Chapter 329
I was thinking, 'The company's finally getting its act together, and that's exactly what I wanna see.'
I was totally convinced Ruyi Cosmetics was gonna crush it compared to other companies!
After dinner, Ella was all fired up, got her paperwork done in the afternoon, and jumped right into work.
Boom, two days flew by. Friday afternoon, I squeezed in some time to check out Ella's class. After chilling for a couple of days, I was back to my old self.
Even better, the lipstick formula was nailed down, the trial run was a hit, and it passed all the tests, snagging the necessary certificates.
So, yeah, this baby’s ready to hit the market.
First up, the ladies at WY Media Company got to try it, and they were all about it.
The design team was burning the midnight oil to crank out the beauty case. They had a bunch of sketches, but nothing was quite hitting the mark yet.
We were aiming to drop the promo plan by mid-July.
Saturday night, 7 PM, Tianma Grand Hotel!
It’s a three-star joint. I wanted to go all out with a five-star, but Amelia wasn’t having it.
Now, Amelia and her fam were already chilling in the private room.
I pushed the door open and, whoa, there were way more people than I expected!
I thought, 'Weren’t we just meeting her parents? What’s with the crowd?'
"Hey babe, over here!"
Amelia called out, and I shoved down my slight annoyance and headed over.
Sitting next to Amelia, I felt all eyes on me.
Amelia grinned and said, "Let me introduce you. This is my dad, my mom, and over there is my uncle and aunt."
Since I was already there, I played it cool. They were Amelia’s folks, so I had to be respectful and greeted them with a smile.
"John, I heard you’re the assistant director at Skyliho Group, right?"
It was Amelia’s aunt, Briana Collins, talking, her voice all sharp and snooty, like she was better than everyone.
"Yeah, just started this month," I nodded.
"What’s your monthly salary?"
"Ten grand," I said honestly.
"Just ten grand?" Briana frowned. "Can you even get by on ten grand in Sevan City?"
I thought, 'Of course I can... She’s just trying to mess with me.'
"I live pretty modestly, so I’m good."
"Modest? Amelia’s used to the good life, she’s gonna struggle with you."
I told her, "Don’t worry, I won’t let Amelia suffer."
"Do you own a house?"
I shook my head.
"No house?"
Everyone in the room frowned. The disapproval in the room was palpable.
Even Alicia, Amelia’s mom, who’d been quiet, chimed in, "John, let’s be real. No house means no stability. I’m not being picky, but with Sevan City’s high cost of living, you can’t expect Amelia to rent with you, right?"
"Mom!"
Amelia said, "I have my own house, We don't need two!"
Alicia shot her a look, "That’s your house, it’s different."
"A house is a house, what’s the difference?"
Brett, Amelia’s dad, added, "Of course it’s different! A man moves into his wife's house? What are you thinking?"
"John, we’re all men here. Men talk straight. If a guy can’t provide happiness and stability for a woman, that’s on him."
I nodded. He had a point, just like how Rita had been dropping hints, and I’d been playing dumb.
If I didn’t have some assets now, I wouldn’t have been so upfront.
"I only have one daughter. No parent wants their kid to struggle. So, if you wanna be with Amelia, you need a house. I’m not asking for a mansion, but at least a three-bedroom place."
I thought, 'A house like that isn't too pricey. Brett's just being a typical dad, looking out for his kid.'
"Dad, we're still young. We'll work hard and get everything we need in the future!"
"He might be young, but you're pushing thirty. That’s a big deal for a woman," Alicia snorted.
"How long will it take him to afford a house? A year? Two? Maybe even longer?" Alicia kept going.
Amelia was getting worked up, "Mom, why are you doing this? We agreed not to bring this stuff up."
"Amelia, you’re misunderstanding your mom."
Briana chimed in, "Your mom’s just worried about you. You’re not getting any younger, it’s time to settle down. John’s young, so it’s understandable if he’s not loaded."
"But seriously, have you ever seen anyone meet their partner’s parents without bringing any meeting gifts?"
That hit a nerve, and Briana added, "Exactly, showing up empty-handed is just plain disrespectful!"
Amelia’s uncle, Chase Jones, said, "Amelia, I gotta tell you, a man can be broke, but he can’t lose his pride."
Alicia looked even more ticked off, while Brett stayed quiet. Amelia was getting frustrated, "Stop it, you guys were all about me getting married, and now that I’ve found someone, you’re blocking it. Do you even want me to get married?"
I held Amelia’s hand and shook my head, "Actually, they’ve got a point."
"John, you..."
I stood up, grabbed a glass of wine, "I get where you’re coming from. My bad for not thinking this through."
With that, I downed the glass.
"I really care about this meeting. It’s not that I didn’t bring gifts, but there’s just too many, so I left them in the car!"
"How many gifts are we talking? Just bring them over."
"I bet they’re not worth much, probably just some local stuff," Maxwell Jones and Marie Jones said in a snarky tone, which really rubbed me the wrong way.
I kept my cool and looked at Maxwell, "It’s a bit much for me alone. Could you give me a hand?"
Maxwell frowned, wanting to say no, but Briana jumped in, "It’s just a few steps, go help him out. Let’s see what he’s got."
"I’ll go too!" Maxwell’s wife said.
I knew they were hoping to see me fail.
"John, I’ll go too," Amelia said, looking worried.
I patted her hand, "You stay here with your folks. I’ll be back soon."
In the elevator, Maxwell said, "You must’ve noticed, our family’s not too fond of you. Might be best to bow out and save yourself the hassle."
I smiled, "Relationships take time. I don’t expect everyone to like me right off the bat."
"You’re pretty confident."
"Are you after Amelia’s money?" Marie asked.
I shrugged, not bothering to explain. I had a good idea about Amelia’s family—middle-class with assets in the millions.
Outside the hotel, in the parking lot, Maxwell asked, "Where’s your car?"
"No spots when I got here, so I parked a bit far."
"What kind of car is it?"
I pointed ahead to the left, and he frowned, "Just an ordinary car?"
Marie looked unimpressed, "I thought it’d be something special. Just a regular car."
Maxwell chuckled, "This kind of car is good for hauling stuff."
I didn’t bother responding, and as we walked over, Marie said, "There’s even a luxury car parked here."
Maxwell’s eyes lit up, "That’s over two hundred grand, and check out that license plate, it’s gotta be worth tens of thousands!"
I smiled, "Tens of thousands? That plate cost Edward over a million."
They circled the car, and Marie frowned, "What are you waiting for? Open the door already."
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