~~~~~As I sat there in silence, debating how to answer without dragging my family into this mess, Berry mistook it for hesitation—maybe even shame.After all, why would a family as powerful as the Blacks associate with a nobody? A farm girl, no less. A nobody would’ve been easier to accept, but this? This was just unbelievable to people like her.But then again, did it even matter how I answered?“Listen, Mrs. Black,” Berry continued, her tone changing into something almost sympathetic. “There’s no need to feel embarrassed. If you don’t know what to say, we—”“No, that’s not it.” I cut her off, straightening up. “I’m just wondering why that’s even a question.”She blinked. “Excuse me?”“I love farming,” I said casually. “I eat a lot of vegetables&md
~~~~Berry’s face turned red, her eyes dark with filled with anger—so dark they looked like they could swallow someone whole.“You didn’t just say that to me,” she seethed.“Oh yes, I did,” I replied smoothly.A few chuckles resounded from the crowd.“Oh, Mrs. Berristky is done for,” someone muttered, barely suppressing a laugh.“Hmmm… I think it’s best if we switch the interviewer for a while,” the manager suddenly suggested, his tone carefully neutral.“Oh, I’m cool with that,” I said, reclining into my chair.Now that I thought about it, there were three people sitting in front of me. The manager, Berry, and a third woman with sleek raven-black hair. Unlike the others, she wasn’t smiling, and for some reason, that bothered me.“Alright then,” the manager smiled as Berry reluctantly passed the interview booklet to the woman.I turned to her with a curious smirk. “So… what do I call you
~~~~For crying out loud, where should I even start? I questioned myself as the eyes around the room seemed to be pressuring me into saying something. This is what everyone’s been waiting for, no doubt. Even though I promised to make Diana pay, I never expected her to reveal this much.What should I do?“Mrs. Black?” Berry called, smiling that smug smile.I turned to her calmly. “Yes?”“You’re silent?” she said, her tone sharp.“That I am!” I replied just as calmly.“Why? Is it that you don’t have anything to say, or should we just count your silence as you agreeing with it being true?” She added, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Not that it is not.”Take a deep breath, Mary. You’ve got this.“You don’t have to count my silence for anything,” I said, my voice steady. “I was just wonde
~~~~Lockwood Mansion“Hahaha! Oh my God! My stomach—ha-ha!” Ruth, Diana’s secretary, laughed so hard she collapsed onto the floor, clutching her sides. “I swear, that woman is a superwoman! Jesus—did you hear everything she said?” She gasped between breaths, turning to Diana.But Diana was far from amused.“How dare that bitch!?” she roared, her face contorted in rage. She stormed around her lavish apartment, knocking over a glass from the coffee table. “I’M NOT A DAMN DRUG ADDICT!” she screamed.Still laughing, Ruth wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Did you see the way she flipped everything on you and that reporter? I mean—damn! That was brutal.”Diana whirled around, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. “You’re not helping,
~~~~Sam took a deep breath. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he witnessed how she overpowered his boss with just a single call, he wouldn’t have believed her to be connected to a powerful man like Eric Black of the Black Empire, let alone being his wife.Of all the celebrities he had come across, who seemed to control wealth without needing to be told—just from their appearance, their cars, and the guards surrounding them—you could tell they held wealth beyond your wildest imagination. That was why, when he first saw her and heard that she was a Black, Sam had questioned it and even thought she might be a scammer. How could someone with so much wealth to rule the world be so simple? He would never understand.While Sam was still deep in thought, Mrs. Johnson appeared out of nowhere, scaring him out of his thoughts.“So, how long do we have to wait here?” she asked.“Jeez, woman, don’t do that!&rdq
~~~~As I got closer to the top of the stairs, I could hear laughter and chatter coming from one of the rooms—the twin bedroom. The room I had specially prepared for Lisa and Lora. I should’ve felt joy, but instead, all I felt was fear.Funny how I felt more scared seeing my family again than I did standing in front of the whole world defending Eric Black’s unfaithfulness.I paused for a moment, catching my reflection in the windowpane. I had never felt so small, not even when I was still the innocent little Mary.Yes, I looked more beautiful now—refined, mature, confident—but for some reason, the thought of meeting my mother’s eyes made my knees weak. She was my mother, the woman I grew up watching, learning from, and admiring. But if she found out what I had done—how I’d gone against everything she and Dad raised me to believe in... I couldn’t even imagine what would happen.Worse still—
