17 Chapter 17: Luan's Father was Behind All This?

"Yes, mom. Luan lent me the money for the house and got me a job at his mom's company. I know it seems to be hard to believe, but that's the truth." Ingrid tried to explain so as not to let her mother have any misunderstandings.

"Luan, is what she said right?" Seeing him nod, Ingrid's mother, Amanda, looked at him seriously. "Don't get me wrong, but I need to know. What are your intentions toward my daughter?"

"Mother-"

"Ingrid, as much as I respect your choices and decisions, I hope you understand my concerns too." Amanda cut her daughter off from speaking.

Ingrid was silent. She was a little embarrassed, but still she remained brave, looking at Luan, waiting for his answer.

"I think your daughter is amazing. I like her very much and I want the best for her. When she asked for my help, I did not accept with ulterior motives. I really want to help you and your daughter," Luan replied seriously.

Ingrid cringed from embarrassment but was very happy with what she heard. She looked at Luan lovingly and then stared at the floor shyly.

Her mother, seeing this, already knew that her daughter was in love with this boy, but she saw that their relationship was still beginning, so she didn't try to interfere any more than that. She looked back at Luan and said, "Okay, I've decided to trust you. I hope you do everything you said and will be good for my daughter."

"I will," Luan nodded and spoke with confidence.

Amanda smiled and said, "I'm now more relaxed about having this conversation. Can we go to see this house?"

"Yes, we can go right now," Luan agreed and looked at Ingrid, waiting on her approval. Amanda did the same.

Ingrid, who was very red, just wanted to find a hole in which to hide, but still, she agreed. "Yes, let's go..."

The three left the house. Amanda locked the door and when she arrived at the street and saw the car and especially the driver, who one would normally find only in movies, treating Luan and Ingrid with such formality, she was amazed.

"Mr. Dimas, Miss Ingrid." Sebastian greeted them cordially and looked at Amanda and gave a friendly smile. "Hello miss. Feel free to call me Sebastian."

"Hello, you can call me Amanda," She greeted him.

'Where did my daughter end up meeting this boy?' Once again Amanda felt suspicious. She didn't know how her daughter could meet someone with such a different status, since she never went to any fancy places that could give this opportunity.

"Where would you all want to go, Mr. Dimas?" Sebastian asked politely.

Amanda's eyes flew wide open as she knew the neighborhood he mentioned and knew it was a more upscale neighborhood, not a place she would be able to afford. But she decided to stay silent and find out when they got there.

Ingrid could see her mother's concern and discomfort, but it was logical; it was very luxurious to compare against the life she and her mother led currently.

When the black car started to leave the neighborhood, many people began to speculate several things, but what they talked about most was that Ingrid found a rich and handsome boy and hit the jackpot. Some women were biting themselves with envy; they wished to be so lucky to meet someone rich and handsome.

On the way, Amanda asked, "Luan, where are you from?"

"I live in Jurerê Internacional. I'm in Florianópolis to visit," Luan replied.

"Oh, I've been there before. It's a beautiful place," Amanda said with longing.

"Seriously, mom? When was that?" Ingrid was curious about this.

"It was when I was 17. I won 3 tickets to a water park with the tickets paid for in advance through a drawing and it was with your grandmother and grandfather," Amanda replied.

The three continued to talk until they arrived in front of the yellow house.

"Is this the place?" Amanda asked incredulously. She saw that in this neighborhood there were only well-kept houses and everything seemed very calm.

"Yes, it is this yellow house," Ingrid confirmed with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Sebastian, who was driving slowly, stopped the car in front of the house.

"Let's go," Luan said when opening the car door and then exited the vehicle. Ingrid and Amanda also got out of the car.

Outside, Amanda still looked confused. She pointed at the house and asked, "Are you sure this is the house?"

"Yes, mom. This is it." Ingrid was already expecting this reaction from her mother, since after all, before they had lived in a house much simpler than this one.

"Wow...!" Amanda covered her mouth with surprise.

'What exactly is going on between my daughter and this young boy?' She looked again at Ingrid and Luan. She saw that the two seemed to get along very well, but it was not as if the two were dating... but she had already noticed that her daughter liked Luan.

Ingrid opened the gate and she, Luan, and Amanda entered the house, while Sebastian waited outside the car. Ingrid invited him in as well, but he preferred to wait outside.

While walking through the house, Amanda couldn't help but be more and more surprised. It was all very beautiful and already had some expensive furniture. Everything seemed perfect by her standards.

*

- On an island in Germany; Becker Clan -

"Father... Bernardo failed to kidnap that bastard of mine." Leon Becker, son of the current Patriarch of the Becker Clan said full of anger and fear.

