Little did Ariana know, that her greatest problem wasn't really Ethan...
Calhoun had to go to the office the next day. His grandfather had requested to see him again. Ariana had also gone to work. She pretended to have a lot of stuff on her table. But she deliberately followed to know what grandfather had to say. She had a feeling it had something to do with her.
"Calhoun," grandfather called out patiently and calmly, "your refusal to heed my advice is worrisome. You think you've got it all figured out. I really don't want you making any mistakes you see."
"Ow, grandpa," Calhoun expressed in exhaustion. He was tired of going back and forth with his grandfather. "If it's about Ariana, then just forget about it. I love her and I'm going to get married to her. There's nothing anyone can do about it."
"What?! Did you just say you're getting married to that girl?" Mr. Lawson Senior raised his eye brows.
"Yes, I'm getting married to Ariana. I proposed to her and she said yes."
"You see what this is causing you." Grandfather began to raise his voice, "you're no longer thinking straight. And I'm not going to allow you to bring someone who'll come in and drag away the family's name into the mud."
Calhoun laughed sarcastically. "Grandpa, no one's capable of dragging our family's name into the mud. And certainly not Ariana. You need to get to know her better. You'll definitely have a change of heart."
"No way! You're going to stay away from that girl and that's final."
"Grandpa," Calhoun pointed out, "I'll not allow you force your convictions upon me. Allow me make my own decisions for myself. If you truly seek what is best for me, then you wouldn't bother making a fuss about this. This is the best decision I've ever made. I believe Ariana will always make me happy."
"Fine then," Grandfather stood up on his chair, "you'll have to choose between this girl and your inheritance."
At this point, Calhoun's countenance changed. He searched grandfather's face to understand if he really meant what he had just said. The old man appeared to be very serious. Calhoun wondered where all this was coming from.
Grandfather would never use Calhoun's inheritance to threaten him. There was a time that grandfather had asked Calhoun not to sign a deal with a certain company, owned by grandfather's classmate. Calhoun had refused. Yet grandfather never used these words he was using now on him. Something definitely smells fishy.
"It's almost as if someone's working on you to get in the way of my happiness grandpa," Calhoun said, "but it won't work."
"You're foolishly mistaken boy," grandfather kept on blasting, "no one's talking to anyone about this insensitive conundrum you're about putting yourself into. What I've said is plain and simple. It's either your inheritance or that girl."
It now dawned on Calhoun that grandfather was actually grave serious about this. He had to make his stand. No one was going to override his sense of judgement.
"With all due respect grandpa, I'm not going to stop loving Ariana. Even if I'll have to choose my life. Cause I'm ready to die for her, grandpa. My inheritance cannot give me the same fulfilment that loving Ariana brings."
Mr. Lawson Senior was quite taken aback by this. He hadn't expected Calhoun would respond this way. He had brought up this conversation as a means of convincing Calhoun to stay away from Ariana. Grandfather had really hoped Calhoun would have been a little bit reasonable. It was useless. The young man's in love.
Mr. Lawson Senior stood up and made for the door. He looked sad and disappointed. He stopped, just at the door, with his back facing Calhoun. As if not wanting to see Calhoun ever again.
"I just hope you know what you're doing, Calhoun," grandfather said and left.
For the next few minutes Calhoun sat deep in his thoughts. He hadn't expected this to happen. He wondered why grandfather was so antagonistic towards his relationship with Ariana. What had Ariana done wrong? It wasn't a crime to love someone.
Just about a year ago, grandfather was on his neck to find a woman and bring home. Now he's found one and grandfather was saying she's not good enough. The whole thing was confusing.
One thing remained certain on Calhoun's mind. He loved Ariana. He'd marry her. That was the best decision he had ever made. Who needs inheritance when Ariana was around?
Calhoun was no longer able to concentrate at work. In fact, he didn't come to the office for any work that day. He got up and picked his coat. He went out.
Later that evening, Ariana had prepared some spaghetti and meatballs. Calhoun enjoyed the aroma as much as the delicious taste. Ariana was the best cook he's ever eaten from, he thought.
As Ariana took out the dishes, Calhoun also helped in clearing the table. They seemed to be a couple already.
"What was it all about?" Ariana asked.
"What was what all about?" Calhoun tried to understand.
"Your grand-dad," she clarified, "what was the visit all about?"
"Oh nothing serious," Calhoun tried to hide his face so she didn't see if he's lying or not. "He'd only come to ask about my welfare and how the company is faring."
Calhoun didn't want Ariana to get worried about grandfather's visit. Even though it was a serious one, Calhoun didn't see the need for fussing about it.
"I told him we're getting married," Calhoun finally opened up. It was too early to be covering up.
"Ow," Ariana tried to look surprised. "And what did he say?"
"He said a lot of things. But he didn't really seem pleased with the idea. He thinks having my inheritance is more important for now."
"And maybe he's right. Maybe we should take things slow for now, and let you focus on the work at hand," Ariana suggested.
"Don't say that my love. He's only trying to put me up against you. The truth is, he had asked me to choose between you and my inheritance."
Now, Ariana understood, her greatest problem wasn't Ethan. It was the entire Lawson family.