At the end of the day, Oscar felt that his sister only provided him with scraps. Whatever assistance he received from her was not worth the risk of offending the York and Stone families. Initially, the Yates family was unaware of Hank’s wife and son. It was only after Hank’s divorce and his discussions about marrying Jessica that they discovered she had become a homewrecker.
The Yateses were displeased with this situation; Hank was a divorcee while Jessica was young and had never been married before. Although Hank was only thirty-one years old, he seemed to be getting the better end of the deal. He owned a house and a car, with his property valued in the millions. Given that Hank also earned a million dollars annually, the Yateses made an exorbitant request of $777,777 as a wedding gift.
This amount was astronomical for Wiltspoon, particularly for a wedding not associated with the wealthy. Typical families would only ask for tens of thousands, if not just thousands, in financial gifts. Requesting $777,777 was enough to deter any family from considering marriage. As Mrs. Brown told her daughter, Jessica was not made of gold.
Furthermore, the Yateses were not planning to return gifts of equal value. Their family intended to give items like bedding, while any money received from the Browns was meant for the Yates brothers rather than for the newlyweds. Unsurprisingly, the Browns were dissatisfied with this exchange.
Jessica also found the situation troubling, feeling as though her family was selling her off for their own benefit. Since her parents did not have her best interests at heart, Jessica decided to marry Hank in secret. Now that the marriage was finalized, her parents had no leverage to demand the money.
“It’s not that you can’t do it. You have the ability to earn enough to buy a house in the city. My husband and I…
We are currently unemployed and need funds for the wedding, the reception, our home renovation, and other expenses. Money is a concern for us at the moment.