Chapter 81

Clara's POV

"Don't even get me started on you." Mom pointed at her with a knife. "I bet you couldn't wait to rob those poor rich people out of every cent. Don't even think for a second, and I didn't see all those things you tried to sneak into the house." She added.

"It was barely even two bags; it didn't hurt anyone's wallet," Katy argued.

"That is why you will return everything you brought," Mom added.

Katy's face instantly went blank. "You can't do that. That's not how things work. I can't return any of those things." Katy answered in alarm.

"If you can't do that, I'm having you donate every single one of those items. I raised you to have dignity. I've always taught you to work hard for what you earn, and that won't change." Mom argued.

Katy turned to me for help, but I shrugged.

"You can't do that," Katy complained.

"Watch me," Mom dared. "Besides, why are you still sitting there? You should have finished setting the table by now." Mom scolded.

Katy climbed off her stool angrily, following Mom's instructions.

I hope we don't end up with broken dinner plates.

Mom sighed, taking in the moment to calm herself.

While mom prepared supper with Katy setting the table, I had unofficially been deemed useless because I was pregnant.

"There is something very important that we need to do tomorrow." She informed me.

I nodded. "Are you ever going to tell me what you were doing when you were away?" I asked calmly.

"You'll find out soon." She answered.

"They are here!" Katy shouted breathlessly.

For the first time this evening, I saw Mom panicking, but that look quickly faded.

Mom placed the knife down, going on to remove her apron.

About an hour after Derek left here, Layla had already texted me, letting me know that she would be coming. She seemed way too excited than I would have anticipated. I expected her not to show up.

She sent about ten outfits, asking which would be more appropriate for the occasion. This was a bit out of character on her end. It was absurd initially, but then I found out she had planned to wear a necklace worth nearly half a million. We weren't even dressing up, just simply in our casual clothes.

The plan was simple. I've never met them in private, and hopefully, we can all get through this evening. This whole thing was ridiculous. Why was I continuing with this?

Mom and I moved out of the kitchen and towards the door.

Katy said they had arrived. They had just parked.

By the time we could reach the door, they were just about to ring.

Mom opened the door, welcoming them in with a smile.

Layla stood right in front, her husband, Derek, behind them.

"Please come in," Mom said, welcoming them in.

We exchanged our greetings, including a formal introduction. Unfortunately, Derek's grandmother couldn't make it.

"It's so nice of you to invite us," Layla smiled.

Derek's father then went on to hand my mother a bottle of wine.

Mom forced a smile as she accepted the bottle.

It was a nice gesture on their part, but I've never had an ounce of alcohol in the house since Katy's father left.

"You cannot begin to imagine the kind of day I just had. I'm so exhausted." Layla said. "I was helping move our vacation home to a bigger one a few blocks away. I swear, sometimes being rich is a problem. At least when you are poor, you can pack up a bag or two, and you are out.

I've never seen Derek look more uncomfortable, and he looked like he just wanted to disappear from that moment.

"It surely is a lot bigger than the home I grew up in," Layla added.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence.

Mom was the first to break the silence. "Please excuse me. I'm going to go and check on the food." she excused herself.

I took the moment to excuse myself, too, following Mom to the kitchen.

I knew she was upset by the way she mistreated the oven door. "How can you stand to be so calm around that woman? It would be best if you ran away, Clara. How will you stand to see that woman for the rest of your life?" Mom asked.

"Just try to calm down. I'm sure they will be gone, and hopefully, we never have to sit at the same table again." I pleaded.

"Don't tell me you are planning to kill the poor woman." Mom jokes.

I shrugged.

"At this rate, you'd probably have to wait for her to die first before you can get married. Imagine her as your in-law?"

"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that and that she isn't that bad," I assured her.

Mom sighed, taking the turkey out of the oven.

I helped take some of the other dishes Mom had prepared to the table.

Katy seemed to be doing well with making a conversation with our guests.

Mom and I set the food on the table.

We invited everyone to the table, and we all took our places.

"I hope you enjoy the meal. Here in this house, we work hard for everything we have, including this meal tonight." Mom directed at Layla.

I settled into my seat. Suppose things were already starting like this. I don't think they were going to end well.