Twenty minutes passed, and the two finally arrived. When Tobias opened her car door, Mimi looked up to admire the area.
The Itou family event took place at a grand mansion. Apparently, after going bankrupt, Lori Itou was able to recover a little of his wealth to afford such a lavish place. Parked outside were numerous cars, all showing clearly how wealthy the people inside were.
Mimi didn't feel the slightest bit nervous. Instead, she was rather thrilled to meet Tobias's family. Who knew what type of girlfriend meets parents drama would unfold.
"Are you ready?" Tobias looked down at her with concern.
Turning, Mimi's lips quirked up into a playful smile.
"Are you ready?" She turned the question on to him.
Tobias's shoulders visibly relaxed, and he chuckled.
"Let's go in."
Mimi nodded her head and placed her hand into Tobias's before stepping out of the car. Hand in hand, the two walked up the polished white stairs, both hearts calm as can be.
"Is he here yet?" Lori Itou turned to the servant and asked anxiously.
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Itou."
"I see…" Lori Itou smiled faintly. "Please continue attending the guests."
The male servant nodded before tending to the numerous guests in the room. Looking around at the extravagant walls, chandelier and established guests before him, Lori Itou couldn't help but sigh.
"Is he not coming?" A clear voice spoke beside him.
Turning his head, Lori Itou saw an older woman with short hair and sharp, almost feline-like eyes approach him. While her expression remained emotionless, she seemed rather intent to hear his response.
"It appears not." Lori Itou just smiled sadly.
The woman's expression stiffened. Although not surprised, his words still saddened her.
"It can't be helped," She sighed and reached for a glass of champagne from a waiter. "At the very least, he considered it."
"Yes." Lori Itou sighed softly.
Just when he was considering to announce it was time for dinner, a servant quickly approached him.
"Mr. Itou has arrived." The waiter relayed.
Before Lori Itou or the woman had time to process his words, they had noticed from the corner of their vision, two figures walking toward them. Everyone slowly looked towards the direction of the entrance. In the next second, two stunning silhouettes appeared under the chandelier lights.
One of the figures was a man dressed in a dark tuxedo. He had tousled black hair, which was thick and lustrous. His eyes were a mesmerizing deep ink color, flecks of silvery light performed ballets throughout. His face was strong and defined, his features molded from granite. His dark eyebrows sloped downwards in a serious expression.
There was only one word to describe the man. Breathtaking.
Standing beside him with her arm interlocked with his, was a young woman. Her flawless face attracted everyone present, and eyes were fixed on her at this moment, greedily catching her alluring manner between her every little move.
The pure champagne dress complimented her face, which was beyond breathtaking akin to the bright chandelier lights, twinkling like thousands of stars. It was dazzling.
Naturally, the duo entering the room was none other than Mimi and Tobias. Despite the numerous stares on them, the two continued walking toward the leading man – Lori Itou.
When he saw his son enter the room; Lori Itou could not hide the shock on his face. However, noticing the girl on his arm, he was even more stunned.
His son came. With a woman at that!
By the time Lori Itou composed himself, the two were already standing in front of him.
"Y-You came," Lori Itou could think of no other words.
"Mm," Tobias grunted, his expression revealing nothing.
Expecting as much, Lori Itou turned to the girl beside him. Very quickly, his heart skipped upon meeting her bright, violet eyes. One couldn't help but be amazed by such lovely eyes.
When he continued to observe her, he couldn't help but notice how young the girl looked. Not just Lori Itou, but the woman beside him also frowned at this sudden realization.
While Lori Itou was observing her, Mimi too was having her share of looking. Lori Itou was not young by any means; he was in his late fifties, coming near sixty. Despite this, his face only bore a few wrinkles. Like Tobias, he possessed dark thick brows and captivating ink colored eyes. However, rather than the usual emotionless coldness, his eyes held a bright liveliness.
Overall, he was quite attractive for someone his age.
In the process of admiring the Itou genes, Mimi noticed the shift in expressions on Lori Itou and the woman beside him. When she happened to take in the woman's features, Mimi guessed from the keen, icy look in her expression she was Tobias's mother – Vivian Itou. Although from what she heard from the media, the two divorced and she remarried to another man.
"Tobias, who is this?" Vivian was the first to ask, her eyes looking between Tobias and Mimi sharply.
Rather than answering in his stead, Mimi looked up at the tall handsome man and smiled softly. Tobias noticed the glint of tease hidden within the girl's eyes. He smiled before looking back at his mother.
