42 A Mother's Promise

"Really?" Susan immediately raised a questioning brow. "Who?" she inquired, looking curious.

"Diane Brown," Ashley revealed with a peace offering smile as her gaze watched the mother and daughter keenly.

"Diane?" Susie repeated with surprise lingering on her face. She glanced at Christian who couldn't be bothered by anything and confirmed that her thoughts were right on track.

On the other hand, Susan moved her gaze to him with lines on her forehead and furrowed brows. "You met Diane again?" she inquired, looking displeased, but remembering that there was a visitor in the room with them, the lines on her forehead disappeared.

She was so mad but held back on showing it.

"You know her as well?" Ashley probed, looking for more information on seeing the different reactions at the mention of this woman she had only met once. Now, she was curious about Diane and wanted to find out her history with Christian and his family.

But from what she could tell for now, there had been a deep connection otherwise both Susie and Susan wouldn't have reacted the way they did.

"Ashley," Christian suddenly called out her full name as he casually glanced her way, and everyone turned their attention to him.

Then with an irrefutable tone, he said to her, "I told you at the party when Diane and her father, Dr. Brown introduced themselves to your Dad that we went to the same high school. Do you think my family wouldn't at least know a few of my friends?"

When he asked that question, Ashley closed her mouth and nodded with a smile. "My bad," she said, trying to remedy the situation.

Even though she apologized, Christian didn't look like he accepted it since he was still a little mad at her for probing into his personal affairs with his family right in front of him.

If she wanted to know about something, why didn't she ask him directly instead of cutting through the corners?

Christian hated those kinds of behaviour, and it would only make him keep his distance.

When it was time for Ashely to leave, she promised to visit again and bid her goodbyes to Susie and Sarah before letting Christian walk her to her car.

"I'm so sorry about earlier. I didn't know you had a history with Diane…"

Almost immediately, Christian corrected her. "Dr. Brown."

"What?" Ahsley raised a brow with a half-smile on the verge of faltering.

It didn't matter if she was pretending to not have understood his motive, but Christian was ever ready to repeat himself.

"Address her as Dr. Brown. It's not easy to earn that licence."

Hearing that, Ashley chuckled and got into her car. She felt so much better with the joke he added at the end. However, deep down in her heart, there was an upset feeling lingering around.

Although Ashley had apologized for her stepping out of line, she was not sorry at all. She had deliberately mentioned Diane's name in front of Christian's family in other to sound them out regarding the relationship and their connection unfortunately, she didn't get much.

When Christian walked back to the apartment, he had his mother to face.

"Chris, please don't tell me you are still in touch with that girl," Susan pleaded while following him around. "Why are you not saying anything?"

"Mum, please." Christian suddenly stopped in his steps and turned around. "I don't need your harassment. I didn't visit for this."

He was letting her know that a home was supposed to be peaceful and if he wouldn't get any there, he would stop coming around. Thankfully his mother seemed to understand that and calmed down.

"Chris, I am your mother and it is my duty to worry about you. That girl inflicted so much pain on you. I know the sorrow I felt watching you cry for her for days and how much you suffered internally for leaving you a few weeks before the wedding. How can you still be in touch with that kind of woman?"

Christian shut his eyes and released a deep breath. The next moment when he opened it, he fixed his gaze on her.

"Mum, I really do not want to talk about this, but I want you to stop worrying about me. I am an adult, and I can deal with my business."

His mother pointed at his chest and asked, "Can you protect your heart like in the past, besides, the last I heard, that woman is married, so why on earth do you still have any business with her? Please, don't tell me it's what I'm thinking."

Already, Susan's mind was beginning to run wild with imagination and she refused to believe those thoughts.

"When Ashley mentioned Diane, what other things did you hear?" Christian asked as he narrowed his gaze just as Susie popped out from the corner.

"Mum," Susie called out. "Diane attended the party with her father who is an influential doctor amongst the wealthy. I think you are thinking too much about the entire case."

Using the opportunity his sister created, Christian told his mother that he was tired and needed to rest before walking away in a rage.

Both the rage from his breakup with Diane in the past plus the rage from others meddling in his matter.

Susan saw this and became remorseful for reminding him of the past.

"He still hasn't forgotten about her," she mumbled as her gaze lingered on Christian's retreating back.

"He loved her so much," Susie sighed.

Immediately, Susan shook her head. "This won't do. Your brother has to get married and completely forget that woman. With the way he loves her, I don't trust that he wouldn't do something unheard of."

Susan was wary of her son and the things he could do if he wanted Diane back in his life. Before her eyes, she had witnessed how much he loved her plus the rage that overtook him when she left him and he failed to win her back.

"Mum, I think you really have to take a break. Christian doesn't like others meddling in his personal affairs, and you know what will happen if you cross him," Susie reminded kindly.

Susie understood love clearly therefore, her younger brother's case was not an exception. It is hard to let go when you love someone with every fibre in you even if they betray you.

It was either you continue to love them or end up hating them with that equal amount of energy and in Christian's case, it worked both ways.

"I am ready to bear the consequences of my actions just to liberate my son from that woman's clutches," Susan promised as the rims of her eyes turned red.

In case Christian was too blind to see his left from his right, she would help guide his ways.