Chapter 4: I'm Getting Married

The next day, Daniel met with his parents. He needed to stay as calm as possible and tell them the news naturally; without wavering while following the story to the letter, or no one would believe the charade.

"Well, we're here son. What did you want to talk to us about?" his mother asked.

"I'm getting married."

"What do you mean you're getting married? What are you talking about, Daniel?" His father was a bit surprised, it was something he never expected to hear from him again.

"I'm getting married in a few weeks, Dad, and I want the whole family to meet her."

"Wait a moment son, wait... Who exactly are you marrying?"

"Deanna."

"Who? Who is Deanna?"

He knew his mother would flood him with questions. She wanted her grandchildren to have a woman's presence while growing up besides herself or Susan, but this was too sudden. Neither of them was prepared to hear what Daniel had to say.

"Deanna is Harry's university classmate. We've been dating for several months now and I've decided to marry her."

"Harry's classmate?!"

"Yes, Mom, I know what you're thinking. That's exactly why we decided to keep the relationship as discreet as possible."

"You're 15 years older than Harry, so if she's his classmate... she's his age! You're going to marry a woman much younger than you who you've only been dating for a few months?"

"That's right."

"You're crazy, Daniel! My grandchildren need a mother, not a sister."

"Please, Mom, don't bring the children into this."

"How can I not? For God's sake, Daniel! What are you thinking? Don't be foolish, you're not marrying her."

"That's my decision and I've made it. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Charles, say something, for God's sake! Your son has lost his mind!"

His father leaned forward in his chair and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Is she pregnant?" he asked.

"What?! No, Dad, please!"

"Then why are you marrying her?"

"Because I'm in love and I think she'll be an excellent partner. Is pregnancy the only way a woman like her would marry someone like me?"

"Or she's after your money!" his mother added.

"You're being ridiculous, Mom."

"You're the ridiculous one pretending to do something this crazy. I'm sure if she got involved with you it's because she wants something."

"Well, Mom, I didn't know you had that opinion of me."

"You know very well what I mean. Lately, I've been seeing how that kind of woman approaches men like you just to take their money. That's what happened to Madison's son with his supposed girlfriend."

"Deanna isn't like that."

"How do you know? Men can't think straight when they have a pretty pair of legs in front of them."

"I know because she's Harry and Laura's friend and has shown no interest in my money. She has a job that I plan for her to leave when we marry."

"This is all very sudden, Daniel," his father said.

"I know, Dad, but you need to trust my judgment. You know me better than anyone and you know I wouldn't take risks if I wasn't sure."

"That's true, you've never taken a wrong step... Well, it looks like we're having a wedding, Camila."

"You're both crazy! You better bring your 'future wife' as soon as possible. Do the children know her?"

"No, of course not."

"Better that way, if it doesn't work out at least they won't have to see their father being abandoned by a younger woman."

"Mom, please..."

"No, Daniel. No. You're trying to bring a woman none of us knows into your home where your children are and make her your wife. You know you'll be the talk of everyone?"

"I don't care."

Well, it hadn't been a complete success, but at least his father seemed to trust him. The real problem would be his mother, who would inspect Deanna from every possible angle to find all her flaws. He knew this, which is why he called his sister-in-law to ask her to "train" her a bit and help her choose more appropriate clothing.

Laura had to do a passable job and give Deanna lots of advice to warn her about her mother-in-law. Camila could be relentless when she wanted to be and could make her new daughter-in-law's life impossible until she wore her down. She wasn't even close to the kind of woman she wanted for her eldest son.

She had tried every means to get Daniel to meet and date women she considered suitable. Most were daughters of her friends or acquaintances. But her son showed no interest in them and always asked her to leave him alone. And now he was saying he was about to marry someone no one knew. Of course she was going to do everything she could to unmask the "young girl interested in his money."

Harry would be the first one she'd interrogate.

"How did your brother meet this Deanna?"

"I introduced them. Mom, Deanna is an excellent person, you have nothing to worry about."

"Of course I do, she's going to share in raising my grandchildren."

"You're exaggerating. Don't you trust your little son?"

"Of course I don't trust you."

"Mom!"

"This is all very sudden, Harry, something's strange here..."

"There's nothing strange, Daniel just decided to move on with his life. I don't see anything wrong with that. He has every right to find someone to love and be loved by."

"I'm not questioning that, son. I've been waiting for this moment since Emily left us in such a horrible way. But not like this!"

"Come on, Mom. You're being intolerant. I've known Deanna since we started university, Laura knows her too. She's a magnificent person in many ways, I can't understand how she didn't run away from Daniel."

"Because your brother is an important and powerful man..."

"Dean isn't after his money, Mom..."

"Is that what you call her? So you know her quite well."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you."

Now more than ever they had to be careful, at least until the wedding was done. The problem wasn't whether Camila accepted her or not, because they were going to get married anyway. The problem was convincing them long enough so that later Harry and Laura wouldn't face any obstacles.

Daniel was determined to break with this prehistoric family tradition; his children would never have to go through this. He would make sure to prioritize their happiness over an inherited mandate that only served to put people in ridiculous situations. None of this circus would be necessary if they could simply live their lives freely.

But the truth was that Deanna had made an impression on him that he hadn't expected. Despite her age, she seemed to be someone who knew what she wanted and had a goal in life, knew how to defend herself and confront anyone who tried to impose on her. She wasn't bad-looking and was quite well-mannered; it was obvious she didn't belong to their social level, but somehow that didn't stop or frighten her.

He had only met her two days ago, but he couldn't get out of his head the image of her getting out of the car, clearly annoyed with him, walking to the entrance without looking back once.