~~~~For the first time in years, I felt safe, loved, and at ease—this was truly where I belonged. In my mother’s arms.“Mother… Mo… ther… Oh, Mom!” I wailed, like a child who had been abandoned, even though I was the one who had left.The years of separation, the pain, all of it came rushing back, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. Slowly, I lifted my head from my mother’s chest, and I saw Lara and Lisa frozen in place, both of them crying, smiling through their tears.“Hey…” I managed to choke out, raising a shaky hand toward them. “Don’t leave me hanging,” I whispered through a tearful smile.“Sis…” Lisa and Lara cried, their voices breaking as they rushed toward me.And then, we cried together, the weight of all the years apart crashing over us like a wave.Then there were heavy footsteps, and my heart lurched at the sound. “What’s going on? I heard screams,” my father’s voice rang out, followed by the door bursting open. His worried expression turned to confusion as he looked from
~~~~But of course, my mother wasn’t done. She never was. She always loved having the final say.Just to confirm my suspicion, she turned back to me, arms folded and tone firmer than ever.“Yes, I’ll say it again… we’re not settling here,” she stated with finality. “After we’ve saved enough, we’re going back home—and that’s final.”“Okay, I know I’m not supposed to interrupt when the elders are talking, but…” Lisa cut in, raising her hand a little.“Sorry, but I’m not going back to Chicago,” she announced plainly.“Me too,” Lora added quickly. “I like it here.”“Enough,” Mom snapped at them, her voice sharp. “This isn’t up for discussion.”I turned to my father, desperate.“Dad! You’re not saying anything. Are you seriously going to let all
Continuations~~~~~~My ring… my wedding ring.I thought I’d hidden it well.He held it out to me, his hand hovering in the air, while I just stood there, staring at it like it had grown teeth. My fingers didn’t move.Sighing, he gently took my hand and placed the ring in my palm. Then, keeping his hand over mine, he looked straight at me.“You’re grown now, Mary. And there’s a part of you—no matter how much we love you—that we no longer know,” he said calmly, but with a heaviness in his voice that only a father could carry. “Still, no matter how old you get, there are some decisions you shouldn’t make without talking to us first. You know that, right?”Shit. He figured it out just from the ring?“Yes, Papa… I do,” I murmured, nodding. “And I promise, when the time is right, I’ll tell you everything… all the parts of me you don’t know yet. But please, for now… just don’t tell Mother. Not yet.”“Of course,” he said gently. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to talk. But don’t take too long,
~~~~But of course, my mother wasn’t done. She never was. She always loved having the final say.Just to confirm my suspicion, she turned back to me, arms folded and tone firmer than ever.“Yes, I’ll say it again… we’re not settling here,” she stated with finality. “After we’ve saved enough, we’re going back home—and that’s final.”“Okay, I know I’m not supposed to interrupt when the elders are talking, but…” Lisa cut in, raising her hand a little.“Sorry, but I’m not going back to Chicago,” she announced plainly.“Me too,” Lora added quickly. “I like it here.”“Enough,” Mom snapped at them, her voice sharp. “This isn’t up for discussion.”I turned to my father, desperate.“Dad! You’re not saying anything. Are you seriously going to let all
~~~~For the first time in years, I felt safe, loved, and at ease—this was truly where I belonged. In my mother’s arms.“Mother… Mo… ther… Oh, Mom!” I wailed, like a child who had been abandoned, even though I was the one who had left.The years of separation, the pain, all of it came rushing back, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. Slowly, I lifted my head from my mother’s chest, and I saw Lara and Lisa frozen in place, both of them crying, smiling through their tears.“Hey…” I managed to choke out, raising a shaky hand toward them. “Don’t leave me hanging,” I whispered through a tearful smile.“Sis…” Lisa and Lara cried, their voices breaking as they rushed toward me.And then, we cried together, the weight of all the years apart crashing over us like a wave.Then there were heavy footsteps, and my heart lurched at the sound. “What’s going on? I heard screams,” my father’s voice rang out, followed by the door bursting open. His worried expression turned to confusion as he looked from
