Three days after the wedding, Damian and I paid the customary visit to my parents. Parked in front of th stately mansion was a motorcycle that looked painfully out of place. It looked familiar… wasn’t that the red
head’s?
Damian and I exchanged a look and hurried inside.
Three people were in the living room: Isabelle, Leo, and a middle–aged woman I presumed was his mother.
“Mom, you have to help me,” Isabelle was pleading, clinging to my mother’s arm. She then shot a triumphan look at the older woman. “See? This is my mother. If you ever try to boss me around again, she won’t let you
get away with it!”
Leo’s mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of my mother’s expensive attire. “So you’re the mother–in–law! Isabelle told me she was the apple of your eye. Well, she’s part of our family now. The dowry was all spent on the wedding, so we’ll be needing a wedding gift, won’t we?”
My mother’s expression was strained. The moment she saw me, a genuine smile broke through. She pushed Isabelle away and took my hand. “I think you’re mistaken. This is my daughter, Aurora. As for your daughter in–law, I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Isabelle was dumbfounded. She turned to my father. “Daddy, you always spoiled me the most! You always gave me whatever I wanted!” she whined. “You raised me for twenty years! You owe me a wedding gift! Ter million dollars is nothing to you! Why won’t you give me even that?”
Just then, Grandfather returned from walking the dogs. “Why? I’ll tell you why!” he boomed. “To cover up your affair with that punk, you pushed your own mother down the stairs so he would have time to escape! While the entire family was taking turns watching over her in the hospital, where were you? You were sleeping with
him!”
“The Beaumont family has no daughter like you! Get out!”
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02.46
Chajder 3
Grandfather was becoming agitated. Damian quickly handed him a glass of warm water. Leo, on the other hand, just watched indifferently as his wife and mother tore each other apart.
Isabelle’s head hung in defeat
Seeing this, her mother–in–law grabbed her by the hair and slapped her across the face. “You useless girl They don’t even acknowledge you!” After the slap, she glanced at us, but no one moved to intervene.
Realizing she wasn’t going to get any money, she threw herself on the floor and began to wall. “Oh, why is my life so hard? I worked my fingers to the bone to raise my son, hoping he’d marry a rich girl, and now we’ve been scammed!” she shrieked. “There was another rich girl who wanted my son, but he insisted on marrying
this pauper, and now we don’t even get a wedding gift! What a disaster!”
Isabelle was stunned. She fell to her knees, clutching at my mother’s leg. “Mom, I was wrong, I really was Please forgive me!” she sobbed. “Or just give me ten million, that’s all I need! If I don’t get the money, my mother–in–law will make me have a baby for Leo’s uncle! He’s old and ugly and… slow! I don’t want to be his breeding machine!”
So that was the truth. I couldn’t bear to watch this ugly spectacle any longer. I had them dragged out.
“Isabelle, you are now trespassing on private property. If you don’t leave immediately, I’m calling the police.”
Her mother–in–law, seeing no profit to be made, scrambled up from the floor and dragged Leo out with her.
8
The alliance between the Beaumont and Sterling families sent both companies‘ stock prices soaring.
Worried I would get homesick, Damian bought the villa next door to my parents‘ estate. Every morning, I could just walk over for breakfast.
Three months into our marriage, I had gained a noticeable amount of weight.
My mother eyed my stomach suspiciously, “Aurora, you’ve been eating so much lately. You don’t think… you. re pregnant, do you?”
My hand, which was reaching for another piece of bacon, froze. My period was, in fact, late this month.
The news of this tiny new life sent the entire family into a frenzy.
Mother took over my diet and daily routine. Grandfather ordered a complete renovation of the house to remove anything potentially harmful to a pregnant woman. My brother paused a major merger, my father put an acquisition on hold, and Damian took the first flight back from a business trip overseas.
As I came out of the examination room, they swarmed me.
“Honey, how are you feeling?”
“Aurora, do you need some water? Are you hungry?”
