A Straightforward Truth

Roy arrived at the exact time he told Anna, but it took 3 more minutes for him to get to her apartment.

When the doorbell rang, Anna answered it and welcomed him in. And as she shut the door quietly, she whispered to him, "Thank you for coming, but be careful, my Mum is really mad at me and you."

"Oh… thanks for the reminder," Roy whispered back as his height towered over her. 

Anna quickly looked away from that handsome face while trying to ignore the strong rich scent of his expensive perfume. 

"Please come with me," she said softly as she proceeded to lead him into their living room where her mother was already sitting and waiting with her eyes at the entrance.

So, coming into Anna's sitting room, her mother was the first thing to enter Roy's line of sight. Since it was an unavoidable eye contact, he could only smile even though his kind gesture wasn't returned.

In Mrs. Carter's mind, she was curious to meet the kind of random man her daughter blindly got married to. But when the tall handsome Roy with a clean-cut stepping into her living room, she was a bit impressed with his remarkable physical qualities, but that's not all she was after.

"Hello, Ma'am. I'm Roy Kim," Roy greeted politely while standing in front of his mother-in-law. 

From the much he was opportune to observe within a span of a few seconds, he knew that his hand would not be taken if he reached it out for a handshake, so he did not bother to do it. Instead, he nodded gently.

Mrs. Carter took in his appearance and observed him for a moment before pointing towards a single couch. "You can sit over there."

"Thank you. Ma'am," Roy smiled before walking over to the single couch to sit.

Seeing her mother's attitude, Anna sighed. She didn't expect anything less. While thinking of finding herself a seat next to Roy, she heard her mother ask her, "Your husband just flew in from a business trip, are you not going to serve him a glass of water?'

Immediately, Anna managed a smile. "I was about to do that," she answered then turning to Roy, she said, "Please, excuse me for a moment."

As soon as Anna left, her mother folded her arms and looked Roy straight in the eyes. "I will go straight to the point," she started. "How long have you known my daughter and what is the reason for this marriage?"

'Wow! That was so… straight to the point,' Roy sighed in his head. He could clearly see that his temporary mother-in-law was not prone to beating about the bush. She was really straightforward.

Roy began his explanation by apologizing just to score a few points.

"First of all, I deeply apologize for not getting your blessings on our marriage. It was a complete negligence on my part and for that I'm sorry."

'At least he has some manners,' Mrs. Carter said in her head while continuing to maintain eye contact with Roy.

"Then answering your questions," a smile tugged at the corner of Roy's lips. "Anna and I have not known each other for a long time, but we were quite sure of getting married. And the main reason for this union is simply because we compliment each other and we thought that we were perfect for each other and decided to give marriage a shot."

Roy finished speaking and waited patiently for the older woman before him to respond, but she didn't say anything until Anna returned with a glass of water for him.

"Thank you," he smiled at Anna sweetly before lifting the glass of water off the tray in her hands. "You're welcome," Anna smiled back and straightened her back.

All of these gestures did not go unnoticed by Mrs. Carter who was not yet done with her interrogation. But she waited patiently for Roy to finish drinking the water as her daughter took the couch next to him.

"If you ask me, I think that you two will return to your senses soon. But I want to know a few things that will determine if this marriage will be dissolved tomorrow morning," she said while moving her gaze from one person to another.

"Although Roy, you may try to look kind, I know you don't love my daughter, and she doesn't love you. Also, please don't mention 'love at first sight' to me otherwise you will both get thrown out of my house immediately."

Mrs. Carter's warning was very clear. Just in case they didn't know this, she had a high EQ and she was very smart so, it won't be easy deceiving her.

Anna swallowed a lump while a flicker of surprise flashed across Roy's face who seemed to have not prepared properly before coming over.

'Roy, next time, remember to check the profile of everyone you have to meet,' he said, scolding himself inwardly.

It turned out that he was not the only smart person alive.

"What is the real purpose of this union?" Mrs. Carter rasied this question more precisely in case none of them got it the first time.

This time around, Roy exchanged a glance with Anna before speaking up, "Like I said earlier, Anna and I complement each other perfectly. But it's on the note that I was due to be married and my father was going to step in. As I found Anna to be someone I can tolerate, live with and care for while learning to love, I asked her to marry me and in return, I promised to take care of everything she would ever need since I happen to have the right resources."

If all this while Mrs. Carter felt like Roy was talking gibberish, it was at this second try that she got a little satisfaction.

She could feel he was telling the truth and so, decided to drop her vigilance a bit before shifting her attention to Anna who trembled a bit cause she knew she was next.

"Anna, tell me what happened between you, your best friend, Susan and your boyfriend, Sam? I want nothing more than a straight truth."