Chapter 20
As she recorded the call, Audrey controlled her emotions and spoke with composure.
She retorted, “How can you be so shameless to utter such words? My birth mother had a happy family before she was taken to your town. You didn’t give her clothes, fed her like a pig once a day, and kept her chained in a cellar, beaten and abused. Her legs were broken.
“You call that kindness? She was abducted at 16, forced to bear children from the age of 17. Any girl she birthed was killed. After eight children, she died on the operating table with her ninth. Is that your definition of kindness?”
Audrey’s words enraged Donna, who reflexively tried to destroy Audrey with the most vile and vulgar
insults.
“You! You dirty, despicable woman! Going to a place filled where men and women are crammed together into one room under the guise of studying. Behind closed doors, it’s nothing but debauchery and lowly acts. All of you are nothing but loose women in need!”
Audrey’s eyebrows lifted slightly. She raised her voice, “Shesyea University is a top–tier institution. A sacred place that has nurtured countless talents for our nation. Don’t tarnish its students with your filthy thoughts!”
Donna thought she had hit a nerve and intensified her vile assault.
“Hmph! A prestigious school? The girls from your school have been tangled up with so many men, they’re nothing but spoiled goods. Who knows if they can even bear children in the future!”
“Mom, give me the phone!”
Adam’s aunt, Tia Yeomans, snatched the phone from Donna. As always, she played the good cop. She said calmly, “Audrey, don’t be mad at your grandma. We’re still family, after all. Bones may break, but the sinew remains connected.
“You’re 25, unmarried, and spending money on college. Your dad only asked you to get the tuition back for your own good. That college is just a scam! A young girl should marry early… The better your your contribution to the family, as he’s the marriage is, the more it helps your brother find a wife. It pillar of the Yeomans family.”
Audrey cut her off.
“Has the Yeomans family ever paid a penny for my education since I was a child? What right do they have to demand my tuition? I didn’t go to school until I was ten. I faced endless beatings and endless work. At ten, I escaped with Aunt Anne. You tried to kill me, only sparing my life for the 20 thousand dollars Aunt Anne lent you.”
once. I was in a
She continued, “Did you visit me once after my accident four years ago? Oh, right coma for over a year, and you heard I was in a vegetative state. You went to the hospital to see if I was dead, plotting to pull my oxygen tube and extort money from the hospital. And now you call us
Chapter 20
family?”
“Ah, foolish child…” Pla sighed.
“Why aren’t you mentioning the 10 thousand dollars we spent to bury your mother? You let her escape, causing your father’s imprisonment. The 20 thousand dollars to Aunt Anne was compensation!.
“If we hadn’t given you away, would you have the life you have now? The money we wanted from the hospital was retirement money for your dad. Besides, you’re fine now, aren’t you?”
Tla abruptly changed her tone. She shouted suddenly, “Enough, enough! Let’s not talk about this!”
“Audrey, you and your brother have your grandfather’s blood. He paid for your education. Now that Adam is of age to be married, shouldn’t your grandfather help him too?”
Chapter at
Tia didn’t wait for Audrey to reply.
She spoke with a nagging tone, “Audrey, please persuade your grandfather. We really don’t want to ruin his reputation, and yours, by bringing this onto the show. He’s a university professor, isn’t he? Won’t his reputation as an educator be tarnished If this blows up?”
Audrey’s face darkened, “What do you want?”
“I heard professors are given houses by the university. Ask your grandfather to transfer a house to your brother Adam. If not, buy him a villa in Sheysea and a car worth half a million dollars. The isn’t our demand. It’s what the bride’s family wants.”
e car
Tia continued, “They’re also asking for a wedding gift of 660 thousand dollars. Your mother was your grandfather’s only child. Now that she’s gone, he only has Adam.
“Everything your grandfather owns should belong to Adam. If he’s holding onto his wealth so Adam doesn’t inherit what’s rightfully his, your mother would be turning in her grave!”
she
Audrey replied in a calm voice, “You tortured my birth mother to death! If Mr. Lambert helps you, will never rest in peace.
“Give me the phone!” bellowed Wayne Yeomans, Audrey’s biological father. He couldn’t contain his anger and snatched the phone.
He spat insultingly, “Audrey! Am I being too nice to you? Don’t think I can’t see that you’re keeping Mr. Lambert from seeing Adam so you can monopolize the house and money for yourself. That old man’s house and money belong to Adam. If you dare covet them, I’ll kill you!”
“Bullshit! When she was 12, we received a five thousand dollar deposit from Jolin Watson’s family. But your sister couldn’t bring Audrey back, and I had to pay them 600 dollars to settle it!”
Donna interrupted Wayne, “This time, we got 30 thousand dollars from Claude, promising to bring Audrey back to bear his children. If you kill her, we’ll have to compensate him, and he’s not someone to mess with!”
“Her life is mine to take. If I want her dead, she has no right to live. That’s just how it is!” Wayne yelled at Donna.
He told Audrey, “Call that old man right now. If he doesn’t transfer the house to Adam, send us the money, and buy him the car, I’ll kill you. You’re nothing but a shameless, greedy wretch coveting your brother’s inheritance!”
Wayne’s voice was sinister and nasty. He sounded as vicious as Audrey remembered him being when he beat her and her mother in the cellar, a stark contrast to the usual façade of kindness he showed
others.
“It seems you haven’t had enough prison food in seven years! Killing me will be your death sentence! If you take 30 thousand dollars from Claude to sell me, that’s human trafficking. If you succeed, there
Chapter 21
will be consequences!”
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Having obtained the recording she needed, Audrey decided not to engage with her family further. She hung up the phone.
