Free Web NovelChapter 8: The Family Gathering
Twenty minutes.
That was not enough time.
Liliana paced back and forth inside the living room while Chris sat stiffly on the sofa.
Neither of them spoke. Neither knew where to begin.
Finally, Chris broke the silence. "Do you think she’s angry?"
Liliana laughed nervously.
"Grandma? She’s always angry."
"That doesn’t answer my question."
"It answers it perfectly."
Chris groaned.
For the first time in years, the international superstar looked genuinely nervous.
Liliana almost found it amusing.
Then a familiar car pulled into the driveway.
Both of them froze.
"She’s here."
The front door opened before Liliana could reach it.
A petite elderly woman walked inside carrying a handbag and enough authority to command an army.
Her silver hair was neatly tied back. Her sharp eyes immediately found Chris.
The room fell silent.
Grandmother Sterling stared at him.
Chris stared back.
Several long seconds passed.
"Hello, Grandma."
WHACK!
Grandmother hit his arm with her handbag..
"You shameless boy!"
WHACK!
"Five years!"
WHACK!
"Five whole years!"
WHACK!
Chris accepted every hit without complaint. He honestly deserved them.
Liliana struggled not to laugh.
Finally, Grandma lowered her handbag.
"You got married and never visited me."
Chris rubbed his arm. "I’m sorry."
"You should be."
"Yes, Grandma."
Grandma narrowed her eyes. Then suddenly pulled him into a hug.
Chris froze.
The old woman patted his back. "I missed you, child."
Something softened in Chris’s expression. "I missed you too."
Liliana smiled.
For the first time since arriving in Sterling Village, Chris looked completely relaxed.
Grandma finally released him.
Then she turned toward Liliana.
"And you."
Liliana immediately straightened.
"Yes, Grandma?"
WHACK!
The handbag struck her shoulder.
"Ow!"
"You are just as guilty."
"Grandma!"
"You hid your marriage from me."
Liliana lowered her head.
"I did not. I hid who my husband was."
"That’s basically the same!"
"Grandma, I’m sorry."
"I waited five years for you to confess."
"I’m sorry. I won’t keep any secrets from you from now on."
"Oh, that’s reassuring."
Grandma said in sarcasm.
Chris laughed.
Liliana wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Grandma huffed. Then she sat down.
"Now explain everything."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
The teasing disappeared. And the conversation became serious.
Liliana and Chris exchanged glances.
Where should they even start?
Eventually, Liliana spoke.
"We didn’t mean to keep it from you."
Grandma folded her arms.
"Then why?"
Chris answered this time.
"Because of my career."
The old woman remained silent.
He continued.
"If people discovered our relationship, the media would have followed her everywhere."
Liliana nodded. Then Chris continued.
"It’s my fault. And I know I was selfish, well I am until now. Liliana sacrificed her dream for me."
Liliana immediately shook her head. "No. It was my decision. It’s not your fault."
The old woman sighed.
"You know what makes me angry?"
Liliana hesitated.
"The secret?"
"No."
Chris looked surprised.
Grandma shook her head.
"I’m angry because both of you spent five years carrying this burden alone."
The room grew quiet.
Grandma looked at them carefully. "You protected everyone except yourselves."
The old woman sighed again. Then turned to Chris. "How is your father? Your mother?"
"They’re doing great." Chris smiled.
Grandma nodded. "So... You want to meet everyone?"
Liliana froze. "Grandma, he already met Emily. But she didn’t know he’s my husband. Do you think meeting everyone would be fine?"
Grandma chuckled. "He’ll survive."
And so Grandma started calling everyone for a family gathering.
Tonight, everyone in the Sterling Family would know her mysterious husband.
"Are you nervous?" Liliana asked.
Chris shook his head. "No." Then sighed. "A little. What if they don’t like me?"
Liliana laughed softly. "You’re THE Chris St. Claire. Vocalist of the most popular boyband. An international idol. What’s not to like?"
"That’s exactly why I’m worried. What if they’re expecting someone bigger?
