CHAPTER 2

After the mother-daughter talk, Olivia called for a family meeting. Olivia and Amelia were seated in their sumptuous living room waiting for the other family members to join them for the meeting.

Olivia was stroking her kitten that was resting lazily on her lap while Amelia was busy on her phone.

Although a barrage was brewing in her mind, she kept her face void of any emotion. Olivia Romano was known for her viciousness and lavish-obsessed life.

She has always been an egocentric person. Her family repetition and her luxurious life is everything to her, and she would do anything to keep it that way.

Gabriel put the teapot in front of her along with her favorite snacks. With a snap of her finger, she dismissed him.

Gabriel was about to walk away when Amelia's cousins arrived. They glanced at him with revulsion and walked past him. Gabriel took a deep breath and took a step to walk away.

“Hey, you clean my room. I will stay here for a few days,” Amelia's cousin, Adam, said.

“Yes sir,” Gabriel answered while gazing at the polished floor.

“Bring me my salad and blueberry juice with five raspberries and two cubes of ice,” Amelia's other cousin, tristiny said while taking off her expensive glasses.

“Yes, ma'am,” Gabriel nodded.

“Don't mess with my order this time. We would rather not repeat last time's mistake, right,”? Tristiny mocked.

Gabriel shuddered as the last time memories hit him like a truck, but he quickly shook it off. Muttering a small yes, he went to the kitchen.

Gabriel quickly took out all the required ingredients and started making the salad. He was halfway making the salad when a maid entered the kitchen.

Gabriel offered her a kind smile, but she rolled her eyes at him. Quickly making everything, he took the tray to the living room.

“Free-loader,” a maid taunted him as he was passing by her in the hallway. Gabriel's heart sting, but he shook the feelings away. By now, he is used to all of these, but it still hurts him.

On the other hand, in the living room, everyone was sitting in complete quietness. Olivia has told them about the betrayal of Mr. corrigan. She also informed them about the marriage proposal.

Olivia and Amelia silently wished for any of her cousins to agree to the marriage. Although, they don't like Gabriel and consider him a burden. They can't neglect the fact that he is handsome and well-mannered.

Mrs. Morotti's son was an ugly and fat man. He was a total douchebag. Free-loading on his parents' money and bonking anything with a hole. Rumors are that he is even got one of the maid pregnant, but nobody cared because he is from a well-known family.

“So, what would we do,”? Adam asked, finally lifting his head from his phone.

“We have to accept the marriage proposal. It's not like we have any other option presently,” Olivia said bitterly.

“Who's going to marry that ugly prude,”? Asked Charlotte, tristiny's mother.

Everyone's eyes wandered to Amelia and then to tristiny. They all were thinking the same thing. They all refused to be the bait, but secretly they all wanted his money. They all have their secret ways to grab money from him if anyone from Romano's got married to him.

“Oh no on… I'm not going to marry that cripple ugly creature,” tristiny said, standing up.

“Tristiny,” Charlotte said in a warning tone.

“No mom. I can't marry him. I love someone else,” tristiny exclaimed.

“Who,”? Adam said, standing up.

“That I can't tell you now but, my boyfriend is rich, and he can help us with our business in the future,” tristiny said smugly. She glowers at Amelia.

Tristiny has always been jealous of Amelia. Amelia is the most beautiful and astute in the Romano family. Everyone praises her for her beauty and her shrewd nature.

Tristiny was happy that for the first time she has something way better than Amelia.

“ I think Amelia should marry him,” Kyla said with a bored tone while examining her perfectly done nails. Kyla is tristiny sister and a total brat.

“Excuse me,”? Amelia said, acting baffled.

Although, she has already thought about this marriage proposal. She would rather not appear too indigent or eager. She was kind and shrewd, but she vetoed being any less than her other cousins.

“Kyla is right,” tristiny said, siding with her sister.

All of Amelia's cousins were jealous of her. They were the black sheep of the Romano family. They were covetous of her beauty and her smartness. Furthermore, they wanted to destroy her, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it.

“She's married if you are forgetting it,” Olivia said with gritted teeth.

“I think my daughters are right, Olivia,” Charlotte said, standing up.

“And what marriage are you talking about? What has this marriage given her,”? Charlotte taunts her with an evil smirk.

“A good-for-nothing loser,” tristiny coughed, and all of them burst out laughing.

“I'm sorry, Amelia, dear. I want the best for you, but if you had found someone more suitable for you like my tristiny did, then maybe the situation would have been different,” Charlotte said with a fake smile.

“Not everyone can get the prince charming, mom,” tristiny heckled with a forgery smile.

Amelia tightened her fist and gritted her teeth. She was boiling from inside but kept her cool. She faked a smile and stood up firmly.

“I agree to this marriage,” she announced, and Olivia gasped in surprise.

Everyone was surprised at her announcement, but deep down they were happy and satisfied that now she will marry that ugly man.

“But I have a condition,” Amelia said firmly.

“Oh come on, Amelia, what more do you want,” tristiny taunted.

“Yeah, you already have two handsome men on your tail,” Kyla winked at her.

Amelia ignored them and turned to her family.

“I want 30% of shares for my mom and one million dollars for Gabriel,” Amelia declared openly.

Everyone was shocked at her demand. Tristiny and Kyla gritted their teeth. This wasn't what they were expecting.

“What will that prude do with one million dollars,” Adam said irritatedly.

“Yeah, dear. I'm sure he didn't even see that much money in his entire life,” Charlotte said with bogus sweetness.

“This is my condition. If you agree to this, then I agree to marry him or tristiny or Kyla can marry him,” Amelia disparaged with phony sweetness.

Amelia knew they won't acquiesce to this marriage, and she will get her cash on hand. Everyone was still shocked and angry but, nonetheless, they agreed to her condition.

“Okay, we agree,” Charlotte declared.

“I don't agree,” someone shouted.