""Ma, "Pa, meet Jenna," Dex introduced her to his parents.
Despite the urge to jab his stomach, she put a reluctant smile on her face. She can"t believe that he will bring her to his mansion to beintroduce to his parents when they were not even friends.
From the time they stepped in the mansion, Romulo and Elvira were all smiles. In all honesty, they both look kind unlike what she thought his parents were sn.o.bs and the like, since they were so wealthy. Elvira kissed her on the cheeks and Romulo shook her hand.
"She"s my fiancee," Dex continued. Jennafei dropped her jaw.
Even his parents dropped their jaws. While Dex was very cool and placed his hands around her shoulder.
Elvira caught her breath first. She"s still obviously in shock but slowly smiled. "R-really?"
Romulo came next. "If that"s the case, welcome to the family, hija." He shook her hand again. Elvira even hugged her. She was like a robot responding to them.
"I want us to get married next month. And I want it to be grand."
"Right away? We don"t have enough time to prepare for a grand wedding," Romulo said worriedly.
"Dont worry, Romy, I will take five wedding planners. We"ll rush everything but we"ll make sure that everything will be beautiful and in order. How about engagement first, hijo?"
"Okay, engagement first."
Elvira held Dex"s hand. Jennafei finally recovered from shock. "Oh, hija, I think we need to know more about you because you"ll soon be our daughter-in-law."
She was about speak to disagree with Dex"s statement but he spoke first.
"She"s a famous journalist and a TV magazine show host."
"Really? I"m sorry, hija. I don"t know about your show. I am not updated with what"s happenin in the country."
"Which is understandable because you were never here." Dex spoke to Jennafei. "Ask my mom about what"s happening in Paris and London, she"ll answer you in a tick."
His mother did not react to the side comment, she noticed.
"Have you eaten? I think this calls for a celebration. Let"s celebrate outside." Romulo grabbed his cellphone from his pocket. "I"ll call up Shangri-La. I will reserve for four of us."
"No need, Pa. Let"s just stay here in the house. Jenna and I ate already at their home. So let"s just have wine." He called for a maid and had them serve wine.
Jennafei just went with the flow but she told to herself that he will face her wrath after this. In presence of his parents, she noticed how he treated his parents and how his parents treated him. What he said about his parents were true. It"s true that whatever he wishes for, they will grant without a single grunt.
And now that Dex suddenly took a woman home and announced that he wants to get married, they accepted the news, no questions asked.
"Why the h.e.l.l did you do that?" Jennafei furiously asked when they got out of the mansion. "I can"t believe that you can even play with your parents this way."
"Did you see that?" He snorted. "I told you, they always do what I want. They don"t question my requests. They just give it."
She gave him an incredulous look. "You put on that show just to show me how they follow your whims without questions nor any disagreement?"
Dex started the engine. "Yeah. What can you say?"
Jennafei noticed the sarcasm from his tone of voice which she understood that was pertaining to his unordinary situation. "You"re being pampered like a king. I can"t believe that there are parents like them. A lot of kids wish they have parents like them."
"Do you wish to have them as parents?"
"I won"t exchange my parents to any other parents in this world."
It was a long while before Dex answered. "They are like that because they are guilty. Because they always leave me on my own. They are both busy with their own lives and their own families."
"What? O-own families?"
Dex nodded without leaving his eyes on the road.
"Your parents are separated?"
"Yeah. Are you surprised?" He smirked bitterly. "I was thirteen when I found out I really don"t have a family. My parents separated when I was just five years old. Even before, when they were not yet separated, they both were always flying outside the country managing their own businesses. I was raised by a nanny. When I started having my own mind, I figured out that my parents don"t love each other. It was only marriage of convenience. They were able to hide it from public with their influence. They were even able to hide their annulment so n.o.body knew they were annulled. They wanted to keep their names, Peralta and Romero clean. They now both have their own spouses in other countries. I have two half siblings whom I haven"t even seen."
Jennafei was astounded from what she learned about Dex.
"They left me with my yaya while they were in other countries, returning back once in a while to take care of their business here and to check on me. I was thirteen when I discovered my mom married someone else in the States. I was fifteen when dad married also. I did not go with mom when she asked me. She did not insist maybe because she knew that I will only be a hindrance in her new life. I opted to stay here and live alone. Until today, I"m still here by my self, my parents only visit me when they need to go here to take care of their businesses. Everybody thinks that I have everything but what they don"t know is that… I don"t have the most important thing in a person"s life… a family.
"When I saw your family. I knew you were happy. That"s why I thought of living in your house. I wanted to see how do you live your lives s a whole family. I want to see how a family does… because I haven"t seen one. I don"t know what happy family does because I haven"t experienced it before. I want to experience to be in a family."
Jennafei was moved. She saw bitterness in his face. She felt the heartache he was feeling. She fought the urge to hug and comfort him.
"You"re lucky you have parents like them, a family like that. You don"t have what I abundantly have, but you are happy "cause you have a happy family."
"I"m sorry…" Was all she was able to utter.
That was the reason why Dex was so secretive pertaining his personal life. That"s why Dex treated his parents that way. All their insufficiency, they all fill by the use of money.
So that"s why his parents always follow his whims. They don"t have the right to oppose his whims since that"s the only thing they can provide to their child they left on his own, who grew up without a family.
She understood why Dex never believed in love. He grew up in a home with no love.