Chapter 07-The unexpected acceptance

"What are you doing, Albert? Why are you being so rude to Ethan?" Mona snapped.

Ethan pushed his motorcycle back, ignoring Albert and his fuming father.

"It's okay, Mona! My motorcycle is as crappy as Albert said," Ethan replied, continuing to push his bike.

"No, Ethan! You shouldn't let yourself be humiliated like this; you don't have to let him insult you," Mona countered, also helping push Ethan's motorcycle.

Lobo, witnessing the quarrel, opted not to get involved and immediately entered the guard post. Meanwhile, Albert continued to pull Mona's hand to separate her from Ethan, and Mr. Martin asked Albert to get into the car.

"Albert, let's talk inside! I want to know how Mr. Willy and Mrs. Grace reacted to that poor young man," Mr. Martin requested as he got into his car.

Albert obeyed his father's request and immediately entered the car. The driver slowly drove past Ethan and Mona, who were pushing the motorcycle. Afterwards, Mr. Martin's personal driver parked the car directly in front of Mr. Willy's house. Mr. Martin, Albert, and Mrs. Sonya immediately entered Mr. Willy's house, and sounds of them singing "Happy Birthday" could be heard. Meanwhile, Ethan, who had already parked his motorcycle, tidied his slightly dirty clothes.

"Ethan, are you okay?" asked Mona, who also helped clean Ethan's clothes.

"I'm okay, Mona! Has the event started yet?" Ethan replied, asking in return.

"Yes! The event is about to start, let's go inside! I'll introduce you to my parents," Mona replied, holding Ethan's hand.

As Ethan and Mona entered the banquet hall, Mona's family was presenting gifts to Mrs. Grace and congratulating her. Not to be outdone, Mona also wished her mother a happy birthday and gave a gift.

However, when Mona's family saw Ethan standing there, a sudden silence fell. Ethan immediately extended his hand towards Mrs. Grace, but he was ignored. Meanwhile, Albert and Mr. Martin looked at Ethan with extreme cynicism. Sensing the awkwardness, Mona immediately introduced Ethan to her parents.

Mason, Mr. Willy's eldest son, approached Ethan, pushing him hard. "You're not part of our family! How presumptuous of you to come and enter here without my father's permission! Get out of this house quickly, before I force you out!" Mason snapped, pointing his index finger towards the front door.

"Stop it, Mason! I invited him here; I intended to introduce him to my parents. Let him join in the celebration and congratulate Mother," Mona said, defending Ethan.

Hearing Mona's explanation, Mrs. Grace and Mr. Willy were enraged. Mrs. Grace, who had been silent since Ethan's arrival, raised her voice. "What right do you have to invite that young man to my birthday party, Mona? Only Father and I have the right to invite guests. Besides, he's not part of our family; I don't want to see any outsiders here. Tell that young man to go home quickly; don't make me call the police."

"Are they part of our family, Mother?" Mona asked, pointing towards Albert, Mr. Martin, and Mrs. Sonya.

"Yes! They will be part of our family, Mona! You and Albert will get engaged and marry soon. As for that young man, what can he give for Mother's birthday? Everyone gave Mother gifts; did he just come here to eat?" Mrs. Grace asked.

"If I were you, Mona, I would have gotten rid of a young man like that. He must be very poor and unemployed," scoffed Megan, Mona's cousin.

"Exactly, Megan! Even though his face is quite handsome, that doesn't mean he's a person of means. Just look at his unkempt appearance; is this how you dress when you come to a birthday party?" sneered Cemre, who is also Mona's cousin.

"Shut up, Megan, Cemre! Don't interfere!" Mona snapped.

Then Mona turned to her mother, replying to her words. "I've told you many times, I don't know Albert, and I don't want to get engaged to him. Why do you keep forcing me to get engaged and marry Albert?"

"Listen, Mona, I don't want you associating with young men like him. Albert already has a stable and large income, and his career is soaring. But him? What's so special about him to you? In my eyes, he's no different from a homeless person," Mrs. Grace replied.

