4 Marry Rich

Liu only reached out to his son for him to meet the women he had picked out. He became restless when Ely turned thirty-one.

Intermingling his niche phrases every time they met, "When are you going to settle down, hm? Youth isn't forever! I need grandchildren and someone to succeed in a family business."

Ely found his father's words a bother.

He didn't dare to retaliate against it because his father had the same persistence as a gambler—they didn't look at the bigger picture only envisioning what they wanted.

Ely brought his phone close to him as his mother babbled about other things and random things she saw yesterday. It wasn't a mystery as to why his father called him to a dinner—the only thing that was new is his mother being invited to as well.

Ely could sense his father being up to something, his stomach churned at the thought of his father being cunning.

'What is that old man up to now?'

He must've found a daughter from a family, but there had to be something else to it for Liu to create such an event on his own.

Ely glanced over to the large window that worked as a wall and drew the curtains. Every now and then when he was experiencing high anxiety—now it felt comfortable to watch the clouds in the sky slowly move. On the streets people walked, people talked, and they argued.

So many things stay the same, so why couldn't Ely's life remain as it was?

Wei's voice cut through Ely's inner monologue, "Ely, me and your father..."

Ely jumped to grasp the phone again, he hadn't been fully paying attention to her words, "Yeah Mom?"

"We came to an agreement, we knew you weren't planning to get married anytime soon. So we looked into the idea of an arranged marriage," Ely's eyebrows clenched, arranged marriage? Wasn't he too old for that, "She also needed a suitor. And she's familiar with your work as well, I've met with her—she's wonderful! Trust your father on this one."

Ely started to get agitated upon hearing this, 'She met Mom already?'

He had never taken a girl to meet with his mother, the thought of a strange woman meeting with her, one he didn't even know—didn't sit right with him.

'What did she do to win her over?'

Typically Wei was picky with whom she let in her home, a prime reason why Liu didn't let his wife see the daughters he picked out for their son. She does have a big heart, but it had to be something she could resonate with. Like Jin's.

"When's the dinner, Mom?"

"I told you already!" His mom chuckled at this before saying, "It's on Friday but you'll meet with her on Thursday so the two of you can get familiar, take her to a nice place, and get something to wear tomorrow. Mom's got to go, call me later."

The only sound that played in Ely's empty apartment was the sound of the call ending.

The feeling of dread washed over Ely, was he really meant to be wedded?

He thought his father would drop it when he reached closer to thirty-five but his obsession only grew larger. And not because he cared about his son starting a family, he was concerned about a profitable relationship.

He slammed his phone into the bed before sitting up, running his hands through his hair, Ely understood that the girls his father took a liking to were girls like Naeva, 'why doesn't he marry them instead?' Ely stood on the wooden floor facing the window, it all felt pointless now.

Ely reminded himself of a strange man he met while traveling, a guy who gave only his first name, Andy. He still didn't know if it was something he made up to handle his past or if it was real.

That was the scary part about people with [Divinities]—they could drive you to your lowest point, and you still wouldn't have enough to pin it on them.

It could've been the person next to you, your friend, and if you're really unlucky your own relatives. They were as good as people who lied all their life, there's that hidden thought that comes back to the surface, 'What if they were telling the truth?'

The first thing he asked Ely was if he had a [Divinity] while dressed in a Hawaii button-up shirt and beach shorts. One hand with booze, the other pointing at Ely.

"D'ya?"

"No sir," Ely tried to look for another place to go but the alcohol he had kept him seated, his head spinning.

"C'mon now, look atcha!"

'What the hell is he saying?'

He walked around Ely's chair prancing. Ely worried it would hurry the pace of his nausea. Until now Ely did not meet the bizarre man's eyes, the second he did, the upbeat setting around them...turned bleak?

Ely's eyes felt as if they we're on the edge of bulging out, 'Am I still drunk? Why does that fool look like he's six years old?'

The man-baby looked at Ely, "I always watched you growing up man!"

Ely looked down at himself, his large statue had now reduced to when he was younger, barely fitting in the chair he once filled. He could've blamed it on the drinks but he couldn't muster any words.

Andy's face started to become more younger and childlike as he stood next to him.

It was as if they were the only two there.

Two grown men who had become kids once again, he never experienced anything like this, 'Was this what it's like being in contact with someone's [Divinity]?' Their clothes sagged on their small bodies, yet Andy was unbothered by this.

"I wanted to learn more about you man," Andy rested his head on Ely's arms, "So let's watch together."

Immediately a screen-like projector visualized in front of them as if the two were in a cinema. Ely quickly replied before it started playing, "Learn what?" He never told a stranger about himself more than he needed to, so this gesture was unwanted. Especially if it was some drunkard.

He wondered to himself if somewhere in the place he was in, he was really awake but stripped himself of his clothes and started striding around everyone like crazy. Another thing to go viral for.

"I want to know what hurts you," the playfulness in the boy's voice ceased to a colder tone as he looked up at Ely.

'Why on earth-'

The video began playing and Ely immediately recognized it. Wei was telling her son how she and his father met, she wasn't drunk but she wasn't how she usually was either.

The video started off following Wei as she entered the home, putting money in Jin's hands funnily, and then sending her off. Locking the door as she left, staggering about the home to see which room her son was in.

"There you are, baby!"

Ely's heart strung at this, he wanted to look away but the longer it went on the more he watched. It was hard to see him cry since he was portrayed as such an enthusiastic young child, Wei would joke about how her son was robotic, and still a young baby trapped in a growing body.

Always doing what others wanted, and not knowing what it is he wanted.

Andy stood straighter, "Is that your Mom?"

Ely didn't look back over to him as his eyes glued on his mother, he had accepted what was happening and wanted to just watch.

"Yeah, it is."

Wei laid down on her stomach next to where her son sat, facing her head toward him. In the video, Ely was preoccupied with coloring the last page of the book his father gave him. The video was silent for a long time as a mother watched her son.

When Ely finished his drawing he looked at it before feeling the gaze of his mom, happily holding it up in front of her, "Mom, I finished the last one!"

Wei gestured him to hand her the page which he did without hesitation.

"Mommy likes it," as she held it she started crumpling the ends of the paper until it was one ball of ruins.

Ely watched her with a confused gaze while his heart drummed at this sight.

"Where's Qi when you need her? You probably feel really sad right now, don't you?" Wei held her hand up with the crumpled paper, "This is how mommy's heart feels..."

Ely stayed where he sat his eyes staying on his mother.

"Because of your father."