Who is Alyssa? And why is her life on the line? I can’t believe that something like this actually has anything to do with the love I share with Christopher. I was confused and couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on.
“So she was divorced. Big deal. She met the wrong guy, but that doesn’t mean she’s not allowed to find love again. Come on, Jules. You’re a woman. Why do you insist on making things difficult for another woman? Besides, I think this daughter-in-law is pretty amazing,” replied Gordon before he added weakly, “As for the issue involving Alyssa… Well, we can do something about that in the future.”
“Why do I make things difficult for another woman? Is that really the issue here? Do you really take me as such a mean woman? I’ll admit that Yvonne is an amazing woman with a graceful aura. She is a rare and great woman,” said Julia.
She then added hesitantly, “But Monica’s mom saved my life. In fact, she died in the hospital because of that. I took Monica in and loved her like a daughter this entire time, and she likes Chris. That is why I agreed to make her a part of our family. How will I face Alyssa in the afterlife if I make things so bad for her daughter?”
My heart trembled. Wait, so that’s the problem? Julia is okay with me being a part of her family, but she is burdened by all that past.
“We know that, but you saw how the kids are. After everything they’ve been through, are you really okay with breaking them up? You saw how Chris was after Yvonne left. I honestly worry about what might happen if they are separated again,” said Gordon in a worried tone.
“But what about Monica? She told me not to worry about her just before she left, and she is such a good girl. I won’t be this sad if there is a way to do right by both of them.”
“Hmph!” grunted Darius, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa. He complained, “We may owe the Martin family, but Chris is an adult! He has his own plan and life, and he is not a tool for you to repay your debt with. Mom, you should take his well-being into account, instead of forcing him to marry a woman he doesn’t love. Seriously, all this just because you owe someone else a debt? This is despicable.”
“Darius, how can you say that?” said Julia, who looked a little taken aback.
“How else am I supposed to phrase it? This drama is from your generation. We are innocent of it. Yet, we are supposed to bear the burden for you as your children without ever considering our own well-being? Are we unfilial just because we don’t want to spend the rest of our lives living in misery?” roared Darius before he pushed his chair away and sped out of the living room. I had never seen Darius being so out of control before.
He had always been grounded and reliable, so I saw him as someone who would never spiral out of control.
“Darius!” called out Julia as she chased after him.
I quickly crouched down and pretended I was simply admiring the beauty of the potted plant in front of me. At that moment, I was terrified of being seen, but I was lucky. Both Julia and Darius were too preoccupied to notice me.
I stood up and turned around to see that Gordon was actually standing by the door. I wanted to crouch down again to hide away, but I was too late. Gordon already saw me, so I laugh dryly. Getting caught eavesdropping. This is so embarrassing.
“Hi, Mr. Lane. I just got here. I saw Darius and Mrs. Lane walking away earlier. Were they in a hurry?” I asked to make things less awkward.
“Yeah. Where’s Chris?” asked Gordon, who didn’t comment on my terrible lie.
“He was with me earlier, but I don’t know where he is now,” I answered quickly.
“Please tell him to meet me in the study later.”
That was my first official visit and things didn’t go as planned, but I stayed there that night. Christopher was their son, and I already married the guy, so there was nothing wrong with me staying there. It’s too cowardly to keep shying away like this.
I considered the situation. His family already knew that we were legally married, so it’d just be weird if I keep backing away like that. Hence, I decided I might as well stay the night. I wasn’t brave enough to share the room with Christopher, though. Instead, I went to the guest room Julia prepared for me.
I could tell that she was struggling and conflicted because she was quite cold when she spoke to me, but her words were polite. At the end of the day, she was a leader who used to dominate the business world, and I couldn’t read through her poker face at all.
