Chapter 7 Kiss The Girl

"You're so hard to please," Eloise muttered under her breath.

"Let's go," he coldly said, not even bothering to spare her another glance.

They got into the car and drove off to Vaughn's parents' house.

"We're near," Vaughn said, and that was the time when Eloise felt nervous.

She felt her heart beating faster in her chest, so she had to close her eyes and calm herself down.

When they pulled out to a large mansion's driveway, her heart beat even faster (if that was even possible at this point). She gazed at the mansion with wide eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

She knew that he was rich, but damn, he's really fucking rich.

"Pay attention," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head and looked at him.

"What did you say?"

He sighed impatiently.

"I was telling you about how we met. Let's keep it simple and say that we met at the hospital. It was love at first sight, and I didn't want to waste anymore time, so I asked you to marry after a month of dating."

"Yuck," she said. "Love at first sight? With you?"

He scoffed. "You're lucky that I even gave you a chance."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, offended by his statement.

"That's our backstory," he nonchalantly said. "Just try not to do much. Express your willingness to build a family with me, too. And here," he said, tossing her an envelope.

She carefully opened it and read what was inside.

A marriage certificate.

Their marriage certificate, to be exact.

"We're already married," he said. "I hope you weren't hoping for a wedding."

She looked at the piece of paper as she shook her head.

"I'm not," she muttered under her breath.

She had always romanticized her future wedding, but now, that all went down the drain.

"Good," he coldly said. "Now, don't mess up."

She nervously nodded.

"What if they don't like me?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Then, I guess I have to find another woman."

She clicked her tongue and nudged his shoulder.

"Shut up. I already signed the contract."

"Exactly," he said, opening the door of the car. "So, do a good job."

With that, he went out of the car.

She rolled her eyes and also tried to go out. However, Vaughn made his way to her side and opened the door for her.

She looked at him strangely.

"My parents are watching," he muttered under his breath.

That explains it.

She fakely smiled and wrapped her arms around his.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You told me to do a good job," she smirked. "Let's go, husband."

He shook his head and muttered something under his breath.

They went inside the house. Contrary to the smile on Eloise's face, she was a literal mess inside.

Vaughn opened the door and she was instantly amazed by how the interior of the mansion looked.

Damn, he lived like this his entire life.

She was so busy ogling their house that she didn't even realize that Vaughn's parents were already in front of her.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly snapped out of her thoughts.

The man and woman in front of her were definitely intimidating. She could see where Vaughn got his good looks from.

"Good morning, ma'am and sir," she said in an overly-joyous voice, causing her to purse her lips together in embarrassment.

She felt Vaughn's hold tighten around her arm, so she knew that she didn't act very natural.

However, much to her surprise, Vaughn's mother laughed while his father smiled.

"Good morning, too. Eloise, was it?"

She nodded her head in awe.

"Well, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Rose and this is my husband Jeffrey. I've heard a lot of things about you."

She was even more surprised at that statement. She unconsciously looked at Vaughn and frowned.

"You've talked about me?"

Vaughn faked a smile before facing her.

"Of course," he said through gritted teeth. "I have to tell my parents about my wife, don't I?"

"Ah, right," Eloise said.

It was only their first conversation, but she's already made it awkward.

"You're right, Vaughn," Rose smiled. "She is cute."

'You think I'm cute?' she wanted to ask once more, but held back since she's determined to save face.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jeffrey said. "Lunch has been served. Let's talk over lunch."

"Thank you so much for welcoming me," Eloise politely said.

Rose shook her head and held onto Eloise's hand.

"The pleasure is mine, Eloise. I'm glad that Vaughn found someone new."

She smiled as she glanced at Vaughn. She saw his jaw clench, and she could tell that he didn't like how his mother said that.

"Let's go inside," Rose said, and the two of them followed.

"Do you think they like me?" she asked in a hushed voice.

He didn't bother looking at her as he responded.

"They like you because you're not Alina."

"Oh," she muttered under her breath.

Right.

The four of them made their way to the dining table, and Eloise was amazed once again. They had a feast right in front of their faces!

Jeffrey and Rose chuckled as they saw the young woman's face.

