thanks for wasting our time today I understand this is a marriage proposal but we don't approve please give up and go home now that's what his mom said to me when we went to his family's house to announce our engagement she gave me a cold glare and spoke down to me like I didn't belong I knew from the start that his parents didn't like me but I couldn't turn back I took a deep breath BRAC myself and introduce myself anyway my name is Cheryl I'm 29 years old and I work in the general affairs Department
of a Manufacturing Company I've been dating my boyfriend James since last year he's four years older than me and we work in the same Department James has a gentle look and his kindness shows whenever he smiles that's what made me fall in love with him we both live on our own so we often spend time at each other's places and enjoy weekends together we've built a happy relationship my parents live nearby so I take James to their house often they really like him and whenever he visits they go all out with meals James and my
dad get along great and I thought everything would go smoothly when we got married but James had always hesitated to introduce me to his parents when I asked him why he looked uncomfortable could you wait a little longer my parents aren't like yours I wish I had grown up with parents like yours he said with a sad expression I wondered if he had issues with his family but I decided to give him time I wasn't in a hurry to get married so I figured it would be better for him to open up when he was
ready but things don't always go as planned one holiday James and I were on our way to our favorite restaurant when something unexpected happened as the staff showed us to our table James suddenly seemed nervous and fidgety what's wrong I asked noticing how tense he was he looked away Unsure how to explain clearly struggling to find the words I felt nervous at that moment wondering if I had done something wrong just then a woman in her 53s came over to our table and spoke to James cheerfully oh James I haven't heard from you in a
while I was wondering what you were up to she said she then turned to look at me her eyes narrowing as if she was judging me she had downturned eyes that made it seem like she was glaring her hair was neatly tied back which made her sharp eyes stand out even more as I gave her a confused look she let out a little laugh but it wasn't friendly are you really spending time with someone like her James you're such a good kid if you don't like it you need to tell her otherwise girls like her
won't get the message she said James's face tightened in Anger he glared at the woman and firmly said I won't allow you to insult her but the woman gave me a cold look and said it's a shame my son has been tricked by a girl like you leave him alone right now after that she went to the cashier paid her bill and left the diner what just happened I asked still in shock James replied in a low voice that was my mother a few years ago because of her I had to end a relationship with
someone I was thinking of marrying she didn't want to marry me because of my mom's behavior I began to understand why she had acted that way James continued if you choose to stay with me there will be a lot of challenges maybe we should break up now don't worry I'll keep things professional at work and I'll make sure it doesn't cause you any trouble he looked really upset and it pained me to see him like that but I calmly said I still want to be with you James do you really want to end things with
me James seemed surprised by my words you know what my mother is like if you marry me she will be a burden to you I don't mind I think that's part of marriage and we don't have to live with her right if it becomes an issue I'll ask for a transfer at work and we can move far away I said James stared at me deeply considering my words and I gave him a reassuring smile then I feel better about it is it strange if I propose to you right now he asked a wave of warmth
rushed through me and I could feel my face turning red are you serious I asked feeling a bit embarrassed yes of course I want to spend my life with you I said my cheeks growing hot I feel a bit like you've beat me to it but I'm really happy I want to be with you forever James said with a smile and I finally felt relieved after that we decided to tell my parents about our engagement they were thrilled and asked how we decided to get married I knew we'd have to mention James's mom at some
point but we tried to avoid the topic by pretending to be shy however my mother wouldn't let it go so have you already met James's parents or is that still in the Works she asked James and I were caught off guard no I don't plan to tell my parents about the wedding James said causing my mom to gasp in Surprise why not she asked shocked because I know they won't approve of our marriage James explained at that point my father gave us a serious look that's not acceptable marriage is the joining of two families your
mother would be heartbroken if she found out you got married without her knowing you both should at least meet with them once if they still refuse come talk to us and we'll support you my dad's words were strong and comforting but James still looked worried I'm fine I said with a smile hoping to put him at ease I thought that if we couldn't get past this challenge we wouldn't be able to find real happiness together later James told his parents that I would be coming to introduce myself they didn't seem excited but he was able
to set up the meeting anyway James's father was a CEO and they lived in a big house with a large yard when I stepped in a big dog started barking James smiled and petted the dog's chin calming him down and then the dog let me pet him too while we were playing with the dog the front door opened and his parents came out his mother had a sharp look that made her seem intimidating and his father looked just as Stern as he stared down at me don't touch our dog you're disgusting were the first words
