Before Thanksgiving, Tina traveled to Capital City.
The Watson family was sticklers for tradition, insisting that unless utterly unavoidable, everyone had to dutifully come home to pay their respects to the family elders.
With a sprawling family tree, Hamilton, being the second eldest, Tina had an array of relatives like the eldest aunt, two uncles, and a younger aunt, who, after losing her daughter early, never had more children Including Tina, this generation of siblings and cousins totaled seven.
The household buzzed with energy every year around this time.
Labeled the "rebel" of the bunch, Tina had spent the past few years gallivanting around, even missing these significant family gatherings, much to her grandparents' displeasure. This homecoming was bound to come with a lecture.
"You've been back in the country for a while. And you didn't think of visiting, not even once. Too much time away has made you wild."
Clever as ever, Tina used Phillip as her shield. "Oh, come on. Please don't be hard on me. I've been busy fostering a relationship with Phillip, hardly had a moment to spare."
Upon hearing that, Eva immediately dropped the scolding. "You and Phillip are getting along well?"
"Absolutely," Tina feigned a lovestruck air. "He even wanted to come with me, but he's been swamped at work and hasn't visited his folks in ages. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson must miss him terribly. Holidays are for family, after all."
Eva was pleased with Tina's harmony with Phillip and her sensibility, nodding in approval. "You, my girl, are finally acting like an adult, thinking about marriage."
After leaving the elders, her half-sister Bertha caught up to her, poking for information.
"Are you seriously developing feelings for Phillip?"
Her nosiness was palpable, but Tina's response was icy. "None of your business."
Though not enemies, Tina couldn't say she got along well with her half-sister, particularly disliking how Bertha and her mother always seemed envious of the slight preference their grandparents showed her.
Everything seemed more appealing
when fought for, such as the
el.net
arranged marriage. Bertha would likely balk at the idea if the elders had chosen Bertha to marry a thirty-year-old man. Yet, when the arrangement fell to Tina, suddenly,
the Richardson family seemed like a good match.
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The Watson family had a profound political influence, and the wealth of the Richardson family's VectorVista Bank was equally alluring.
By all accounts, it was a match made in heaven, a union hard to top domestically.
Bertha probed further, "I heard he's quite boring, all work and no play. Can you two even hold a conversation?"
"Who said he's boring?" Tina casually shot back, strolling past a bunch of roses in full bloom. "He's pretty fun in the sack, I'll tell you that."
Bertha choked on her words. "Have you no shame? If Dad hears you talking like that, he'd whip you."
Unfazed, Tina dared her. "Go ahead, tell him if you can."
Whether flustered or embarrassed, Bertha muttered, "I'm just worried about you. There's no need to bite my head off. I'd advise you not to get too attached. Political marriages are no place for feelings. Haven't you learned from your mother.
"Shut it!"
Tina's sudden chill silenced her, and Bertha's lips pursed as her voice softened, "Why so fierce?"
Despite everything, Bertha harbored a fear of Tina recalling times in their childhood when a tantrum against Tina would end with physical
arguments or moral lessons, choosing instead immediate action. Even if it meant kneeling in the family shrine as punishment later, she never held back. Content
retribution. Tina never engaged in et
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Bertha initially thought she could dominate Tina with family support behind her, but after a few confrontations, she learned to keep to herself.
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