The Billionaires(#1)

43

Either this was a trick, or Danielle had scored a big shot this time around. Meryl thought as she walked into the five stars restaurant where she was to have dinner with her family and new brother-in-law.

If it were not for Anita who pushed her into a corner, Meryl would not have come. She and her older sister did not have a good relationship.

Her 35-year-old sister, Danielle, thought Meryl was uptight and that she thought she was better than everyone else. Everything to her was a competition; if she was not competing with Meryl, she was competing with the other two; Rachel and Tiffany. Meryl did not understand why Danielle felt threatened by her, the last born in the family; sometimes Meryl wished she were their older brother because Danielle did not care what he did with his life.

Her sister was competitive, but that was not the reason Meryl dreaded attending this dinner. The exact same reason why they were here was the reason she would rather be anywhere at all than here - to meet her sister’s new husband. This would have to be Danielle’s fifth marriage after her first husband died from cancer.

A year after his passing, Danielle married for the second time, and then divorced a year later because she could not have children, and then her drinking problem started. As time went on, she started marrying to prove a point that she was not the problem in her relationships. Her third husband left her at the altar, so he did not exactly qualify as a husband.

Her fourth marriage was the worst. Her husband was as much of a drunkard as she was, and they fought all the times to the point where Danielle returned home covered in blood. She refused to press any charges against her husband, and instead chose to divorce him. After her divorce, she moved back in with their parents and vowed to never drink or marry again, and then all of a sudden, she called to tell them that she was married, and invited them to have dinner with her new hubby.

Her family was not hard to miss in the well of people in the restaurant. They had reserved a much bigger table, which stood at an intimate and private space. Her entire family was there; her parents, her two sisters, her brother and his family. The only people missing from the table were the supposed wedded couple. Her mother was the first to notice Meryl, and she waved her over.

Meryl smiled as she walked towards the table. She had not dined with her family in a long time since their last gathering ended in a fight between her and Danielle. She did not even know how to handle herself around them because this was where all her secrets were going to be laid on the table. Her dear sister would see to it.

“Hi, mom.” She hugged her mother and kissed her on cheek, and then she moved to her father. “Hi, daddy.” Her father gave her a long crushing hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Hey, sweetie.” He greeted with a warm husky voice.

Meryl moved to her siblings, and hugged her sisters, Rachel and Tiffany, and then she greeted her brother and his wife. Lastly, she greeted her 6-year-old niece and 3-year-old nephew, Cassie and Taylor. “Long time no see, Samantha.” Her mother said as Meryl took her seat.

“Mom, please.” Meryl sighed and gave her father a pleading look.

“Honey, please, let the child be.” Her father said to his wife and squeezed her hand. Meryl cast her father a grateful smile; she had always been daddy’s girl because she was the only one who looked like him, they had the same blue eyes and blond hair. Her siblings looked more like their mother; Danielle had her mother’s jet-black hair, and the twins, Tiffany and Rachel, had ginger hair and their mother’s grey eyes. Their brother, Adam had blond hair and grey eyes.

“I’m just saying, Paul, that Samantha wouldn’t have come if Danielle had not invited us here.” Her mother protested, and Meryl rolled her eyes, and muttered under her breath, “If only you knew.” Her brother heard her and threw her a sharp look.