The Ugly Bet

Chapter 4 - Georgia

Ashley

I shook my head and tried to discard the bad mood while recalling the most recent info I've known about him. "Well, the last update about him was that he is this jerk who keeps on dating different girls from Manhattan every night. He must be really hurt by that bitch."

"So you all really bought that story, huh?" Mum chuckled with no fun. "Haven't I told you that your Dad caught him drugged and so drunk and troubled a couple of months ago?" my jaw dropped on that. Mum continued. "And that wasn't because of that bitchy Jenifer girl... Anyway, forget about her. Michael sent him to a rehabilitation center. He just came out last week... and..." she pressed her lip into a thin line while a waitress serves my Teramisu in our table. When she left us, my Mum kept her mouth shut so I asked her impatiently.

"What Mum? Did he change? I mean, is he a 'good boy' now?"

She gasped and then made a fake smile. "He looks nicer, still rugged but less, and he's more dashing and handsome.  He's not always troubled anymore, you know, he was usually drunk then caught in a fight..." she said while picking her vegetarian salad using chopsticks.

"So that's good news then. Good for him."

I was stopped from eating another sushi when Mum dropped her chopsticks and looked at me. "For us, it's not." She's so serious and is like somewhat pissed.

"Why?" I asked curiously, a bit nervous because of Mum's face.

She studied my face for a while before answering. "He's changed into a better son when he got home, but there's one thing that he's asking your Dad that might change everything..." she paused and I frowned. She sighed, then, "He said the only way to keep him that way is to have our family name changed. You know, your Dad's real last name is not Dale but 'Baggers'." She uttered the last word with a great amount of disgust. I frowned even more.

"Why would he want to change Dale to Baggers?" I grinned at the thought of that. How stupid. Dale's are a big time families and only very few carries the family name, it's really a small family. It took a while before Mum answered.

"He still wants to pursue Elyzabeth. And now he talks about getting married with her and the only way is to change your Dad's last name back to his biological family's, "Baggers"," now she winced at that. "I can't imagine me being called "Mrs. Georgia Baggers". No! I'd rather be called Ms. Georgia Albrecht. Why, Albrecht is in Borbes top10 billionaires along with Dale's!" She blurted out with exasperation. "Oh my God! And would you believe that your Dad has actually have his legal counsel about this? He's taking considerations of it! He almost can't refuse to Jack's pleading. And we will suffer. I will suffer! My God, I can't let go of being a Dale! And not for that lowly 'Baggers' name! That won't happen, not in this lifetime! Never!" She spoke of it like it's the most horrible thing that could happen. "I can't be called freaking Mrs. Baggers. How I hate the sound of it! I'll instantly kill myself, that's what I told your Dad and I'm serious when I told him that I'll really do that!"

I raised my brow on that. That was actually devastating but I was amused by her reaction on changing Dale to Baggers. After "my Mum chasing my Dad lovestory", it's quite hilarious for me that she'll let go of all those just to keep a good and prestigious family name. Mum is this vain. Really. I tried to hold back my grin.

"You don't feel pissed?" my Mum questioned me as if I've done the biggest mistake of my life. I tried to look sad and bad but she sees through me. "So it's just fine with you if your cousin gets married to your brother..."

That did sound awkward. I didn't like it. When we were still kids, the two were just friends but I already dreaded that because they were the meanest and the baddest creatures on earth ever known to me as far as I can remember, and even if they're matured enough now and don't seem to bully me anymore, well, what a pathetic thought, I don't think I want to see them husband and wife, having kids. I'm also vain just like my Mum. My image and ego is the second most important thing to me, next to my life, and I don't like being the sister of the guy who married my cousin.