'Well, I was staying at my parent's mansion for the past 5 days and then only this morning they told me that I was going to a party at the Griffith family mansion. I kinda expected you guys to come here so I didn't bother to tell you to make it more of a surprise,' Alex responded using his mind link as he was still stood up clapping.
"Also, let us show a big round of applause to her teammate and team leader Alex Hart! Son of my good, might I even say best friend Joseph Hart! He led the team to victory!" Jayden's dad announced, making everyone turn to look at Alex who nervously smiled and waved to the crowd.
"The filthy, greedy, Reid family might have gotten a new record with first place just like last year but I am sure that the results will change for the future exams!" Jayden's father added, making the crowd cheer even louder.
"Also, it seems that my sweet little daughter has brought 2 guests with her! Treat them with the utmost respect! They are the esteemed guests of my Griffith household! Any form of disrespect towards them would be like disrespecting me! Now, come here my sweet little daughter! I left a seat wide open for you!" Jayden's father said with a smile.
Jayden smiled and casually walked past all the important guests at the table, Moby and Abby walking behind her noticing all the mean looks hidden under the smiles of the many guests until they finally reached the location of Jayden's parents.
"Hey… would it be possible for you two to move to another seat for my daughter's guests? I didn't expect her to bring people with her…" Jayden's father whispered to the guests sitting directly to the left of him in a low voice, leaving Alex and his parents alone on his left side, not asking them to move.
"Why of course, there is no problem at all," An old man said, leaving the seat with his wife, looking at Moby and Abby with a hint of disdain.
"Thanks for letting me sit with my friends, father! And why did you say all that stuff! You are kinda embarrassing me!" Jayden said like she was a child.
"Haha! Don't worry about it! You deserved this! Also, is it just me or you look even more dazzling than before! You've grown so so much! You really do take after your mother," Her father said, patting her head.
"Darling! I haven't seen you in so long! How was school? Give mommy a big hug!" Jayden's mom said, standing up and hugging Jayden so hard that she almost couldn't breathe.
"Thanks mom… But I think you are gonna kill me…" She said, making her mom stop hugging her, taking a seat with a smile.
"Also, are those guests you brought in your friends or some kind of personal servants? Is that guy with the black and red hair your new "Pet" or something? How many times do I have to tell you that everyone has feelings and you shouldn't treat them like your own personal objects and toys…" Jayden's father nervously whispered in her ears loud enough for Moby and Abby to pick up on his voice with their enhanced hearing.
"Hahah! Don't be silly dad! I am not into stuff like that anymore! These two are my new best friends! I brought them here today because I hoped to introduce you guys to each other!" Jayden said with a smile.
"Wait… REALLY! My little girl is finally making friends! I am so very proud! This really does fill my heart with joy…" He said, small tears running down his face, tightly grasping Jayden's hands, her mother behind him feeling the same emotions.
"Hello there! My name is Mason Griffith! Thank you so much for being friends with my daughter! I know that she could get a little feisty at times so please be patient with her! Between you and me, she's never had any actual friends in years so you guys are really doing me and her a great favour! Also... If I find out that you are only using my daughter for selfish gains or anything of the sort I promise you it won't end well for you..." Mason said to Moby, whispering the last part.
"Dad! I heard that! Don't threaten my friends! They are really nice people that care and value me for who I am! I've known them for 2 months now and not once did they ever even attempt to use me for their personal gain!" Jayden said in outrage.
"Sorry, sweety… I am just concerned over you… There are many bad people in the world that would not hesitate to ruin your life… Take Arthur and his daughter… I was going to invite them to the party only for them to die yesterday… The Xane family was a great business partner to me and I really hoped you and Arthur's daughter could become friends. But, his daughter got mixed up with the wrong people like in gangs and ended up committing suicide which led to Arthur doing the same… I don't want such a thing to happen to you as well! I don't even want to imagine a reality such as that happening to you…" Mason said, hugging Jayden tenderly with tears falling down his face.
"It's okay dad… Such a thing would never happen to me… And I promise you that my friends are nothing like that… They are very important people in my heart just like you and mom," Jayden said, hugging him back with an awkward chuckle and a slightly sad look in her eyes.
Moby had absolutely no idea why, but when he hears the story about Natalia's death, his head starts hurting from Avilia's words, making him slightly angrier, pushing them aside as he viewed them as nothing more than stupid thoughts. And, luckily, this time he managed to keep his pain and emotions under his poker face as to not agitate anyone around him.
