Chapter 48: Son or Me?
Manu
“In elementary school, you wrote letters to my mother, feigning concern while secretly complaining about your hardships. You accepted her financial assistance, yet you weren’t satisfied; you wanted to be her daughter. My mother already had a daughter; why would she want someone else’s? You felt I was in your way; you wished I’d disappear. That’s always been your secret desire, hasn’t it?”
Lily recounted the story calmly; the accusations were absurd. Vivian was a complete viper! Only Lily knew these things; the person before her…
“N–no, it’s impossible!”
Vivian fled, as if chased by a ghost. She stumbled at the door, scraping her wrist, and yet, she dared not look back.
Andy is smart. He remembered what Mom said about her being bad.” Lily smiled, seeing her son descend the stairs and take a seat. Vivian’s reaction to seeing Andy confirmed that he hadn’t been kind to her over the years.
Andy fidgeted with the edge of his shirt, his face impassive, yet his inner turmoil was evident. He took deep breath,
breath, summoning
his
a
courage.“Are you
angry
“Hmm?” Lily was surprised, unsure why he’d ask such a question.
with me?”
“I knew Vivian was up to no good, but I didn’t stop my sister from getting close to her; I let her manipulate her.” His lips were pressed tightly together, his steady gaze concealing his anxiety. He was afraid his mother would blame him.
“No, my Andy was just a baby back then. It was our fault as parents for not protecting you and Four sister. Why would I blame you?”
“Mom knows you tried to stop her. But what could a child do? Everyone thinks for themselves. Just because you told her something doesn’t mean she’d listen.”
“Andy remembered Mom’s words, knowing Vivian was bad. You’ve been wary of her all these years. That’s more than enough.” Incompetent parents project their negative emotions onto their children. She’d blame herself, the circumstances, but never her children. Andy was only six years old!
Lily’s gaze softened. A mother’s forgiveness is not a myth. Even errant children are forgiven repeatedly by their mothers. And Andy hadn’t done anything wrong.
“She didn’t listen to me. Later, I realized Vivian had her own agenda, but she was still good to Amy, so I stopped interfering.”
If Lily had misunderstood or blamed him, Andy would have remained silent, but her unwavering trust prompted him to explain. Her warm smile confirmed that the siblings weren’t at odds; it was a resolvable issue.
“Andy, Mom believes you. You’ll always be Mom’s best baby.”
Being called “baby” at twenty–one made Andy’s ears redden slightly, but he didn’t object. “Ahem…I have things to do at school. I’ll go now.”
Leaving, he ran into John. In the past, Andy would have ignored him, but his recent praise as “Mom’s best baby” changed things.
Father.” He greeted his father before leaving.
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Chapter 48: Son or Me?
Menu
John stopped, watching his son’s retreating figure. Had the sun risen in the west?
“What was Andy doing here?”
“Delivering tickets. He invited me to their school celebration.” Lily beamed, unaffected by Vivian.
John saw the words “single ticket” on the ticket. His eyebrows twitched.“One?”
“Andy got two.” Seeing John’s brightening eyes, she added, “He’s gi the other one to Nodi.”
John:…
Lily chuckled, inwardly
amused. Incompetent father, ignored
“I don’t need a ticket, but why does Nodi need one?” That oily blond!
by his son!
“Andy said they had a pleasant chat at the auction, and Nodi is curious about California University, so he’s inviting him.”
John inwardly scoffed; he’d make sure Nodi would be very busy that day!
“Lily, son or me?” The sudden question caught Lily off guard.
“The California University president invited me. You can be my date.” John moved the ticket away; it was unnecessary.
Lily hesitated. She wanted to choose her son, but John would definitely be upset. Ben years had made him more mature, but his jealousy remained unchanged, even escalating with time.
She suggested, “How about this? I’ll go in with Andy’s ticket, then come back out, and then we’ll enter together?” She considered it a clever compromise.
John wasn’t entirely pleased with her perceived impartiality. Not being chosen meant losing. Bu he didn’t protest; he knew her limits; if he competed with his son, acting unfatherly, she’d definitely discipline him. Still, he didn’t readily agree to her using Andy’s ticket.
“Okay.” He accepted her suggestion.
Lily then told him about Vivian. John returned from a morning meeting; Vivian could have waited until he returned.
“She dared to do such despicable things, yet her mental fortitude is so weak.” Lily hadn’t anticipated that revealing her identity would have such a strong impact on Vivian. But, upon reflection, it made sense. At the Wilson family gathering, Vivian’s reaction had been equally strong. A guilty conscience tends to magnify even minor threats.
“She came to save her job.” John explained Vivian’s precarious position. Despite her ten years at the magazine, her influence was nil. The industry was ruthless; those who underperformed were quickly dismissed.
“If this event fails, Vivian will lose her position next month.” Her plea was for her future. Leaving under these circumstances would make it impossible to find another job; Vivian, with her inflated ego, wouldn’t settle for a smaller magazine. The glory she hadn’t earned was fleeting;: John’s withdrawal of support left her with nothing.
John, let’s pick up Amy tomorrow.” John’s plans for a date were ruined. Children truly were debts from a past life! He offered a strained smile.“Okay.”
“Amy went to Boston. It’s not far. And…,” Lily paused, “Isn’t Ben in Boston?” She suddenly remembered that her
son’s training had been relocated to Boston!
younger
Chapter 49 You’re Offering Me Your…
