Mr. Badass ✔

27 The Miserable Rich People

Gemma's POV.

Judging by their appearance, the couple on the left are Jacob's parents, while the couple and young girl on the right seem to be a family.

"Jacob, why are you so late? We've been waiting for so long!" Jacob's mother, a well-dressed lady, stands up, complaining to her son while giving me a somewhat unwelcome look. "And this is...?"

"My girlfriend, Gemma," Jacob says, completely ignoring the angry expressions of the people seated at the table. He pulls out a chair for me to sit down and leans in, pretending to whisper something affectionately in my ear.

What they don't know is that Jacob is actually saying, "Please, Gemma."

"When did you get a girlfriend?" Jacob's father asks.

"If you paid even a little attention to your son's life, you would have noticed," Jacob responds sarcastically.

The atmosphere suddenly turns cold.

I happen to be sitting directly across from Jacob's father, and I can't help but stare at this man, who appears to be in his fifties.

"Is there something on my dad's face? You keep staring at him," Jacob asks.

"Your dad... looks familiar," I say quietly. I think I've seen him in a finance magazine.

"He's the chairman of a coffee chain. The store I work at is one of its branches."

I widen my eyes in shock. "You never told me that."

No wonder he performed so poorly at the store, yet the manager never fired him.

"Well, I'm telling you now," Jacob smiles. "My dad, the chairman of a coffee chain, and my mom comes from a political family. They marriage is a business marriage and I'm the only child of this family."

Jacob then turns to his parents and says, "See? My girlfriend is with me just for who I am, not for material reasons or anything else. We're in true love."

"Shut up! Do you even know what you're saying?" Jacob's father bursts out in anger. "I will never allow you to marry a woman of unknown background like her!"

"Unknown background? Just say it directly—you only want me to marry into a rich family," Jacob leans back in his chair, spreads his arms, and smiles sarcastically.

Playing along with Jacob's performance, I seriously consider my family's situation and then look up. "Sir, my family isn't that poor, actually. I've already paid off my student loans, although I'm still working on the mortgage."

Jacob chuckles and pulls me close. "That's my girlfriend, strong and hardworking. I'm so proud of you."

The family across from us—the father, mother, and daughter—all stand up together.

The father's smile vanishes completely, and his tone turns stern. "It seems your son isn't interested in my daughter. If that's the case, we won't intrude any longer. Bye."

With that, he storms out with his wife and daughter, ignoring the desperate apologies and pleas from Jacob's parents.

With half the people gone, the room suddenly feels much quieter.

I have gone into the mountains earlier today and later driven my boss to the hospital to treat a snakebite, so I haven't eaten anything. Unable to resist, I reach out for the bread on the table and start eating.

"What kind of attitude is that!!" Jacob's father, furious over offending important people, turns his anger on the culprit—Jacob. "Do you know who that was? He's the tax commissioner! If you marry his daughter, we will make much more money!"