his father said to me without even a hello he started scolding me right away and I felt really uncomfortable how dare you talk to her like that if you keep acting like this I won't hesitate to cut ties with you James said firmly his parents gave me angry looks but didn't say anything else unpleasant after that they invited us into the house as we walked in I found it a little strange looking at James's face you'd think he's a kind person because of his gentle eyes but he didn't look anything like his father his mother
had upturned eyes but he didn't take after her either sometimes traits skip a generation or kids don't look like their parents at all so I decided not to think too much about it once inside as I was looking around a middle-aged man in a suit appeared Mr Eric welcome home young Master he said bowing to greet James he had a kind smile that was contagious and I couldn't help but smile back it's been a while miss Mr Eric James said youve grown up so much young Master Mr Eric replied smiling warmly at James it was
the first time I saw James truly smile since we arrived then James introduced me to him this is Mr Eric my father's right-hand man honestly he's more like a father to me than my real dad my father never paid much attention to me so Mr Eric was the one who took care of me you're the boss's son I was just doing my job Mr Eric said modestly but you've always had a soft spot for me haven't you James added with a smile I like you more than my Father James joked with a chuckle his laugh
making me smile for the first time in what felt like forever as we were talking his mother suddenly stormed in from the back of the house Cheryl what do you think you're doing get over here now she yelled angrily she shot a harsh look at Mr Eric what are you doing here slacking off how many times s have I told you to stay away from Cheryl I'll make sure my husband knows about this now get back to work Mr Eric nodded and replied I understand I'll do as you say he then left the room I
couldn't help but wonder if being the CEO's secretary meant you had to deal with orders from the wife at home two James glared at his mother and spoke up why do you always treat Mr Eric so poorly how can you be so rude to someone who's worked so hard for Dad quiet you should just listen to your parents I'll handle that man now both of you come over here we followed her to the living room where James and I sat on the sofa across from his parents his mother was the first to speak thanks for
wasting our time today I understand you're here to get our blessing but we don't approve of this marriage just give up and go home she said coldly I was ready for the rude comments so they didn't bother me as much as they could have I calmly responded no thank you for making time to meet with us James and I love each other and it's natural for two people in love to get married don't you think father mother I smiled politely but my mother-in-law let out an exaggerated sigh you really don't understand marriage do you she
said with a mocking tone since our last meeting I've looked into you you're a very average woman graduated from an ordinary School working at a small company despite having no real skill you've managed to trap my James haven't you do you really think someone like you is a good match for our family in marriage what matters is a good match mom James interrupted Cheryl and I work at the same company doing the same job if you think she's not good enough then neither am I we are a perfect match you're different James his mother snapped
back there must be a reason you chose that company but this woman didn't have any other choice and she added with a to smirk turning her sharp gaze toward me it seems like you come from a poor family after our money are you my blood boiled at my mother-in-law's comments I had promised myself I wouldn't let anything she said get to me but when she insulted my parents I couldn't hold back I snapped don't assume we're poor oh what's wrong with telling the truth she sneered you live in an old rundown house that's over 53
years old and drive a car from a decade ago did I strike a nerve I'm just saying what's obvious this is why I can't stand poor people my family home was built by my great-grandfather a carpenter it's special to us and as for the car we like it and take good care of it that doesn't make us poor you did your research right so you must know what my parents do for a living I responded trying to stay calm yes I know your father is a university professor and your mother is High School teacher they
have respectable jobs but there's still a big difference between our families she replied James is going to take over his father's business one day don't think for a second that the daughter of mere Educators is good enough to marry my son she laughed loudly clearly enjoying herself just then James stood up his face normally gentle had turned into something I had never seen before cold and Furious this is pointless I'm cutting ties with you I can't forgive you for insulting someone I care about Cheryl let's go there's no reason to stay here anymore he said
grabbing my hand as we left the house I'm sorry he said quietly as we walked away I'll explain everything to your parents please don't say you won't marry me I nodded unable to speak we went straight to my parents house and told them what had happened James had anticipated something like this might happen so he had brought a voice recorder everything his mother said was recorded after listening my parents thought for a moment and then spoke yes the way his mother talked was awful but you two are giving up too easily we'll help you come
up with a plan so keep preparing for the wedding my father said if you've both decided to marry you don't need their approval but it would still be better if you could get James's parents blessing my mother added calmly hearing their words gave us hope and we nodded in agreement we decided to leave the situation with James's parents to my family and focus on planning our future together 2 months later my parents called us and James and I visited my family home when we arrived we saw James's parents and Mr Eric sitting around a small
