Chapter 2444
What had she been doing all these years, anyway?
In the end, with no other choice, she reluctantly dialed Finn’s number.
Finn was all riled up in his office as he recognized the caller as an officer.
“Officer, I don’t suppose you could hand your phone to my wife Tessa? I’ve got a thing or two to say to her directly.”
Finn struggled to keep his rising temper at bay, but when Tessa’s timid voice finally came through on the other end, he completely lost it.
“Have you lost your mind? Why on earth did you go looking for that piece of work Ivy?”
“It wasn’t my idea, Finn! It was Clara who sent me!”
Tessa was livid. She had poured so much into this family, and yet, both Clara and Finn seemed to think of her as nothing but a burden.
“Clara’s young and you’re such a mature woman. Can’t you tell right from wrong at your age?
Didn’t I warn you just yesterday to stay away from Ivy? We’re done with her, cut all ties – why in the world did you go after her anyway?
Now you’ve landed yourself in a police station. You’re no spring chicken, Tessa. Doesn’t this embarrass you? What on earth do you want from the Dunhill family?”
“I don’t want anything from the Dunhill family. Your daughter told me to do it. How could I possibly say no to her? All these years she’s treated me like dirt, Finn. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.
If you cared about me even a little, you’d understand the predicament I’m in. The mome refuse one of her demands, she throws a fit and threatens to go find her birth mother. D you have any idea what I’ve been through all these years? I knew that if I ever failed to please her, she’d run crying to you. How could refuse her under those circumstances?”
Tears streamed down Tessa’s face, and the officer on the other side started piecing together the family dynamics.
But what shocked her was that this mother had been so harsh with her own flesh and blood just to appease her stepdaughter.
It was utterly absurd.
Finn fell silent, his silence stemming from his guilt. He wasn’t oblivious to the undercurrents at home, but as the head of the household, he had chosen to remain silent.
He believed these trivial matters didn’t require his intervention.
Besides, if he had to step in for something so small, what was the point of having Tessa around?
“I’m so fed up. You say I should be content being a housewife, not needing to work, I’d just stay at home and be a dutiful wife. But do you have any idea what I’m up against?
Clara’s so young, yet she knows exactly how to manipulate me. I’ve lived like this for years, and now, to my horror, I realize that I’m the one who’s truly messed up!
My own daughter is in the hospital because of me, Finn. Don’t you have a conscience?”
The man on the other end was silent for a moment before the officer took the phone back. They believed that Tessa was too emotionally volatile to continue the conversation.
“Mr. Dunhill, I’d appreciate it if you could make time to come down to the station. Your wife is quite distressed, and there are some matters we need to discuss with her family.”
Finn covered the receiver and slunk off to a corner, away from prying ears. In a hushed tone, he asked, “Do I really have to come in person? Couldn’t I just send a lawyer instead?” The officer was taken aback, “Well, it would certainly be easier if a family member came in person. But if you insist on staying away, sending a lawyer as a representative was also an option.”
