Meeting his Outlandish Family

Mara's eyelids fluttered open, weighed down by exhaustion from the previous day's events. She groaned as she stretched her limbs, the heavy weight of her clothes a constant reminder of her discomfort. But her moment of peace was shattered when she realized that Ethan was nowhere to be found in the room, his wheelchair still parked in its usual spot.

Anxiety gnawed at her insides as Mara contemplated facing Ethan's family alone. "Will I have to go down by myself? I don't think I can handle meeting his family in this state," she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with apprehension.

But before she could dwell on her fears any longer, Ethan's icy voice cut through the silence from behind her. "My family aren't vampires, you know. Just my grandmother, mother, aunt, and cousin," he remarked, his tone as cold as ever.

Startled, Mara scrambled to her feet, turning to face him with a forced air of nonchalance. Ethan emerged from the bathroom, his upper body exposed save for a towel wrapped around his lower abdomen. Mara couldn't help but notice his perfectly toned abs and flawless skin, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

Her gaze lingered a moment too long, and Ethan's sharp retort snapped her back to reality. "You can go ahead and ogle at me all you want, but don't forget to take your own bath," he quipped, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Flushed with embarrassment, Mara quickly regained her composure. "Good morning, Mr. Lewis," she greeted him awkwardly, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Ethan glanced at her but offered no response, turning his attention to the dressing table instead. With a sigh of relief, Mara made a hasty retreat to the king-sized bathroom, eager to escape the awkward tension that hung between them.

★

The breakfast table was enveloped in a heavy silence, punctuated only by the clinking of plates and cutlery. Mara kept her gaze fixed on her plate, avoiding eye contact with anyone at the table. It felt as though every pair of eyes was trained on her, scrutinizing her every move.

She hurriedly shoveled rice into her mouth, trying to stifle her nerves, but her haste led to a choking fit. Gasping for breath, she coughed uncontrollably until Ethan's cold voice cut through the tension. "Nobody is rushing you," he remarked, passing her a glass of water with a hint of impatience.

"Am... am... so... sorry," Mara stammered, accepting the water gratefully and taking a sip.

Ethan's mother intervened, attempting to ease the tension. "Come on, Ethan, don't be so hard on your wife. It's natural to feel nervous eating with your in-laws for the first time," she chided gently.

Mara nodded in agreement, but the embarrassment lingered, and she returned her focus to her food, determined to avoid any further mishaps.

The dining room descended into another uncomfortable silence, broken only by the clatter of cutlery. Then, Ethan's youngest cousin, Gideon, piped up innocently, inquiring about Mara's name.

Before Mara could respond, an older woman scolded the young boy for speaking out of turn, silencing him with a stern reprimand.

After breakfast, the family gathered in the grand sitting room, and the matriarch, Old Mrs. Lewis, addressed Mara directly. "Yesterday, she arrived here while everyone was asleep. She's from the Lopez family, and her name is Mara," she announced, introducing Mara to the family.

Ethan's mother approached Mara affectionately, expressing her joy at having Mara as a daughter-in-law and promising to treat her well. The other women in the family echoed similar sentiments, welcoming Mara warmly into their midst.

Overwhelmed by the attention, Mara nervously bowed in gratitude, her hands fidgeting with her hair in a futile attempt to calm her nerves, leaving her once-tidy locks in disarray.

"Grandmother, you wanted me to get married, isn't that right? Now that she's here, can I move out and live alone?" Ethan interjected, abruptly cutting short the introduction ceremony.

"Just hurry up and give us a beautiful grandson, and then you can visit your family house later with your husband," Grandmother replied, her tone matter-of-fact.

Mara's heart sank at the prospect of being trapped in this suffocating environment, but she quickly interjected, "Oh, no need, ma'am. I can visit them alone."

"Yeah, Grandmother, it's not necessary. I have some work to do," Ethan chimed in, signaling to his bodyguards, who promptly wheeled his wheelchair out of the room.

"Don't be so formal with me, Mara. Just call me Grandmother," the matriarch insisted, her tone warm and inviting.

"Yes, ma'am... I mean, Grandmother," Mara replied, bowing respectfully before making a swift exit.

As Mara retreated to her room, her mind churned with frustration. "Parents' house, my foot! Parents who don't care whether I'm happy or not," she muttered under her breath as she rummaged through her belongings.

But her plans to escape were thwarted when she discovered a waiting driver at the door. "Seriously, no need. I can take a cab," she protested.

"Sorry, young madam, but Grandma instructed me to escort you wherever you go," the driver explained respectfully.

Reluctantly, Mara acquiesced, but as the car began to move, she couldn't shake the feeling of suffocation. "Why should I go there? It's just one day. They don't care anyway," she reasoned aloud.

In a sudden change of heart, Mara directed the driver to change course, opting instead to head to the gym to meet her friends. But as they neared the halfway point, Mara hesitated, unsure of her next move.

"But, madam, we haven't reached your parents' house, and this isn't the way," the driver complained, his tone tinged with frustration.

"Did I ask you to follow me? Were you instructed to tail me around? Tell Grandma that I have to visit my friend," Mara retorted sharply before stepping out of the car.

Ignoring the driver's protests, Mara made her way to the gym to meet her friends, relieved to have an excuse to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the Lewis mansion.

As Mara settled in with her friends, Evelyn couldn't help but express her surprise. "Now that you're married, I thought you wouldn't have time for us anymore," she remarked.

"Why wouldn't I have time for you? It's not a real marriage, though... Guess who the man is?" Mara teased.

"Elon Musk or Herbert McCauley?" Lucian joked.

"I wish it were either of them. He said his name is Ethan Lewis," Mara replied, her tone tinged with disappointment.

Evelyn's reaction was immediate and dramatic. "Did you just say Ethan? That imbecile? Your stepmother must have lost her mind to marry you off to that ruthless man," she exclaimed incredulously.

"That's exactly what I thought! But how did you know he's an imbecile?" Mara asked, intrigued by Evelyn's certainty.

"Who doesn't know that the Lewis family has an imbecile young master? Anyway, let's hit the town!" Lucian interjected, eager to change the subject and lighten the mood.

With a shared sense of excitement, the trio set off, leaving behind the complications of Mara's forced marriage for a night of fun and freedom.