Derek and Emily reached the Stevenson mansion. Emily was awestruck by the beauty of the mansion. Well trimmed lush green lawns lined with flower beds full of colorful, delicate sweet smelling flowers. The whole mansion was guarded by huge iron gates and tall walls that had barbed wires on them. There was a guard at every ten steps.
Derek surely was a prince or some mafia lord of some kind. She thought as she took in her surroundings.  She was feeling suffocated and betrayed as the car came to a halt. Derek felt her lost in thoughts. He snapped his fingers to bring her out of her reverie.

"Earth to Emily! Earth to Emily! "He said as he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes to get her attention.

"Huh....yeah?" She said shaking her head and looking everywhere than his eyes.  Now that she was here, she had to play along until Derek himself gives in and tells the truth about himself. 
"Derek? Where are we? And why are we here?" She asked confused.

"Welcome to my home, Emily. " He said as he switched off the ignition of the car and removed his seatbelt. 

"Well, this is my home or else known as Stevenson mansion. Don't you like it here?" He said as he turned a bit in his seat so he could face her.

"This is your home? Derek, I thought you were an ordinary guy. I didn't know you were someone so rich. I don't like rich people. "She said making a sour face.

"Emily, look, not every rich guy is not a bad guy. Please. Stop thinking like this. It's not even our own home. We didn't buy any part of it. My dad inherited it from my father and I own the home where you live with me. That's the only piece of property in my name. Let's talk about it after lunch. I can already sense my mother coming towards the door." He said as he hurriedly got out of the car and helped out Emily as well. 

Derek put his hand on his lower back as he held Emily to avoid her stumbling. Just then the large main door opened to reveal a beautiful lady. The lady who looked just like Derek. She would be in her mid-forties and looked quite young for her age. She was the epitome of natural beauty for her. She wore a silver pendant around her neck and a navy blue dress that suited her in every way.

"Derek, son. It's so nice to see you after such a long time." She said ever so softly as she enveloped him in a hug and kissed his forehead.

"Mother, it's good to see you too. I missed you too. "He said as he took her hand and kissed the top of it.

"And who might this beautiful lady be?" She asked looking at Emily. 

"Mother, this is my girlfriend. Emily." He said looking towards Emily. 

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Stevenson. Nice to meet you." Emily said as she put forward her hand for a handshake but it was ignored because she was pulled into a tight bone-crushing hug.

"Hi. Good afternoon, Emily. I'm Maria Stevenson. You can call me Maria. You don't need to be formal with me. We don't shake hands with family. We hug. You're his girlfriend and so you're family now." She said as she took one good look at Emily from top to bottom.

"Derek, son, you've done yourself proud. I'm proud of your choice. I approve of this young lady." She said as they walked inside. Derek still held Emily.

As they stepped inside, the inside was lavish but it gave off a homey vibe. It wasn't like the showpiece houses. Everything had its own worth here and everything belonged to someone in the past. They were walking to the dining room when she saw a lion's head cemented on the wall. The next was that of a reindeer. Emily gasped as she was shocked to see the heads of animals posted on the walls like stickers and decorations.

Maria heard Emily gasp.
"It's okay. I was terrified when I first set foot in this house and saw these. These are over half a century old and they probably belonged to Derek's great grandfather because his father or grandfather weren't huge fans of hunting. You'll be fine. Don't worry." Maria said giving her a reassuring smile and took them to sit in the living room.
All heads turned to the sound of clicking heels coming from the stairs. A beautiful girl with a porcelain complexion and beautiful dark brown hair wearing a floral sundress came into view. She didn't have a single hair out of place.  She walked gracefully and came into the living room.

"Hello, brother, good afternoon. "She greeted Derek as she hugged him and Derek kissed her forehead before holding her at arm's length and taking a good look at her.
"Oh my God! So this is the friend you were talking about, brother? "She exclaimed as she jumped towards Emily and crushed her in a tight hug.
"Dear sister, she is not just my friend but she's my girlfriend." He said sheepishly.
"I'm so so so so happy that finally, my brother found himself a girl. I was starting to think he was gay." She said before slapping her hands to her mouth.

"Alice, watch your mouth!" Warned Maria in a strict tone.

"I apologize, mother." She said as she sat beside Emily and kept looking at her. Emily was feeling quite uneasy by all the looks she was getting. But Derek kept talking and that made easier for her to get through the lunch.

"What happened to your foot?" Asked Alice in surprise.

"It was just an accident that took place yesterday." Said Emily looking down at her hands.

"Did you see a doctor?" Maria asked with concern lacing her voice.

"Yes, the best one," Emily replied sending a loving glance towards Derek. Derek held her gaze and just that made her heart flutter.

"Mother, look at them!  They're already in love!I'm so happy for you both." Alice said as she clapped her hands in excitement.
A maid who Emily came to know was Janet announced that lunch was served in the garden. It was a cloudy day and so it wasn't that hot outside. The lunch was delicious.

"Mother cooks the best spaghetti in the world," Alice said as she helped herself to some spaghetti.

"It really is nice, Maria. I wish I could cook like you. But unfortunately, I'm not that good of a cook. But Derek here cooks quite well. "She said as she directed a loving smile again towards him.

"Well, thank you, dear Emily. We all love to cook. It's our favorite pastime, our stress reliever, and our psychologist. I believe the way you feel is how your food tastes." She said as she finished her food.