"Well… Sorry for my earlier harsh words or if I might have scared you… I was only being cautious for my daughter's safety. My name is Mason Griffith, it is nice to meet you," he said with a smile, reaching his hand out for a handshake.
"Hello, my name is Moby Kane. I understand the situation that you are in and I do not blame you at all for your words and actions. If I were in the position that you were in, I would have done the same. Your daughter is a very nice person and an amazing friend, I am so happy that I met her and I could not imagine my life without her," Moby said with a smile, firmly shaking Mason's hand.
Moby deliberately chose to leave out the part where he and Jayden were dating as they have yet to go public with it and he thought it would be best if Jayden was the one to announce it to her family instead of him which might have seemed a little out of place.
'Kane? I have heard of his family name before… I think he was on the same team as Arthur's daughter for the exam… Or was it from some other place? From his watch, he seems to be a B- rank this early on in the school year so I assume that he is from some upcoming family I never heard of,' Mason thought.
"So, you were on the same team as Arthur's daughter… How did she act like the week before she decided to commit suicide…" Mason asked in a heavy voice.
"Uh-uh umm… Well, until her death, she was extremely cheerful and full of hope, never giving up on her dreams and aspirations no matter what… I am not sure what made her want to choose to kill herself. Even in the toughest of situations when most of our teammates died, she always somehow found a way to stay completely positive and cheer the group up. She was a true inspiration to us all," Moby said with a sad voice.
At first, Moby was talking completely out of his ass to bullshit his way out of the question. However, the more he talked the more he started to find some truths hidden in his words which made him really concerned and made his head hurt once more, causing his head to go into turmoil as he barely managed to keep it all hidden under his poker face, sweat running down his face.
"Oh, I see… That's very unfortunate… at least that gives me some sort of closure, the news of her's and Arthur's death was truly devastating to me and my wife who just got to know Arthur only a few months ago," Mason said with a sad smile.
"Well, how about you young miss! That red dress looks lovely with your red hair! I can't help but feel like it looks familiar… And, Is your hair dyed or natural? *Ahem* Anyways, it's really nice to see that my daughter has another girl to talk to!" Mason said with a smile, putting his hand out for a handshake.
"Yes sir! it is indeed natural… My name is Abby Reid. Your daughter and I have been good friends for a little over a month! I am honoured that I got to know her. It honestly changed my life!" Abby said in an extremely stiff and formal voice, bowing before shaking his hand.
"A-A-Abby Reid!? Like from THE Reid family? What are you doing here? There should have been another party at the Reid Mansion to celebrate your first place win on the exam! And why would you be friends with my daughter!" Mason said in astonishment.
"Sir! I declined their offer of course!" She said with a deep bow.
"Well, if my daughter says that you are one of her best friends I see no reason that she would lie to me about it. I sincerely apologize for talking bad about your family in front of such a large group of people. It's just that my family and the Reids have been rivals for many years now. I never in my life expected you two to be friends…I will be more careful with my words next time and I sincerely apologize," Mason said in a sincere tone of voice.
"No! Not at all sir! I found your words describing my family quite fitting, I encourage you to go on with the insults. That was my main reason for declining their invitation after all. Also, sir, if possible, keep what I told you a secret," Abby replied to Mason with a nervous smile.
"Oh… Okay… that is no problem at all. I never knew that even the Reid family's own youngest daughter despised them almost as much as I do!" Mason said with a chuckle in a slightly confused tone, patting Abby on the back in a friendly way before they both sat down where they once were.
Then, Jayden's mom stood up to go greet Moby and Abby as well.
"Hello, you two! It's nice to see that my daughter has such lovely friends, I will keep the introduction short as my husband has already said most if not all I wanted to say! My name is Rachel Griffith and it's really nice to meet you two!" Rachel said with a smile, shaking both Moby's and Abby's hands before taking a seat.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way I have something extremely important to ask you. I am sorry but your friends need to stay out of this discussion. Joseph, you and your son should come to join our conversation, it's time!" Mason said with a smirk, motioning them to listen in, making Joseph and his wife extremely excited.
"Oh, hey Alex! How's it going!" Jayden waved at Alex who just waved back at her in a friendly manner.
'So far so good!' Mason and Joseph thought with an evil smile.
