Back then, Kris was still feeling jealous at Myra for getting a car, so she accepted Cameron’s offer without hesitation. From her point of view, someone as prestigious as her father would undoubtedly have a few mistresses. As long as those women stuck to themselves and did not affect her mother’s status within the family, she was willing to turn a blind eye to their affairs. It was also out of concern for her mother. After all, Cameron never was someone who could have a leash put on him. If she irked him by blowing things out of proportion, the status of both her mother and her within the family would be endangered.
“Dad cheated on you, but he threatened me that he would chase us out of the family if I told you.” Taking a deep breath, Kris clenched her fists. “I wouldn’t be afraid if I was the only one involved, but I knew you wouldn’t be able to take such a heavy blow, so I hid the truth from you. Mom, I’m sorry…”
“No, this can’t be…” Rachel could feel her blood gushing to her brain. The man who I should have gained full possession over cheated on me? It’s just like how he cheated on Jenny with me back then! She felt suffocated by the shock she received.
The only thing that she considered as a success throughout her entire life and was most proud of was the fact that she managed to claim Cameron as her own even though she couldn’t compare to Jenny in all other aspects.
After that, she chased both Jenny and Myra out of the house, while she became the matriarch of the Stark Family. She even mocked Jenny to her face about the fact that Cameron belonged to her instead of Jenny, who was Cameron’s legal spouse. However…
“Hahaha!” All of a sudden, she burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. No longer able to support herself, she sat down on Kris’ bed limply. Regardless, her hysterical laughter went on until her eyes reddened as she teared up. Even Kris was starting to fear her.
After a long while, she suddenly recalled what Cameron told her that day. Who do you think you are? If I so wish to, I can sleep with any woman I want and get them to give birth to my baby. Then, I won’t only have such an incompetent daughter!
It wasn’t until then that she realized it wasn’t an empty threat. In fact, Cameron might very well already have other children who were born from his affairs. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into the flesh of her palm. Turning her attention to Kris, she asked, “How long has it been since you knew about the affair?”
Kris was a little intimidated by Rachel’s demeanor, but she could only deal with the situation one step at a time upon reaching that point. Biting her lip, she answered, “It has been four years—Ah!”
Smack! Kris received another slap, which made her stare at her mother in disbelief.
Rachel, on the other hand, cried and laughed simultaneously as she returned the look. “Kris, I’m your mother. How dare you lie to me about this?”
“Mom, I—”
Although Kris tried to explain herself, Rachel cut her short. “How could I not know your personality? How could I know nothing about my daughter’s behavior? Back then, you bought yourself a car after you mysteriously gained an amount of money. When you told me it was your father who gave it to you, I was surprised that someone like him would offer you so much money without reason. I assumed that his paternal instincts had somehow awoken, but alas… You took his money, didn’t you?”
By the end of her sentence, Rachel held a fierce gaze. As someone who was capable of defeating Jenny, she had a few tricks up her sleeve, so it was no surprise she ended up deducing what happened back then. Even when compared to her husband’s infidelity as well as the Waltons’ betrayal, her daughter’s deception hurt her the most.
Panic-stricken at her stare, Kris quickly tugged on Rachel’s sleeve. “Mom, I was wrong; I know I made a mistake. Back then, Dad was both threatening as well as luring me in with wealth, so I dared not oppose him. Besides, I was afraid that you might be hurt by the truth. Back then, you thought you finally won Jenny in your long-standing feud by taking her man away from her, but someone else ended up snatching him away from you. I was afraid it would come as too heavy a blow—”
“Enough!” Rachel’s bloodshot eyes made her look even more menacing. After casting Kris a final glance, she decided to leave the ward. “It’s a shame you would treat your mother like this despite the fact that I have always been concerned about your future. You really disappoint me!” After a series of shocking revelations, she could hardly face her daughter.
Kris was starting to panic when she saw that Rachel was about to leave. “Mom, this isn’t the time for infighting. I know I made a mistake back then, but you’re my mother, so you will forgive me—”
“I will.” Rachel had a chilly look on her face. “But not now. Kris, you have to learn who to never betray.” With that, Rachel disappeared through the doorway.
Staring at the empty doorway, Kris slowly clenched her fists. She already lost everything, so she wouldn’t know what to do if even her mother abandoned her. Looking at her own belly, she bit on her lip so hard that it nearly drew blood.
…
Meanwhile, Tony and Myra headed to Hart Group without delay. When Tony was busy with work in his office, Myra helped Leo with a series of administrative tasks. Otherwise, she would feel bored since she had nothing else to do. Regardless of her intentions, Leo was happy that he could get a few tasks crossed off his list.
At noon, she had lunch with Tony. As she was relatively free in the afternoon, she ordered some fresh flowers to be delivered to the office. After spending a few days with Sebastian in Hart Residence, Sebastian and Lisa taught her quite a few tricks in floral arrangement, which she grew to appreciate. Since she had nothing else to do, she ordered some flowers so that she could have fun arranging them.
After arranging the flowers into three vases, she put one of them at the reception room in Tony’s office, another one in the lounge, and then gave the final one to Leo as a present, which came as a pleasant surprise to him.
When she returned to Tony’s office, she noticed he was wearing a grim expression despite the fact that he was engrossed in work before she left. Startled, she quickly caught on to the reason behind his mood swing. After letting out a chuckle, she explained, “I only arranged some flowers for Leo because I’m bored.”
Hearing that, Tony cast his pen aside while arching his brow. “Why don’t I get one on my desk?” Apparently, he was getting jealous over the smallest things.
Smiling, Myra said, “I thought you didn’t like such fancy things, and that putting them in front of you would only annoy you.”
After that, he beckoned at her, upon which she walked up to him obediently. Then, he reached out to loop an arm around her waist to position her on his lap. She was rendered speechless by his familiar movement. It sure seems like he’s getting accustomed to doing this.
With that in mind, she decided to just kiss him on his cheek. “If you’re interested, I can have the flower shop send more flowers, and I’ll arrange them for you. How does that sound? I promise to make yours look the prettiest.”
She knew he liked her to take the initiative. Sure enough, his grim expression melted away as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Is floral arrangement your new-found hobby?”
“It’s not bad. The fragrance of the flowers is comforting. Just looking at them seems to greatly improve my mood as well.” Myra nodded.
Upon hearing that, he gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Go make one for me, then.”
With a nod, Myra left for the reception room to order some more flowers over the phone.
Meanwhile, Tony called Leo on the company’s integrated phone system. “Find me a two-storey shoplot at a quiet location. It needs to have a great view and abundant sunlight so that plants can grow. However, it doesn’t have to be a spot where a lot of clients would frequent.”
