Tragic Family

Hazel stared at her reflection in the mirror; she was dressed in a simple white gown and held her hair in a pony.

Now she felt bad for not buying a gift for the family. "If he had told me that we were attending the dinner, then I would have obviously gotten a gift," she thought. A figure appeared behind her.

"Mr. And..." She paused her lips; he approached her and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Hmm," Coyle took out the hairband holding Hazel's hair as her long hair fell down her shoulders.

"Let's go," he said, and she nodded and flipped some strands of her hair behind her ears.

They both walked downstairs, and the driver pulled the car door open before they got in; during the ride, Hazel's gaze was out of the window.

She wasn't staring at anything in particular or enjoying the night view; she just didn't want her eyes to meet with those of Coyle's.

Coyle dipped his hand in his suit and took out a box. "Here," he shoved it to Hazel, who stared at it in disbelief.

"Did he get me a gift?" Hazel took the box and opened it; it was a simple necklace with a small green diamond pendant.

"A jewelry company sent it to me; you should have it." Coyle explained, he had invested in the jewelry company, and to show their kindness, they made a unique type of necklace and sent it to him, promising never to produce one of that sought for anyone else.

"I... I appreciate," she smiled at him, knowing fully well that it would be disrespectful to reject it.

Coyle picked up the necklace. "I will help you."

Hazel smiled slightly and turned her back to him, shoved her hair to the side, and could see his reflection in the glass window before her.

"He is so kind." Hazel's smile widened; she had forgotten about all of her problems because of his gestures.

-

The car drove through the gates of the mansion, and the view amazed Hazel; she thought Coyle's home was big, whereas this was about a double of his.

Coyle walked down the car and wrapped his hand around Hazel's waist before he whispered, "Don't think twice about disrespecting them; they aren't my family."

Hazel stared at him in disbelief. Why will she want to disrespect them, and what did he mean by they weren't his family?

They both walked in and Hazel scanned the place; the house was decorated in ancient style; the curtains weren't modern, and even the enormous chandelier hanging down was a unique design.

She was so focused on the beauty of the house that she didn't notice the countless looks on her.

"Hazel," Grandma Muna stood up and hurried to them; she was so excited that they showed up even when the possibility of them showing up was minimal.

"Look at her," a middle-aged lady snorted loudly.

"A minute ago, she was sad; now her favorite grandson showed up, and she is the happiest in the world," she mocked and stood up before she approached Hazel and Coyle.

"Hello there. I see my nephew showed up with his wife." Samantha commented; she was Muna's last daughter and also in her late forties; her hate for Coyle was obvious, and that's one thing Coyle admired about her; she wasn't a pretender, unlike his uncle.

"Hello, I am Hazel." Hazel greeted with a genuine smile, and Coyle snorted. He pulled Hazel, and they walked past Samantha and headed for the dinner table, which was occupied by his uncle and wife and also his two cousins.

"Son, how are you doing?" His uncle Arthur asked, but Coyle didn't respond; he simply pulled a chair for Hazel, who sat despite the pressure.

"So it's true, you got married without letting us know." Samantha sat opposite Hazel with a mocking look.

"Did you intend to offer your blessings?" Coyle snorted, and Sam was furious by the disrespect.

"If you knew you wouldn't pay respect to us, then you shouldn't have shown up here," she scolded, and Coyle leaned forward.

"If my presence irritates you, then get out."

Hazel placed her hand on his, and this made him calm. He leaned back in the chair and massaged his temple annoyedly.

Muna was impressed with Hazel; usually her grandson will lose his temper and also make Sam lose hers, but thanks to Hazel, he was willing to let go.

"Can't we have dinner like civilized humans?" Muna asked with a pleading tone when Arthur's wife stood up and picked up a clean dish.

"Of course Mother, Hazel, what would you like to eat? I will serve you."

Hazel stared at Coyle, who didn't have any reaction, so Hazel simply pointed at the dumplings.

"Will you have just that?"

Hazel nodded when Arthur's daughter stood up. "My mom isn't your slave." She scolded, and her dad glared at her.

"Shut up and have a seat," Arthur scolded, and Hazel had lost her complete appetite. She thought her family was tragic, but this appeared to be worse. Now she understood why Coyle didn't want to come here at first.

"So Hazel, what's your last name?" Sam asked curiously.

"Jones," Hazel replied at once, and Sam thought for a while.

"It's not familiar; what line of business are your parents involved in?"

Hazel knew Sam wasn't just asking for some social talks; she was trying to mock her. But she answered anyway, "My dad owns a fabric company."

"Mind your business, Samantha." Coyle gave her a warning glare, and she snorted.

"So I can't share a word with your wife?"

"You can't," he had a warning gaze. Arthur turned to his sister angrily.

"Can you stop the childish act?" He scolded, and Coyle snorted.

Why was his uncle still feigning to be that perfect angel when he knew the demon behind that innocent look?

"Am I being childish? Whatever" Sam stood up and picked up her bag before she walked to Muna and placed a peck on her forehead.

"That's my cue, mother; I have better things to handle than be here with your disrespectful grandson."

Then she turned to Hazel. "I hope we catch up another time Hazel, don't bother... You will definitely love me a lot," she winked and hurried out of the house.