Proof

"Huh? Grandma called?" Ryan was surprised, not expecting such news. "What did she want?"

He looked up at Rose and grabbed her hand, moving to the nearby bench. He figured the conversation wouldn't take just a short moment.

His curiosity didn't get satisfied as his mother ignored his question and asked instead, "Where are you? I can hear cars."

"I am in the City Center with my girlfriend. We went shopping together," Ryan replied as he reached out to his pocket and pulled out his headphones, giving one ear-piece each.

If they were to talk about his grandma's competition, it would be best if Rose heard everything. She was the one who would be involved the most.

"Oh, perfect!" his mother exclaimed. "I was about to ask you about her. Can you give her the phone?"

Ryan opened his eyes wider and informed while giving Rose an eye sign, "She can hear you."

Rose grew visually nervous but still greeted, "Good day, Mrs. Morgan. I'm Rose."

"Uff! Thank God you exist. I thought Ryan is lying to me," his mother sighed in relief and asked hurriedly, "Are you two actually dating? I want to hear it from you."

Rose stared at Ryan's face and confirmed without turning her gaze away, "Yes. I think I will bother him for a while. Ryan doesn't give me a reason to reject him."

This answer put a smile on his face as the two were finally officially dating, with two families knowing about them. Ryan wanted to kiss her so much yet he ended up only squeezing her hand. It would be the worst timing to lose his control.

"I'm glad. He is really kind and loving despite being a little clumsy with girls so I hope you can take good care of him," his mother pleaded gently, but Ryan rolled his eyes.

He? Clumsy with women? If not for his condition, he wouldn't have any problems at all.

"Haha, yeah, he is a bit," Rose laughed at his reaction, taking this opportunity to tease him.

"Mom—"

He wanted to scold his mother but she cut him off by asking, "Ryan, did you tell Rose about our situation?"

Ryan halted his plans and got serious, the conversation reaching sensitive topics.

"We were just talking about it… I told her everything I know but you didn't tell me all the details," Ryan explained honestly, rubbing the top of Rose's palm. "Are you free now? We were supposed to meet for lunch."

He wanted to make everything clear and know where they stood.

"I don't think I will have free time today and that's why I called. It just so happened that your grandma contacted me at the same time." His mother finally returned to the main topic. "It's good that Rose knows the truth because I'm mainly calling to talk about her."

"Your grandma said she is interested in Rose. Isn't it great?" his mother added.

As her mother said it, Ryan shuddered for some reason, getting a feeling as if someone was watching them. He quickly looked around and spotted only one person, walking in their direction.

Based on her red high-heels that clicked with each step, he guessed she was a woman but her black cloak was really sketchy, looking as if she was an assassin on a mission to kill someone. Her face was fully covered by the hood, giving him no way to identify her. She only lacked a giant sword to become an evil anime character.

Ryan didn't know why but something told him the person in front of him was dangerous and he entered into alert mode. He watched too many movies to ignore such feelings.

He grabbed Rose's hand, ready to defend her in case they were attacked but thankfully, the lady walked right past them without slowing her pace.

"Ryan?" Rose poked him on the chest, seeing he acted weird. "Did something happen?"

"It's nothing," Ryan assured her and returned to the topic after giving one last stare at the lady. "How come Grandma is interested in Rose? She doesn't know anything about her."

"I don't know actually. She just randomly called and asked about you. We talked a bit about your past and then she asked about your girlfriend," his mother described. "I didn't know much so I said I am still yet to meet her. She asked me to call you and get as much information as I can but she didn't explain why."

"Hmm…" Ryan found it weird but he never thought this competition was normal from the beginning. His grandma could just come back and quietly choose one person without all this drama.

He looked at Rose to ask her what she thought about it but she spoke first.

"Mrs. Morgan, I don't mind. You can ask me anything. I have nothing to hide," Rose decided, acting playful as she booped his nose. "Should I introduce myself?"

She acted as if she knew exactly what he wanted to ask which made him smile.

Rose didn't wait for his mother to confirm as she immediately answered her question.

"My name is Rose Robinson. I'm nineteen years old and I attend Saint Mary University to study Business and Management. My hobby is related to fashion as I like to make, buy and design clothes."

She was quick and professional with her answer that surprised even Ryan. He was really intrigued by the second part of her introduction as he didn't expect her to be this involved in her hobby.

Even his mom noticed the potential as she called out in laughter, "Ryan, you really found a gem! There is no way Karen wins this time, hahaha."

"Karen…?" Rose questioned quietly and Ryan explained, whispering into her ear, "She is my aunt. Her sons are supposed to compete with me for my grandma's company. My mom likes to fight with her."

Oh…

Rose showed she understood with an 'okay' sign and both returned to the phone call, just in time to hear a sudden proposal.

"Can you guys send me a photo of you together?"

"A photo?" Ryan questioned, confused. "You want to send it to grandma?"

"Yes. She asked for one," his mother confirmed.

Ryan and Rose exchanged gazes but none of them seemed to mind it.

"Alright, give us a second," Ryan excused them and switched to a camera on his phone, turning into a selfie mode.

Rose leaned over to his shoulder and smiled, fixing the camera angle to show her best side. It was a risky procedure but busy making the shot good, Ryan was distracted enough not to let his urges win.

"Alright. Sent," Ryan forwarded the photo to his mother and asked seriously, "Mom, when can we meet to talk in detail?"

"How about you bring your stuff over to our house and stay with us until grandma arrives? You can enjoy your date with Rose today and I will come to pick you up tomorrow," his mother suggested before freaking out. "Oh. My. God. You two are so pretty together! I need to send it to your grandma!"

When Ryan's mother cried out, a moment later, some far away in the park behind them, a sudden beeping resounded behind one of the trees. There, a lady in a black cloak from before was leaning as if enjoying the birds' songs.

They were too far away to hear it anyway but if they looked, they would notice her pull out a phone and reply to a message, her thumb swiftly moving between the keys.

Five seconds later, Ryan's mom started freaking out once again.

"Ryan! Your grandma replied! She wants the proof that you two are dating! Can you two kiss?"