His mother looked traumatized by that piece of information and shook her head. "You must be kidding me!"

"Calm down." Her husband tried to console her but she refused to listen.

"Your secretary? Why?" She asked, her face looked like she was confused.

"You are young, handsome, rich and everything women want. Why don't you have a woman? Why is it only you and that Secretary of yours?"

"Because I am a busy person, mother." He spoke calmly despite his mother's raging emotion.

"But you are getting old!"

"You just said some seconds ago that I am young."

"Are you going to embarrass us like this?" She asked in resignation.

"Embarrass? I am doing well in every other aspect. Why are you pushing me to find a woman? You already have a grandchild from older brother—"

"I want yours! Even though you do not want to get married, get a woman pregnant and bring me the baby!"

Li Hoy laughed at the hilarity of her statement while her husband tried to calm her down.

"There is never a woman beside you. Don't you feel left out during our vacations when you see the couples having fun together?"

"I have a lot of women, mother. I have you. There is Heya, Sara, Queen, there's also Reen and Joreen."

"Those are your relatives! I am talking about other women. I want to see photos of you with a woman other than Joreen on the net— Wait a minute...." His mother stopped talking and narrowed her eyes to look at him suspiciously.

"What is it?" He asked as he watched her carefully. He had a feeling she was about to say something which he wasn't going to like.

"What do you think of Joreen?" She asked.

"What?" Both her husband and Hoy asked at the same time.

"I think that is it!" She gasped. "I knew something was wrong. Have you deluded yourself into thinking Joreen is a daughter to you so you do not see any reason to get married?" She asked as if what she had just said made a lot of sense.

Li Hoy laughed again. "That is absurd."

"For a moment, I thought you were about to accuse him of having an affair with Joreen."

"What?! Why would... I think of something like... that?" She asked with a shocked expression.

"Jo is just an innocent child and Hoy is not a paedophile! Besides, they are like siblings. How could you think about something so horrendous!" She hit her husband's hand but lightly.

Hoy watched their exchange from the side. What bothered him most was the fact that now, he was stuck in the same room with his secretary all because of his mother's wild imagination. How was he going to cope with this?

*******

While Li Hoy was busy with his parents, Heya was busy with hers.

She had put on a pretty smile and looked like the confident Heya everyone knew. All her insecurities, inferiority complex, all were hidden beneath her smile when she left to meet her parents... mother actually.

She had moved out of her parents' apartment when she 21. It bad been difficult doing so because her mother refused to let her go. But once she left for school, she refused to return home. She wanted a life for herself and found it.

Now, she own a music school in the city which taught every instrument that was on the planet, teachers from different continents, and students from different race, backgrounds.

She had been a motivation to many young girls and women who were constantly body shamed because of their big size. She liked that moment when she spoke on interviews with a big smile on her face like nothing in the world bothered her. She liked it when she spoke to people about loving and believing in themselves, 'LIES. ALL LIES!' She muttered to herself. She was only better when she was in front of the camera. Once she was off, all her insecurities came back and laughed at her.

It was hard. Really difficult. If one thought they could overcome their insecurities easily, they were lying to themselves. Her life was so fake now that she found it difficult to find her way back. And the useless frogs she kept having as boyfriends made it worse.

With the same smile, she approached her mother in the living room and kissed her cheek.

"Why did you change your mind about bringing someone?" Her mother asked before she could sit.

She hadn't expected her mother to take it lightly after she called a few hours ago to inform her she wasn't bringing anyone.

"The student of mine I thought about asking to join me already have Christmas plans with her family, so I let her be."

"Student? Her?" Her mother asked in horror.

"Let the girl be already." Heya's father said as he strode down the stairs carefully.

Heya smiled and greeted her father but their exchange was shortlived when her mother began to speak again.

"Hoy is bringing someone. Even Reen is bringing someone! You are 29 for goodness sake!"

"She has time. Stop troubling her. You shouldn't have come over Li Heya."

"What do you mean by that? She should ignore her mother's visitation?"

"You haven't seen your daughter in months. Instead of arguing, have some bonding time." He snapped at his wife.

"This is me bonding with her and being a good mother. Heya, tell your mother the truth... you haven't gotten over Zhu Liang have you?"

Heya's eyes widened in surprise but she comported herself and tried to answer,

"T..his isn't... about anyone.. I just like being single." Heya managed to say albeit unconvincingly.

"Do not lie to your mother. You and that boy were happy together for 4 years. Everyone saw it. I can tell you've been unhappy after you broke up 5 years ago. Since then, you didn't even introduce us to anyone else. Are you still in love with him? I can speak with his family—"

"Dana!"

"Mum!"

Her husband and daughter called her at the same time making her flinch.

"Do not think about doing anything!" She told her mother sternly before she picked up her bag and left the apartment.

"How many times do I have to tell you to let your daughter be?" Her husband reprimanded her. She only snorted in response and eyed him.