Telling Anna’s Family – Part 5
Sunday, continued…
“As I told you on Tuesday,” Meredith’s voice was icy, “you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life, and I want no part of it. You are not the daughter I raised. You’re lying about Lu Jinhu, trying to excuse your behavior by slandering his reputation. He treated you like a man should treat his wife.”
Hou Yi glanced at Anna, his heart sinking as she immediately burst into tears. The sight of her distress prompted the bodyguards to react at once, swiftly moving to encircle her.
Hou Yi, his expression hardening with a mix of disbelief and disgust, looked at his mother-in-law. How could she speak to her own daughter like that?
He stood up, his voice calm but filled with authority. “Mrs. Jones, while you are entitled to your opinion, do not speak to my wife like that again. Our bodyguards have been polite up until now, but next time you upset my wife, I don’t think they’ll simply stop at surrounding us. You might find yourself being forcibly removed from the situation, or worse. You owe her an apology for causing her distress.”
He paused, letting his words sink in. “My wife has made her own decision, and even if you disagree with it, there are more respectful ways to respond. But in the end, you have no choice but to support her decision. Calling her a liar and siding with the man who abused her is unacceptable. It shows that you refuse to acknowledge what happened to her. No woman deserves to be spoken to that way. For my wife’s well-being, we need to leave now. Mrs. Jones, you need to decide—do you want a relationship with your daughter, or not?”
The room fell silent, and Anna’s family—her brothers James, Ben, and Adam, her sister Susan, her sister-in-law Rosemary, and brother-in-law Wayne—stood up in unison. Wayne, sensing the tension, grabbed his daughters, Pippa and Hannah, who had been quietly watching the exchange unfold.
Susan, her voice filled with quiet frustration, spoke up. “Mum, Dad, I think it’s better if we leave you two here to finish your meal. We’re going to say goodbye to Hou Yi and Anna and head home. None of us can believe what you just said. You need to think about it. If you keep this up, you’ll force all of us to make a choice—and I don’t think you’ll like the outcome.”
Meredith’s voice rose in fury. “You wouldn’t choose them over me!” she screamed, but before anyone could react, the bodyguards escorted Anna out of the restaurant. Hou Yi stood for a moment, paying the bill and signaling for the remaining bodyguard to follow.
Adam, his patience worn thin, shot back at his mother. “Mum, shut up now, or we’ll make that choice right now. Keep your opinions to yourself. We’re leaving, and most of us won’t talk to you until you calm down.”
With that, the tension in the air was palpable. Anna, still tearful, was gently ushered out by Hou Yi and the bodyguards, her family left to contemplate the events that had just unfolded.