"This is Mimi, my girlfriend." Tobias introduced her with no change in expression. However, Lori Itou and Vivian were able to notice the warmth in their son's tone.
"G-Girlfriend?" Lori Itou was stunned.
Narrowing her eyes, Vivian stared Mimi up and down, not hiding her disapproval. Seeing the visible contempt in Vivian's expression, Mimi's eyes brightened.
They must think a seductive and young fox manipulated their pure son. How exciting!
"Do you mind if I ask how old you are, Mimi?" Vivian's tone turned sharper.
With a gentle smile on her face, Mimi answered honestly. "Eighteen."
"You seem rather young to be with someone half your age." Vivian pointed out coldly.
"Oh my, thank you." Mimi giggled and leaned her head against Tobias's strong arm. "I was worried that with your son's handsome looks and youthful vigor, I would look pale in comparison."
The Itou parents were stunned. Clearly, Vivian's words implied that Mimi had alternative motives for dating Tobias. Yet the girl took it as a compliment.
She couldn't tell whether Mimi was stupid or clever to divert her question. Either way, Vivian wasn't too fond of the young girl.
Not to mention by stating 'youthful vigor', she implied their active relationship. The words brought displeasure in the Itou parent's expressions.
"Toby, I'm a little hungry. Is it all right if I excuse myself to eat something?" Mimi flashed her sweet dimpled smiles.
Tobias smiled in return. "I'll come with you."
"There's no need." Her eyes glanced at his parents, a smirk rising on her lips. "You three catch up."
Noticing the obvious enjoyment the girl held in his parent's provoked expressions, Tobias's eyebrows raised. It looks like the girl found her new playthings. Unfortunately, it had to be his parents.
Sighing, Tobias nodded his head. Before she left, she raised herself to whisper softly into Tobias's ear.
"Play nice. I'll be back soon." She kissed behind his ear and smiled before walking toward the table of food.
Watching the girl's figure leave, Tobias ignored the darkening expression of his parents and smiled. When he ensured she arrived at the table without complications, did Tobias look back at his parents with an indifferent expression.
"Is she really your girlfriend, Tobias?" Lori Itou asked with a slight frown.
Tobias's eyes narrowed, however, his expression hadn't shifted in the slightest.
"Yes, she is." He answered calmly.
"How long have you two been dating?" His father continued to question.
Vivian Itou, who watched on the side, rolled her eyes at her ex-husband's method of interrogation and stared at Tobias sternly.
"That girl is far too young for you, Tobias. It's clear she doesn't regard you as a person, but only your looks and wealth." Vivian said evenly, her words filled with disapproval at the mention of the girl.
At that moment, the expression on Tobias's expression darkened profusely. Noticing this, Lori Itou cleared his throat.
"What your mother means, Tobias is that young people these days don't understand what it's like to work for themselves. They're used to having things handed to them if they behave a certain way. They can be greedy."
Not bothering to hide his frown, Tobias's expression dipped a few degrees. His jaw clenched ever so slightly.
"Your point?" He spoke with his deep, resonance voice.
Lori Itou struggled to find his words before he said, "I…We just think that girl might be unsuitable for you."
"Since when did I ask for your opinion one who I should date? The last I checked, I've been deciding most of my decisions for the past twelve years now." Tobias spoke each word calmly as if his parents were speaking nonsense.
Both of his parents visibly stiffened a look of hurt flickering across their faces. But Tobias didn't care if his words happened to open an old wound of theirs. All he could feel at that moment was bitter resentment.
Vivian Itou softened her approach. "That may be true Tobias, but as your parents, we can't help but worry about your future. Being in a relationship with someone like her…"
"Someone like her?" Tobias's eyes darkened. "You spoke no more than a few words with her and you have already claimed what type of person you think she is."
At that moment, Tobias felt not just disappointed but disgust with his parent's behavior. He thought out of all people; they would know not to judge others. Then again, he wasn't too surprised. As this was one of the reasons he no longer spoke to either of them.
Both had become corrupted by the industry.
When Tobias glanced over to where Mimi was, his eyes suddenly widened before very quickly turning cold.
"Excuse me," Tobias hadn't even bothered to wait for his parent's response before he walked in Mimi's direction.
Both look at their son in shock, unable to comprehend the events that just took place. All they knew was the scene had left an unpleasant taste in their mouths.