Chapter 676 Convince Mom To Go Home
“You’re a despicable man, Benjamin!” Eleanor roared. “He’s your son!”
“I can always make another one.” Benjamin had no shame in showing his psychopathic self. “You should know that you’re more important to me than a couple of children. If you go back with me, I’ll hand the company over to Sean.”
Eleanor’s fists tightened so hard that her fingernails were digging into her palm.
“You’re unbelievable.” She picked up her bag and attempted to leave.
“If you walk out of this door, Sean will be staying with you in Tayhaven. Since your son-in-law is the heir of Clinton Corporations, I believe he’ll give Sean a job.”
Eleanor stopped in her tracks.
Benjamin waited, looking smug.
To his surprise, she continued walking away. His hand twitched as he glared at her back. His mouth was left ajar, and veins could be seen popping up in his neck. He was staring at her so hard that his eyes looked as if they were going to pop out.
When she arrived at the door, she abruptly turned and threw her bag at him before pouncing at him and beating him up.
As she hit him, she cursed, “I’m going to make you give up removing Sean’s right to inherit. You’re the evilest person I’ve ever seen in my life! I’ll beat you to death and join you in the afterlife.”
A mother gains enormous strength when her child is threatened. It doesn’t matter how strong or weak a woman is. Her child is usually her bottom line.
Benjamin allowed her to beat him up as much as she wanted. When she finally became tired, she stared at how bruised and battered he looked. Not only did that fail to make her feel any better, it even filled her heart with sorrow.
She half kneeled on the ground and cried while covering her face.
Even though they had been a couple for over thirty years and had helped each other for a big chunk of their lives, their relationship ended on such a bitter note. Just thinking about that made her sad.
Benjamin looked down at her as sorrow filled his heart, too.
Am I wrong for being stubborn? Is making her and the children go through all this really something I want? Did she really not cheat on me?
At that moment, his resolve wavered.
He felt as if a rock was pressing on his heart. In the end, none of what he was doing was making him happy.
After Eleanor had enough of crying, she picked up her bag and was going to leave when Benjamin asked in a hoarse voice, “If I acknowledge Amelia Winters’ identity, will you come back to me?”
Despite his stubbornness and insistence, he suddenly found all that had happened to be ridiculous just as his wife was about to leave him.
Eleanor halted her steps and asked in a similarly hoarse voice, “Do you mean it?”
Benjamin nodded. “I do.”
The storm of emotions in Eleanor’s heart eventually turned into a long sigh.
So, when Amelia watched as Eleanor and Benjamin sat in front of her, she stared at Eleanor in confusion.
Benjamin awkwardly coughed twice and said, “L-Lia, since you’ve already acknowledged her as your mother, don’t you think it’s time for you to call me Dad?”
Amelia’s pupil constricted as she gazed at him with suspicions.
She couldn’t believe that someone who pretty much hated her would change his mind about her so quickly.
Her first emotional reaction wasn’t joy, but doubt. She wondered if he had a hidden agenda for doing that. After all, she was married to the heir of the Clinton family, and he seemed like the type of person who was attracted to money as well as power. That was the reason she felt the need to be cautious.
“May I ask what changed your mind so quickly, Mr. Hutton?”
Benjamin’s expression changed as he glanced at her resentfully. “What’s that supposed to mean, Mrs. Clinton?”
Amelia smiled faintly. Now that’s more like it. The whole father-daughter schtick doesn’t really seem appropriate to us.
“I don’t mean anything else, Mr. Hutton. I was just wondering if you’re being genuine about acknowledging me as your daughter. It’s fine. I don’t mind. You shouldn’t force yourself to accept me,” Amelia said slowly.
Rage filled Benjamin’s heart.
Eleanor promptly interfered, “You’re a part of the Hutton family, Lia. You have to acknowledge him as your father. Don’t make a scene, okay? Once you return to the Hutton family, everyone will know that you’re the eldest daughter of the Hutton family.”
Amelia smiled forcefully. I knew I shouldn’t have given in at the start. Now I got to deal with the whole Hutton family. This will only be the start of even bigger problems down the line.
“I acknowledged you as my mother because I can tell you truly love me, Mom. Mr. Hutton, on the other hand, was more than happy to get rid of me, yet now he’s trying to acknowledge me as his daughter. I don’t think he’ll be happy forcing it to happen, so I don’t want to acknowledge him.”
“Don’t go overboard, Amelia!” Benjamin exclaimed. I’ve already put down my pride to acknowledge this bastard, and yet she’s trying to make this harder. This is outrageous!
