Initially, Manny did not put her friends' scornful words to heart. As long as her daughter liked the guy, she would be fine with anything. But now, something was wrong.
My dear daughter, you should have set a standard and limit in choosing someone to love. You should not burden yourself. He doesn't even have a car, and you need to take him here. Both of you don't even look like a good match.
He looks younger than you by seven years. He must have other intentions.
Manny's expression shifted unpleasantly.
"How could Zelda find such a boyfriend? Manny, talk some sense into your daughter. She's young and beautiful, finding a more suitable boyfriend will be an easy thing for her."
"Now, this kid is most likely living off Zelda. Sigh, people nowadays have no shame at all. We need to stop them now. If they sleep together and Zelda gets pregnant, then we'll have a huge headache later."
The two women kept on talking. Manny grew more afflicted with the things she heard.
How can my daughter be with such a young kid? He's too unreliable. I have to talk to her.
"Mom, Auntie Helen, Auntie Wanda." Zelda came over with Chuck. She addressed them as 'Auntie's as they were her mother's closest friends.
The three women stared at Chuck up and down. The woman with tight jeans folded her hands on her chest and rolled her eyes at Chuck.
This kid knows how to present himself well. He's handsome, quite young, fashionable, and almost the same age as the guy she would usually go for in a club. She could even say that people like him are suitable only for fun. If he wanted something else, there's no way he could get it.
"This is my boyfriend, Chuck Cannon," Zelda introduced with a smile.
"Hello, Aunties." Chuck greeted them.
The more Manny looked at Chuck, the more grumpy she became. She frowned and nodded.
Zelda realized that her mother and two aunts were not happy. She also felt helpless, so to break the ice, she said, "Mom, aunties, let's go eat dinner first. We've already booked a place for dinner."
"Did you make the reservation, or did he do it? Manny asked.
"It's Chuck's decision, Mom."
"Him? He didn't pick a budget restaurant, did he? I heard that many cheap restaurants cook with dirty oil to save their costs."
"That's so disgusting. From the looks of him, he must've chosen a low-end restaurant. I won't eat at such a place. I didn't come all the way here just to greasy eat oil from a ditch."
The two women shook their heads and became even more disappointed with Chuck.
Manny scowled.
"Mom, Chuck reserved a good place," Zelda said.
"Zelda, it's not easy for us going here, so we can't eat anything random, okay? Forget it. Just ask your boyfriend to cancel the reservation. I'm quite picky, let me decide on dinner." The woman with hot pants shook her head in disbelief.
She had been here last time, and a friend invited her to have dinner in a hotel. The hotel was of the highest standard, and the entrees were delicious. She wanted to go there.
Otherwise, how nasty would it be if she ate a dish made with gutter oil?
"Auntie..." Zelda found herself unable to defend Chuck. Their actions made Chuck look bad, and she felt a little guilty.
"Let her decide," Manny said. She knew that her two friends were very particular about this.
Zelda sobbed and said to Chuck, "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay." Chuck didn't mind. If he went somewhere else for a meal, he wouldn't have to bother his mother's hotel staff anymore.
"I've booked the place. Let's go. The dishes there are very delicious, and the ingredients are fresh. You will feel safe and fulfilled if you eat them. It's not something that a typical restaurant can rival with." The woman with hot pants said while storing her VIP card at the same time.
The woman intentionally glanced at Chuck.
I looked forward to nothing. I thought you would book an expensive hotel. Surprisingly, I have to pay for it myself. I'll let you take advantage of me this time. Let me show you what a good meal looks like.
"Get in the car."
Manny sat in the car, and the two women followed her in.
"I'm truly sorry." Zelda felt responsible for all the confusion and disgrace.
Zelda thought that her mother might be frustrated with Chuck's age, but she did not expect that her mother and aunties would judge Chuck for having no money. She never saw that coming. If she had known this, she should have let Chuck drive his newly bought BMW.
"I'm fine." Chuck shook his head, opened the car door, and settled in.
Zelda sighed and followed suit. She had no clue about the restaurant her aunt had arranged.
Manny had already pulled away from the curb. Zelda also started the ignition and followed behind her mother's car.
She felt uncomfortable because she thought that her two aunts were so hateful towards Chuck. But why?
Chuck thought that since someone else had made a different plan, he would call Betty to cancel the preparations.
His call got connected.
"Young Master, are you here already?" Betty's voice sounded on the phone.
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