Daughter-in-law Strikes Harder

The seriousness in the room was so palpable, which was heavy with the bated breath of the last daughter of the Miller. For the first time in a long while, she was in a one-on-one sitting arrangement with her mother with a glass table as the middle partition, who was sitting on the twin chair across the other side.

To make it a more awkward and uncomfortable situation, they were sitting in her room of all places.

Emma was a hundred percent sure that her mother had called and texted her, to talk about the guy that she brought home for introduction the previous night.

Early that morning when she woke up, she had seen so many messages and even mails from her mother requesting to see her urgently.

If Eleanor didn’t approach the matter in that hurried manner, she knew Emma would procrastinate the issue and choose to visit her at the odd hour, when the pressing issue was no longer important to talk about.

And it definitely worked like magic because Emma was sitting in her room for more than ten minutes, which she rarely ever did because she could never handle her mother. Only Ellen could.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Emma’s eyes meandered in every corner across her mother’s luxurious room, in the anxiousness of how she would efficiently retaliate with her words.

When it came to talking to her mother about a disagreement, she preferred to avoid such situations because she knew she wasn’t like Ellen. There was no way she would talk back so strongly as her sister normally did, and win against their mother.

She noticed an expensive painting from a very popular artist hanging on the wall, and the legendary popular golden wall clock that was auctioned months ago in Australia.

There were some really pricey sculptures that caught her attention too, as she sipped on the coffee she had brought along with her, which kept her mind busy to calmness.

Rather than classifying her mother as a hedonistic person who just loved enjoying luxurious life, she felt like her mother just purchased things she felt like possessing, even if many of them were never of great importance, all because the money was abundant.

And sadly for her, she exhibited that attribute and trait that she inherited from her mother.

It was when Eleanor dropped the cup of milk shake that she had been drinking for the past seven minutes, that Emma realized that the real time to talk about something very serious had come. And Eleanor Miller surely did not disappoint her.

“About your boyfriend Emma. I honestly do not think he is the right person for you. And he does not even live here in America. Imagine flying all the way to Scotland just to see his parents. It definitely does not work for me,” Eleanor stated in a very stern voice, to emphasize strongly to Emma that she meant what she wanted, and that she had to accept whatever terms she was planning to give to her.

“Mother. How could you say that? I love him, and that is all that matters,” Emma said in a low and thwarted tone, which emboldened Eleanor so strongly that her daughter would end up conforming.

“He is not your match, and that is final. I will set up a blind date for you with a perfect guy. Their family owns every branch of LLURE five star hotels everywhere around the country, and in other countries too. He meets the standard and is really good looking. You should meet someone like that,” Eleanor affirmed her statement with her slight nod and took the last sip of milk shake, before she made to stand up, so as to go dress up for the event she was going to. Her decision was final.

“I cannot do that!” Eleanor’s legs immediately paused on their tracks. Immediately she heard her daughter’s statement, she turned her head back to be sure it was really Emma that was objecting so strongly.

“What do you mean by that? That is what I want as your mother, and as the most important member of the Miller family, that you do not disgrace us with those frail emotions of yours! That guy is after your money and nothing else. Now that he even knows you are one of the daughters of the Millers like you have said, he would hold on to you so tightly and desperately like he had never done.

“Damon is not like that, mother. He loved me unconditionally even when he did not know who I was. He is……..”

“That is why I hate a feeble heart like yours. Easy and vulnerable. Someone like you should date your class, who would know how to treat you with great respect, according to the kind of family you come from. I cannot be seen relating with pests and peasants as inlaws. Shall we talk about the expensive suit he wore to dinner? It was just new-in a few days ago, and there was no way he would have gotten it that fast. But you used your family connections to do that. For a man? No, Emma. You shouldn’t leave your life like that,” Eleanor warned so angrily with an emotion mixed with disappointment and disgust.

“Dalton says I can go ahead with the marriage, and that he would support whatever decision that…..”

“Of course he will. When his grandfather ruined everything by bringing in that wench to be a daughter-in-law and wife of this family. I cannot even flaunt her proudly amongst my acquaintances. It is such a shame that I wouldn’t let it repeat itself.”

“Then I would involve grandfather into this,” Emma challenged, going against her mother in the best way she had ever done in her life.