Amelia shrugged and smiled. “Don’t get angry, Mr. Hutton. I don’t want to have anything to do with the Hutton family. I still have things to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now.”
She then stood and prepared to leave. Eleanor tried to stop her. “Lia.”
Amelia glanced back. “I acknowledged you because I don’t want to disappoint you, Mom. But I don’t want to get too involved with the Hutton family. I’m sorry, but I’ll be leaving now.”
Once she was out of their sight, Benjamin cursed in anger, “That bastard. How dare she…”
Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows as different emotions crossed her heart.
“You saw how it is. I’ve put down my pride to accept her, yet now that she’s married into the Clinton family, she decided that the Hutton family is too insignificant for her to return to. I bet she’s just afraid that I’ll cling to her. Hmph!”
Eleanor remained silent.
Benjamin stood up. “I’m going back to Saspiuburg. You can stay here and enjoy your time with your daughter. I’ll call Sean here, too. Enjoy your happy family times. I’m sick of playing games with you after more than thirty years.”
With that, he turned and left.
Eleanor held her head with both her hands as an awful feeling flooded her heart.
After Benjamin returned to the hotel, he called Sean over.
“You wanted to see me, Dad?”
“You don’t need to return to Saspiuburg with me. Just stay here and accompany your mother.” Benjamin went straight to the point.
Sean’s expression changed as a complicated look filled his eyes. “What do you mean, Dad?”
“Your mother insisted on staying here. So, as her son, you should stay here and take care of her, too. I’ll ask someone else to take care of the company.”
Sean was so exasperated that he laughed. “Are you kidding me right now, Dad?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Sean lowered his head as thoughts crossed his mind. The atmosphere in the room instantly became awkward.
“Are you really planning to strip me of my right to inherit the company, Dad? I’m your only son.”
“I can marry another woman and have another son.”
Sean’s fists tightened before relaxing as he suppressed his rage. “Okay, Dad. I’ll advise Mom to go home.”
Benjamin turned around, patted his shoulder, and smiled. “That’s my boy. As long as you can make your mother return, I’ll immediately let you take full control of the company. Both your mother and I are getting old now. It’s time for us to retire.”
Sean lowered his head and tried to hide his roiling emotions.
“I know what to do, Dad.”
“You’ve always been my pride and joy, Sean. Don’t be like your mother and give up on fame and fortune. You know that I’m taking care of another woman who looks like your mother outside. If she doesn’t want to return, I bet that woman will be willing to give birth to a son for me.” Benjamin didn’t even try to hide it.
Hatred flashed across Sean’s eyes. However, when he raised his head, he put up an obedient façade. “I know, Dad.”
“Go, then.”
After Sean left, Benjamin’s expression darkened as he muttered to himself, “You forced me to do this. I was willing to put my pride down to acknowledge that bastard, but she refused. Don’t blame me for being cruel. I’m already being merciful for not killing her.”
Naturally, Eleanor didn’t know what he was thinking.
She returned to the apartment and saw Amelia playing with Tony. When the younger woman saw her, she apologized, “I’m sorry, Mom, for disappointing you.”
The older woman squeezed out a smile. “It’s fine. It’s my fault for not considering your feelings.”
Amelia forced a smile. “I’ll prepare something for you to eat, Mom.”
Eleanor shook her head. “It’s okay. You keep playing with Tony. I’m feeling a little tired.”
“You should go upstairs and rest, then.”
As Amelia watched her mother head upstairs, she wondered what her mother was thinking. Maybe I rejected Benjamin’s attempt to acknowledge me too quickly. That’s probably why she seemed hurt.
Tony approached her and hugged her leg before raising his head. “What’s wrong, Mommy? Are you sad?”
Amelia carried him up. “I’m fine.”
When Oscar returned at night, she told him what had happened in the afternoon. He thought for a while and asked, “Do you want to go back?”
Amelia didn’t hide what she thought. “Not really. I know he still hates me from the way he looks at me. He’s probably trying to acknowledge me as his daughter simply because of the Clintons. I was worried he wanted to use you. Now that I think about it, maybe I was too rash when I acknowledged my mother.”
Oscar pulled her into his embrace and gently patted her head. “You’re wasting time on insignificant problems, Amelia. I know you’re worried, but if you want to do it, just do it. No need to be concerned about me. The Hutton family is still a rich family in Saspiuburg. If I collaborate with him, I may get more resources in Saspiuburg. In other words, I might end up using the Hutton family instead.”
Amelia smiled.