"Don’t worry too much. They’ll love you." Liliana said mischievously.
The Sterling ancestral house had never been this crowded on such short notice.
Voices filled every corner of the old home.
The dining table had been extended. Extra chairs had been brought out. Trays of food covered every available surface because Grandma Sterling firmly believed no family gathering could happen without enough food to feed an entire village.
Liliana sat beside Chris on a long wooden sofa.
And watched her family arrive one by one.
The first to appear was Uncle Robert.
Behind him were Emily and Nathan. Emily walked inside while scrolling through her phone.
Then she looked up.
And froze.
Her eyes landed on Chris.
The phone slipped from her hand.
CLATTER.
"Oh my God."
Nathan looked confused.
"What?"
Emily pointed.
Nathan turned.
Then he froze too.
"Oh."
Several seconds passed.
"OH."
Chris gave an awkward wave.
"Hello again."
Emily looked like she was reliving the greatest shock of her life for the second time in one day.
Before she could recover, another group arrived.
Aunt Melanie entered with Mary and Rose.
Mary was chatting excitedly about the latest Pulse concert livestream.
Rose was wearing a Pulse hoodie.
Liliana immediately knew this would not end well.
"Grandma said it was important," Mary said while entering. "I wonder what happened."
Rose nodded.
"Maybe Liliana finally brought her husband."
The cousins laughed.
Then they saw Chris. Silence.
Complete silence.
Rose blinked. Mary blinked.
Chris smiled politely.
The two girls stared.
Then looked at Liliana. Then back at Chris. Then back at Liliana again.
Their brains visibly stopped functioning.
Rose grabbed Mary’s arm hard.
"Ouch!"
"Tell me I’m hallucinating."
Mary swallowed.
"I don’t think hallucinations wave at people."
Chris slowly lowered his hand.
The front door opened again.
This time Gideon and Theresa Sterling entered with their twins.
Nicole was carrying a Pulse tote bag.
Nicolo was wearing Pulse merchandise.
The moment they stepped inside, Nicole spotted Chris.
She screamed. A very loud scream.
Everyone jumped.
Nicole immediately covered her mouth.
"Sorry!"
Then pointed at Chris. "THAT’S CHRIS ST. CLAIRE!"
The entire room erupted.
"What?"
"Where?"
"Chris St. Claire?"
"The Chris St. Claire?"
Liliana closed her eyes. This was exactly what she feared.
Meanwhile Chris sat there like a man awaiting execution.
Grandma Sterling calmly sipped her tea.
Clearly enjoying the chaos.
Uncle Robert finally spoke.
"Can someone explain why one of the most famous singers in the world is sitting in our living room?"
Grandma pointed at Liliana. "Go ahead."
Liliana wanted to disappear. Unfortunately everyone was staring at her.
She took a deep breath. "Everyone..."
The room became quiet.
"There’s something I’ve been hiding."
Emily immediately raised her hand.
"He’s your husband."
Silence.
Liliana blinked. "You already know?"
Emily looked offended.
"I figured it out this afternoon. I don’t buy that friendship thing you said."
The rest of the family looked stunned.
Rose’s jaw dropped. Mary nearly fell off her chair.
Nicole let out another tiny scream.
Aunt Melanie covered her mouth.
Uncle Robert stared at Chris. Then at Liliana. Then at Chris again.
"No."
Liliana nodded.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Nathan pointed dramatically. "THAT is your husband?"
Chris politely raised his hand. "Hello."
Uncle Gideon sat down immediately. "I need water."
Aunt Theresa handed him a glass. And he drank the entire thing.
Meanwhile Rose looked moments away from fainting.
"You are married to Chris St. Claire? He’s THE husband who missed the family gathering for five years?"
Liliana nodded. While Chris was somehow embarrassed.
Mary looked ready to cry. "For five years we thought you’re just hallucinating."
Nicolo nodded. "We thought you’re crazy."
Nicole stared at Liliana like she had become a completely different person.
