With someone as powerful as Sonny in the equation, they couldnât afford to anger Luisa.
Instead, they needed to pander to her from now on.
After all, with Sonny as their son-in-law, Coenâs gambling debts could be resolved in the blink of an eye.
And if they were really lucky, they might even find themselves Living comfortably for the rest of their Lives.
It had just been a few minutes since Sonny had revealed his identity, and Coen was already fully invested in his fantasies.
Banking on the fact that he was Luisaâs father, he squared his shoulders and took on the demeanor of a respectable elder.
He gestured for Sonny to come in.
âSonny, if you donât mind the state of our home, we would love for you to come inside so we can sit and talk about this properly.
We canât stand here all day and have the neighbors gawk at us.
It is unsightly.
â
Indeed, as soon as the commotion broke out, all their neighbors from either side had come out of their doors to see what was happening.
âs BunnyBookery
Then, after Sonny introduced himself, even more busybodies came out.
Sonny had impeccable composure.
He glanced briefly at the cramped and dirty room that Coen and Demi called home, and outright refused the invitation.
âNo, thank you.
Luisa is meticulous when it comes to cleanliness.
Iâm afraid your place is not even suitable for a sit-down conversation, Mr.
Ramos.
And I would hate to dirty Luisaâs new dress.
Besides, I dislike unnecessary formalities.
Letâs get straight to the point and settle this once and for all here.
Oh, and, people generally address me as âMr.
Garzaâ.
Iâm not sure I am comfortable with the way you address me, Mr.
Ramos.
â
Coenâs nostrils flared, but he forced himself to keep smiling.
âAh, that shouldnât be any problem.
We shall do as you say, of course.
â
He turned to his wife and said, âDemi, go and pour a glass of water for our esteemed guest.
â
âThereâs no need for that.
â This time, it was Luisa who refused.
â know your dishes are dirty.
How dare you use them to serve my Sonny?â
Coen was mortified.
His daughter, whom he hadnât seen for a year, had suddenly returned with a powerful man on her side.
Instead of revering her father like she always had, she kept attacking him with verbal blows.
âLuisa! Coen scolded her as quietly as he could.
âYou should know better than to speak ill of your own family! What are you trying to do here?â
âShould I?â Luisa countered blandly.
âI wouldnât know, I donât have a mother, and I donât think I have a father since he never taught me anything.
â
Coen was livid.
âAre you cursing your own father? Weâve raised you for almost two decades, and now that youâve climbed up the social ladder, youâre going to turn your back on us?â
Sonny wrapped an arm around Luisaâs waist and pulled her flush to his side.
âLove between family members is never a given.
It is only when a parent showers their child with the proper love and care that the child can be expected to reciprocate it.
When I first met Luisa, she was all by herself, all skin and bones.
I daresay she has every right to say everything she did.
â
Coen sputtered in outrage.
His face darkened.
He did his best to ignore his nosy neighbors, especially when he knew he couldnât defend himself.
Luisa didnât waste any more time and stated her purpose again.
âI came here today to formally sever my ties with you.
We are no Longer father and daughter.
Starting today, you will have nothing to do with my life.
Whether I marry or bear kids is none of your business.
Our relationship ends here, Coen, Demi.
â
The implication, of course, was that the couple shouldnât even think about leeching off her in the future.
Coen went purple with rage.
âImpossible! I will not allow it! Luisa, if you do this, you will be well and truly orphaned.
People will mock you if you marry into the Payne family like this, do you realize that?â
Luisa laughed in his face.
âPlease, did you think having a drunkard for a father, who is constantly on the run from loan sharks, is something to be proud of?â
âIâ¦â Coen couldnât refute her.
His eyes darted back and forth between Luisaâs and Sonnyâs empty hands.
After having no contact with him for over a year, his daughter had returned to inform them of her engagement.
But neither she nor her future husband brought any gifts to show their respect.