Chapter 205
Kristin’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lips tightly sealed.
Rhett stepped forward, pulling Kristin into his embrace as he frowned at Garner.
Garner opened his mouth but no words came out.
“Wow, who’s the owner of this shiny beast? This ride didn’t come cheap,” Madge quipped as she ushered Jeannie outside, whose voice cut through the air like a knife.
“And who might this be? Didn’t you say your daughter was single?” Jeannie’s eyes widened in surprise as she noticed Rhett holding Kristin,
Kristin squirmed, trying to escape, but Rhett’s arms held her fast.
“Hold your horses, getting all cozy before you’re even hitched? That’s hardly proper, Madge. You better have a word with your daughter, How’s she gonna find a decent match behaving like that?” Jeannie’s voice was stern.
“Don’t tell me she’s playing the other woman? The guy looks loaded, that car’s gotta be worth tens of thousands,” murmured the other relatives, chattering among themselves.
“Kristin had a child out of wedlock? Did she bear the child for some wealthy old man?”
Garner, annoyed, turned to the relative. “Over three hundred thousand.”
“What?” The relative was taken aback, not having grasped the information.
–
“This is Mr. FitzGerald’s most modest set of wheels over three hundred thousand,”
Garner reiterated.
The relative’s face was a picture of shock, as if they had never imagined a car could cost
as much as a house.
“Are they out of their mind? With that kind of dough, why not buy a house?” The relative scoffed, trying to save face.
“I have more properties than I can count, so I’m afraid I can’t disclose them all right now. But as far as I know, even the cheapest pad would set you back a few million. I’m not quite sure what kind of house you refer to for three hundred thousand,” Rhett spoke up, his voice deep and steady.
Rhett was usually the epitome of discretion, but these people were clearly unfriendly towards Kristin, and he saw no reason to indulge them..
“A few million?” Jeannie nearly bit her tongue. “Madge, about that blind date tomorrow, should I still set it up?”
Madge had been silent, even if she didn’t recognize Rhett, she had a hunch.
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After all, Holcomb had already been in touch.
“Set it up? Of course, set it up. We need to get our Kristin married off pronto,” Madge said darkly, soothing Jeannie. “You get on that, and I’ll make sure Kristin goes on that date tomorrow.”
“I’m not going!” Kristin suddenly found her courage, perhaps because Rhett was there, and she was no longer afraid.
“I’ve said it before, I’m going to work. And you have no right to decide my future or my marriage. You’ve already shattered me once; I refuse to call you my mom, and I don’t want to see you again. You dumped me when I was just a kid, so just carry on like you never had a daughter,” Kristin blurted out her heart’s content, a little flustered but determined to make her stand clear.
“Yeah, no need to see each other again,” Garner nodded in agreement. “Mom, you’ve never raised Kristin for a day. Even if she doesn’t support you in your old age, you can’t complain. I’ll take care of your needs. If you can’t settle in the city, you’re welcome to go back to your hometown, where it’s peaceful.”
Madge’s face darkened as she pointed at Garner, cursing him. “I did all this for you!”
Garner’s brow furrowed, his face grim.
All for him… What a heavy burden indeed.
“Kristin, I am your mother!” Madge lunged forward, trying to grab Kristin.
Rhett stepped in front of Kristin, his expression turning stormy.
“Kristin, don’t be so ungrateful. How can you speak to your mother like that? Just because she did time, you’re ashamed of her now? Don’t forget, she did it all for you. She didn’t just give birth to you; she gave you a second chance at life.”
“That’s right. If it wasn’t for sending you to the Turners, would you have had such a good life? You should be thankful,” the relatives interjected.
“And besides, with this man being so rich, he’s probably just toying with you. Do you think he’ll treat you and your son well?” Jeannie said, feigning concern.
“Your mother is only caring for you. Being an unwed mother, what kind of man would seriously want you?” Jeannie/deliberately brought up Kristin’s out–of–wedlock birth, thinking Rhett would be turned off by it.
“Mommy! Daddy came to pick you up. He bought lots of snacks, so yummy,” Summer called out from the back seat, having been told by Rhett to stay put. Her loud voice echoed across the yard./
“Daddy, let’s go for some barbecue,” Summer beamed at Rhett.
Rhett ruffled Summer’s hair, a helpless smile on his face.
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The little boy had become too clever, But… at the mention of barbecue, Rhett couldn’t help but cringe. He’d only managed a few bites the last time, and his stomach still felt uneasy.
Kristin glanced at Summer with tearful eyes, then at Rhett. “We don’t need any of you fretting over our business. Consider it as if the Collins family never found me.”
I can’t believe you’re such an ingrate. If it wasn’t for me, you would have died as a baby. I did time for the last five years, and for whom?!” Madge began to make a scene, throwing herself on the ground and wailing.
Tears swirled in Kristin’s eyes, her chest aching with pain. Sometimes she wondered, if people lacked conscience, would they be free from the damnation of morals and guilt?
“I am your mother! Whether you admit it or not, you have to. Flesh and blood! I gave you life; I took legal risks for you, all to keep you alive,” Madge cried, pounding the ground.
“You speak of a mother–daughter bond that we do not recognize,” Rhett said as he opened the car door, gesturing for Kristin to get in.
Kristin looked nervously at Rhett, but he signaled for her to trust him.
As the car door shut, Rhett turned to Madge, still wailing on the ground. “Tell me, after the true heir scandal broke out, the Turners only did a DNA test with Ruby. Have you and Kristin ever been tested?”
Madge went silent in an instant, her eyes locked on Rhett. “What kind of nonsense are you. spouting? Kristin is my daughter. She’s the one with the heart issue, and guess what? I swapped her with Ruby right on the Turner family doorstep!”
What Madge said had a ring of truth, but it was laced with deception–a blend that perhaps even she believed.
“Do you have proof?” Rhett’s voice was deep and firm.
He didn’t actually doubt that Kristin was Garner’s sister; he was simply buying time.
Holcomb must have approached Madge to use her as a pawn to restrain Kristin, to serve as a warning and a lesson. All Rhett needed to do was to stall Madge as long as possible until his covert standoff with Holcomb was over. After that, he’d make his next move.
Madge was flustered by Rhett’s questioning. “What proof? She’s my daughter, what more do you need?”
Her anger was boiling over.
“A paternity test.” Rhett extended his hand, expecting Madge to provide it.
Madge’s face turned a shade of thunderous dark, her voice a mix of panic and fury. “What paternity test? I don’t have one! She is my daughter.”
Rhett frowned, his years in the cutthroat business world had given him a knack for
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reading people, and he prided himself on being accurate.
With Madge’s belligerent and obstinate character, if Kristin was indeed her daughter, she could have confidently barked back, challenging him to go ahead with the DNA test.
But her hesitation spoke volumes–was she hiding something?
