"Who is he?" Rina's father asked.
"You know him, father," she said. She didn't need to mention Aron's name, as she was sure her father would know who she was talking about.
"You know that isn't how our family does things, right?" Her father was slightly displeased about her course of action going against their traditions.
"I know," she replied. She wasn't even planning on trying to explain, since, like Aron, she hated lying when there was no reason to.
There was silence from the other side of the phone once again. Rina's father hadn't expected her to be so bold, but realized that she was serious about her relationship.
"I feel safe around him, and he's someone who was on my side even when I was in a difficult time," she continued after a while. Aron was very important to her.
"But...." As the family head was about to say something about Aron's low class upbringing, he remembered that he had no right to lecture her daughter after having allowed her brother to marry her off to a scumbag like Rottem. Rottem was from a mere branch of the Morgans—which was even an enemy family! At the time, he had justified that decision by telling himself that he hadn't broken any rules, but he still felt like it would be hypocritical of him to lecture her about Aron now.
"You'd better bring him to meet me. Then I'll decide what to do about your relationship," he sighed. That was as far as he could compromise on the matter.
The compromise brought a smile to Rina's face, since if she were ever to be put in a situation where she had to choose between Aron and her family, she would choose Aron without a second thought. She didn't agree to bring him without question, though, and replied, "Yes, I'll tell him and let you know what he says."
"Haaaa...." A disappointed, but interested, sigh came from the other end of the phone before it hung up with a click. Rina's father had mixed feelings about her situation; he was disappointed that his daughter had been "stolen" from him, but at the same time, he was interested in the person who could make her behave like that.
Rina put down the phone and heaved a sigh of relief, thanking god that the worst outcome hadn't happened. If it had, and she chose Aron over her family, it would mean that two behemoth families—the Rothschilds and the Morgans—would be his enemies. One Morgan family was enough.
Even so, if the worst ever did happen, America would suffer for it; she knew her home country could never face her boyfriend on an even playing field and would only lose miserably if they were to come into conflict with him.
Putting her phone back into her purse, she rose from the chair she was sitting in and headed to the meeting room. Ava had told her that the meeting was coming to an end.
...
"Did you wait long?" Aron asked as she met him at the door of the meeting room.
"No, I'd just finished checking out the building when Ava told me your meeting was almost over," she answered as she hugged him and waved to Felix and Sarah. They were still in the meeting room, planning to continue their discussion about the upcoming product launch. It was likely going to break records, and even topple the first iPhone product launch.
"Good, then let's hurry—we promised to meet mom and dad for lunch," Aron said. He took her hand and walked to the waiting elevator to leave the building.
"Now that you mention fathers, mine said he wants to meet you. He called earlier, and I told him I had a boyfriend," Rina said with a serious face. Aron froze, causing Felix, Nova, and Sarah to laugh; they had heard Rina's "confession" and found it hilarious that Aron was going to have a "meet the parents" moment with the Rothschilds.
The pause was momentary, so short that only those who had received enhancements would notice it. Aron returned to his normal state and turned to Rina with a smile on his face. "Sure, no problem. Is there a specific date that I have to be there?" he asked.
"No, he just wants us to visit when we're free," she answered as they continued their walk to the elevator.
"That's good, then. I think we should go after the product launch." Aron wanted to impress his future father-in-law with at least a few accomplishments, and the timing was about right.
Rina understood his reasoning, so she smiled and said, "I'll tell him you agreed to come, then."
"Mhmm...."
......
Meanwhile, in the Rothschild compound's family head mansion, Rina's father was sitting with his phone in his hand as he called for his secretary.
The secretary came to the room as fast as he could, barely managing to maintain his dignity. "Sir, you called for me?" he said after entering the office.
"I need you to bring me every bit of information you can find on Aron Michael," he said. He wanted to know the history of the man his daughter seemed to have taken a fancy to.
"Yes, sir." The secretary immediately left the room, not caring why he would even want the information about that person at all.
'Let's see who you really are,' he thought. Once he knew everything about Aron, he would decide whether or not to interfere in his daughter's relationship. Not just anyone was worthy of being a Rothschild, after all, but if Aron was, the family head would be happy for his daughter.
He was feeling very tired at the moment due to being swamped with work as it was the start of a very tumulous and important period in the US government and a moment which would decide the level of influence they would have in the government for the next four years; a presidential election- was nearing hence requiring him to do his best to ensure their candidate wins the election, as losing meant the presidential power will be going to the Morgans, which was something he didn't want to happen.
To rejuvenate himself, he left his office and headed to see his wife, whom he dearly loved. His relationship was quite different from a normal marriage between big families, who consider weddings more of a business transaction than anything else.
