"Yes, I do." This time, he said with with his eyes directed to his sister's bowed head.
"Mrs. Davies, I don't think you need to force it." Mr. Peters butted in, his voice was cold and his face hard.
Rey raised a brow but returned it to its natural state. His eyes caught the strained hands of Mrs. Peters on her cutlery, he had a feeling that if the cutleries were humans, they would have suffocated to death and no amount of medical administration would help.
"No, I need to make him understand." Mrs. Davies insisted and Reynoldo saw Mr. Peters give a single nod before turning to look at his daughter.
Rey almost caught himself scoffing, it was still part of the big plan. He didn't insist on not carrying on with the deal and Mrs. Peters had a more relaxed aura around her.
"Rey Dear." Mrs. Davies started, placing a hand on his arm.
Reynaldo closed his eyes for a bit before forcing them open again. He wasn't sure he was ready for whatever his mother had to say but he stayed put to give her the respect she deserved.
"It'll be a win-win situation." She tried to convince him and he gave a single nod encouraging her to continue, he needed to be done with everything once and for all.
"You have an ultimatum to get a bride before your father's 60th birthday and it's just five months away, who else than a childhood friend you have known almost all your life." Reynaldo bit his tongue to stop himself from rebutting.
Not knowing what to do with his hands, he reached out of the packet of orange juice on the table to pour himself a glass, glaring at Celine when she stopped nibbling her food and reached out to help him.
"You need a bride and you guys are the perfect march." She cooed.
"And what do they need?" Rey asked his mother, looking at her for a fraction of a minute.
"What?" She asked like she hadn't heard what he said.
"What do they need?" He repeated, slowing down his pace this time.
"Our company is at the verge of bankruptcy and we need the help of your father to get it running." Mr. Peters answered this time, not hiding his intent or bothering with sugar coated words.
'Finally' Rey thought in his head.
"And that can be achieved without forcing your daughter down my throat." He gave a cold response and heard his mother sigh.
"Well, she loves you."
"No, you want her to love me"
"That's enough." Mrs. Davies butted in but got ignored, it was just as if the two men were immersed in the world of their own.
"Your mother thinks it's the best option."
"I know what is best for me Mr. Peters." Rey smirked but his eyes remained cold.
Sabrina held her glass of drink to her lips and had her eyes moving fast from Mr. Peters to her brother, she was as sure as hell that if there was no table between them, there would have probably been a forceful skin contact.
"With all due respect, I would appreciate it if you present your case before my father and convince him to help you than make me want to curse out every time from having to put up with this."
"Getting Celine married to her would make it easier." Mr. Peters finally said, not taking his eyes off Rey.
''Oh well." Sabrina smirked, biting her lips as she pushed her plate of food away and relaxed on the chair as if to get a full view of what was happening, live and direct.
"The same way getting married to her would ease the stress of finding a bride in a short span of time." He added immediately he saw Rey open his mouth to speak.
"I don't need your help Mr. Peters."
"Rey, please…just stop this madness!" Mrs. Davies had finally had enough.
Rey turned to look at his mother's embarrassed face. She had her eyes looking at everything in the dinning except the faces of her visitors.
"This wasn't how I raised you." Her teeth were clenched, her eyes wide enough to show her growing anger and disappointment.
"I'm sorry mum, but…"
"No buts! I am here trying to help you out but see how I get repaid?"
Rey balled his fist beneath the table, if his mum was any other person, he would have held her hand and dragged her out of the dining room to have this conversation elsewhere but his mum would always be his mum.
He felt uncomfortable having to hear her talk about their family matters right before strangers. Stilling his resolve, he looked up at her and she frowned, noticing his change of mood.
"I don't need your help mum."
"Rey?" His mother called again as if not believing the young man seated in front of him is her son and calling him again would somehow bring the Rey she knew back to her.
Everybody's attention is again drawn to Celine who had been quiet all along. This time she was sobbing.
"Oh Dear." Mrs. Davies called out in a downcasted emotional tone.
When Celine looked up, the rim of her pupils were deep red and her eyes puffy more like because she had been rubbing it and not because she had been crying.
"Why Rey?" She asked with a loud and deep sniff.
Sabrina put down her cutleries loudly to show her irritation, her face had been morphed into a scowl as she looked towards the direction of the ever reigning drama queen.
Rey looked at Celine like he wasn't the main character in the ongoing drama, he looked as detached as possible, his gray eyes holding no emotions and his thin lips relaxed, if not for anything, he looked ready to walk out and never come back.
"Why are you doing this?" She closed her eyes tightly and sobbed, forcing the tears down her cheeks.
'Isn't the drama too much for the situation?' Rey had wanted to ask but he was sure his mother would not hesitate to stab him in the back if he as well as make a sound so he watched on with a growing frown on his face.
"Is it because of her?"
"Her?" Mrs. Peters asked this time, echoing the words in Mr. Peters and Mrs. Davies mind.
This time, Rey had had enough, he leaned back on the chair and pushed it out to enable a smooth exit if he was to leave.
Sabrina had taken out a gum from nowhere and had begun chewing loudly on it.
"Yes Mum." Celine sniffled loudly again and unladylike.
Rey nodded his head and chewed on his inner lips as if listening to a song playing in his head from him alone, his fingers drumming restlessly on his thighs.
"Who is she, Rey?" His mother turned to him with an accusatory tone that he felt he would go crazy if he didn't round up and get out for his sanity and peace of mind.