ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 2 - Season 9 Episode 88

Peggy snubbed, “Shut up, Doris! Can’t you just eat your meal and stop talking?” Peggy glared at Doris and gestured her to keep quiet.

Doris sealed her mouth and lowered her head in resentment. Peggy smiled with a tinge embarrassment and said, “Sorry, Please don’t pay attention to her. Doris is ignorant. If she said something offensive, please forgive her. I really hope that she didn’t make you offended.”
“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” Laura replied promptly. Albeit Laura behaved as if everything was alright, but in fact, there were several questions that came to her mind. The more she spoke with Peggy and Doris, she could not but mark a certain crudeness in their speech, attitude and actions. It made her wonder if it was a good idea to allow her son to marry Sue.

Peggy poured some fruit juice for Laura in a glass and continued with a smile, “Laura, the bride price you offered is nice. It’s a luck number. I can see that you really treasure my daughter and I’m sure Sue will be happy in your family. You will all take good care of her.”

After saying this Peggy paused for a moment and then continued, “But…”

Laura creased her brows as soon as she heard Peggy utter this word. She became skeptical about Peggy’s next move. And as soon as Peggy opened her mouth, Laura’s apprehension was proven right.

“I think Doris is right,” Peggy continued.

“You are so rich. It’s improper for you to give us so little.” Peggy added in the politest tone, “Just think what villagers will say when they know that the bride price totals only 880, 000. They all know that you are wealthy, so they’ll think that you despise my daughter. This will humiliate both you and us.” Even though Peggy was trying to be excessively polite and placing her sugar coated words in front of Laura, her greediness lurked behind each and every word uttered by her. And that certainly did not evade the eyes of Laura. She was terrified at the very thought that she was sitting with such a greedy family to discuss her son’s marriage with their daughter.

Laura looked at Anthony with a blank expression. As she remained quiet, Anthony spoke, “How much do you want? Just tell us.”

Peggy’s face brightened as Anthony asked this question. In fact, in her mind there was indeed no upper limit of the amount of money she wanted. But she hesitated for a second as she thought that Laura and Anthony might just turn down her offer right away. However, the opportunity was just too tempting, so she said to Anthony with a smile, “How about 2, 880, 000? It’s also a lucky number.”

“2, 880, 000?” Laura blurted out of shock. She never expected Peggy to come up with such an exorbitant amount for her daughter.

She teased and asked, “Peggy, you must be kidding me!”

“Of course not,” Peggy sneered back. Her face completely changed as she spoke. “If your son want to marry my daughter, you must give me the exact amount of money that I quoted.”

“Well. Then, I have a question,” Laura said in a sarcastic voice. “If I give you so much money, how much dowry will you give us?”

“Dowry?” Peggy was rendered speechless at Laura’s counter demand for the dowry. After a long silence, she answered in a discomfited manner, “As the old saying goes, ‘a married daughter is like water that is poured’. Once she marries your son, she is no longer my daughter, rather she is your daughter. Then where does the question of dowry arises?”

“You are blackmailing us now,” Laura said. She was certain that she had underestimated this woman.

“Don’t be angry.” Peggy laughed, and said to Laura, “It’s a great pleasure to marry my daughter to your son. How could you blame me for blackmailing?”

Peggy looked at Laura in the eye, and continued, “You are so rich. The bride gift is just a meagre amount for you I am sure. Isn’t it?”

“Are you here to get your daughter married or to sell your daughter? How could you demand so much money?” Laura retorted with a frown.

“I see nothing wrong here,” Doris spoke in support of her mother-in-law. “If Sue marries Anthony, she will become part of your family. She will not only be the mother of your grandchildren, but also take care of your son. There’s nothing improper to express gratitude with the money to our family for bringing her up.”

“You…” Laura was totally speechless. Indeed, she did not have the tact or the merit to counter reply such shameless words. She sneered and said, “If you really want so much, then my son won’t marry your daughter. I wonder who will marry her except my son. Don’t forget that she is pregnant now!”

Then, she stood up and asked Anthony to leave the place with her.

Peggy was anxious when she saw Laura leaving, but she tried to hide her anxiety. She stood up and said, “Laura, don’t be angry. Let’s sit down and discuss the problem peacefully.”

Sue sat there quietly, her head lowered in embarrassment and shame. Whatever self respect and confidence she had earned in all these years of her career in modeling was shattered into pieces when her own mother reduced her to a mere commodity and tried to get a high price by selling her. Her dignity was hurt and she felt more and more humiliated as the conversation proceeded. She wanted to just run away.

The greedy of Peggy also made her want to hide herself in an underground hole.

But she knew she couldn’t. The only hope she had now was that Laura would cancel the wedding because of her mother’s greed. Then she didn’t need to worry about anything anymore. Sue knew Laura to be a volatile woman and she could see that Peggy was already pushing her to the edge of her patience.
Indeed, Laura didn’t let her down.

She sneered at Peggy, “Discuss? I don’t think there is anything we need to discuss any further.”

Then, she held Anthony’s hand and said, “Let’s go.”

“Wait a minute.” Anthony grabbed Laura’s hand. He could tell that Sue was embarrassed now, so he held Sue’s hands and said, “I must take Sue with me. I can’t let her stay here.”

His palm warmed Sue’s hand and her heart, but she shook his hand off immediately and said, “Why should I leave with you?”

Peggy was frustrated by Laura’s reaction and said to her, “Sue is bearing Anthony’s child. Isn’t it what you have been expecting for a long time? How can you turn your back on your grandchild?”

Laura hesitated for a moment because of Peggy’s words, but soon she replied in a cold voice, “I will have a grandchild sooner or later. I don’t need this one.”

Then, she dragged Anthony toward the door and said, “Let’s go. If Sue doesn’t want to go with you, just leave her here. No need to wait for her anymore. Don’t you feel ashamed of being with such people?”

Laura urged impatiently, “There will be no dearth of nice women for a decent and successful man like you. You don’t need to stay here.”

“Mother” Anthony said with a frown, “That’s enough. I can handle this alone. Don’t make the situation more complicated.”

“Anthony… How could you talk with me like this?” Laura looked at Anthony in the eye, her face turning pale because of her anger. “Don’t you know that I did all these for you? Couldn’t you understand my intention?”

“Of course I can. I know you did everything for me,” Anthony answered with a bitter smile. “But this do-it-for-you has become your excuse for controlling my life and emotion. I have had enough. Could you let me make the decision alone for just one time?”

“Anthony…” Laura’s face turned pale immediately and she said, “If I let you make the decision, you will marry her, won’t you? But look at these people. They are not here to get their daughter or sister married. Rather they are here to sell her. I will never pay 2, 880, 000 for a woman from such a family.”

“I will,” Anthony said decidedly. “If that much money can help me marry Sue, I’ll pay the money.”

His words astonished not just Sue, but Laura.

All this while Laura was under the impression that Anthony wanted to marry Sue out of his moral responsibility towards the child that Sue was carrying. But she was indeed amazed to see that her son had fallen in love with Sue and wondered when it all happened?