Chapter 130
Chapter 130
After giving a few instructions to the staff, Lola left with Doris.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Rupert’s apartment complex.
Doris carried Arianna as she and Lola took the elevator up to Rupert’s unit.
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When they reached the sixth floor, the elevator doors opened to reveal Peyton standing helplessly by the door, while Jimmy looked grim.
There were cigarette butts scattered around Jimmy’s feet–he looked irritated and frustrated.
“Doris, you’re finally here.” Peyton’s eyes lit up when she saw her.
“Dad, Mom.” Doris glanced at Peyton, a little worried about her health. “Are you okay?”
Arianna greeted them. “Grandpa, Grandma.”
“I’m fine,” Peyton smiled at Arianna. “Ari, you’re such a good girl.”
Doris asked, “What happened? Why won’t the door open?”
“We don’t know. We tried the key so many times, but it won’t work.” Peyton shook her head. “We called Rupert, but he’s out of town, and he has no idea either.”
“Claudia must be behind this,” Jimmy muttered angrily.
“You can’t say that without proof. If Rupert hears you blaming Claudia, it won’t be good.” Peyton was still trying to look out for their son’s marriage.
“Oh please, do you really think your son has the guts to blame his wife? The moment Claudia raises her voice, he wouldn’t even dare breathe too loudly. Let’s face it–he’s forgotten all about us since getting married.” Jimmy had learned this firsthand from living at Rupert’s place.
Claudia was always making passive–aggressive re
Claudia was always making passive–aggressive remarks. On the surface, she was scolding Rupert, but in reality, her words were aimed at them.
Peyton, being the gentle type, never argued with Claudia. But Jimmy wasn’t the type to endure things in silence. He had never been pushed around like this before, so he ended up arguing with Claudia. And when they fought, it got heated.
“This is our house. How dare you move in?” Claudia said sharply.
“We paid for this house. Why shouldn’t we live here?” Jimmy shot back. “If you think you can kick us out, forget it. I’m telling you, I’m staying right here. Even if I die, it’ll be in this house!”
“You’re such a freeloader,” Claudia sneered. “Your name’s not on the deed. If you insist on staying here till you die, then don’t blame me if I sell the house.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.”
Jimmy pointed a finger at Rupert and snapped, “Rupert, look at the kind of wife you married! She doesn’t even respect your parents. Are you even a man?”
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Chapter 130
Chapter 130
After giving a few instructions to the staff, Lola left with Doris.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Rupert’s apartment complex.
Doris carried Arianna as she and Lola took the elevator up to Rupert’s unit.
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When they reached the sixth floor, the elevator doors opened to reveal Peyton standing helplessly by the door, while Jimmy looked grim.
There were cigarette butts scattered around Jimmy’s feet–he looked irritated and frustrated.
“Doris, you’re finally here.” Peyton’s eyes lit up when she saw her.
“Dad, Mom.” Doris glanced at Peyton, a little worried about her health. “Are you okay?”
Arianna greeted them. “Grandpa, Grandma.”
“I’m fine,” Peyton smiled at Arianna. “Ari, you’re such a good girl.”
Doris asked, “What happened? Why won’t the door open?”
“We don’t know. We tried the key so many times, but it won’t work.” Peyton shook her head. “We called Rupert, but he’s out of town, and he has no idea either.”
“Claudia must be behind this,” Jimmy muttered angrily.
“You can’t say that without proof. If Rupert hears you blaming Claudia, it won’t be good.” Peyton was still trying to look out for their son’s marriage.
“Oh please, do you really think your son has the guts to blame his wife? The moment Claudia raises her voice, he wouldn’t even dare breathe too loudly. Let’s face it–he’s forgotten all about us since getting married.” Jimmy had learned this firsthand from living at Rupert’s place.
Claudia was always making passive–aggressive remarks. On the surface, she was scolding Rupert, but in reality, her words were aimed at them.
Peyton, being the gentle type, never argued with Claudia. But Jimmy wasn’t the type to endure things in silence. He had never been pushed around like this before, so he ended up arguing with Claudia. And when they fought, it got heated.
“This is our house. How dare you move in?” Claudia said sharply.
“We paid for this house. Why shouldn’t we live here?” Jimmy shot back. “If you think you can kick us out, forget it. I’m telling you, I’m staying right here. Even if I die, it’ll be in this house!”
“You’re such a freeloader,” Claudia sneered. “Your name’s not on the deed. If you insist on staying here till you die, then don’t blame me if I sell the house.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.”