"Eat up, Eloise," Rose said. "I hope these dishes are enough for you."

"This is more than enough!" she exclaimed.

Lobster, steak, scallops-these were luxury to her. And she will damn well enjoy it.

She didn't waste any time before she dug into the food. She was way too entranced with its heavenly taste that she didn't even notice the fond gazes of Vaughn's parents.

Vaughn, too, thought that she was cute.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but resent her a bit. She has only met his parents for a day, but they already seem so fond for her.

While it took him years to get their approval. Not only that, but they also disapproved of the only woman he has come to love. Even now, he's stuck in this fake relationship so he can acquire the company that he deserves.

"So, you met at the hospital, right?" Jeffrey suddenly asked.

Eloise paused and placed down her spoon.

"Yes," she said, going along with the story. "The day when he had the accident."

"And what were you doing at the hospital at that time?" he asked.

"My brother got sick," she truthfully said. "We were in the cubicle next to his. He thought that the two of us were so loud so he called our attention," she chuckled when she remembered the exact incident.

"But she fell in love at first sight with me," Vaughn added, causing her to purse her lips together. "I thought I couldn't give her a chance, but she captured my heart in the end."

She knew that this was all part of the story, but her heart jumped when he said his last statement.

She quickly drank some water since she thinks she's going insane.

"And I'm assuming the same way goes for you?" Rose asked.

Eloise merely nodded her head.

"What made you fall in love with my son?" she added, causing Eloise to freeze.

She never thought of answering this question. She could feel their stares burning holes onto her face, so she searched her mind for Vaughn's good side.

"I guess, he's caring," she said, remembering the time he offered to drive Cameron and her home. "And he also cares a lot for his friends. He's passionate about his work, and he knows what he wants. He may look tough on the outside, but he's also capable of being kind," she said, quite in a daze.

Vaughn's hands fidgeted as she continued to speak.

Rose and Jeffrey, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile.

"He is," Rose agreed. "I'm glad you saw our son that way."

The lunch continued peacefully, and much to Eloise's surprise, Vaughn's parents were much kinder and accepting that she had thought.

They were now on their way out of the house when Rose suddenly held onto Eloise's hand.

"Can I talk with Eloise for a second?"

Vaughn looked at his mom suspiciously, but she merely smiled.

"It will be quick. You can wait in front of the door with your father."

Vaughn hesitated to leave, as if afraid that Eloise would fuck up, but Eloise nodded her head, indicating that it was alright.

In the end, he sighed and left the two of them.

When they were already a bit distant, Rose suddenly held onto Eloise's shoulders.

"I'm glad that you met my son," she said in a genuine voice.

Eloise smiled and nodded her head. "I'm glad that I met him too."

"You know, before all of this, I thought he was going to be stuck with his ex-girlfriend. I never really liked that girl since I could tell that she didn't care about him at all. I thought he was going to bring home another girl like her, but when I saw you, I knew that he had picked someone right."

Eloise couldn't say anything.

"Take care of Vaughn, okay? Like you said, he might seem cold on the outside, but he carries a lot of baggage-most of it being our fault as his parents," she said in a guilty voice.

Eloise, too, couldn't help but feel guilty.

This was all fake.

In the end, she merely nodded her head with a smile.

"And take care of the little one too," she said with a wink, causing Eloise to stiffen. Rose noticed her change of stance and chuckled.

"Vaughn already told me," she said. "You're expecting a baby soon."

Eloise still didn't speak. She wasn't informed about this!

"Well, let's go," Rose smiled. "I said I wouldn't hold you back for too long."

The two of them walked toward the door, where Vaughn and Andrew were waiting.

Eloise was still out of it. Vaughn's mother already thinks that she's pregnant!

"It's time for us to go," he said in a cold voice.

Rose nodded her head.

"Alright, honey. Stay safe, okay?" she said softly.

"It was nice meeting you, Eloise," she added.

Eloise decided to snap out of her thoughts and nodded her head. "It was nice meeting you too. Let's see each other again."

"Wait," Rose suddenly said as Vaughn opened the door. "Before you go..."

Eloise and Vaughn focused their gaze on Rose.

"Why don't you give her a kiss, Vaughn?"