Chapter 120
Claudia shut the door without offering them a greeting and headed straight to the bedroom.
She immediately called Rupert, her voice filled with irritation. “Rupert, where the hell are you?”
“I’m almost home,” he replied, instantly picking up on her bad mood. “What’s wrong?”
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“What’s wrong? Are you trying to piss me off?” She paced the room. “What’s with your parents? They just showed up out of nowhere. Did you keep this from me on purpose?”
“Wait… my parents are at our place? I had no idea!” Rupert was completely caught off guard. He sped up. “Babe, don’t be mad. I’ll be home soon. Let me handle it.”
“If you don’t handle this properly, I’m done.” She hung up and angrily threw her phone onto the bed.
Sure enough, Rupert arrived home shortly after.
The moment he walked in, he saw Jimmy and Peyton sitting on the living room couch.
He quickly changed his shoes and went over to them. “Dad, Mom… what are you doing here?”
Jimmy’s face was as dark as a storm cloud. “You said you’d bring us over the next day. But what happened? You kept putting it off. A whole week passed, and you didn’t do a thing.
“We saw how busy you were, so we had no choice but to come ourselves. I wanted to see for myself if we really weren’t welcome in this house.”
Rupert knew he was in the wrong and didn’t even dare meet his father’s gaze. “Dad, you could’ve at least called me first.”
“If I had called, you would’ve just found a way to stop us from coming.” Jimmy had already figured out his son’s thoughts.
“Rupert, we borrowed a million dollars to buy you this house. And to pay it back, we even sold our own home.
“We have nowhere else to go. Is it so wrong for us to want to live with our own son? We’ve spoiled you since you were little, far more than your two sisters. All we ask is that you take care of us in return.
“If you can’t even do that, then you don’t deserve to be our son. Ever since you got together with her, we’ve treated her so well–does she not see that?
“She didn’t spend a single cent on this house, so what right does she have to keep us out?”
The more Jimmy thought about being blocked at the door, the angrier he got.
“Rupert, don’t blame us for being upset. If we had another place to go, we wouldn’t have come to bother you. As parents, we’ve done so much for you two. As our children, don’t you think it’s time you considered us too?
“You just left us in the hotel for a whole week without even checking in on us. Do you know how much that hurt us?”
Even Peyton, who rarely spoke up, finally scolded Rupert. “Rupert, can you really bear to see us out on the streets?”
“Dad, Mom, I know, and I’ll take care of you when you’re older. But this has nothing to do with Claudia. It’s my fault–I got too busy and forgot.” Rupert took the blame on himself.
“Rupert, we’re your real parents, and now that you have a wife, you’re just going to forget about us? Let me tell you, your mother and I are staying here,” Jimmy declared forcefully.
He even threatened Rupert. “If you try to kick us out, I’ll call your second sister and her husband. Think about how you got
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your job in the first place.”
Rupert felt even more helpless. He had no choice but to keep quiet. This job had been hard to get, and he wasn’t about to lose it now.
“Dad, don’t get so worked up. Here, have some water.” Rupert poured a glass for both Jimmy and Peyton. “Just sit down. I’ll go check on Claudia.” With that, Rupert left.
Watching Rupert walk away at such a crucial moment, Jimmy felt bitter inside. “Peyton, what was the point of raising a son?”
Peyton let out a sigh.
As soon as Rupert stepped into the master bedroom, a pillow came flying at him.
He picked it up from the floor and walked over. “Come on, don’t be mad. You’ll get wrinkles.”
“Don’t try to change the subject,” Claudia snapped, her expression serious. “Hurry up and get rid of them.”
Rupert looked troubled. “Claudia, put yourself in my shoes. They’re my parents. They’ve already come all this way. How could I, as their son, just throw them out?”
“If you won’t kick them out, then I’ll leave instead,” Claudia huffed and got up.
She walked to the closet and pulled out a suitcase.
Seeing this, Rupert quickly stepped in to stop her. “Claudia, just give me some time. I’ll find them a nice place to rent as soon as possible. Until then, let them stay for a bit.”
“I can’t stand this even for a second, especially your dad,” Claudia said with clear resentment toward Jimmy. “I’m not your mother–I won’t let him walk all over me.”
“I’ll protect you. They won’t bully you as long as I’m here. And before all this, weren’t they always nice to you? We’ve met -every single one of your family’s demands too.”
“So if you’d married someone else, you wouldn’t have had to do anything for them?” Claudia sneered.
Rupert tried to soothe her. “Claudia, can’t you just try to understand my situation?”
“Understand you? Then who’s going to understand me?” Claudia wasn’t letting it go. “We agreed they wouldn’t live with us,
you and your parents broke that promise. And now I’m the one at fault?”
but
“Then what do you want me to do?” Rupert asked, looking frustrated.
“Either they leave, or I do.” Claudia gave him an ultimatum.
Rupert was at the end of his patience. “You’re both important to me. I can’t choose.”
“Well, I’m making you choose.”
Rupert took a deep breath. “Claudia, I can’t kick my parents out, especially since my mom just had major surgery and isn’t in great health. They raised me all these years. What’s the big deal about letting them stay for a while? Why can’t you just tolerate them a little?
“Besides, I already said I’d find them a place, but I need time. If you keep making a scene, there’s a limit to how far I can bend. Don’t push it.”
“Rupert, you bastard!” Claudia punched him repeatedly in the chest. “When we got married, you swore you’d love me forever. But look at you now! I must’ve been blind to believe your lies.”
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Rupert let her hit him to vent her anger. “Claudia, I remember everything I said. I’ll treat you well, but that doesn’t mean I have to treat my parents badly. The same goes for you—I love you, so I treat your parents well too.”
“Love me? I’ve had enough, Rupert. I don’t want to hear your fake sweet talk.” Claudia wiped the corner of her eyes. “Get out. I don’t want to see you.”
“Claudia, just calm down and think about what I said.” Rupert didn’t want to argue anymore. “I’ll go make dinner.”
With that, he stepped out of the master bedroom, giving Claudia some space.
But Claudia opened her suitcase and started packing.
A moment later, she opened the bedroom door and wheeled her suitcase out.
It was impossible for Jimmy and Peyton not to notice as she passed through the living room.
Peyton got up and walked over. “Claudia, what are you doing?”
“What am I doing? Isn’t it obvious? You all forced me into this. I’m leaving. Happy now?” Claudia’s words cut deep.
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