7
In early May, my mother’s old flame returned from abroad.
My father was at a board meeting at the corporate headquarters. We heard the man had done well with a tech startup in the US and was now a
minor celebrity in the industry. This was all thanks to my mother, who hadn’t hesitated to embezzle funds from the Sterling Group to finance his
vertures.
Arthur had started to sense something was wrong. The man was constantly visiting my mother under the guise of “business collaboration,” and
they would stand far too close, whispering to each other. Their intimacy was so blatant that even the air–conditioning repairman found it unsettli- ng. When someone asked, my mother lied and said he was a distant cousin. It was absurd. Where had this distant cousin materialized from after
all these years?
“Mom and Uncle seem so close. I remember Mom used to live in the States for a while before she came back and met Dad,” said, feigning innoc-
ence.
I watched as the man once again entered my mother’s bedroom.
Arthur, hearing my words, looked absolutely thunderous. He took two long strides and kicked open my mother’s bedroom door.
My mother was still in the middle of giving her “uncle” a massage.
it was the weekend, so all the household staff were off. My mother had tried to send us on an outing to the countryside that morning. Andrew and
Isabelle went, but Arthur and I stayed behind.
Seeing us, my mother froze, too shocked to react. “Arthur… you… why are you back?”
A vein throbbed in Arthur’s forehead as he fought to control his rage. “What are you two doing?”
The man, however, seemed completely unbothered. He laughed, pulling my mother into his arms. “What are we doing? Can’t you tell?” Now that
he was a wealthy and powerful man returned from abroad, he was full of confidence.
Arthur gritted his teeth and lunged, tackling him to the ground. Arthur was a fitness enthusiast, one punch sent the flabby man reeling. The man
was no match for my brother and could only beg for mercy between blows.
Just as chaos erupted, my father returned..
Chapter 2
11:48 E
Just as chaos erupted, my father returned.
With him were several men in suits. It turned out my father had thoroughly investigated the man for insider trading and corporate espionage.
As he was being led away, Andrew and Isabelle happened to return.
“What’s going on?” Andrew asked, confused.
My father snorted and walked over to my mother.
She collapsed to the floor in a heap, taking a long moment to process what was happening. She scrambled on her hands and knees to my father’s
feet, babbling incoherently, “Darling, darling, I was wrong, darling…”
My father looked down at her, his eyes filled with rage and disappointment. “I could have overlooked the money. But to collude with an outsider to
harm your own family… how did you become this
person?”
in
He shoved her away, turning his back on her. “Do you have any idea that without me, you’d still be a waitress in that small town?”
Before she met my father, my mother was just a waitress in a small diner. My father, out of kindness, gave her a job. Over the years, they fell
love. His entrepreneurial journey was difficult, but he
but he always strived
to all
give her the best. Later, when my mother grew ambitious and demanded
the life of a socialite, my father worked even harder, finally building his company into the empire it was today. Everything he did was for her,
His words were harsh, but he had a soft heart. My mother knew this. She just covered her face and wept, looking up at him wordlessly, hoping
soften him.
for us.
to
Isabelle, seeing this, also fell to her knees, crying. “Uncle, please forgive Aunt Eleanor this one time. She was just confused for a moment, she
didn’t mean it…”
“Shut up!” my father finally roared. “You, some bastard from God knows where! If it weren’t for you, would any of this have happened to Claire?”
He waved a hand, dismissing her.
Andrew quickly stepped forward to help her up, saying defensively, “Dad, it was Mom’s fault. What does this have to do with Isabelle? She’s just an innocent girl.”
My father, hearing this, looked at the two of them with surprise. He had been so preoccupied with company matters that he had no idea what had been developing between them.