"Well… how did the exam go… I see that you two are a lot more friendly than before," Mason said, waiting for an answer in anticipation.
"It went really well! Me and Jayden worked pretty well together! She even managed to get to C+ rank of power from the intense fights on the planet!" Alex said enthusiastically, leading to Jayden nodding in agreement.
"Soo… nothing else?" Joseph added.
"Well, we did become friends again…" Jayden said.
"Friends? And nothing more?" Mason continued.
"Wait… where are you going with this…" Alex asked in confusion.
"Weelll… we were thinking about you two maybe getting married!" They whispered in a low voice, not letting anyone else hear.
"What!!" They both blurted out at once.
"Wait!! It was you two! You were the reason that we were on the same team wasn't it!" Jayden blurted, pointing at the two smiling fathers.
"Huh, well, of course! What are the chances that you two who used to be former friends and potential lovers ended up together out of the many hundreds of groups?" Mason said with a chuckle.
"What!? Did you set us up for a date in the middle of an exam!!" Alex said in embarrassment.
"I wouldn't say "set you up" I would just say, we gave you a small push to see what happens," Joseph said with a chuckle.
"So! What will it be! Do you guys like each other!? Do you want to get married? Don't be shy and let us know your true feelings!" Joseph and Mason added, waiting in anticipation for an answer, clenching their sweaty fists together nervously.
"NO! I REFUSE!!" They both blurted in unison without any hesitation at all, making the excited faces of their parents turn all sour.
"Well… we tried our best my friend… we tried our best… maybe someday…"
"Ye-ya… at least they became friends again and don't hate each other… that's a plus…right?" They said, trying to comfort each other.
"Huh? Wait? Are you not going to force us into a marriage like all the other important and noble families?" Jayden asked in confusion.
"Huh? Fuck no! Now why would I do that! Anyone that marries their children off against their will for political or financial reasons is just complete scum! I would never do such a thing! I think I am also speaking for Joseph as well! We both advocates of true love!" Mason said in a serious tone, leading to Joseph nodding in agreement.
"Well, father, to tell you the truth… I already have a boyfriend and someone I love dearly, not as some stupid pet like all the other times. He was the person that changed my perspective on things and gave me fun in my life along with other things to live for and look forward to!" Jayden said, her face as red as a tomato.
"What! really!? I am so happy for you! Why didn't you say so! Why didn't you bring him with you? I wanted to meet him!" Mason said with a mix of happiness and disappointment.
"Huh? You've already met him! He's right there! Jayden said, secretly pointing at Moby who was enjoying a juicy steak, pretending like he was unable to hear their entire conversation.
"Him! Really! That's the guy! Well… He is strong for his age with decent manners and I guess he does look pretty handsome… But, I can't let you marry him just yet! Me, Alex and Joseph have known each other for many years and that was the reason I wanted the marriage between you two if you agreed to it. I wanted it to be with someone I really trust. I need to get to personally know him… I know I might sound bossy and unreasonable but I promise that it's for your own good…" Mason whispered in her ear, expecting her to go on a tantrum.
"Yes, of course, I understand. That is completely reasonable," Jayden replied in a serious tone, completely startling and catching Mason off guard.
"Hey! Son! You need to find some kind of love or else you would grow up lonely and alone! You're making your handsome face go to waste! Why don't you ask that girl out over there, isn't she one of your friends?" Joseph said, hinting towards Abby who was eating a pizza using a knife and fork in the most sophisticated way imaginable.
"Stop it dad! I'll find love when it finds me so don't worry about it! I won't grow up alone!" Alex said with slight annoyance, making Joseph burst out in laughter.
Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud smash was heard on the long table, startling everyone around that was whispering
"WHAT!! That country bumkin nobody is mistress Jayden's Boyfriend! That's outrageous! I am more worthy than a shitter like him!" A young, chubby man around 16 years of age stood up and blurted in outrage before his father butted in, grabbing him by the head making him sit back down.
"I-I am sorry for my son's rude behaviour lord Griffith… I will give him a good beating when we get back home I promise you that! O-or we can do it here in public to show what happens to people with no respect at all… So please have mercy on us…" A chubby old man said with a deep bow, holding his son's head making him bow just as low.
"Fuck, it seems someone overheard our conversation and leaked it out to the whole room… Why am I so stupid as to not go into another room before discussing such an important topic…" Mason muttered to himself as he felt a huge migraine growing in his head.
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