Emmaline had been expecting many things.
Yelling. Name calling. Things being thrown at her. Food being thrown at her. Being thrown out of the house.
She had even pinned her wig extra securely in case Ashton's family were the hair pulling type that she saw in dramas.
She had not been expecting Ashton's mother to say that with a smile on her face.
Sienna Wright glanced at Damon Wright, he nodded at her, one arm coming up over her shoulders in a show of support.
"We're sorry if we ever made you feel as if you couldn't tell us anything or that we would love you less because of who you are," Sienna continued.
Stunned, Emmaline looked at Ashton who looked completely unmoved by the surprising turn of events.
Maybe he had known that his family would be so accepting?
Whatever it was, it didn't matter, because this meant that Emmaline had another two million dollars coming her way!
She just had to keep this up.
"You're not angry?" Although Ashton's face was unreadable, Emmaline had spoken to him enough to detect the smallest bit of confusion in his voice.
"We wanted you to find someone you loved and who loved you," Damon interjected matter-of-factly, "It doesn't matter who they are."
"So, how long have you two been together?" Sienna asked, her perceptive gaze was back.
Emmaline opened her mouth to answer only to realize they hadn't even finalized their backstory.
Panicking slightly, she turned to Ashton who quickly said, "Just under a year."
With a quirk of her eyebrow, Sienna tutted, "Weren't you with that model about six months ago?"
"We weren't in a serious relationship at that time yet," Emmaline rushed to say.
That was when she realized. Ashton's family may be accepting of his sexuality, but that didn't mean that they had accepted her. Or Em.
Now, she was beginning to understand why Ashton had hired an actor.
This wasn't just about showing up for a simple dinner and then winning them over.
Her two million dollars suddenly looked much further away.
"You mean to say," Ashton uttered slowly, "That me being in love with a man won't affect if I can inherit according to the rules you set? Shouldn't we keep it under wraps?"
Sienna snorted in such an elegant way that it was almost pretty, "We have never bent to what society thinks, they're all full of idiots anyway."
Emmaline almost broke character because of how shocked she was. All of the rich people in her school were almost painful to watch with how hard they tried to fit in and blend with high society.
But now, in this huge mansion, the great Sienna Wright nee Astor was declaring that society was a bunch of sillies who didn't need to be listened to.
It felt nearly impossible.
So far, the Wrights were nothing like Emmaline had imagined.
Stunned and trying to keep her face straight, she stared at the white lace of the tablecloth.
Despite dinner having dishes with a lot of sauce, the tablecloth was still pristine.
Even the table on Great Grandmother Wright's side was clean of any crumbs although she had devoured an entire muffin.
"But… Aunt Mae is homophobic," Ashton argued, "She refuses any LGBT ventures and always complains whenever we hire any LGBT employees."
"Aunt Mae isn't the one running Wright Enterprises," Damon stated firmly.
Great Grandmother Wright nodded solemnly in agreement.
Like a real family, the Wrights had closed their ranks behind Ashton. No matter what people would have to say about him, they would back him up, it seemed.
"What about inheritance?" Ashton asked carefully, "Not mine, meaning the fact that we won't have children to carry on the Wright line."
Emmaline's heart sank a little.
Part of her was dismayed that Ashton was raising all of these problems.
Didn't he just want to inherit?!
But she also knew that if he addressed all of these objections upfront, the rest would likely be smooth sailing.
Truth be told, she was also curious about what his family thought about these issues.
Surely they wouldn't just accept all of it just so that Ashton would marry someone he truly loved?
"Any child you adopt is a Wright," Great Grandmother Wright informed them with a factual air, "Your child is your child whether or not they are biological or not."
Sienna nodded, directly a small smile at her grandmother-in-law, "That's right. You said the same to me when I wasn't sure if I would ever have a child."
All of a sudden, Emmaline felt tears gather and threaten to fall.
An unexpected wave of emotion washed over her.
Ashton must be so precious to Sienna. For a woman to be unsure if she could have children, her only son must be like a gift from heaven.
Moreover, Ashton's family really seemed ready to go up against the world just for him. Just for his happiness.
The kind of love and protection that the Wrights were demonstrating touched Emmaline and made her feel incredibly guilty.
Somehow, she had thought they were an unreasonable family before this.
Now, she knew that they were one of the most loving families she had met so far.
And she was lying to them!
Great Grandmother Wright was the first to notice Emmaline's tearfilled eyes.
"What's wrong, child?" She asked so gently that it made a single tear spill over and down Emmaline's cheek.
If this were an acting job, Emmaline would be patting herself on the back. Instead, she was wracked with guilt.
The rest of the family turned to her and concern immediately filled Sienna's face.
Emmaline pulled herself together with considerable effort.
"Nothing," She whispered, "I just… Have never met such an accepting family and it got me emotional."
Even Damon's eyes softened when she said that.
Ashton placed one arm around her, partially shielding her with his body and guided her to stand up.
"Let's get some air," He murmured to her before telling his family that they would return soon.
Steering her into a small, empty parlor, his concerned face broke into an approving smile.
"I knew I picked the right person when I found you," He gazed at her steadily.
"But-" Emmaline was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Faster than she could react, Ashton had placed one arm around her waist and the other on the wall beside her head.
Then he leaned in.