Nana felt like she was trapped. She just realized that Wira didn't tell anything about her when his mother asked him about the girl she was about to meet. The way her mother's eyes widened in shock when she saw Nana came with Wira through the door confirmed her suspicion.
Wira, being a Momma's boy as usual, failed to notice the subtle change in his mother's expression which only happened for a split second.
There was no way Nana would forget how good of an actress Wira's mom was. In front of her son, she was the gentle and graceful woman, who wouldn't talk about bad things. She would be the ever so loving and supporting mother but at the same time, she would manipulate him to do as she wished.
During lunch, nothing bad happened since Wira was still around -eventhough Nana knew it was just a calm before the storm. After lunch, when Wira excused himself to go to the toilet, his mother's face changed. The smiling face disappeared and she didn't even bother to cover the disgust in her eyes.
"Look at you. Long time no see, indeed, but you still look as pathetic as you used to be." Auntie Niki, Wira's mom, lifted her glass and took a sip of her drink. She looked down on Nana even when she was sitting down calmly across from her.
"Well, right back at you, Auntie." Nana responded casually with a hint of smile on her lips. She wouldn't back down in front of this woman today.
Her words gave her the reaction she was looking for. Auntie Niki's face darkened, probably a bit shocked that Nana would talk back to her.
"I see that you're getting more impudent now or is it your true self all along?" The corner of her lips twitched in annoyance. "Does Wira know you're this uncultured?"
"He knows. But, does he know his beloved mother has an even more uncultured mouth?" Nana replied, still in casual manner.
The older woman looked like she was about to swallow Nana whole. Her fist clenched and unclenched on her sides.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away from my son? What are you doing coming back to him and seducing him again? Didn't I tell you a woman like you doesn't deserve to be loved by my son? If you still want to be thick faced, then hear this. You... don't deserve... to be loved... at all. Just like your shameless mother, I won't let you get close to my son. My son deserves someone better than you." Her tone was full of venom. She made sure to say that in a low voice so that only Nana could hear it.
"Was that supposed to hurt me?" Nana swallowed the bitter pain in her guts when her wound was poked.
The only invisible wound that couldn't be healed with proper treatment.
Her mother's scandal.
Indeed, no sane mothers would let their son get close to a girl from a dysfunctional family like her.
Especially those who still thought that 'an apple won't fall far from the tree' when she had done her best to roll as far away as she could from the tree.
Still, the mention of her mother would undoubtedly bring her the pain and shame she had to endure all these years. Nana wasn't exactly a bad kid who didn't know how to be grateful, but years of being lied to by her mom and learning the truth while she was deceiving herself that her mom would have a good reason to do so had made her develop a rather mature mind and... a trauma.
Even when she had accepted that what her mom did back then was bad, that it was her affairs alone and had nothing to do with her, it still didn't change the fact that she was related to that woman she called 'Mom' and she got hurt by people before using her mom's scandal.
And this older woman in front of her? It was not the first time she brought out about Nana's mom. First time might still hurt her with the shame that her boyfriend's mother knew about her mom and worse... disgusted with her existence. But, what about the second time? Third time?
Nana didn't know whether she still felt hurt -sure she did, a bit - or sick of her taunting.
"You!" The older woman gritted her teeth in fury. Not even her meticulously beautiful make up could hide the fury in her eyes.
"You will not bring my son into a stupid materialistic family like yours." The old woman hissed, her pointed finger was pointing at her.
Nana chuckled. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, hiding the slowly build up emotion inside, and the slowly trembling fingers that threatened to do something she would regret.
"You should say that to your son, Auntie."
Auntie Niki couldn't contain her rage anymore. She stood up, slammed her hand on the table with eyes wide in fury. "It's either YOU leave my son or I'll make you disappear from this world!"
Nana was about to respond when a shadow fell on her eyes and someone stood beside her with his arm shielding her from the woman in front of her. She looked up, wanted to thank the man and at the same time to ask him not to meedle in her business when she heard his voice speaking in fluent English.
"I don't know what you're saying to her but it sounds like a threat. I've recorded it and forwarded it to my lawyer. If you still have anything to say, talk to my lawyer." A business card was handed to the dumbfounded Auntie Niki. "And I will make sure to sue you for harrassment and slandering if you keep speaking nonsense to Nana." That tone was serious. He was serious in suing Auntie Niki.
But Auntie Niki wasn't the only one who was stunned with his appearance. Even with a mask covered half of his face, how could Nana forget about him?
The question is .... What was he doing here?
After saying his piece of mind, Mu Yang turned his head to Nana and smiled. "Shall we go now, Bao Bei?"
Stuttering, Nana couldn't even call him properly. "A-A... Ayang..." Her eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you... what are you doing here?" As if snapping back into her senses, she hastily got up and looked around, noticing every one was ignoring them. Mu Yang was safe for now!
"I came to find you. Come on, let's leave this place." Mu Yang grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the exit.
Nana managed to grab her purse before she was dragged out of the restaurant, still with disbelief on her face.
This action was caught by Wira who had just come out from the toilet. His eyes widened as he saw Nana was being pulled by another man. When he turned his eyes to his mom, he saw the dumbfounded look on his mom. What the hell happened during his absence?
"Mom, what's wrong? Why did Nana leave? Who was with her?"
"Wira, you should not be with her! Look what she has done! She left us with another man! She really resembles her mother! Shameless and a whore! You always defend her, now you see what she did with your own eyes, huh? That little bitch think she can seduce you? She is a bitch like her mom! She doesn't deserve you!" In her rage, Auntie Niki's persona fell apart. She, who usually spoke gently to her son and never spewed dirty words about anyone in front of her son, had cursed and insulted Nana.
Hearing his mom's words, Wira's face darkened. "Mom! Stop talking!" He hissed in rage.
All this time, he knew that something was wrong between his mom and Nana. He knew how Nana was. He knew how hurtful those words were for Nana and hearing his own mother saying that to his girl embarrassed him to no end. He already knew something was wrong when they broke up back then and suspected that one of them was lying. He had heard rumors about his own mother, about how arrogant she could be and how hurtful words that were coming out of her mouth.
Wira didn't think he would finally hear his mother cussing people and the victim was his own girlfriend. It was embarrassing and hurtful at the same time.
So, was his mother lying to him this whole time?