Episode-18: Local festival celebration

MEANWHILE,

CITY A,

Mama Penelope and Mama Angel kept themselves engaged with the planning managers they called for the wedding preparations.

Across the living room, at the dining table, Father Vincenzo and Father Waylon sat looking at the tabloids for gossip and leisurely chatting, not because they didn't want to help their wives share the burden but because they were kicked away from the loop because their help was not needed and appreciated by their wives.

Not that this is the first time these two successful businessmen who ruled over the business world for years got this treatment from their other halves.

When it comes to the work assigned by their wives, they often find themselves puzzling and obliviously doing something wrong to get kicked out again.

Same routine but a different occasion.

"Waylon, what do you think about their marriage? They rushed to such a hasty marriage registration so suddenly and did not even let us catch a glimpse of such a huge surprise and shock coming to us." Father Vincenzo said.

Father Waylon did not look away from the news of the entertainment circle as he replied, "They must have met somewhere somehow. It's not like they are strangers. They did know each other. Maybe they wanted to get married; they met, they talked, and they got to the point of seeing eye to eye and getting their marriage license. Simple~"

Father Vincenzo scoffed at his reasoning, "What kind of melodrama you are watching?"

"What a great friend you are." Father Waylon immediately opened his phone and shared the link with him,

"It's the trending flash marriage plot between a Male lead and female lead because the male lead was being forced by his chairman father to get married and produce an heir for the family and the female lead had a tragic background where she was being pressed on by her family who included of her father, stepmom and step sister who just wanted to kill her all the time and yeah later there is also a childhood connection between Male lead and female lead, like any other drama nowadays. You should give it a try in your free time. They are not that bad. No wonder my wife always loved to watch these when she was young. And yeah, there is another twist, but you need to watch this to know. "

Father Waylon said and lowered his voice to a mere audible whisper at the last word, 'young,' not wishing to get another beating, scolding, or Cold War with his wife.

Father Vincenzo-"....." What a drama queen!!

Both Father Vincenzo and Father Waylon had stepped down from their duties to their retirement to enjoy a peaceful time with their spouses, re-live their hobbies, and let their eldest children handle the business.

They are here for this only, ain't they?

.

A City Club,

"Diana, did you talk to Ethan? What does he want now? Or is he still sulking about that marriage message? Is he that desperate? Come on, we are not that old now that we need to rush to marriage. What age is this hah? He is still dying to get married so early like this." David sipped his whiskey and mocked Ethan, looking unhappy and grim.

He wanted to use the secondary card Ethan gave to Diana to purchase the necessary equipment for his start-up, treat some clients to some high-end restaurant to secure the funding, and finally start his business and prove everyone wrong.

But all messed up now that Ethan stopped the card and he has no money on him. He could not turn entirely to Diana for this because she also doesn't get much from her family and it would make his image polluted if he used her to pay for his bills.

Using Ethan's money is another thing. He wants to be the protective guard with lots of money for Diana, so why not just use a bit of it?

He has noticed that that card never declines or runs out of money, no matter how many times Diana swipes it.

Hearing this again, Diana's mood turned sour. She has been irritable because of this matter for three days now.

"I don't know. He did not contact me."

David was stunned. That's never happened before.

"Why don't you try calling him? It's not bad to sometimes give me a little sweetness. Diana, why don't you just forget about this time and take a step forward towards him to reconcile. You know my situation now, I can't even take out loans. My business has started just now and I would have to spend a lot to make it steady and reliable. Just give me a call, huh." David immediately pulled her in his arms and gently coaxed.

Diana pressed her lips, refusing to say that she did give him a call when she did not hear from him for three days but he curtly spoke and hung up. Later, she was blocked again by him.

"Hm" She softly hummed in the response, her mind wondering what's Ethan up to now. Why did he change so much suddenly? Just because she did not see his message that night or because she failed to show up at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Then, Let me meet him and talk things out. We can get married this time if this is what he wants.

.

CITY L,

Ethan, as he said, took Genesis to the local festival where many people from another location came here to join in.

"Let's sit here" Ethan grabbed Genesis's hand and made her sit on the chair on the spiral staircase.

The festival begins with a grand flag parade, where villagers carry colorful flags representing their wards and people re-enact the old protests by using bamboo sticks to playfully knock down flags, symbolizing the historic land disputes.

Different groups create beautifully decorated floats, often based on City L culture, mythology, and historical themes. People wear colorful costumes and masks while dancing and playing music.

The festival is incomplete without folk music, especially the “Mando” (a slow musical form) and lively Konkani songs.

They also engaged in traditional games, including mock fights with toy weapons. Children participate in painting, fancy dress, and music competitions. The festival features delicious local food stalls, serving dishes like Prawn Balchão, Bebinca, Fish Curry Rice, and Feni (local liquor).

The atmosphere was energetic and lively, where all kinds of people were gathered together to be a part of this amazing festival.

Ethan and Genesis were led among the many people who were dancing there. Genesis had a huge bright smile on her face as she danced alongside the locals; Ethan, following behind her, did the same, his face breaking into a fine smile, looking at her happy face.

Maybe the laughter and happiness were contagious, making everyone feel a sudden burst of energy and enjoy themselves.

"Tired?" Ethan asked, holding her hand in his as he walked towards the car alongside her.

"Maybe a little but I enjoyed it too much to feel sad for this tiredness." Genesis softly said, the cool breeze messing up with her hair. Her gaze fell onto their clasped hands, which she did not initiate to let go, and surprisingly, Ethan did not leave.

"Thanks for today, Ethan."

Ethan looked at her side, her gentle, soft profile beaming under the moonlight of the night, radiating a soft, comfortable aura from her, which made him want to stay closer to her and just stay at that moment.

"We came here to enjoy so there is nothing like thanking me for anything. After all of this, you must be hungry, ain't you? What do you want to eat? I'll let Housekeeper Chen make it."

"Just some simple home-cooked dishes will do."

"Ok."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***