Jimmy pointed a finger at Rupert and snapped, “Rupert, look at the kind of wife you married! She doesn’t even respect your parents. Are you even a man?”
“Dad…” Rupert sighed helplessly.
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Chapter 130
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“Who gave you the right to insult my husband?” Claudia wasn’t having it. She could call Rupert names, but no one else could -not even his parents. “I’m his wife. A real man would stand by his wife.
“My son was fine before he married you. Look what he’s become now. It’s all because of you, you wretched woman!” Jimmy put all the blame on Claudia.
“You seriously don’t know what kind of person your son is?” Claudia scoffed. “You should be thanking me for straightening
him out.”
The argument spiraled out of control. Peyton tried to calm Jimmy down.
Rupert, on the other hand, was trying to soothe Claudia, only for her to call him useless.
Rupert pleaded with Jimmy to stop but didn’t say a single bad word about Claudia. That infuriated Jimmy even more, and he refused to speak to them for days.
And now, here he was–locked out, homeless. His resentment toward Claudia grew even deeper.
After hearing everything, Doris didn’t take sides. She simply said, “Come with me. I’ll find you a place to stay for now.”
“I’m not going,” Jimmy said stubbornly. “Leaving would mean admitting defeat, and that vicious woman would be over the
moon.”
“Dad, Claudia went back to her parents‘ place. You have no idea when she’ll return. You can’t get inside, so what, are you planning to sleep at the door?” Doris tried to reason with him.
“Why put yourself through this just to prove a point? Even if she takes ten days or half a month to come back, what then? What do you gain from waiting her out?”
Jimmy stayed silent.
“Doris is right. Listen to her,” Peyton said, siding with Doris.
“You’ve been running around all day. You haven’t even eaten, have you? No matter how mad you are, you still have to eat. There’s nothing dumber than punishing yourself over this.”
As Doris spoke, she handed Arianna over to Lola, who had been quiet the whole time. “Lola, can you hold Ari for me?”
“Sure.” Lola took Arianna into her arms.
“Dad, it’s up to you whether you stay or go. But I’m taking Mom with me.” Doris reached out to support Peyton. “Mom, let’s go.”
“Come on, honey.” Peyton tugged at Jimmy. “We can come back when Rupert’s home. With him around, you really think Claudia would dare keep us out?”
Just then, Jimmy’s stomach let out a loud growl, making it obvious he was hungry.
“Alright, let’s go.” Jimmy and Peyton left Rupert’s house with Doris and Lola.
“Lola, let’s just eat somewhere nearby,” Doris said as she checked out local restaurants. “This place called ‘Second–in- Command‘ looks pretty good.”
Lola pulled up in front of the restaurant.
Doris led her parents inside and got Arianna settled.
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Chapter 130
Boiled beef was a favorite of hers and Lola’s.
Jimmy and Peyton added two more dishes and a soup, enough to feed four adults and one child.
While they waited for the food, Doris was already on her phone, helping the Reed elders find a place to stay.
She got in touch with a friend at Azure Hotel and booked them a room for two nights.
After dinner, Lola drove them to the hotel.
As luck would have it, Doris‘ friend was on shift, and since they had once been in the same industry, both Lola and Doris knew her. She gave them the best discount possible.
Doris took her parents up to their room. It had a double bed and a small living area–spacious and comfortable. Jimmy found it much better than the hotel Rupert had put them in last time.
But Peyton was more concerned about the cost. “Doris, how much is this room? It looks expensive.”
“Mom, my friend gave me a discount. Just stay here and don’t worry about it. As long as you’re comfortable, a little money doesn’t matter.” Doris had chosen the place with Peyton’s health in mind–she needed a good environment.
“Dad, Mom, just stay for two nights. I’ll talk to Rupert and figure out the next step.”
“Doris, I’ll listen to you,” Peyton said with a look of relief.
“Good.” Jimmy, for once, didn’t argue.
“Alright, get some rest. I’ll take Ari home first. Call me if you need anything.” Doris looked down at Arianna, who was already getting sleepy in her arms.
Arianna had skipped her nap today, too busy drawing. Now that she had eaten, sleepiness was kicking in.
Peyton glanced at Arianna, who had her eyes closed against Doris‘ shoulder. “Doris, where’s your sister? Why is she making you take care of her kid? Did something happen to her?”
Ever since Laura got a job, she had been really busy. Peyton hadn’t seen her in a while.