~~~~As I got closer to the top of the stairs, I could hear laughter and chatter coming from one of the rooms—the twin bedroom. The room I had specially prepared for Lisa and Lora. I should’ve felt joy, but instead, all I felt was fear.Funny how I felt more scared seeing my family again than I did standing in front of the whole world defending Eric Black’s unfaithfulness.I paused for a moment, catching my reflection in the windowpane. I had never felt so small, not even when I was still the innocent little Mary.Yes, I looked more beautiful now—refined, mature, confident—but for some reason, the thought of meeting my mother’s eyes made my knees weak. She was my mother, the woman I grew up watching, learning from, and admiring. But if she found out what I had done—how I’d gone against everything she and Dad raised me to believe in... I couldn’t even imagine what would happen.Worse still—
~~~~Sam took a deep breath. If it hadn’t been for the fact that he witnessed how she overpowered his boss with just a single call, he wouldn’t have believed her to be connected to a powerful man like Eric Black of the Black Empire, let alone being his wife.Of all the celebrities he had come across, who seemed to control wealth without needing to be told—just from their appearance, their cars, and the guards surrounding them—you could tell they held wealth beyond your wildest imagination. That was why, when he first saw her and heard that she was a Black, Sam had questioned it and even thought she might be a scammer. How could someone with so much wealth to rule the world be so simple? He would never understand.While Sam was still deep in thought, Mrs. Johnson appeared out of nowhere, scaring him out of his thoughts.“So, how long do we have to wait here?” she asked.“Jeez, woman, don’t do that!&rdq
~~~~Lockwood Mansion“Hahaha! Oh my God! My stomach—ha-ha!” Ruth, Diana’s secretary, laughed so hard she collapsed onto the floor, clutching her sides. “I swear, that woman is a superwoman! Jesus—did you hear everything she said?” She gasped between breaths, turning to Diana.But Diana was far from amused.“How dare that bitch!?” she roared, her face contorted in rage. She stormed around her lavish apartment, knocking over a glass from the coffee table. “I’M NOT A DAMN DRUG ADDICT!” she screamed.Still laughing, Ruth wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Did you see the way she flipped everything on you and that reporter? I mean—damn! That was brutal.”Diana whirled around, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. “You’re not helping,
~~~~For crying out loud, where should I even start? I questioned myself as the eyes around the room seemed to be pressuring me into saying something. This is what everyone’s been waiting for, no doubt. Even though I promised to make Diana pay, I never expected her to reveal this much.What should I do?“Mrs. Black?” Berry called, smiling that smug smile.I turned to her calmly. “Yes?”“You’re silent?” she said, her tone sharp.“That I am!” I replied just as calmly.“Why? Is it that you don’t have anything to say, or should we just count your silence as you agreeing with it being true?” She added, her words dripping with sarcasm. “Not that it is not.”Take a deep breath, Mary. You’ve got this.“You don’t have to count my silence for anything,” I said, my voice steady. “I was just wonde
~~~~Berry’s face turned red, her eyes dark with filled with anger—so dark they looked like they could swallow someone whole.“You didn’t just say that to me,” she seethed.“Oh yes, I did,” I replied smoothly.A few chuckles resounded from the crowd.“Oh, Mrs. Berristky is done for,” someone muttered, barely suppressing a laugh.“Hmmm… I think it’s best if we switch the interviewer for a while,” the manager suddenly suggested, his tone carefully neutral.“Oh, I’m cool with that,” I said, reclining into my chair.Now that I thought about it, there were three people sitting in front of me. The manager, Berry, and a third woman with sleek raven-black hair. Unlike the others, she wasn’t smiling, and for some reason, that bothered me.“Alright then,” the manager smiled as Berry reluctantly passed the interview booklet to the woman.I turned to her with a curious smirk. “So… what do I call you
~~~~~As I sat there in silence, debating how to answer without dragging my family into this mess, Berry mistook it for hesitation—maybe even shame.After all, why would a family as powerful as the Blacks associate with a nobody? A farm girl, no less. A nobody would’ve been easier to accept, but this? This was just unbelievable to people like her.But then again, did it even matter how I answered?“Listen, Mrs. Black,” Berry continued, her tone changing into something almost sympathetic. “There’s no need to feel embarrassed. If you don’t know what to say, we—”“No, that’s not it.” I cut her off, straightening up. “I’m just wondering why that’s even a question.”She blinked. “Excuse me?”“I love farming,” I said casually. “I eat a lot of vegetables&md