The nerve. She actually called her ugly.
Yolande noticed her mom's face turning gloomy, and she couldn't help but let a little smile tug at her lips. If anything, she was a bit amused.
Claire caught the look right away. Yolande wasn't the least bit embarrassed. She leaned closer and whispered, "My mom's always out here telling people I'm beautiful, just like her."
"But everyone at home says I look more like the Churchills."
Honestly, Tiffany was pretty, but not anything special. Marrying into the Churchill family had definitely not improved their overall good looks.
"You really are beautiful," Claire told her.
"Seriously?" Yolande's face lit up. When Claire nodded hard, Yolande's grin got even wider. "You're gorgeous too. I've seen Melissa's photos, and you actually look more like her than anyone else."
"Karla, look at Yolande. She's stunning. What if you brought her into the
entertainment industry?" Tiffany was quick to steer the conversation back to her real agenda for coming over.
She used to hope her daughter could marry someone rich, but last time she'd been given a warning. The Green family clearly wasn't interested, so now she had a different plan.
If Yolande joined showbiz, everyone would see how beautiful she was. Later, finding a powerful match would be so much easier.
In her heart, Tiffany felt Yolande was at least as good as Claire. If she could land a fiancé even more impressive than Dane, that would be perfect.
But she knew those super-elite families were rare. The only way was if she married Yolande off to someone way older.
No matter how much Tiffany wanted a spectacular son-in-law, she wasn't about to sacrifice her own daughter to get it.
If great talent went unseen, it was a waste. Better to find a stage and let Yolande shine.
She was only a college sophomore, but there was plenty of time to get married after graduation.
"Yolande's all about the arts, too.
She can sing, dance, play
instruments. If she got into the
entertainment world, she'd be
everywhere in no time. Tiffany was
determined to sell the idea.
Padgett didn't look pleased. “Our kids don't need to jump into entertainment for attention."
He looked at Karla, probably worried she'd take offense, and quickly added, “Unless that's really what she wants, of course."
"Tiffany, you should respect what your daughter wants."
Tiffany rolled her eyes, thinking Padgett was only saying this because it was easy for him. If she didn't plan ahead for Yolande, who would?
"Padgett, I really am just doing this for Yolande's own good," Tiffany insisted. "Plus, she likes performing, don't you, Yolande?” She shot her daughter a pleading look.
But Yolande wasn't about to play along. “Grandpa, Patti, I don't want to go into entertainment. Right now I just want to study well."
"And even if I did, I'd want to make it on my own, not have Patti set everything up for me."
Padgett and Karla seemed pretty happy to hear that. The only one with a sour face now was her own mom.
"Yolande, don't say something so silly. The sooner you start, the better. Why go at it alone when Patti could make things so much easier for you?"
"Patti has real influence. If she guides you, you'll skip ten years of struggle."
Claire, watching Tiffany nag her cousin over and over, finally frowned.
"Tiffany, it's Yolande's life. She has the right to do whatever feels right to her Claire said. "It's not like your family's struggling. She doesn't need to hustle for money."
"She's still in college. She's got all the time in the world to figure things out. What if she decides she doesn't even want to act? Maybe she just wants a regular job somewhere."