When the parents finally got back Cedric and Adrianna toured the Hernandezes around the house. Cedric showed them where they would be staying and where Cedric and Adrianna's rooms were.
"When you move in Mom and Dad, I was thinking you could just use one of my cars. My family and friends honestly bought me too many cars." Cedric suggested.
"That would be great! Will you also assign us a driver?" Gracia said, jumping at Cedric's offer.
"Mom!" Adrianna complained.
"It's fine Adrianna, of course I will get you a driver mom." Cedric said.
"And how do you plan to maintain this whole house? You will need a fleet of househelp. Why not bring our two maids along?" Gracia asked.
These two maids that she was referring to never treated Cedric as if he was married to Adrianna. They treated him as if he were just a random person leaching off the Hernandez family. They would often mock and make fun of him. Cedric had no intention of bringing them over.
"The Reyes family hires the best staff. They all need to meet a certain qualification to be allowed to work in any of our homes. I'm sorry mom, but you will need to let them go." Cedric told Gracia.
"But they have been with me for years." Gracia complained.
"Mom, this is mine and Cedric's house. Cedric already said no. Don't insist." Adrianna said standing up to her mom.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Fine. But make sure that the people you hire are reliable." Gracia said.
"The Reyes family never hires anyone unreliable." Priscilla said from behind. She had gone up to tell them that coffee and tea were already ready in the ground floor study.
"Priscilla, I didn't mean that. What I meant was that Cedric should be sure of the people he hires." A flustered Gracia said as she tried to salvage her image in front of Priscilla.
"Mmmm. I came to call you all to say that the drinks are ready in the study." Priscilla said as she turned to leave.
In the study Ayanna and Emilio were each reading a book when everyone else came in. When they saw this they placed their books down.
"Ced, when do you plan to move in?" Ayanna asked.
"When Miguel says I don't need as much care anymore." Cedric explained.
"Does this mean that it was you that asked Doctor Miguel to operate on my father in law?" Gracia asked.
"I never asked him to. He offered." Cedric said nonchalantly.
"Why would you let Asia and Mark take credit for it?" Charles asked.
"Because their lie will eventually catch up to them. It already has." Cedric said as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Why don't we just move here temporarily as well? So that we could take care of you?" Priscilla Reyes suggested.
Cedric looked at Adrianna to get her opinion.
"I wouldn't mind." Adrianna said.
"Alright mom. You and dad can stay over. We can actually move in already. Adrianna and I have nothing to move." Cedric said.
"What about your clothes at home Adri?" Gracia asked.
"Cedric bought me new ones." Adrianna said with a blush. She didn't know why, but she was embarrassed by the extravagance of having a full wardrobe in each house.
"Then your mom and I will go home to set things in order." Charles said.
"We'll come with you. I'm sure there are some things that we might want to bring, for sentimental value." Cedric said.
When Cedric and the Hernandezes got home they packed everything they needed and wanted to keep. Cedric took a look at the room he and Adrianna had lived in for years, it was roughly the same size as his closet in Mountain View.
Gracia came in and saw Cedric looking around.
"Cedric, thank you for making things better for us." Gracia said.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Mom, I'm doing this because of Adrianna. But don't think for a second that the way you treated me all those years were fine. You treated me more like a slave than as a son in law. You repeatedly attempted to get me and Adrianna to separate. You're just lucky you didn't go to the same lengths as the rest of the Hernandez family." Cedric said choosing not to sugarcoat his feelings.
"You're right. My treatment of you changed when I found out that you were rich, and that's wrong of me." Gracia Hernandez admitted. "I've always only ever wanted what was best for my daughter, and being with a poor man was not what was best. She could have achieved much more if she had married someone rich rather than someone poor." Gracia said in an attempt to defend her actions.
Unknown to both Gracia and Cedric, Adrianna could hear them from the hallway.
"Mrs. Hernandez, do you know so little of your daughter? Even having married a rich man she would still choose to rise on her own rather than to depend on someone. Have you never listened to her? Adrianna is the smartest and most capable woman I know, she doesn't need a man to succeed. She is capable on her own." Cedric said, lecturing his mother in law.
"My daughter deserves to be treated like a princess. I can see now that you are very much capable of that. Do not let her struggle." Gracia said, ignoring Cedric's words.
"Mom, I'm not some fragile figurine that needs to be protected all the time. Cedric knows me best, which is a shame since you've known me longest. I do not want to be known as some rich man's wife. I want to be known as me and to achieve things because of who I am." Adiranna told her mom.
The next day the Reyeses were all at a private lounge at the airport to send Ayanna off.
"Make sure to call as often as you can. And you don't need to work while you're there Ayanna, just enjoy being a student again, and make friends! People don't know who you are there." Priscilla said as she fussed over Ayanna.
"Mom, I've been going to school in America for a year. You tell me the same things right before I leave." Ayanna teased her mom. "Hey Ced, Adrianna, could you hurry up and give mom some grandkids so that she could stop fussing over me." Ayanna teased her brother and his wife.
Cedric just laughed and held Adrianna tightly beside him.
"Ray, make sure my sister makes it back safe!" Cedric said to his friend who had just arrived.
"I'm not her babysitter!" Ray complained and rolled his eyes.
"But you'd like to take care of her." Cedric whispered and teased Ray.
"Ray let's go." Ayanna called out.
"Let's have dinner when I get back. Alexi and I found something." Ray told Cedric who only nodded in response.