Chapter 10 - Selecting Suitors
"Why did you sit there uttering no words when I entered. The maids did not even inform me about your presence," Jasmine said gazing at her mum wearing a green gown. Although she was in her late forties she looks like one who is in her early thirties. They look more like siblings than parents.
"That is because I told them not to say a word to you. I knew you would decide to leave without meeting me if you knew I was around," Mrs Avans said in a serious tone.
"I would have refused to meet you? Mum, you know that is not true. I would never avoid meeting my beloved mum," Jasmine said as she hugged her mum.
"Stop acting so naughty because that will not stop me from scolding you," Mrs Avans said pretending to be furious with her beloved daughter.
"Scold me? What did I do wrong mum?" Jasmine asked sounding confused.
"As far as I can recall I have been a very good girl so why do you want to scold me?" Jasmine said acting like a pampered little girl.
"You have been a good girl? Does challenging your dad counts as being good or does refusing our invites for you to come to the main mansion serves as been good?" Mrs Avan asked in a serious tone. Jasmine quickly pulled out of her mum\'s embrace when she realised why she was acting the way she was doing.
"Mum, did you get informed wrongly? It\'s my dad who challenged me not me challenging him. You did not expect me to just say yes when he said I should dissolve my company and join the family\'s company, right?" Jasmine asked her once playful expression turning serious.
Her dad has always told her to work in the family\'s company just like her elder sister so when he told her about a week ago to come work in the family\'s company she had thought he wasn\'t serious. It was only when he threatened to dissolve her company that she knew he was damn serious.
"And does dressing up like this to meet the one who won the contract counts as doing what the challenge entails?" Mrs Avans asked staring at her exposed boobs and long seductive legs.
"Dad only said I should get the contract but he never said how I should go about it so what is wrong with taking the fate of my company into my hands?" Jasmine asked without feeling any remorse.
"You don\'t see anything wrong in being labelled the great seducer by all the men?" Mrs Avans asked her gaze focused on her daughter\'s indifferent expression.
"Mum, can we stop talking about this? We haven\'t seen each other for a while now so how about we talk about how you have been for the past five months? You can question my identity as the great seducer after I have the contract in my hands, what do you think about that?" Jasmine asked as she gave her mum her most adorable gaze.
"Ok, I will do like you say. Let\'s talk about the main reason I showed up so late at your Mansion," Mrs Avans said as she changed her tone to a more friendly one. Before Jasmine could ask her what she meant she saw her mum drop a pile of pictures on the couch.
"What are these for?" Jasmine asked as she took her gaze off the pictures and stare at mum\'s smiling face.
"Pictures of course," Mrs Avans said maintaining her smiling face.
"Of course I know that they are pictures," Jasmines asked. She had a slight clue about what our mum was up to but she wanted to hear the words from her mouth. "I am asking what they are for,"
"These are the list of your suitors I am sure you are going to take a liking to one of them after you have a look at their faces and listen to me tell you their backgrounds," Mrs Avan said her smile broadening.
So my hunch was right. Mum wants to help me plan an arranged marriage. I am sure this must be dad\'s plans. Does he think he can have me tie down by having me married off to some good for nothing man? Hell no! When my mind is made up, it is hard for anyone or anything to make me change my mind.
Jasmine thought as she stares at the current picture in her mum\'s hands.
"This is the President of LA Enterprises. He and your father have a very good relationship. In terms of wealth you can be rest assured that his current wealth will be able to sustain his three generations," Mrs Avans said with pride.
"So what if he is wealthy? Not only I but also my family is wealthy. Besides he is twice my age so how can I stood so low to marry the man who is almost the same age as my father?" Jasmine said making a disgusted face.
"Since you don\'t like him I am sure you will like this one," Mrs Avans said as she picked up the picture of a handsome young guy wearing a blue suit. In the picture, he wore glasses.
"He is Mr Titus, the owner of L.C hospital, the biggest hospital in the country. He is not only well cultured but also an excellent surgeon. He was the one that operated on your dad when he had surgery a year ago. I am sure you remember him. You guys got along well back then," Mrs Avan said. She was so sure that Jasmine was gonna like this particular guy.