"Really? Mrs. Ouyang, it seems that I've underestimated your ability to make things up. You're completely distorting the facts. I did mess around before, but I have never tried to absolve myself of my actions. I also give Daisy absolute freedom, so I don't accept your charges."
Edward smiled coldly. He admitted that he used to indulge in debauchery, but he would pay for his past mistakes. He never thought of escaping responsibility and covering up his past. He had never been that kind of man.
"Edward, my mother didn't mean it like that. Please don't be angry." Not expecting the scene to turn ugly so quickly, Mary swiftly jumped in to calm things down. She was also annoyed with her mother. She was supposed to be helping her! Why did she complicate things and get into a fight with Edward?
Edward scoffed, "Angry? Because of you? If I don't know the truth, I may sympathize with you a bit. But I know everything, and you're just a couple of nobodies to me. Do you think I would waste my sparse emotions on someone so inconsequential?" Edward looked at the two women in disgust. If he hadn't been raised well, he would've slapped Yakira several times already. Good upbringing made him restrain his anger.
"Mary, why are you still here?" Yakira was feeling confident about keeping a hold on Edward, but his words made her falter and give up the fantasy. She vented her frustrations on Mary. There was no longer a need to stay and keep arguing. She didn't need Edward; there was no shortage of excellent men in the world.
"Mom, what are you doing? I haven't finished talking to Edward." Mary was infuriated by Yakira's outrageous remarks. If Yakira hadn't been so aggressive and hadn't brought up Edward's past indiscretions against him, things wouldn't have gone off the rails like this.
"You brat! Don't you have a brain? After he's been so ruthless, you still want to stay and be humiliated even more?" Yakira was annoyed with her useless daughter. How could she stay here and be talked down to by someone young enough to be her son? Edward was definitely the best of the best, but Yakira wouldn't let Mary be bullied by anyone, even him.
"No. You can go if you want, but I'm not leaving. Edward isn't unreasonable. You're just being overly sensitive." Mary knew that if she left, it would be impossible for her to find an excuse to approach Edward again. Even if she had to play dumb, she would do anything to stay here.
"Tom, we're leaving." Edward wasn't a nice guy. He wasn't in the mood to indulge the two women and stay any longer. With a contemptuous look on his face, he stood up first. Although he was aware of Mary's delusional desire for him, he thought she was punching above her weight. Knowing how stupid Mary was, Edward wondered how a moron like her got to bully his woman.
"Alright. I'm sorry, Mrs. Ouyang. But we have to go now." After listening to the lengthy exchange, Tom still apologized out of courtesy before they took off. His good manners made Yakira's eyes light up. Speaking of great men, there was one standing right in front of her. Although Tom didn't have the kind of family background that Edward had, his potential shouldn't be ignored.
"Edward, don't leave! We can talk about this!" Mary bit her lip, looking on the verge of tears. She grabbed Edward's hand tightly and refused to let go. No matter what, she decided that Edward was the only man she would marry. After encountering so many vulgar men, she became addicted to Edward's noble elegance. If she could win this man's love, it would be her greatest happiness.
"Miss Ouyang, watch yourself. You're being too familiar." Edward glared at her from the corner of his eyes, looking at her without a trace of affection.
"Well... I..." Mary reluctantly let go of Edward's hand. She helplessly watched him stride out of her sight before turning to Yakira in indignation.
"Mom, it doesn't matter if you don't want to help me, but don't ruin my chances with him! I waited a long time for this opportunity. Do you know what you just did?" Mary was so furious that she reached her breaking point. If Yakira wasn't her mother, she would've slapped her across the face already.
"Mary, are you blaming this on me? Don't forget that I'm your mother. Didn't you see Edward's attitude towards you? Give up your fantasies, he's not going to fall for you. There are a lot of outstanding men in this world. Why does it have to be Edward Mu?"
Yakira couldn't be more disappointed in her daughter. She was yelling at her mother for a man who wouldn't even look at her. Yakira had coddled Mary for many years in fear that she wouldn't be loved by Leo Ouyang. This was the reason she schemed to drive Daisy away. Mary's ungratefulness saddened her.
"Mom, I didn't mean it like that. You know how much I like Edward! Why did you have to be contentious towards him? I have spent a lot of time to finally get close to him, but you ruined everything!" Mary couldn't help complaining to her mother in distress. She didn't know how to explain how important Edward was to her. Without him, Mary didn't want to live any longer. She must have him by any means necessary.
"Let's go! We'll talk about this when we get home." Yakira noticed that a lot of people had stopped to stare at them. She couldn't let herself be embarrassed any further in front of so many people. They had to leave as soon as possible.
Mary realized that she was making a scene. At Yakira's word, she noticed the inquisitive looks from the others. She stomped her feet in exasperation and followed Yakira out of the restaurant. After they left, the restaurant went back to its original quiet ambiance.