Doris slammed the remote onto the coffee table.
"Followers? Who gives a damn about followers?"
"Our Ferdinand works at Channel 5. A state institution. What you do, let's call it what it is, is a circus act. Do you have any idea where circus performers ranked in the old days?"
"Ferdinand is being groomed for bigger things at the station. People are just waiting for a reason to drag him down, and your little career is exactly the kind of liability he doesn't need."
Keith Sanchez chimed in from the side.
"We're not attacking you. But if you truly love Ferdinand, you'll find a different job. Study for civil service exams, or take an office position at a real company."
"Look at Vera. Studied abroad, top of her class. Now that's someone who's actually in Ferdinand's league."
Five years of marriage, and Ferdinand's parents had never once thought I was good enough.
It didn't matter that I'd worked myself to the bone. It didn't matter that my eight million followers brought in dozens of times what Ferdinand earned.
In their eyes, I would never deserve their son.
And now that Vera was back, they couldn't wait to show up at my door and push me out.
I opened my mouth to fire back, but Doris's phone rang.