“Are we just going to pretend we haven’t built a big house?” Lady Evelyn huffed. “If that’s the case, you owe me half the cost!”
“I need to speak with you seriously,” the woman with the short hair said as she sat down across from Amelia. “Before you marry my son, there’s something you ought to know.”
The slender blonde looked at her future relative with curiosity, having only met her twice before in her life.
“Essentially, if you want to be part of our family, you must understand that the most important people to Michael are his parents!” Lady Evelyn announced proudly. “We don’t need a daughter-in-law who will try to control my son.”
“Am I trying to control him?” Amelia interjected.
“Please let me finish! Be patient,” the woman retorted sharply.
Immediately, Amelia dropped her eyes, blushing deeply. She didn’t want to anger Michael’s mother.
They had just begun their relationship, and Amelia wanted to make a good impression.
“Now then,” Lady Evelyn continued, “our family has a plan: as soon as Michael gets married, we all move into the house that’s nearly finished. We will live there as one big happy family!”
“Wonderful!” the girl said with a forced smile.
Lady Evelyn raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting Amelia to concede so readily.
“I’m very glad you agree with us! I believe we will become friends,” she winked slyly at Amelia.
Immediately, she began to push Amelia towards her son, praising her as kind, clever, and caring.
Noticing this and understanding that some extra support wouldn’t hurt, Amelia went out of her way to please the woman.
She brought her small gifts both for occasions and just because, underscoring her thoughtfulness.
A year later, fearing that her son and Amelia might not get married, Lady Evelyn began urging him towards an important decision.
“When are you going to propose?” she asked Michael nearly every day. “The girl will get tired of waiting and leave you. Then you’ll regret it…”
After some thought and deciding she was right, Michael proposed to Amelia, and she accepted joyfully.
The costs of the wedding were covered by Michael’s parents, which only reinforced Amelia’s belief that she had chosen a good partner.
The young couple spent the first three months living in a rented flat, and then Lady Evelyn excitedly announced that the house was ready for moving in.
“Right, gather your things, and we’ll gather ours!” she cheerfully notified her son and daughter-in-law.
“Why? We like it here!” the girl frowned, having no intention of living with her in-laws.
“What do you mean why?” Lady Evelyn was taken aback. “We agreed that as soon as the house is built, we’d move in!”
“Then you go ahead! Who’s stopping you?!” Amelia snorted defiantly, her attitude towards her mother-in-law having shifted dramatically.
Lady Evelyn was so stunned by her response that she fell silent for a moment.
“Wait a minute, you promised me,” she reminded her coolly.
“That was then. I’ve changed my mind, and I am against living with you!” Amelia said sternly. “We will live separately! And by the way, since you’re moving, Michael and I will take your flat.”
“What? Think again!” Lady Evelyn spat through gritted teeth. “Scammer!” she added angrily and hung up.
Amelia listened to the short beeping for a couple of seconds, puzzled before putting down the receiver.
As soon as she did that, she heard Michael’s phone ringing in the kitchen.
She listened and realized that Lady Evelyn was calling Michael to complain about her.
Half an hour later, when Michael finally finished his call, Amelia walked into the kitchen.
From the look on her husband’s face, she could tell he was upset and angry. He looked at his wife and asked sternly:
“What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong?” Amelia crossed her arms defiantly.
“Mother called. She’s demanding money…”
“What? What money and for what?! ” This news took Amelia by surprise and left her slightly shocked.
“For the house. What did you promise her before we got married?” Michael frowned. “To live in it together?”
“Nothing,” Amelia decided to play the fool.
“You approved her plan for the house, didn’t you?” Michael asked sternly.
“And what of it? I did then, but now I don’t want to,” she averted her gaze.
“Well, I never supported her idea because I thought she was being daft! The house stood for three years, and after our wedding, my mother finished it. Apparently because of you!” Michael gritted his teeth.
“Well, she finished it, and that’s that,” Amelia threw her hands up. “What’s the problem?!”
Before Michael could respond, his mother called again. But he made a clever move: he handed his phone to Amelia, saying:
“Here, you talk!”
As soon as Lady Evelyn heard her daughter-in-law’s voice, she launched into attack mode.
“Return the money for the house!” she demanded firmly.
“What money? Are you out of your mind?” Amelia retorted crossly.
“So it seems we built the house for nothing?!” Lady Evelyn fumed. “Then you owe me half its value.”
“What half?!” Amelia ground her teeth in anger.
“Five million! You owe me five million!” Lady Evelyn shouted into the phone. “Or else…”
“What are you going to do to us? I didn’t sign any papers!” Amelia answered with a smirk.
“In that case, we will stop communicating with you!” Lady Evelyn threatened.
“For heaven’s sake!” Amelia chuckled and ended the call.
Lady Evelyn began demanding money from Michael, who had to pay her fifty thousand pounds each month.
“You’ll only pay me back that way in ten years!” the mother complained. “Either move into the house or increase your payments.”
As Michael couldn’t afford higher expenses, he reluctantly agreed to his mother’s terms.
Amelia, however, disapproved of this idea, so six months later, the couple parted ways for good.