"What your mother says is true, Mona! Don't you end up regretting it later, just because you associate with that young man. If you consider that young man just an ordinary friend, that's fine with me. But if you pursue a romantic relationship with him, I truly won't approve," Mr. Willy interjected, who had been silent and listening until then.

Seeing Ethan continuously pressured by Mr. Willy and Mrs. Grace, Albert smiled contentedly. Similarly, Mr. Martin and Mrs. Sonya looked very pleased as Ethan was being verbally abused by Mr. Willy's family.

"Father, Mother, I have known Ethan for quite some time. Ethan and I are indeed in a romantic relationship, and we both love each other. I accept Ethan for who he is, and he accepts me too. Just so you know, Father and Mother, Ethan saved me from a group of drunken young men who wanted to rape me. If Ethan hadn't helped me, I might not be a virgin anymore right now," Mona revealed, stating that Ethan had helped her before.

"Oh, just because he saved you from those drunken young men, you immediately fell in love with him, Mona? Ethan could have been part of that group of drunken young men and just pretended to help you," Megan countered, smiling wryly at Ethan.

"That's right! He might just be acting as your savior," Cemre interjected.

"Enough! Why do you two keep pressuring him? Do you two even know Ethan well? And you, Megan, how many boyfriends have you had?" Mona snapped back, unwilling to be outdone.

"So, this young man once helped you, Mona? I am very grateful for that, but I still don't want you to have a relationship with him. As a token of my gratitude, I will give this young man a proper reward," Mr. Willy said.

"What do you mean, Father? Ethan doesn't expect any reward; he helped me wholeheartedly, Father!" Mona protested.

Albert, who had been wanting to say something to get the attention of Mr. Willy's family, saw his chance and stepped forward a few paces. Then Albert clapped his hands and said, "Wow, incredible! It turns out this young man is a hero who saved my fiancée. Mr. Willy, allow me to give this young man the reward. I will give him a sum of money that he can perhaps use to buy decent clothes. And I hope that with this reward, this young man will no longer approach my fiancée."

Albert took out a check from his jacket pocket, then wrote down the amount on it. After that, Albert offered the check to Ethan. Seeing Albert's condescending attitude towards Ethan, Mona was instantly enraged. Meanwhile, Ethan remained indifferent and calm even when he was being humiliated.

"What do you think you're doing, Albert? You're utterly pathetic! Ethan doesn't expect any reward from you. Keep your check and your money; maybe you're the one who needs it more," Mona retorted curtly.

"Enough, Mona! Don't be a hypocrite; that young man must really need the money, especially since it's a large amount," Megan scoffed.

"Shut your mouth, Megan! Don't act like you're defending Albert; just mind your own business," Mona cursed, glaring at Megan.

"Mona, Albert has been kind enough to offer that young man a reward; what's the harm in accepting it? Besides, there's no one else here; only our family knows," Mr. Willy said, also defending Albert.

"Good heavens, Father! You should appreciate Ethan's help towards me. If it hadn't been for Ethan at that time, the honor I've guarded all this time would have been taken away. Is this how you appreciate other people's help?" Mona asked, her eyes already welling up with tears.

"What other way is there, Mona? In this day and age, who would refuse a large sum of money? If that young man doesn't want to accept it, it's tantamount to offending both me and Albert," Mr. Willy replied, asking in return.

Meanwhile, Albert kept urging Ethan to accept the check he offered. Completely unexpectedly, Ethan accepted the check. Seeing Ethan accept the check, Mona's eyes widened in disbelief. Mona hadn't expected Ethan to be willing to accept a reward, while Albert, Mr. Martin, and Mrs. Sonya smiled triumphantly.

"Ethan, you accepted a reward from Albert? Am I dreaming?" Mona asked, full of surprise and starting to get angry with Ethan.

Ethan didn't answer Mona's question; he just smiled sweetly at Mona. However, suddenly all eyes widened in disbelief when Ethan did something very unexpected.