68. You Don't Have To

Gerald rose from his seat, pushing the table aside that had been separating them and moving it to the farthest corner. He then slid his chair closer to Ariana.

"I'm not someone who has to be served all the time, Ariana," Gerald began. "But I can't deny that gradually, I have become accustomed to all of this," he confessed.

"Once, I was an independent man, just like you. I lived abroad relying on my own body and mind. Although I don't deny that financially I depended on my father, but when I was a teenager, I found my true identity.

"I stood on my own feet. I started everything from scratch. I mingled with people whose situations were far below mine.

"So don't think that I can't socialize with carpenters, gardeners, or even rickshaw drivers. I mingled with them much longer than I have with socialites these days.

"You need to know, all the socializing with socialites, it's not something I genuinely desire. It's just a demand of the role I'm playing right now.

"Socializing is essen