Ethan Blackwood was not a man that normally allowed anyone to disturb his peace. He was calm, collected, always in control. But when his mother barged into his office with the brightest smile on her face, he felt his control slipping away little by little.
"Ethan!" Mrs. Blackwood's voice was full of excitement. She didn't even wait for him to look up from his laptop. She walked straight to his desk, placed both hands on it and said, "Why didn't you tell us you're engaged?"
Ethan slowly lifted his eyes from the glowing screen, and then sighed. He had expected this. His family had been pestering him for years to marry. Now, with one small mistake that turned into a legal certificate, they finally had something to hold on to.
"Mother," Ethan said in his calm, deep voice. "It's not what you think."
But Mrs. Blackwood was already clapping her hands like a little girl. "Oh, don't be shy! I already told your father and your grandfather. Finally, you listened to us. Finally, you picked a woman. Oh, Ethan, my boy, I knew you had a heart after all!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the familiar headache coming. "It was a typo."
"What typo?" Mrs. Blackwood raised her brow. "Do you think I was born yesterday? You signed it. She signed it. The certificate is valid. And that poor girl, what is her name again? Ava? she must be nervous right now, wondering what your family thinks of her. We must welcome her warmly."
Before Ethan could reply, the door opened again. This time, it was his grandfather, Mr. Charles Blackwood, leaning on his cane but grinning wider than anyone else.
"Engaged, huh?" The old man laughed loudly. "I knew the day would come. And here I was, ready to write you out of my will if you refused to marry before turning thirty-five. Now I can relax!"
"Grandfathe....r" Ethan began, but the old man cut him off with a wave of his cane.
"Don't you dare deny it. I already called my lawyer to update the will. You finally gave me a reason to live longer. I must meet this girl! I must see the woman who made the ice cube melt."
Ethan stared blankly. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or throw something at the wall. Ice cube? That was what his own grandfather called him?
Before he could process the insult, his younger sister, Emily, came in with her phone in her hand, recording everything. "Ethan, oh my God! This is the best news I've heard all year. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be the only sibling with a love life while my brother remains single and boring? Finally, I can post something interesting about you!"
"Emily, put that phone down," Ethan said sharply.
But Emily only giggled. "No way. I already told my friends. And Ava, wow, she's so pretty. I saw her picture from the office party last year. Brother, you have taste after all."
Ethan leaned back in his chair, letting out another sigh. This was spiraling out of control. He had tried to explain the mistake to Ava, and she had begged him to cancel it. He had refused because he found it entertaining and also useful. But now, with his family acting like they had won the lottery, he knew there was no turning back.
His mother clapped her hands again. "We must invite her. Ethan, bring her home this weekend. The whole family wants to meet her. I already told the chef to prepare a special dinner. Nothing fancy, just a warm family welcome. Yes, yes, that's perfect."
"I am not" Ethan started, but then his father walked in too.
Mr. Blackwood Sr. rarely showed emotions, but today there was a smile on his lips. "Son, congratulations. Your mother told me the good news. I trust you chose wisely. If she managed to capture your attention, then she must be extraordinary."
"Father...." Ethan tried again.
But his father continued, "I will arrange for the family lawyer to review the documents. It is best to secure her place properly. We don't want gossip or opportunists trying to interfere."
At that moment, Ethan finally gave up. He rubbed his temples and muttered under his breath, "This is ridiculous."
His mother, however, ignored his muttering and said in a commanding tone, "Friday evening. Bring Ava. If you don't, we will go to her ourselves. And you know I will."
Ethan glanced up at her, eyes narrowing. "You wouldn't dare."
She smiled sweetly. "Try me."
Meanwhile, Ava was pacing around her small apartment, pulling at her hair in frustration. Maddie, her best friend, was sitting on the couch eating chips and looking far too relaxed for the chaos Ava was living in.
"Maddie!" Ava groaned. "You don't understand. His family probably hates me already. They must think I trapped their son. I'm doomed!"
Maddie chewed loudly, then shrugged. "Or maybe they like you. I mean, if I was his mom, I'd be thrilled. My son finally has a woman."
Ava dropped onto the couch beside her. "This isn't funny. I need to talk to Ethan again. Maybe he can tell his family the truth before it's too late."
Her phone buzzed just then. She picked it up and saw Ethan's name flashing on the screen. Her heart jumped into her throat. She answered quickly, "Hello?"
Ethan's smooth voice came through, calm as always. "Ava, change of plans. My family wants to meet you."
Ava froze. "What?"
"They're overjoyed. They think I'm engaged. They want dinner this Friday."
"Dinner? With your family? No, no, no, no. I can't do that. Ethan, listen, we're not really..."
"It doesn't matter," Ethan interrupted. "They won't take no for an answer. And frankly, neither will I."
Ava's jaw dropped. "Are you insane? This is your family we're talking about. What if they hate me? What if they find out the truth?"
There was a short pause on the line before Ethan said, "Then make sure they don't."
And with that, he hung up.
Ava stared at the phone in disbelief. Maddie burst out laughing. "Oh my God, this is like a drama series. I can't wait for Friday!"
"Maddie!" Ava wailed, throwing a pillow at her friend. "Stop laughing! This is my life we're talking about!"
But Maddie only hugged the pillow and grinned. "Your life just got interesting. You're welcome."