Yolanda, arm in arm with Zachary, strutted to the fifth row of the audience seats, casually introducing him as her fiancé to the folks around.
1 Zachary didnât plan to show up, but after some hemming and hawing outside, he finally decided that it wouldnât make any sense if he, as a fiancé, didnât attend his brideâtoâbeâs award ceremony.
So, he bit the bullet and came.
Despite his reluctance, he still greeted everyone with grace and charm when Yolanda introduced him.
His conduct undoubtedly added a touch of dignity to the Murphy family, making Attlee and Olga swell with pride.
Mrs. Bright, on the other hand, sneakily whipped out her phone and texted Mrs. Panter, âYou really know how to keep a secret, eh? Why didnât you spill the beans about Zachary and Yoliâs romance? If I hadnât bumped into them in the audience, I wouldnât have known you already had a daughterâinâlaw in the making!â
At that time, Mrs. Panter was enjoying her morning tea. The message almost made her choke. She quickly replied, âWhat?â
She had warned her son multiple times in the past few days not to chase after that Murphy girl, but the knucklehead didnât listen.
All talk and no action, truly!
âItâs the National Piano Competition award ceremony! My daughter got fifth place, so I tagged along.
Never expected Yoli to bag second! You really have a good eye.â
Feeling suffocated, Mrs. Panter quickly replied, âWhereâs this ceremony? Iâll swing by.â
âYolanda didnât invite you?â Mrs. Bright teased, âThey seem pretty cozy.â
Right now, Yolanda was sweetly holding onto Zacharyâs arm, and whispering something into his ear.
Zachary listened and gave a chuckle.
The scene was pictureâperfect.
Mrs. Panter was about to blow her top, âothing is set yet, itâs just childâs play.â
âHuh?â Mrs. Bright was taken aback, âBut their parents seem pretty serious about iâ
âWell, you know, a lot of folks want to tie the knot with the Panter family.â
Only then did Mrs. Bright realize that the Panter family parents hadnât agreed to this match, yet they were advertising it far and wide.
While Zachary was watching the hostâs opening remarks with Yolanda; his phone buzzed. It was a message from his Mom.
âAre you trying to send me to an early grave? Iâve told you time and time again to break up with that girl! But you never listen!â
âFine! You may as well marry into the Murphy family! Consider yourself disowned! If youâre so fond of her, donât bother coming home ever again!â
Zachary was astonished. Zachary read his motherâs message, and he was puzzled as to how she knew he was thereâ¦
He looked around. Except for the parents of the Murphy family, he didnât recognize anyone else.
This was weird.
âMom, Iâll be home soon; donât be mad,â Zachary didnât really want to be there, he just wanted to be there for Yolanda, otherwise, it would feel like something was missing.
Yolanda, who was close enough to see the conversation on his phone, felt a stab of disappointment.
But she couldnât show it, so she gently said, âIs that your mom asking you to come home? If so, you should go. Donât worry about me.â