When I came back to our table, there was an old acquaintance seated there whom I had not seen for a long time—Rylee.
“Aunt Sally, I’ve been busy lately. That’s why I didn’t have time to visit you. You seem to have lost weight,” Rylee said.
With her were two others who were strangers to me, most likely her friends.
Being cordial, Sally smiled and replied, “My dear, you are so good at flattering. I haven’t lost weight or gained any. I’m still the same.”
Rylee smiled. “When I am free later on, I’ll go and visit you.”
I knew that my presence would destroy the harmonious atmosphere.
After hesitating, Sally said, “Letty, come here. The food is ready.”
Letty?
Other than my close friends and relatives, nobody addresses me by this name.
I walked to the dining table, and my eyes met Rylee’s icy gaze.
It was evident that she was jealous.
Ignoring her, I seated myself.
Sally placed some scrumptious-looking food on my plate, saying, “This place serves the most authentic dishes. Come on, give it a try. You’ll love it.”
I nodded without saying anything.
Seeing that Rylee did not intend to leave, Sally remained smiling while she said, “Ms. Lorraine, do you want to eat with us? I ordered a lot. If you don’t mind, you can stay.”
Her words were carefully thought out. She started with ‘Ms. Lorraine,’ which was polite but distant to indicate that they were not close.
The second part of her speech sounded like a sincere invitation and not just courtesy, but there seemed to be a hidden meaning.
Rylee was slightly taken aback, but she accepted her offer without hesitation. Then she sat next to Sally and said affectionately, “Aunt Sally, since you like Thai food too, we can come here together when you have time in the future. I like it very much as well.”
Hearing that, Sally smiled and served her some food. Then she put down the ladle, and with her slender fingers, she patted Rylee’s hand gently and said, “My child, it’s my honor if you call me aunt like Anthony does. However, you and I are neither family nor related. In the future, it’s better that you address me as Ms. Featherstone!”
These words were gentle but firm.
Rylee stiffened a bit but kept her smile and said, “Anthony and I have been close like family all these years. Since he calls you aunt, that makes me close to you as well. Addressing you as aunt is a show of my admiration and love.”
Judging from her ability to use someone else’s words to her own advantage, Rylee seemed to have advanced a lot since those days when she could only bring up her deceased elder brother, Parker, to arouse sympathy.
In response, Sally merely smiled and did not pursue the matter any further. “Oh, it’s fine then. If Anthony treats you like a younger sister, you can naturally address me as Aunt Sally. My dear, counting those years, you should be about thirty years of age and ripe for marriage. Is there anyone in mind?”
Obviously, she was using this sibling-like relationship between Anthony and her to stress that the two cannot be in a romantic relationship.
Spoken like a true veteran!
I wonder how Rylee is going to deal with this tricky question since we all know what’s on her mind.
She had just said that Anthony was like family to her, so it would make no sense if she suddenly said that she was interested in Anthony.
Rylee’s expression stiffened slightly, but she still managed to put on a smile and said, “No, I’m fine with living alone now.”
However, we all knew that those words were merely a lie to console herself.
Sally nodded and said emphatically, “Oh, no. A woman must get married. It doesn’t matter whether you end up getting divorced or living happily ever after. However, a wedding is something you must have if you do not want to end up with regrets.”
After a pause, she continued, “I just recalled that in Anthony’s company, there is a Mr. Quinn who takes good care of you. I think he is caring and motivated. Besides, he’s handsome and comes from a good family too. Why don’t you give him a chance?”
Joe Quinn?
The conversation had drifted to this point, and Rylee was at a loss for words, so she faked a laugh and said, “Aunt Sally, I hope you won’t pressure me to get married. Since you said that all of us have our own destinies, no one knows how things will turn out eventually, especially when it comes to marriage. If there is no chemistry, we can’t force ourselves to love someone. So we should let nature take its course.”
“Oh! My dear, what do you mean by letting nature take its course?” Sally held Rylee’s hand as she said in a serious tone, “You are wrong because that would only work if two people are in love. If the love is one-sided, it’s just wishful thinking. Just look at Letty and Anthony. They have been together for seven years, constantly talking about their wedding. If this is not fate, I don’t know what is.”
Sally was, in fact, reminding Rylee not to wish for things that weren’t meant to be hers. After all, they would not belong to her no matter how hard she tried.
Of course, Rylee understood what she meant, and it was difficult for her to keep her composure.
But with more than thirty years of experience in society, she was able to continue smiling.
After taking a few more bites, she finally spoke up, “Aunt Sally, my friends are still around. I’ll leave you both now and see you another time when I am free.”
Sally nodded without making any attempt to make her stay, saying, “Sure, please drop by at my place when you can!”
The relationship between adults was complicated with truths and lies between shades of grey, neither friend nor foe.
Even when there was much fighting and hurting, they would still plaster a smile on their faces.
The price for growing up was hypocrisy.
After Rylee left, Sally glanced at me before chiding, “I really don’t know what Anthony sees in you. It’s been seven years, but you cannot even handle a rival.”
I was rendered speechless.
But I had to admit that she was right.
After a while, I replied, “She is Parker’s younger sister. Before Parker died that year, he entrusted Anthony with Rylee, so he’s responsible for her. It’s not like Anthony can just cut off all ties with her, right?”
Hearing that, she cast a sidelong glance at me with a tinge of exasperation. “But does that mean he has an obligation to take care of her for a lifetime? Even her biological father cannot be responsible for her forever, let alone Parker. So please don’t force Anthony to take on such a heavy burden.”
“Besides, this woman is already thirty years old. She can be independent and live her own life. If she wants the company of a man so badly, she can go ahead and pay for one.”
This was the first time I heard Sally speaking so harshly.
Yet, what she said was true. I pursed my lips and then took in some food.
Even though Parker had asked Anthony to take care of Rylee, he was not her parent, so there was no obligation for him to be responsible for her all of his life.
After lunching with me, Sally left as she had other errands to run.
Since I had nothing to do, I decided to go home. However, I bumped into Rylee again at the entrance of the mall. Apparently, it was not coincidental, but rather, she had been waiting for me.
“Sienna, do you really think you are so special that everyone likes you?” She blocked my way.
Obviously, she wanted to stop me from leaving.
With so many passers-by around, it would be unwise to create a scene and attract unnecessary attention.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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