"You asshole!" With the sound of *Pow!* Leon took a punch from his father, who was a man in his 70s, however, had the vitality and appearance of a 40-year-old man.

*Pracc!*

Leon hit a glass table when he fell, causing the crystal to shatter. On the floor, Leon was covered with broken glass on his shoulder and face, as well as some on his leg. He groaned in pain as he looked at his father with dread.

Pointing his index finger, Valter Becker, Leon Becker's father, trembled with anger. "It was a simple thing, even though you were unable to perform it. I cannot understand how I turned out to have such a worthless son... if you really are my son!"

Upon hearing the last part, Leon Becker closed his hands tightly while he trembled. He still remembers the day his mother was beaten to death by his father, as Valter did not believe that Leon was his son. However, with DNA tests Leon was proven to be the son of Valter Becker, but because he did not achieve the goals his father wanted, he refused to acknowledge Leon as his son.

"Dad, don't worry... I'm going personally and this time I'm going to make her fall madly in love with me and give me all her money," Leon Becker said with a distorted expression. It has become even worse with the punch mark he took, "After all, she is just a foolish woman; she has already fallen in love with me once and if I knew she was heir to Dimas Corp, I wouldn't have let her slip away... But, it's not too late. I know I can do this. Trust me, dad!"

"Okay, I'll give you just one more chance. If I can't get my hands on that money, you can forget about ever coming back!" Valter Becker left the living room, huffing. He didn't quite believe his son, but he still thought what he said was viable.

'How did Bernardo fail? I can't even get in touch with him... Well, it doesn't matter. I need to get my hands on that money, or else, not just living on this island would be out of the question, my father is even capable of having someone kill me...' When he thought about this, Leon Becker couldn't help but fear for his life. He loved living too much and this island was practically paradise; he didn't want to leave the island, much less die.

*

After many conversations, Amanda and Ingrid decided to move in that same day. Although not much, Amanda had some money saved and used it to hire a moving truck. Sebastian again drove everyone back to Amanda and Ingrid's old house.

When they arrived, the moving truck was already waiting for them. It was a very quick process since the women didn't have much.

In the neighborhood, a group of housewives started talking.

"Hey, Amanda is really moving," said a middle-aged woman wearing a dark blue one-piece dress.

"Well, it was to be expected. And to think that she was so proud of buying that house with hard work." A woman in her late 50s, wearing gray trousers and a gray T-shirt snickered when she said that.

"I see she came back in that car, and that handsome boy is with her again. I wish he was here for me… Could he have bought a house for Amanda, perhaps?" the daughter of the woman with the blue dress speculated. She was not so young, nor so old, at the age of 29, wearing short denim shorts and a strapless blacktop.

"Tsk! And here I thought that Ingrid was different from the other sister, but in the end, it was all flour from the same bag!" The woman in the blue dress spat on the floor, showing her disdain. In truth, she was green with envy, she really wanted her daughter to be able to find a rich man to buy her a house.

"Mom, it doesn't have to be like that. No one can blame her for selling her body for money..." Although she spoke as if she were defending Ingrid, the daughter of the woman in the blue dress was actually ridiculing her while laughing contemptuously. But not for an instant did she take her eyes off Luan and the beautiful car; she was almost drooling while watching.

"Well, as expected of a single mother, she didn't know how to educate her daughter like I educated mine," the woman in the blue dress said proudly, but had a man like Luan asked her to, she would have thrown herself into his bed. This two-faced woman would have definitely betrayed her husband without thinking twice.

What these gossiping women didn't realize was that Luan and Ingrid were able to hear everything they were saying. Ingrid snorted with anger. It was not enough that they spoke ill of her, these women still dared to speak ill of her mother.

Luan did not intend to do anything, but seeing Ingrid like this, he pointed at the foot of the woman in the blue dress and that was when a strong wind was launched. Caught by the gust of wind, the woman lost her balance and started to fall. In the process, she pulled her daughter's hand, and the two went prone to the ground. The worst thing was that a few days ago it rained and the ground still had a puddle of mud, and when the pair of mother and daughter fell, they fell into the mud puddle, causing themselves to get all dirty.

"Damn it, mom!" The daughter of the woman in the blue dress who wore little clothing cursed, and looking in Ingrid's direction, she could have sworn she saw a smile mocking her. She was so angry and ashamed by all this that she ran straight home.

The woman in the blue dress also stood up and wailed. This dress that she was wearing was her best dress; she only wore it due to Luan's appearance with his luxurious car. She left with her head hung low without saying a word.

The other women couldn't stand it and started laughing out loud. Although they were "friends", they could not help but laugh at the spectacle.