14. The Awkward Dinner With The Smiths
1153 Words
Emma.
I don't want Nathan to be blamed like this. Even though Nathan was rude to me, he did a frontal act in the cafeteria to help me.
"I apologize, Mr. Smith. I think you're mistaken. Nathan didn't make a scene at all. He just..." I couldn't find the right words to explain to Johan Smith. What was I supposed to say?
Nathan glared at me as if forbidding me to speak.
"I am sorry, Dad," Nathan said. "It won't happen again."
Nathan admitted it readily. What's going on here? I thought Nathan was a rebel. In fact, he'd had none of it in front of his father.
"I invited Mrs. Wilson over for a meal. We can resolve this misunderstanding."
I don't understand this situation yet. I'm sure Gwen threatened me this afternoon, but Johan Smith was really nice to me.
"Get dressed, and we'll have dinner together," Johan told Nathan.
I glanced at Nathan, who happened to glance at me as well. I blinked my eyes a few times, then looked the other way. It was a bizarre situation.
"Okay, Dad," Nathan said.
Nathan quickly left the room. Maybe he would go to his room and change his clothes like his father told him to. Now it was just me and Johan Smith. I felt reluctant and awkward around him. After all, he was the owner of the university. He is my boss.
Johan Smith smiled at me. His eyes kept looking at me without even blinking.
"Where are we having dinner, Mr. Smith?" I wanted to break the silence and awkward situation.
"Oh, I am sorry. I was so focused on gazing at your beauty that I forgot what you came here for. Come here. I'll take you to the dining room."
Johan Smith stood up immediately. I followed suit, doing my best to be polite in front of him. Johan Smith stepped out first, and I followed behind him. We headed to the dining room, which looked more like Queen Elizabeth's dining room. The room was spacious, luxurious, and stunningly designed. Although I had been married to a rich man, Robert was utterly different from Johan Smith.
"Please take a seat, Mrs. Wilson. The food is ready for you," Johan Smith said.
I smiled as I answered Johan Smith, just as I was. I was speechless with the condition of this dining room.
"Are there no other family members, Mr. Smith? I think this dining table is too big."
Johan Smith smiled at me, but then he showed a slightly serious response.
"I'm just with my son, Mrs. Wilson. Nothing else," Johan Smith replied.
Why did I sense the sadness in Johan Smith's eyes? Does he not have a wife? I was afraid I had said the wrong thing.
"So, where is your wife, Mr. Smith?"
"Wife?" Johan Smith looked at me with twinkling eyes. "I wish I had one, Mrs. Wilson. Unfortunately, I don't. This is one of my failures. I was unable to provide a mother for Nathan. He grew up without a mother."
Oh, now I understand why Nathan has such a rebellious spirit. His father was too busy with business, and his mother was absent. Absent? Is his mother dead? Or is Nathan actually an illegitimate child? Should I ask? But it's none of my business. Why would I know about Nathan's background?
"There seems to be one misunderstanding we have yet to correct, Mrs. Wilson." Johan Smith spoke again.
"Oh, yeah? What is it? Is it about Gwen and Nathan's relationship? Sir, I have no objection to their relationship at all. If I caught them making out again in my class, I wouldn't reprimand them."
Johan Smith furrowed his brow as he glanced curiously at me. What is this? Did I say something wrong? I'm trying to be careful because it's about my job.
"Gwen and Nathan made out in your class?"
"Actually, while I was still in class, it was just that my class was over. So, forgive me for being so conservative."
"No, it is not. You reprimanded them, Ms. Wilson."
"I am."
"That's what I must admit to doing. So far, no one has bothered to reprimand Nathan or Gwen."
Nathan just happened to come into the dining room. He sat across from me, making me uncomfortable. Especially since his father and I had just been talking about him.
"You made out with Gwen in Mrs. Wilson's class, Nathan?" Johan Smith asked his son for confirmation.
"Me?" Nathan was evasive. "You must have known Gwen was chasing me, Dad. I never said I was interested in her."
Johan Smith snorted. It seemed like a conversation I shouldn't be having.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Wilson. I made you uncomfortable."
I tried to keep smiling to make Johan Smith feel more comfortable.
"No, it is not, sir. I am fine. I'm just amazed. This is a new thing for me. Conversation over dinner," I replied.
"I don't suppose you ever do, Mrs. Wilson?" Johan Smith replied to me.
"My ex-husband is too busy with his work, so we rarely have dinner together. Actually, we rarely see each other." I smiled back.
"Your ex?" Johan Smith raised his eyebrows.
"Robert is my ex-husband, sir. We separated a year ago."
I sighed. It was hard for me to talk about my divorce. Even though it was a year ago, I still felt uncomfortable talking about it.
Johan Smith looked at me in a way that I couldn't understand. Does he think I'm weird for being divorced? I don't know.
Dinner went well. We didn't talk about my background anymore, and Johan Smith also didn't mention Nathan making out with Gwen.
"Thank you for everything, Mr. Smith," I said. "That's really generous of you. I thought you were going to scold me," I said after dinner ended.
"What do you mean, Mrs. Wilson? How could I scold a woman as beautiful as you? Don't rush home. I think it would be best if you gave Nathan a little advice. Let him drive you home later."
"Oh, you want me to have a chat with Nathan?" I didn't expect him to ask me this.
"I'm going to my room. If there's anything, you can come to my room, Mrs. Wilson. I have some classwork to do." Nathan got up and left the dining room.
Nathan did have a very rebellious spirit. Johan Smith must have thought hard about educating him.
"There's never been anyone to scare Nathan. I'm afraid he has a bad attitude out there. So, I thought you could do something for me. He's shown no resistance to you. Will you help me train Nathan? Get him to have good manners. I'm having trouble doing that, Mrs. Wilson. I don't have the time. And don't worry. I'll pay you professionally."
What kind of offer is this? Johan Smith seemed to be pushing me towards Nathan.
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