How worried must the family have been, fretting over whether Dylan would ever get married?
“Yes, Mother.”
Aliza carefully observed the middle-aged woman in front of her. She seemed modest yet exuded elegance.
The siblings must have inherited superior genes from their parents. Dylan was a perfect piece of handsome art, and Gia had a pretty and cute face, even from a woman’s perspective.
“Mother, you’re still so beautiful.”
That was not a mere flattery. Aliza’s words were sincere.
Mariana shyly touched her own face.
“Oh my, thank you. I’ve aged a lot now. I have so many wrinkles on my face.”
“Mother, please drop the formalities.”
“I’m not sure if that’s okay.”
“It’s just that I feel uncomfortable.”
“Is that so? But how do you know Dylan? I’ve never heard that he has a romantic friend.”
Mariana asked cautiously. After taking a sip of her coffee, Aliza calmly replied.
“Did Dylan not mention me at all?”
“Our son is quite taciturn, you see.”
“Dylan can be a bit prickly.”
“That’s true.”
The young woman seemed sociable. She spoke as if she knew a lot about Dylan, which only heightened Mariana’s curiosity about her.
“I’ve been with Dylan since high school. Every time he came in first place, I was so envious and annoyed. I could never beat him until graduation.”
“Oh, really?”
“I was jealous of Dylan. He’s a genius and good at everything.”
That was something Mariana heard quite often. Gia also used to say it as a habit, so Mariana didn’t find it surprising at all.
“Then you must have studied really well too.”
“I was always second place.”
“Second place is still impressive.”
“Still, I wanted to be first at least once.”
“Oh dear! That must have been disappointing.”
“It was very disappointing.”
Aliza shrugged her shoulders lightly as if still regretting it.
“But it seems like you came to meet Dylan today, but he’s still far from coming back. What should we do?”
Mariana looked up at the wall clock with a worried expression. Aliza waved her hand lightly.
“No, Mother. I came to meet you today.”
“You came to see me?”
Mariana, puzzled, pointed to her chest with her finger and asked. Aliza smiled brightly and nodded.
“I respected you, Mother. Honestly, Dylan does everything so well. And Gia graduated from a good medical school. So many kids were curious about what Dylan’s parents were like back in school.”
Dylan graduated from a prestigious law school, and Gia also attended a top-tier medical school. With that kind of background, Mariana and Zach could have boasted about it, but they were always humble and never made a fuss.
“Oh my! Do you know our Gia, too?”
“Yes, I’ve even had meals with Gia.”
Aliza told a bold-faced lie without batting an eye. She wanted to quickly become close to the middle-aged woman in front of her.
“Mother, I’ve been living abroad for a long time, so I just returned not long ago. I didn’t know what you might like, so I hope you’ll accept this, even if it’s not to your taste.”
Aliza said politely, extending the fruit basket and shopping bag towards Mariana. Mariana gratefully accepted the fruit basket but returned the shopping bag without even checking its contents.
“Take this back. I’ll just accept your kind intentions.”
“Mother, then I’ll feel disappointed.”
“I’m just uncomfortable with it.”
With a gentle but firm refusal, Aliza could no longer insist.
“Yes. I’ll do that. Mother, can I come to visit often in the future?”
Since she was a woman Mariana didn’t know well, she couldn’t answer right away. Just then, Aliza stood up.
“It was an honor to meet you today, and I felt really good. Thank you, Mother.”
“I hope my hospitality wasn’t too lacking.”
“No, Mother. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Mariana saw Aliza off to the front gate out of courtesy.
“Mother, please go inside quickly.”
As she watched Aliza’s back as she turned to leave, Mariana felt a strange sensation.
If it had been in the past, she would have been very happy if a woman had come to visit saying she knew Dylan. But now, since Dylan was dating Lola, it was suspicious for a woman whose face she didn’t know to suddenly show up. She instinctively felt uneasy. Thinking she should call Dylan to ask, Mariana moved towards the entrance.
