Chapter 3.

Dominik POV.

The trip in the car was silent, my parents were next to me in the same car, but none of them said a single word. As usual, even in silence, it's my mother who manages to keep the whole atmosphere in tension, it's amazing how even without having to say a word, she manages to keep my father and me in that bad state; I guess it's her greatest skill after all.

Moving forward through the hectic late afternoon traffic, when there are many traffic jams, due to all the employees of the company buildings around the business area of this city leaving their jobs to go home. We finally manage to get out of the mess of the downtown streets and head along the main highway towards the northern area of the city, where the houses of the average families are located, in the suburbs, where the middle-class families live.

As we slowly make our way into this area, out of the corner of my eye I can see my mother wrinkle her nose slightly in disdain. She doesn't usually come to any of these places, and what's more, I think she comes to despise the families who live here and diminishes them for their lifestyle. I guess she won't be happy that my future wife lives in an area like this.

My whole family lives in the southern part of the city, where the most expensive houses are and the wealthy families live, in their large mansions and luxury cars, where there are guards constantly patrolling the streets and security cameras watch for crime. In a vulgar way, my whole family lives in the rich area of the city, the only people I've ever hung out with, and the ones I secretly despise the most.

Suddenly entering one of those colorful streets in this area in the suburbs, with houses that have nice gardens with colorful flowers in the front and a beautiful facade painted in vibrant colors, I look through one of the windows that after passing some of these colorful houses, we finally stop in front of one of the gardens of one of the homes. This home is beautiful, with its green lawns and well-kept facade, I dare to think that a happy family lives here, spending their holidays barbecuing and going fishing on the weekends. You know, the typical image of happy families in the movies.

All a dream for me.

Letting my bodyguards get out of the cars first, making sure the place is safe for my whole family, I finally allow my parents to get out of the car in the same way, and then I also get down in the driveway in front of that nice house. In an equally luxurious car that parks behind the car that brought my family and me, I watch as my lawyer and more bodyguards get out, ending the whole procession of people who were supposed to accompany us for this visit.

In an obvious way, we are all observed by the people who are passing through the street at that moment, it must not be usual to see these neighborhood people wearing such expensive clothes and getting out of such luxurious cars in that neighborhood. So trying to pretend I don't notice, while I smooth my black suit jacket, I try not to see all the people passing by on the street and staring at us.

Following my lawyer and my parents, we go into that beautiful green lawn garden that house has, approaching the front door, knocking on it with light force. On the mailbox of the house, I can read the name "Miller", which is surely the surname of that modest family. When they find out how many people have stepped on their well-kept lawn, they won't be very happy, and I think that's funny.

It doesn't take many seconds before someone opens the door for us, keeping my distance as I stand behind my parents and my lawyer, I can only watch as the door opens and a small figure peers out.

"Who are you looking for?" I hear a very sweet voice ask, belonging to a very small girl.

"Is your father home?" my lawyer asks, without a hint of pity or sweetness in his voice, despite knowing he is facing a little girl.

Hearing hurried footsteps, on what I think is a very low-quality wooden floor because of the noise it makes with the footsteps, I soon observe how another man peeks through the door, taking in his arms a little girl, the one who had opened the door for us. This man appears to be in his fifties, with black-framed glasses adorning his face and a bald spot beginning to show on his temples, wearing a cheap brown shirt and somewhat worn jeans. Upon seeing us, this man smiles nervously, surely he wasn't expecting our visit at all.

"I told you not to open the door to strangers," the man said, scolding the little girl in his arms.

"But they rang the bell and you were taking too long!" Replied the girl crossing her arms in annoyance, pouting tenderly.

Even though we all witnessed that 'heartwarming' scene, none of us smiled, just remained serious in front of the man at the door.

Seeing our faces full of seriousness, he smiles again with visible nervousness, asking, "Can I help you with anything?"

Speaking first and taking a document from the briefcase he had with him, my lawyer replies, "We are here to talk with Mr. Evian Miller."

Taking the document with some discomfort, as he was still holding his daughter, the man replied: "Yes, that's me, what are you looking for me for?

"We come on behalf of the Meyer family, to enforce the last will and wishes of Mr. Derick Meyer and Evian Meyer Sr." explained my lawyer, without softening his tone of voice for a second.

Reading the document now in his hands with great attention, I can see how the man at the door soon changes his countenance, becoming much more serious and even worried.

"Is this a marriage proposal?" the man asked, very surprised.

"If you let us in, we will explain everything you need to know, and all the legal implications of the document you are holding, for you and your family it is something of great importance" Said my lawyer, without showing even a sign of friendliness.

The man at the door hesitates slightly, but after considering for a few seconds, he finally steps aside at the door, allowing us all to enter. Walking into his house I realize that I was not mistaken in my perception of this place, with the cheap hardwood floors and the family photos hanging on the walls of the stairs. Just looking at what's in here makes me want to vomit.

"Step this way, please," The man asks us, directing us to the living room in his house.

As I do, my mother stares at everything in her path with slight disdain, as we make our way to the modest living room of the house. There are many of us, including my parents, my lawyer, my bodyguards, and me; so we don't all fit on the couches in the living room, forcing my bodyguards to stand at the back of the room.

After we enter the living room, it doesn't take long for the other members of the nice suburban family to arrive, the loving mother dressed in a kitchen apron and a boy looking like a rap artist; I start to worry about what kind of person my future wife will be...

The loving mother seems surprised to see so many strangers in her "beautiful" house, so looking for her husband she tries to ask him for explanations. And the man, with a much more serious countenance than the one he had when we arrived at his house, approaches his wife and in whispers tells her something that we cannot hear, while he shows her the document that my lawyer gave him. The woman soon changes her countenance to a more frightened one as well, as she reads the document and looks at us out of the corner of her eye.

In the middle of all this silent tension, another person appears in the house, an old woman who slowly comes out of the kitchen, staring at my parents with a frightened face. The loving grandmother of the house has arrived, should we celebrate?

"Mom, do you know what this is?" asks the father of the family, walking up to the old woman with the document in his hands.

Lowering her head, the old woman takes the document between her fingers but doesn't say a word. While all the rest of the Miller family also approach the old woman exalted, starting to ask for explanations and arguing among themselves.

Seeing them makes me smile slightly. Seeing them so upset and out of control increases my happiness and gives me a better mood in a situation as unpleasant as this.

I guess they are not going fishing this weekend.