She knew he was just trying to comfort her because the Clintons definitely didn’t need her to gain more power.
Hugging his waist, she said, “I’m just worried that I’ll bring you a lot of trouble, Oscar.”
“Silly girl.” Oscar kissed her forehead. “Go and take a shower. I’ll tell you a story once I’m done.”
The edge of her lips curved upward. She was feeling much better.
Once she was done, she lay in his embrace on the bed. It was then she received a call from Tiffany.
“Babe, I got good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?” Tiffany sounded obviously excited through the phone.
Amelia was infected by her joy. She smiled and asked, “Bad news first.”
“The bad news is that I’m no longer a free woman because I’m getting married.”
Amelia chuckled. “What about the good news?”
“Good news is that I’m marrying someone! Finally, there’s a stupid man out there who’s willing to marry me. The wedding is set to happen three months later. Don’t forget to give me a huge monetary gift, okay?”
“I won’t.” Amelia was happy for her.
“I want you to be my bridesmaid when the time comes, Babe. Also, thanks for the gift. I’ll take good care of it. If I really do get pregnant, I’ll stop working and rest for a year. I’m already over thirty years old. It’s time for me to think about children, and I’ve decided that no job is more important than having a child.”
That made Amelia even happier. “I’m glad you came to that decision. But I don’t think I can be your bridesmaid because I’m married with a child already. It’s bad luck for someone like me to be your bridesmaid. I think you should find someone else. I’ll just give you a big monetary gift when the time comes.”
“Aren’t you going to watch me getting married, Babe?”
“Of course I will. But you really should find a bridesmaid who isn’t married yet. I’ll visit you tomorrow and talk to you more about it.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”
Hanging up the phone, Amelia grinned widely. “Tiff and Derrick’s wedding has been set. I guess they finally won over Mrs. Hisson.”
“Are you happy now?”
Amelia nodded because she was really happy.
Her husband loved her, her son was obedient, her in-laws had chosen to forgive her, and her best friend was getting married. It was one good news after the other. She felt as though all the misfortunes she had suffered before were a lifetime ago.
With that good news in mind, she quickly fell asleep.
The next day, Amelia dressed plainly before heading out. To her surprise, she saw Sean waiting downstairs.
“Hey, Amy. Can I call you that?” Sean stared at her warmly.
Amelia smiled sincerely. “Of course you can. You’re my brother, after all.”
Sean shrugged mischievously. “Do you have time, Amy? Walk with me. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
Amelia said yes.
Both of them strolled out of the neighborhood, and she asked, “Do you want breakfast? How about I chat with you while we eat?”
“It’s fine. I’ve already eaten. The reason I’m here early, Amy, is because I’m wondering if you can convince Mom to go home. I know she listens to you, so much so that Amelia’s and my words can’t get through her. If she doesn’t go back home this time, my dad’s going to strip me of my right to inherit the company and Amelia of her allowance. I want to do my best for the company, but he gets the final say on company-related matters. If Mom doesn’t come back, both of us will be left with nothing. He has a woman outside the family. I’m not happy about it, but I got no other choice. Right now, I’m not powerful enough to snatch the ownership of the company from his hand. So… can you help me convince Mom?”
Amelia glanced at him.
Sean smiled. “I know the Hutton family has let you down. But I don’t think grudges should be passed down from one generation to the next. Isn’t that right?”
Amelia lowered her head and agreed, “I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee if she’ll listen to me. After all, it’s her marriage. She decides what she wants to do. We can’t restrict her freedom based on what we want, either. If she isn’t happy, I don’t think we’ll be happy.”
Sean nodded. “You’re right. Just do your best, then.”
“Okay.”
Sean pointed at a car not far from them. “My car’s over there. Where do you want to go? I can drive you there.”
Amelia didn’t reject the offer.
Upon arriving at Tiffany’s neighborhood, she opened the door and said, “Thanks for driving me here, Sean. I’ll do my best to advise Mom. After all, all of you are a family. I’m just someone who showed up not too long ago. It’s obvious who she has a closer connection with.”
Sean stretched his hand and grabbed her. When she turned back, he let go and smiled. “I’ve always wanted an older sister, especially one who’s as generous and thoughtful as you. Really. More importantly, you look a lot like Mom, even more so than Amelia. Just looking at you reminds me of Mom. I’ll be counting on you in the future as your little brother.”
Amelia laughed out loud.
“I’ll be leaving now. Talk to you later.” She got out of the car and left. Sean remained in the car as he watched her leave. There was an inscrutable look in his eyes.
