"Good job!" Jeremy Hill's laughter had passed through the telephone line to get to Sheena. Even though Sheena didn't see Jeremy Hill in person, she could feel the relief and happiness that he was bearing.
"Stop the sugar-coated bullets." Sheena rejected to accept the flattering, "please remember to pay on time. That's enough." Nothing would matter more than the money that she was holding in hand.
Especially when she had the family members of the same kind. After the phone call, Sheena went back home and saw both Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway was sitting beside the tea table. As soon as they saw her, they just stopped the talking and all looked at Sheena with surprise.
"Wow, you made time to come back home." Lena Lim was the first one to respond timely and gave a smile that Sheena couldn't tell it true or fake.
Evan Hathaway looked embarrassed, as if the mouse caught by the cat.
Narrowed her eyes, Sheena gave a smile to Lena Lim as greeting and then turned to Evan Hathaway, "It's been a long time since the last time of seeing you at home."
As a gambler, Evan Hathaway could be everywhere except their house. However, it's not the time to suspect his staying, for she had something more important to negotiate with them first.
"Dad, Mom," Sheena joined in the seats along the table, and both of Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway had looked at her with a serious face, as if knowing she was going to talk big things.
Sensing the atmosphere, Sheena didn't hesitate and confessed, "The family of Stephan Korade wanted to have an official dinner with our family."
As if things happened as their expected, both Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway had all nodded their heads to show their appreciations.
"They should have done this long long ago." Evan Hathaway complained as a real parent.
"Of course, although our father is not at the perfect health status, and the wedding party couldn't be held, such an official dinner shall be held at least." Lifting her eyebrows, Lena Lim mumble, "we couldn't just let them earn a daughter-in-law so easily! Evan, do you think so?"
As working in tandem, Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway cooperated so well in the complaining.
Sheena was speechless, she just sat there and looked at Lena Lim with mocking in her eyes.
Lena Lim knew the deal, but she chose to make this fake marriage as a true one.
Sensing the contempt of Sheena, Lena Lim smiled with flatter, "Sheena, we're doing this for your own good."
"Think about it, although Grandpa Bryant thought this marriage had been good enough and we're doing this for his health, but we still need the ceremony to prove the status of you two. Right?" Lena was a smart woman that she had seized the most important factor to control Sheena.
Yes, all of them knew this marriage was a fake one and this was just to comfort the status of Grandpa Bryant, but they seemed to have forgotten the original target.
"Mom, we've made the deal, right?" Sheena reminded Lena Lim about the promise that they had made before.
As if having known what Sheena was going to say, Lena Lim didn't have any other face expressions except smiles. Lena Lim lifted up one hand and patted on the knee of Sheena, "Of course I wouldn't forget. But the period is three years, right? During the period, please behave yourself by thinking twice for the health of your grandpa Bryant and the benefits of the family."
"Benefits?" Sheena frowned her eyebrowed, "do you mean you're going to use this marriage to get the benefits you want?"
Sheena criticized Lena Lim by ignoring her identity. Then obviously this had pissed Evan Hathaway off, "Sheena, please mind your attitude, she is your mother!"
Only at this moment could Sheena feel the parent vibe of her father Evan Hathaway, for most of time he had just disappeared and only showed up for asking for money. When asking money, he was the crafty fox that had nothing to do with parental momentum. In the past, every time when Sheena was at home, Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway would always quarreled with each other for money and ended up in fights. And this was the first time for Sheena to witness they could sit down and work together so well in front of her. To some extent, Sheena was happy for their relationship recovery.
Even though their relationship recovery was built up on sacrificing her.
"How many relatives that we could invite?" Lena Lim asked as if the female host of a party, already prepared well to walk into the spotlight.
Thinking of the possible situation, Sheena looked at Lena Lim with a serious face, "Based on the actual status, I advise only our family members to attend." Sheena had realized she wouldn't be able to stop their dinner with the family of Korade, but she could reduce the harm at the most. As long as there were not too many audience, Evan Hathaway wouldn't initiate too big troubles.
However, what Sheena said had pissed Lena Lim again, "although you've married to him, don't act like you're reluctant in spending any more money for the original family." With criticism in eyes, Lena Lim said with hands against her sides.
"Er…" Sheena was shocked by the thinking way of Lena Lim. Since it's a fake marriage, why did they have to involve so many people inside this? Just a simple gathering dinner was enough to finish the etiquette.
"No way." Evan Hathaway reacted before Sheena could. Evan Hathaway stood up and claimed, "I must clarify here with you two first."
Looking at the serious face of Evan Hathaway, Sheena was almost moved if she didn't understand him so well.
Evan Hathaway continued as expected, "although there is no wedding party, all those etiquette activities and movements needed shall be carried out."
"Yes, yes, yes…" Lena Lim nodded her head at a miraculous speed, everyone could sense the agreement that she couldn't show more. "You're the big daughter of our family, you deserve to be treated seriously."
"Just speak out your targets." Sheena rolled her eyes and just inquired directly, surprising Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway who originally were planning to give a big play over these.
"Besides the official dinner between the two families," Evan Hathaway took a glance at Sheena before he continued the clarification, "they need to pay the cash gifts, the basic property guarantee, as well as the vehicle and so on..."
"Wow, such a big plan…" Sheena sighed for his ambition.
However, it was a pity that she was the only one to feel shameful for his target, which had been obviously agreed by Lena Lim.
Lena Lim kept nodding her head as the strong support for Evan Hathaway, who was more and more confident in confessing his goal.
"Dad, " Sheena had to stand up to stop his continuous nagging of those craps, "don't you think it's too over to ask for all of these, they've helped us a lot in the hospitalization of Grandpa Bryant."
Sheena thought this may remind them about the favors that Alex Korade had offered, but it turned out that neither of them had realized the line. Both Lena Lim and Evan Hathaway had shook their heads as if a sign of strong disagreement.
"Sheena, don't be so nice." Lena Lim sighed as an experienced adult, "have you forgotten that your Grandpa Bryant has saved him in the battlefield? Bryant deserves all of these." As if seeing the actual scene on site, Lena Lim claimed with confidence and pride, "we deserve to get more from their family."
"Of course yes," Evan Hathaway echoed to what Lena Lim had said, "what's more, you're the oldest daughter of our family, we've spent a lot in raising you up."
Sheena turned to Evan Hathaway and was surprised by his shamelessness. If there was a person Sheena need to thank, that must be Grandpa Bryant. If not for the salary of Grandpa Bryant, she wouldn't be able to grow up or go to school for study.
Since Sheena was a primary school student, Evan Hathaway had always left home for going to the gambling house frequently. In the meantime, Lena Lim would always prepared dishes only enough for her and Cherry Hathaway that Sheena always had to starve herself for not getting enough foods to eat.
Of course, when Evan Hathaway was at home, Lena Lim would prepare feast and treat Cherry Hathaway and Sheena equally. But when Evan Hathaway was away from home for gambling, Lena Lim would lose her temper on her at will.
Sheena was trying to tell Evan Hathaway once, but back then Evan Hathaway wouldn't believe in her and considered her as doing that for the hatred for the new comers of the family. So Sheena would just give up the situation confession and struggle to grow up by always going to the house of Bryant Hathaway for dinners.
Although when Sheena grew up and Lena Lim had learned to cover all those unequal treatments, Sheena had borne in mind that she was not the true daughter of Lena Lim.