"But you’ve been married to Chris St. Claire for FIVE YEARS?"
"Yes!"
"And you never told us?"
"...Yes."
The twins looked personally betrayed.
Nicolo clutched his chest. "Cousin."
Liliana winced. "Yes?"
"Do you know how many times I’ve defended you when people said you were crazy?"
The room burst into laughter.
"Thank you?" Liliana said uncertainly.
"You were secretly married to Chris St. Claire!"
Nicolo cried. "That’s really crazy"
Even Chris laughed. And the atmosphere gradually became lighter.
Questions immediately began flying in every direction.
"When did you meet?"
"We knew each other for more than twenty years, I guess."
Liliana’s cousins bawled their eyes. "That long? How come we didn’t know?"
Emily raised her hand. "Oh! Liliana grew up in Aurelia City! And she moved here five years ago."
Liliana nodded. "Yep."
"Did you really marry in secret?"
"Yes."
"Do the other Pulse members know?"
"No."
"What’s Aaron like?"
"Quiet."
"Is Leo really that scary?"
"Not really."
"Does River actually act cute in real life?"
"Definitely not."
Chris answered each question patiently.
By the time dinner started, everyone had relaxed considerably.
Everyone except the Pulse fans. Her cousins.
They kept sneaking glances at Chris as if he might suddenly disappear.
Finally Chris set down his glass.
"You know you can just talk to me."
The four immediately straightened.
Caught.
Rose nearly knocked over her chair.
"Sorry!"
Chris laughed.
"It’s okay."
Nicole looked nervous.
"Can we ask something?"
"Sure."
"Can we take a picture later?"
Chris smiled.
"Of course."
The cousins collectively looked like they had just won the lottery.
Then Mary hesitated."Can I ask another question?"
Chris nodded.
Mary looked genuinely curious. "Why did you marry Liliana?"
The room became quiet.
Liliana nearly choked on her drink. "Mary!"
"What? I’m curious!"
Everyone was.
Chris looked toward Liliana. His expression softened immediately. The change was so obvious that several family members noticed.
Then he smiled. "Because she makes me happy."
The room fell silent.
Liliana felt her face warm.
Chris continued. "When I started my debut, I lost a lot of friends. But she stayed and treated me like a normal person."
He glanced around the table. "Most people see the idol."
His eyes moved to Liliana. "She saw Chris."
Nobody spoke.
"She never cared about fame." He smiled. "Actually, she barely cared about my career at all."
The family laughed.
"That’s true," Emily admitted.
"She didn’t even know half the songs."
"Still doesn’t," Nathan added.
Liliana glared at both of them.
Chris chuckled. "She gave me a place where I could just be myself." His gaze never left her. "And after that, I couldn’t imagine my life without her."
Several people suddenly became very interested in their food.
Nicole was secretly recording audio under the table.
Theresa smacked her hand.
"Behave."
Nicole quickly put her phone away.
Nicolo slowly raised his hand. "Can you give us tickets to the concert?"
"Nicolo!" Liliana called him out.
Chris chuckled. "Of course! VIP tickets."
Nicolo almost jumped to his seat. The others almost had the same reaction.
Liliana then cleared her throat. The attention was focused on her.
"We just want to ask you to keep everything a secret. I know it’s hard. But you know what will happen if this comes out, right?"
Everyone agreed and nodded silently.
Across the table, Grandma Sterling smiled quietly.
She looked at Liliana. Then at Chris.
Five years.
Five years of secrets.
Five years of sacrifices.
Five years of carrying everything alone.
Yet one look was enough to tell her the truth.
These two loved each other. Deeply. Completely.
And despite all the difficulties they had faced, they still looked at each other the same way. Like home.
Grandma nodded to herself.
Perhaps the secret had lasted too long. But at least now it was over. The Sterling family finally knew the truth.
And judging by the way Rose was already asking Chris for selfies while Nicolo begged for concert tickets, the family had no intention of letting their famous new relative escape anytime soon.