table as we joined them the room felt a bit crowded I thought James's parents might make rude comments again but they stayed quiet my father was the one who filled Us in on what had been discussed while we were away James's parents looked into our family so we decided to do some investigating as well my father began his parents married 32 years ago after his mother became pregnant at that time his father had just started his company Mr Eric who was an ordinary employee back then supported his father with dedication as my father continued James
interrupted that's all well known in our family Mr Eric started as a regular employee but was promoted to my father's personal assistant because of his hard work my mother mostly raised me on her own while my father struggled to manage the company it seems Mr Eric supported not just my dad but my mom too my father nodded acknowledging James's words then he said Mr Eric did indeed support your family with great dedication now let me shift the conversation a bit I'm a genetic researcher at the University genetically children inherit half of their DNA from each
parent even if a child looks very different from their parents they still receive half of their jeans from each one James gave my father a puzzled look and I was also confused about where he was going with this my usually calm father had a serious expression as he addressed James's parents please listen carefully I hired a detective to conduct a background check on your family your father works hard and Mr Eric has always been there to help your mother is fully devoted to housework it's quite admirable but when when I looked at your family photos
something didn't add up neither of your parents have a Widow's Peak but you James do this trade is dominant meaning a child with a Widow's Peak can only inherit it from a parent who also has one and don't you think James looks quite a bit like Mr Eric especially with the drooping eyes and Widows Peak that's why I called your parents here today to discuss this as my father finished explaining James looked at his parents and Mr Eric in shock unsure of what to say I am a French teacher just like my mother and I'm
good at French I never noticed anything different about their foreheads and even if I did I'm no expert in genetics after a long silence James's father finally spoke 40 years ago I was so focused on my work that I neglected my family completely then my wife told me she was pregnant what she didn't know was that I had been hiding my infertility from her when I found out about her Affair I was Furious and she was just as angry at me for keeping my infertility a secret after a huge argument I told her that if
I raised her child as my own I would forgive her in return she promised to forgive me for hiding the truth I made Mr Eric my personal assistant to keep him close hoping to stop any further Affair between them after spilling everything James's father sat there looking empty as if all the life had drained from him meanwhile James's mother started to cry I loved Mr Eric I wanted to raise James with him she sobbed James is a precious child I had with the man I truly loved I can't let him marry someone I don't even
know I absolutely won't allow this marriage as she wiped her tears and glared at me James gave her a cold disgusted look I've always known dad that you never truly loved me and I felt mom's strange obsession with me for years I even wish sometimes that Mr Eric was my real father but now hearing all of this you three are disgusting Mom I don't want to see you as my parents anymore even if Mr Eric is my biological father I won't acknowledge Him either I won't forgive any of you I'm cutting ties with all of
you and marrying into Cheryl's family James said firmly at his words his mother jumped up clinging to him crying no James you can't your mom fine I won't let you go especially not to some common girl we can live together I'll allow your marriage but don't say you're leaving us as she grabbed onto James's arm I swatted her hand away ma'am please stop James is clearly uncomfortable do you even realize how much pain you've caused him probably not because all you care about is yourself if you had just betrayed your husband to be with Mr
Eric that's one thing but you've continued to deceive James and hurt him for years I didn't want to say anything at first because it's a matter between you three but I can't just sit here and let you ruin James's happiness why don't you put his happiness first if you don't like me that's fine but if you're only trying to control him you're failing as a mother from now on I'll make James happy so please don't stand in our way after I said that his mother started crying again calling me cruel but Mr Eric was there
to comfort her we decided to talk about the future later a few days later James's parents officially apologized to us and my parents they finally accepted our marriage and James and I turned in our marriage certificate James moved into my house and we started our life together in the end James's father couldn't forgive his wife's Affair even though it was too late to ask for compensation they divorced and split their assets Mr Eric also resigned and moved far away with James's mother her luxurious life came to an end and she was forced to live the
kind of life she always looked down on she sometimes sends letters asking James for money but he ignores them he has cut all ties with his father since they aren't biologically related and he has no intention of becoming Mr Eric's adopted son legally he's still his father's son but they seem to have accepted that after Mr Eric resigned and James's mother was no longer around to support him the performance of James's father's company dropped he stepped down and no one knows where he went after that a year after marrying James I noticed that his parent
house was up for sale we had a small wedding ceremony given the complicated family issues and only invited close family and relatives even so it was a special day and I was happy with how it turned out now we have been blessed with a beautiful daughter and I've quit my job to focus on raising her my parents visit occasionally to help take care of her which is a big help James and I are committed to supporting each other and raising our daughter with love