3
As soon as I said this, I prepared to leave. Autumn seemed stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed my dad when she realized what was happening.
“What do you mean? Your credit card is your daughter’s?”
“Yes,” my dad said with a helpless expression. “Lydia is good with finances, so I let her manage my money. She opened a credit card for me, and my expenses are charged to her account.”
Autumn was still a bit confused. Seeing me pick up the gift box from the floor, she quickly pressed her hand on mine.
Her expression was a strange mix of anger and flattery.
“Lydia, it was all a misunderstanding. I actually really like the bag you bought for me!”
<
“Really?” I smiled. “Well, I don’t want to give it to you anymore.”
I pulled the bag away forcefully and waved goodbye to my dad before leaving.
On the drive home, I felt a knot in my chest.
Every time my dad had mentioned Autumn, he’d always praised her non–stop, making me believe she was a genuinely nice person.
But today showed how one bag could reveal her greedy nature. Who knows what other trouble she might cause in the future!
I made up my mind to find an opportunity to talk to my dad alone. This relationship definitely needed careful reconsideration!
Surprisingly, before I could contact him the next day, my dad showed up at my company.
After graduating from college, I had started an investment company with a few friends, and it had been quite successful.
That’s why my dad felt comfortable letting me manage all his savings. He had never come to my company before, saying he didn’t want to interfere with my work.
When I got the news, I rushed to the reception room to find my dad lost in thought on the sofa.
He only snapped out of it when I entered.
“Lydia,” he started to stand up, but I gently pushed him back down. He continued, “Autumn was just in a bad mood yesterday, she didn’t mean anything by it. After you left, she cried for a long time, saying she had said the wrong things. Don’t be like her.”
Seeing my dad still defending Autumn, I felt helpless.
“Dad, I don’t want to interfere with your love life, but you saw it too. One bag was enough to make her start comparing, and now she’s accusing me of living off you and saying hurtful things. If she moves in, will I even be able to come home anymore?”
Hearing this, my dad quickly said, “It’s my fault, all my fault. I hadn’t told her what you do for a living. We cleared everything up last night. She’s a good person, just afraid of being poor and always wanting to live better so others won’t look down on her. But Autumn genuinely likes me, I know that.”
i could see the obvious anxiety on my dad’s face, and it made me feel bad too.
After all these years, my dad had finally found someone he liked, and he had told me more than once that he wanted to marry Autumn.
If it was just a bit of greed, I could handle that. I wasn’t short on money, and she couldn’t cause much trouble even if she tried. At worst, I could just visit less often.
1
Seeing my attitude soften, my dad cheered up visibly. He even suggested having dinner at a restaurant in the city the next evening, saying it was Autumn’s way of apologizing to me.
I reluctantly agreed and had someone escort my dad out.
The next day, I arrived at the restaurant address my dad had sent me and headed straight for the private room.
When the door opened, I saw not only my dad and Autumn but also a short, chubby guy sitting nearby, stuffing his face with food. His eyes lit up when he saw me.
I frowned Instinctively at the presence of a stranger and the fact that they had started eating without me.
Just as my dad was about to speak, Autumn rushed over, pulling me to sit next to her, which was also next to the chubby guy.
“Oh, Lydia, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for you for so long!”
What did she mean by that? Was she implying I was late?
I chuckled and showed her my phone screen. “There was no traffic today, so I got here in fifteen minutes. I didn’t expect this restaurant to ha
D
2:27 PM
<
so efficient, serving all the dishes in just fifteen minutes. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
The screen showed my chat with my dad, where he had told me fifteen minutes ago that they had just arrived and that I shouldn’t rush.
Autumn looked a bit embarrassed and sat back down.
But she quickly thought of something else and enthusiastically said, “Lydia, your dad never told me what you do for a living, which led to my misunderstanding. I had no idea that someone so young could already be the boss of a company. That’s amazing!”
Autumn’s eyes darted around, and she leaned forward, trying to appear intimate.
“Lydia, I heard from your dad that you’re still single, right? A young woman like you should be thinking about marriage! You know what? I have a nephew who’s also single. Why don’t you two get to know each other? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have a double wedding? It would be a double celebration!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the chubby guy next to me reluctantly put down his chopsticks, wiped his greasy mouth with his hands, and grinned at me, extending his hand.
“Hi, I’m Greg. You have a great figure!”
I looked around the table, finally fixing my gaze on my dad, who was avoiding eye contact. Suddenly, I understood what this dinner was all about.