She was even surprised that she could say that much on the spot, considering the fact that her mother was domineering and authoritative. Though Eleanor had overpowered her with words and arguments, still she was definitely proud of herself for saying something.

“I do not care! Mark Miller does not get to determine my children’s spouse anymore,” Mrs. Eleanor Miller promised dangerously.

~••~ ~••~ ~••~

The drive was so peaceful and extremely silent, that Aria wondered in her mind what could be going on. She found it even weirder that she herself did not object when Alex came to fetch her that morning, that Dalton would like to talk to her if she was ready earlier that morning.

Not considering the dangers of what could ever go wrong, she was riding alone in the same car with Dalton Miller.

‘What if he finally was driving them both, with the intention of shutting her up for life? Should she text Collin to inform him of her movement in case it went wrong? No.’ Her mind countered again, ‘Even if Dalton was so cold and arrogant, he wouldn’t stoop low to take care of people that were threats to him in such a manner.’

The situation was even a very weird setup she had never had to see, because Dalton was the one driving the car after Alex had dropped them at a turning and left by himself.

It was uncomfortable for her considering that she had gotten her hand bandaged over again that morning, and would have to act like her hand was still in severe pains. He was not even saying any word to her of where they were going to, he just said he wanted to take her to some place.

To loosen up herself from the suffocated situation in the car and feel better, Aria brought out her phone from the black purse she had with her.

She wasn’t really someone to watch movies in such situations, but she just had to do something that would distract her from the so many thoughts that were gnawing on her. Those that were not even related to Dalton, or being a wife of the Millers.

She chose to watch a comedy video after a while of surfing across the internet, which she found really more funny than the boring ones she had to watch some weeks back.

Maybe it was because she wanted to use it to focus better, but the sides of her cheeks spread wider by the minute as she watched on. And it caught Dalton’s attention.

He was amused to see that even little things like that could make her face brighten up, and that she was unbelievably pretty without any makeup on.

Pure and wildly innocent as she watched with keen interest, she didn’t look hurt or angry like the usual emotions she always had whenever they were together.

He wanted to dilate his eyes as much as he could to take a glimpse of what she was watching, but kept his unbreakable ego that would never allow him to engage in such things he tagged time wasters.

Of all days that he was supposed to be at his company, doing something worthy even if had done weeks worth of work in a few days, he was surprisingly driving the car by himself with a lady beside him while following Alex’s dumb theme.

‘He would definitely kill that assistant of his, if nothing worked out as expected.’

Few minutes later, as Dalton’s eyes were totally fixed on the beautiful but somewhat lonely road that led to their destination, he noticed that he could no longer notice the gestures and movements of the person beside him again. His eyes diverted slightly to the right without turning his head, which made him sure that she was sleeping already.

As he slowed down on driving with his eyes now gazing at her, he studied her sleeping face for a while which was something he had never had a chance to do. The longest time they were together always ended up in fights, that even though he was looking at her intently, she was never looking at him warmly.

His eyes watched every part of her beautiful body and smooth skin, that his breath was caught up in the moment of what he was doing.

The navy blue body-tight gown she was wearing was long enough to cover her thighs and below her knee, but the sexy slit that was designed to it cut up to her thigh area.

He could not fathom in his head how someone who was married, would decide to wear a gown of such without even caring any longer of reputations. Yet, he was fascinated by what he was seeing, until his eyes caught something weird that the clothing barely covered on her thigh.

It was like some sought of incision that had dried up of its deep cutting, but had been slashed across its surface again to make it eye soring. Curiosity got the best of him as his eyes trailed again to her face again, to see her sweating profusely in her sleep in a state of restlessness.

His right hand instinctively found its way close to her right thigh, to slightly raise the dress she was wearing to see what he seemed to not believe.

The moment his hand shifted her dress and his eyes caught a glimpse of the wound on her thigh, she woke up immediately and skillfully jerked his neck to the right like an awakening instinct.

It was a shock for both of them to notice what had happened in split seconds, as she let go of his neck the moment she realized what was going on in the car. However, her face momentarily twisted into a frown of what he was trying to do.

It brought Dalton to a great inward shock. It was as though she was ready from her sleep like a person, ready to strike any predator that was going to try to attack at any point in time. His mind became a mess of thoughts like it always became, anytime he was with her, or his thinking was wired to her.

‘Who was she? What was she? And what was that cut mark he saw inscribed on her body?’