Married To My Ex-Husband’s Rival by Jobet GraySon

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Richard's POV.

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It was around 6:00 p.m. when | arrived at my parent's place. | had already told them that | would be coming, so | knew that they were most likely expecting me with wild grins on their faces.

| knew that my mother would be especially excited to see me, mostly because | hardly ever visited. and the reason was that | always wanted to avoid talking about marriage with them.

As soon as | drove into the Romero mansion, | spotted Martin, the family butler, already waiting in front. | didn’t need to be told that he was waiting for me, and | was pretty sure that my mother had sent him to escort me in. She sometimes forgot that | lived in the house for quite a few years before moving out, because according to her, | had become a stranger to my own home.

After stepping out of the car, Martin rushed over to me with a smile on his face. “Good evening, Young Master,” he greeted.

“It's Mr. Romero to you, Martin,” | quickly corrected, hating the fact that he still referred to me

by a title that | had obviously outgrown.

“| apologize, Sir, but it’s going to be a little confusing to refer to both you and your father by the same title I'm a little too old to think of a new title for you, so I'd appreciate it if you

tell me a different way to refer to you,” he requested, and | almost rolled my eyes

stopped myself.

at him, but |

“How about you just call me Richard? | have no problem with that,” | responded, “And don’t even think of arguing with me, Martin. I’m in no mood for your dramatics.”

“Understood, Mr. Richard,” he said, and | shot him an unimpressed glare before shaking my head and heading into the house.

On getting in, | realized that nothing about the place had changed, and | almost shuddered in disgust because if there was one thing | hated the most, it had to be the overly loud aesthetic of the Romero

mansion.

Growing up, my mother had made it her life’s mission to turn the mansion into a palace-—like place. She used colors like gold and cream for the painting, and don’t even get me started on the ancient artifacts that would make you think that the place was some sort of museum.

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As soon as | walked past the hallway and the first living room area, | noticed that my parents were already waiting for me by the corridor that led to the dining room.

The moment they saw me, my mother literally ran up to me with a wide grin on her face.

“Oh, my baby is here!” she squealed in excitement as she hugged me tightly, while my dad stood a few feet away and simply watched us.

“I've missed you so much, Richie bear, but your father wouldn't let me come see you, and you didn’t seem all that interested in seeing me either. But that’s out of the way, my dear. What's more important to me is how're you doing. Hope you’ve been good?” she questioned playfully and | sighed.

“As you can see Mom, I’m doing just great. And even if you might not believe me, I’ve definitely missed you and Dad a lot,” | replied, and she scoffed.

“Liar, she accused with an eye roll. “Haven't you been eating, dear? You’ve gotten so much thinner than | remember. Have things been rough on you at work?” she asked worriedly.

| shook my head and smiled. “No, Mum. Everything has been just fine. | didn’t lose weight, I’ve only been working out,” | replied. My mom opened her mouth to say something, most probably to reprimand me, but thankfully, my dad

quick to chime in with a serious look on his face.novelbin

“Can | talk to my son now, or do you still have a thousand and one things to talk to him about

first?” he asked with feigned anger and my mother rolled her eyes.

“Nobody's stopping you,” she hissed before stepping aside.

My father immediately pulled me in for a hug, once my mom had stepped out of the way, and | couldn’t

help but chuckle at my father’s over-the-top greeting. He was always one for theatrics.

“Dad,” | said, trying to hide my amusement as he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, “you act like it’s been years since we last saw each other. You do recall that we saw each other just last week, right?”

He released me and gave me a playful shove. “Oh, come on, Richard. Seeing each other at work and seeing each other at home are two different things. You know that.”

| rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Sure, Dad. Whatever you say. Now, can you both stop love— bombing me and let me get straight to dinner? I’m starving”

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My mom’s smile widened, and she immediately started to lead me to the dining area. “It’s a good thing

you're hungry son, because I’ve spent all day preparing your favorite dishes!”

| followed the enticing aroma into the dining room, my father trailing behind me. The table was beautifully set, a spread fit for a king. My mother’s cooking was legendary, and she always went out of her way to pamper me whenever | came home.

It was as if she was trying to do everything she could to keep me from hating the place | called home for a few good years.

After a while of digging into the food, Dad would suddenly start to stare at me, his expression. turning a little too serious for my liking.

“Richard,” my father said, setting his fork down and giving me a penetrating look. “Tell us the real reason you decided to show up out of the blue. You’ve never been one to just drop by, even during th holidays.”

My mother let out a sharp hiss, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. “Must Richard always have a reason to visit us? Can’t he just come because he wanted to see his parents?”

My father rolled his eyes. “Martha, don’t be so naive. You know Richard better than that. There’s always a reason behind his actions. He’s not the type to show up without something on his mind.”

| sighed, realizing that there was no point in trying to pretend with them any longer. My parents had always seen right through me, and this moment was no exception.

“You're right, Dad, | admitted. “There is a reason | came to visit. And it’s a big one.” | paused,

taking a moment to gather my thoughts before continuing. “I’m engaged, and my girlfriend and | are

getting married in a week.”