Never Judge

"No, no, no. Nothing like that." Cedric said with a laugh.

"Then what do you mean?" Adrianna wore a very confused look on her face.

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"Marco and Maria have been dating slash engaged for the past fifteen years." Cedric said with a laugh.

"What? How?" Adrianna was even more confused now. 

"Dad actually hired Marco as a favor to Marie. They were already friends when Marco started working for my dad." Cedric explained. "And Marco isn\'t from some ordinary family, he\'s actually a distant uncle of Ray. Auntie Amy Laurence was born a So, they\'re quite rich and own a big chunk of the old commercial district." 

"So why are they still engaged?" Adrianna asked.

"Their story is incredibly confusing." Cedric said with a laugh.

"More confusing than Miguel\'s and Veronica\'s? Or Eric\'s and Katerina\'s?" Adrianna asked her husband.

"It\'s up there with them." Cedric laughed again.

"Tell me." Adrianna insisted.

"You know how these old families work, they want a guarantee that their children dating each other won\'t end up in wasted time. So when Marie and Marco had already been dating for two years the So family went up to grandpa and dad and demanded that an arrangement be made." Cedric said as he leaned back. "The Reyes family is anything but traditional, so at first they refused."

"What did the So family do then?" Adrianna asked.

"They tried to use Auntie Amy\'s friendship with mom, but Auntie Amy was able to discourage them." Cedric said with a shrug. "At first everyone thought they would give up and let the young couple date in peace. I mean Marco and Marie really were in love with each other. I remember when I was young Marco would come over with flowers and gifts for Marie, she rejected him at first, but his persistence paid off and she fell for him." 

"So what happened?" Adrianna said as she leaned on her husband\'s shoulder.

Cedric pulled his wife closer to him and kissed her on the forehead.

"The So family told Marco that he was wasting his time chasing after someone from the Reyes family. They said that my father, grandfather, and aunt Aurora probably saw Marco as someone beneath Marie that\'s why they had refused the arranged marriage." Cedric explained.

Adrianna laughed a little. "Didn\'t they think that your family was just less traditional?" Adrianna asked.

"No, not really. Mom and dad\'s marriage looked like a politically motivated one, as for aunt Aurora and uncle A, well, uncle A was a business prodigy so they simply assumed aunt Aurora married him to keep the talent in the family." Cedric said with a shrug.

"What did Marco do?" Adrianna asked.

"He did what any lovesick man would, he refused. He moved out of the So family home and continued to work for my dad. Things, however, took a turn for the worst. The So family told Marie that they would never let Marco be with her if they didn\'t get engaged soon. So Marie went up to dad and grandpa and begged them to arrange the engagement." Cedric said as he watched Adrianna\'s expression change from sadness to surprise.

"Grandpa and dad eventually gave into what Marie wanted, but that completely changed Marco\'s relationship with her." Cedric said with a sigh.

"Why?" Adrianna asked.

"Marco was hurt that instead of coming to him Marie begged her family to arrange their marriage. Marco\'s reason was that if she had approached him he would have married her in a heartbeat, but the fact that she didn\'t trust him fully meant she felt she couldn\'t rely on him." Cedric explained. "The engagement fell through but their relationship was damaged. They were engaged and they loved each other but they continuously avoided each other."

"Is that why they were so awkward next to one another?" Adrianna was curious about Marie\'s and Marco\'s relationship. She never expected that Marco came from an important family, or that Marie was in love with him. 

"Yes. But I know they are still in love. The way Marco looks at Marie, you can just tell, and as for Marie, her phone background is still the same, it\'s a photo of them together by a lake." Cedric said.

"Do you think they\'ll ever heal their relationship?" Adrianna asked Cedric.

"I think they just need to spend time together. I don\'t even think they\'ve spoken about their issues yet. Dad and grandpa have been trying to make a way for them to talk but, they still haven\'t." Cedric said with a sigh. "I hope Marie stays here longer. That will give them a chance." 

"What happened to Marco and the So family after?" Adrianna asked.

"Marco is very much like you. He always places family first, they eventually made up. Unfortunately their relationship had changed. He was no longer the loyal son they thought they had. In public they all seem to get along, but behind closed doors Marco and Auntie Amy don\'t talk to the rest of them." Cedric explained. "If Marco was any ordinary family member they would have probably found a way to drive him out by now, but Marco has a lot of influence, aside from being engaged to Marie, he is also my dad\'s personal assistant. No matter what you say Marco\'s opinions have weight, plus over the years Marco has become a rich man, he owns shares of several Reyes Group companies and dad pays him really well."

Cedric noticed from the corner of his eye that Adrianna was yawning and clearly sleepy. He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Sleep." Cedric said as he hugged her from behind.

The next day, Miguel decided to cook breakfast for the Reyes Elders. He had gotten up early and prepared everything himself. As Cedric and Adrianna arrived at the dining room with little Emilio, Cedric could smell the delicious food his friend had just cooked. He could also hear laughing and chatting coming from the dining room. 

Everyone was already there except his father, it seemed whatever issue he had to resolve at the office took all night. Emilio Reyes III rarely overslept.

"Adrianna! Cedric! Come have breakfast with us." Grandma Bonifacia called out.

"I\'ll hold my grandson first." Gracia offered as she stood up and reached out.

Adrianna nodded and handed her son over to her mother.

"We were just telling Charles and Gracia not to worry about how they treated you in the past Cedric." Grandpa Emilio said as Cedric took a seat next to him. "I told them that what matters is they realized they were wrong and that they changed their attitude towards people. Plus I cannot fault them for wanting the best for their daughter, what parent would not want the best for their child?"

Cedric simply nodded in response. 

"Ah! Son, did you settle the problem last night?" Grandpa Emilio called out as his son, Emilio Reyes III, came down the stairs.

"Yes dad. All fixed." A tired looking Emilio said in response.

Cedric found it odd that his grandfather was concerned with the affairs of the Reyes Group, shortly after retiring and handing the business over to Cedric\'s father, his grandfather took a step back from the business, choosing not to interfere. Although, there was still the occasional partner that wanted Grandpa Emilio around when discussing the deal.