Chapter Seven

The ringing pierced into Tan's dreamy sleep, waking Tan up. Tan frowned reaching out to pick his call. He still felt sleepy, a warm lassitude weighing down his muscles, relishing it instead of chasing it away.

"Fuck" he muttered but instead of reaching for his phone on his bedside table, he slapped the air. No bed.

He sat up, and realized he had slept in the living room, scanning the room with cushions, a round glass table and large television.

The dinner.

Gabrielle

As if her name offloaded a truck of memories from the previous night. The conversation with Gabby and his mother, talking with her. Kissing her. Leaving him after the kiss. Getting drunk.

He whipped around, scanning his environment for his phone, it was his mother calling him. He felt angry, remembering the way his mother spoke to Gabrielle at the dinner.

"Hey, Mom" he said in greeting, trying to get himself together as he spoke.

"I just woke up, so I don't think I can talk"

"Tan", she said and her angry tone cut him off, frustration speared his chest. He had come to connect that tone with one thing. And as he spoke,

"We need to talk" his guess proved correct.

Sighing, he straightened his shoulders bracing himself. "Mom I am busy"

"Tan your dad wants to talk to you and I don't think you want to keep him waiting" her voice echoed in his ear as she cut the call.

A familiar anger awakened in his chest extending to life.

*   *   *

Tan climbed the front steps to his parents home.

Enough anger flowed through him that he did not want to go in. But underneath, the love he had for them, he knew he could never destroy, he had to go in.

He let himself in, heading towards the rear of the house, he inhaled a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Mom, Dad." Tan entered the room. Amazed his voice was calm when he was boiling inside.

For years, he had been on their beck and call and he always answered to them without justification.

But it did not matter to his parent, they wanted to control him even down to the clothes he puts on.

Damn

Parental protectiveness was a bitch.

Sitting down on the arm chair, Tan closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Sadly, he wasn't shocked at the gang up against him. After what happened at the dinner last night, he had expected this intervention.

To Tan, his father had always been a monument in his life. He had inherited most of his features, his height, his eyes and his wide shoulder frame from his Dad.

Tan had always lived up to his father's opinion like when his parent decided Gabby wasn't an ideal girl for him, or when they chose what school he should attend and what course he should study.

Over the years, he had proven he could prove himself as a good son by doing whatever they wanted from him and that includes breaking up with Gabby. 'For the Family' he would always convince himself.

None of that seemed to matter to his father though.

"Good morning Tan"

His father arched a still dark eyebrow.

"I won't make this long."

'Of cause' curiosity and a weighing sense of foreboding expanded inside Tan's chest. "I believe you can guess why you are here," Yo-Han Lee began resting the newspaper he was reading on his thigh while placing his reading glasses on the side table.

"Your mother and I have decided that you should get married to Eliyah Park, you have known her since you were kids she is also a well mannered young lady"

"By well mannered, you mean the direct opposite of Gabrielle Lot right, Dad we are not in the Joseon dynasty era"

Yo-Han scoffed, irritation flashing in his eyes.

"You are not getting back with Gabrielle. Showing up with that woman to the dinner our family hosted and also embarrassing your mother is not going to be tolerated"

Though anger tightened his gut, Tan propped his elbows on the arms of his chair, his fingers beneath his chin.

'One, You make it sound like she is a whore or something. Two the time when I need an approval from the both of you concerning the woman I am seeing has long since passed like I said earlier we are not living in the era of the Joseon dynasty. Three, Gabrielle is our business partner, she is the Co-CEO of GALA. I guess mom forgot to mention that. So if anything you brought her to the dinner."

He needed to waylay any more match making attempts by his parent. "Considering the number of women we see you get tangled with as seen in those gossip blogs, we are thankful you have respected this family enough and haven't brought them to our home" the barb struck true, no doubt Yo-Han had intended. But Tan refused to give him the pleasure.

"But when you contemplate bringing one to our home and family, she certainly requires our approval. And you know Gabrielle Lot does not fit the credentials. Not even closely."

"You mean she is not Korean Dad. Say it and stop beating around the bush."

His parent would see Gabby as an American who did not value family who wants to get her greedy hooks into their son.

Tan saw Gabrielle as someone who in spite of what she had gone through in life had risen and continue to thrive and even created an empire for herself despite all odds.

He saw a go getter.

"Is your meddling supposed to convince me to marry Eliyah? He asked standing up to leave." So she isn't Korean or Korean American or wasn't born with building or a trust fund, that doesn't make her unfit to be my wife, he drawled."

Red surged into his father's face, the only sign of his rising temper. "You are damn right, she is unfit for the crown, business with her yes but relationship with her is out of the question.

'You and Mom should quit meddling in my life" Tan said facing his mom.

He had no intention of causing Gabrielle another heartbreak which made the whole discussion pointless. But no way would he allow his father denigrate on Gabrielle again. He did that before and regretted his actions.

"Everything is always about the family, what of what I want, I'm sorry but I can't keep having meaningless conversations with you"

Inhaling a deep breath, he dipped his chin in his mother's direction. "You too, mom."

He turned and walked out of the house not even trying to give his parent a backward glance.

"Get back here Tan, unless you don't want a part in anything that has to do with the family" his father voice barked at him.

Tan could care less about what his parent wanted from him. His only regret was that he realized it too late.