn’t love. It was possession.


    Meanwhile, Jocelyn confessed to Daisy that she and Harrison had never been an item. They had tried,


    but there was no spark between them. They just couldn’t make the leap to lovers. And Harrison was


    well aware of her rtionship with Melvin.


    “You really are…” Daisy was at a loss for words.


    “Mom, I love him,” Jocelyn stated firmly, “I want to be with him, to marry him.”


    Daisy rolled her eyes in frustration, taking a moment before asking, “And him? Does he love you? Does


    he want to marry you? Don’t tell me he does. If he really wanted to, he wouldn’t have made you wait for


    over three years, nor would he havee to meet us only now!”


    “Mom, he has his reasons,” Jocelyn defended Melvin, “Besides, isn’t he here now?”


    Daisy shook her head, “You’re missing my point. If a man truly wants to start a family with you, he


    wouldn’t


    have waited so long to show up. Tell me, how often has he visited us? And each time, hasn’t he acted


    all high and mighty? if he truly loved you and wanted to be part of a family with you, wouldn’t he treat


    your family as his own? Now that I think about it, his previous visits might have been for you. But look


    at your father. He’s been tiptoeing around him, afraid of offending him. But what about Melvin? He


    takes it all for granted.”


    She firmly stated, “You two are not right for each other. I don’t approve of your rtionship,”


    Jocelyn had expected some resistance, but not this vehemently.


    “Aren’t you the ones who wanted me to marry someone I love? Now that I’ve brought home the man I


    love, and we n to marry, why don’t you approve? Yes, he runs a bigpany, but doesn’t that show


    his abilities and talents? You can’t reject him just because he’s capable and sessful.”


    Jocelyn grasped her mother’s hands, “Mom, I’ve been with him for years, and I know what kind of man


    he is.”


    “Then tell me, what kind of man is he?” Daisy challenged.


    “He’s…” Jocelyn paused, “He’s hardworking, ambitious, and he has a big heart. He supports charities


    and does. good deeds. Isn’t that the kind of man you’d like?”


    “Yes, that’s all very good,” Daisy said seriously, “But that’s not the kind of good I need to know.”


    “Mom…”


    “The only thing I need to know is, does he treat you well?” Daisy shook her head, “But you haven’t said


    whether he treats you well.”


    “Of course, he treats me well,” Jocelyn replied eagerly, “Why else would I be with him?”


    Seeing her daughter’s desperation, Daisy realized the deep attachment Jocelyn had for Melvin. Yet, as


    a mother, she didn’t feel he was the man her daughter should entrust her life to.


    “No matter what you say, I don’t approve,” Daisy stood her ground.


    Tears welled in Jocelyn’s eyes, “It’s been so hard for me and him to finally get back together. Can’t you


    make it work?”


    Daisy frowned at her, “Listen to yourself. You ‘finally got back together’? Jocelyn, a woman doesn’t


    have many sets of three or four years to waste. How can you be so sure that this time, you’ll be with


    him for a lifetime? And with his background, the kinds of people around him, do you really think he’d


    value a family like ours? The wealthier they are, the more they seek equals in marriage. Yes, you two


    are in love day by day, but have you considered whether his family approves of you?”


    “The disparity between families can also affect a couple’s rtionship. Do you know his family well? Do


    you know what his parents are like?”


    Daisy’s barrage of questions left Jocelyn speechless. She didn’t really know Melvin’s family. She had


    only learned by chance that his mother had passed away.


    All she knew was that he had a divorced sister and a fifteen-year-old nephew.


    “I’m marrying him, not his family,” Jocelyn took a deep breath, “As long as he loves me, as long as


    we’re happy, that’s all that matters.”


    Daisy looked at Jocelyn, shaking her head with empathy, “You’ve got it all wrong, sweetheart. Marriage


    has never been just about two lovers. It’s about theing together of two families. Jocelyn, you’re


    oversimplifying things.”


    Jocelyn felt a deep-seated frustration pressing down on her. She wasn’t ready to give up, “Even so,


    how do you know our marriage would be a mistake?”


    “Mistake or not, we can’t say for sure. But I don’t want to gamble with your lifetime on the oue,”


    Daisy said with heartfelt concern. “You were right about one thing. Your dad should never have taken


    that job. He treated us well, but the burden of his kindness is just too much.”


    With a sigh, Daisy continued, “I’m going to talk to your dad about quitting his job. But I have a feeling


    he’ll resign even without me mentioning.”


    Womed that Jocelyn might be too stubborn to listen, Daisy added, “Jocelyn, someone who truly loves


    you wouldn’t stand to see you hurt, not even a little. What about his fling with that Hollywood starlet,


    doesn’t that sting?”


    Jocelyn pursed her lips tightly. “There’s nothing going on between them.”


    “Maybe there isn’t, but you can’t guarantee there wouldn’t be other women around a man like him,”


    Daisy said, grasping Jocelyn’s hand earnestly. “You need to think carefully about whether you and he


    are on the same page.”