27 The Miserable Rich People

Gemma's POV.

Judging by their appearance, the couple on the left are Jacob's parents, while the couple and young girl on the right seem to be a family.

"Jacob, why are you so late? We've been waiting for so long!" Jacob's mother, a well-dressed lady, stands up, complaining to her son while giving me a somewhat unwelcome look. "And this is...?"

"My girlfriend, Gemma," Jacob says, completely ignoring the angry expressions of the people seated at the table. He pulls out a chair for me to sit down and leans in, pretending to whisper something affectionately in my ear.

What they don't know is that Jacob is actually saying, "Please, Gemma."

"When did you get a girlfriend?" Jacob's father asks.

"If you paid even a little attention to your son's life, you would have noticed," Jacob responds sarcastically.

The atmosphere suddenly turns cold.

I happen to be sitting directly across from Jacob's father, and I can't help but stare at this man, who appears to be in his fifties.

"Is there something on my dad's face? You keep staring at him," Jacob asks.

"Your dad... looks familiar," I say quietly. I think I've seen him in a finance magazine.

"He's the chairman of a coffee chain. The store I work at is one of its branches."

I widen my eyes in shock. "You never told me that."

No wonder he performed so poorly at the store, yet the manager never fired him.

"Well, I'm telling you now," Jacob smiles. "My dad, the chairman of a coffee chain, and my mom comes from a political family. They marriage is a business marriage and I'm the only child of this family."

Jacob then turns to his parents and says, "See? My girlfriend is with me just for who I am, not for material reasons or anything else. We're in true love."

"Shut up! Do you even know what you're saying?" Jacob's father bursts out in anger. "I will never allow you to marry a woman of unknown background like her!"

"Unknown background? Just say it directly—you only want me to marry into a rich family," Jacob leans back in his chair, spreads his arms, and smiles sarcastically.

Playing along with Jacob's performance, I seriously consider my family's situation and then look up. "Sir, my family isn't that poor, actually. I've already paid off my student loans, although I'm still working on the mortgage."

Jacob chuckles and pulls me close. "That's my girlfriend, strong and hardworking. I'm so proud of you."

The family across from us—the father, mother, and daughter—all stand up together.

The father's smile vanishes completely, and his tone turns stern. "It seems your son isn't interested in my daughter. If that's the case, we won't intrude any longer. Bye."

With that, he storms out with his wife and daughter, ignoring the desperate apologies and pleas from Jacob's parents.

With half the people gone, the room suddenly feels much quieter.

I have gone into the mountains earlier today and later driven my boss to the hospital to treat a snakebite, so I haven't eaten anything. Unable to resist, I reach out for the bread on the table and start eating.

"What kind of attitude is that!!" Jacob's father, furious over offending important people, turns his anger on the culprit—Jacob. "Do you know who that was? He's the tax commissioner! If you marry his daughter, we will make much more money!"

"Your business has nothing to do with me," Jacob says calmly as he sits down and calls for the waiter to start serving food. He doesn't even look at his enraged parents. "I told you, stop treating me like a pawn. You can't control me."

"Fine, fine! If you're so capable, don't ever come home again! And stop using my money!!!" Jacob's father's chest heaves with anger.

Jacob, unbothered, lets out a barely audible cold laugh. "You make me work at the coffee shop, hoping I'll give in, don't you? Well, let me tell you, stop dreaming. Even if I have to beg on the streets, I'll never agree to a marriage of convenience."

Amidst the chaos, Jacob's mother walks over to me and sits in the chair beside me.

I wipe my mouth with the napkin and smile, "Hello, ma'am."

Jacob's mother smiles back, "So, how much?"

"Excuse me?" I tilt my head slightly, unsure if I heard her right.

"How much do you want to leave my son?"

I suddenly feel a bit tempted.

I don't ask for miracles, dreaming she can help me pay off my mortgage in one go, but even if she can only cover one month, I'd leave her son without hesitation.

I open my mouth, about to respond, when Jacob suddenly places his hand on my shoulder and presses down hard.

I swear I hear my bones creak under the pressure.

Under the threat of physical force, I can only look seriously at Jacob's mother and say, "Money can't tear us apart, ma'am. Stop daydreaming."

"Alright, fine. We'll see about that," Jacob's mother says after a long pause, then storms out in her high heels.

Jacob's father shoots a look of disgust at both his son and me before following his wife out.

Within just a few minutes, the entire private room is empty, leaving only me and Jacob.

"Can we... finally eat now?" I ask. I'm really hungry.

"Of course," Jacob replies.

"So, who's paying today?" I ask as I pick up a fork, suddenly realizing the seriousness of this question.

"They already paid the bill."

"Great." I grab a roasted pigeon leg and start eating.

As I dig in, Jacob rests his chin on his hand, watching me quietly.

"How does it taste?" he asks.

"Not bad," I nod, "almost as good as McWings."

Jacob laughs, "The chef would probably want to kill you if he heard that."

Suddenly, I remember something and wipe my hands with the napkin. "You ruined the business marriage. Are you really going to end up begging on the streets?"

"Do you care about me?" He looks into my eyes.

I nod. "We're friends, of course I care about you."

"Well, okay. It won't come to that," he leans back in his chair, hands behind his head, and sighs softly. "My grandma dotes on me. She'll save me."

"Your grandma?"

"Mhm. I actually grew up with her. I barely saw my parents," Jacob begins to reminisce. "My parents' marriage was more of a business deal. Even though they were married, they each lived their own lives. When they were together, they only talked about business."

"I used to ask my grandma why my parents were never around. She'd always tell me they were busy, but they loved me. She'd say that they took me to the amusement park once a month, and that was proof of their love."

"I believed that, until one day I overheard my grandma on the phone. First, she called my dad. He was on vacation with his young and hot secretary. Then she called my mom, who was out shopping with friends. It turns out no one ever wanted to take me to the amusement park; it was all my grandma forcing them to."

Jacob, usually so lively, now lowering his head, his voice tinged with sadness. "After that, I never asked to go to the amusement park again. They don't even like me, yet they had me. Don't you think that's pretty ridiculous?"

I listen carefully to him, then reach out and pat his hair, like petting a big dog.

After a moment, I say, "So even rich people aren't happy... Thanks, I feel better about my life now."

Jacob freezes for a second, then frowns, his eyes wide, "You crazy woman, are you asking for a beating?"

"Jacob," I stop smiling and say his name seriously.

"Mhm?" His brows furrow more tightly, as if he already knows I'm not going to say anything good.

"If one day you want to go to the amusement park, just tell me. I'll take you there." I pet his hair again.

He's stunned into silence.