At the Reid family mansion...
Theodore had barely stepped inside when Malcolm’s voice thundered through the hall, shaking the very foundations of the house.
"Such a disappointment, Theodore!" he bellowed, not offering the customary greeting. "I haven’t expected this from you."
Theodore froze, confusion etched on his face. What transgression had earned him this furious reception? His gaze darted to Claudia and Franklin, ensconced on a plush sofa. The smug and self-satisfied look on their faces clearly indicated that they had poisoned Malcolm’s mind yet again against him.
"What accusations have you fed Grandpa this time?" Theodore’s voice was laced with a steely glint. His gaze narrowed as he locked eyes with the scheming duo.
Claudia, never missing a chance to play the victim, sniffled dramatically. "Look at yourself," she snarled, feigning outrage. "You make a mistake, then try to deflect blame! You’ve never acknowledged me, always treating me with such disdain. Yet, I’ve never wished ill upon you or this family. Your behavior is simply unacceptable!"
She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, shedding fake tears.
Franklin reached out, his hand resting comfortingly on Claudia’s shoulder. "There, there, Mom, don’t cry."
The charade was nauseating, a well-rehearsed act designed to paint Theodore as the villain and themselves as the wronged victims.
Theodore clenched his fists, frustration bubbling inside him. It was always the same. He watched Claudia and Franklin’s performance with a detached boredom. This was a well-worn script, a pathetic attempt to sway Malcolm’s favor. But he wouldn’t let them wrong him again. Enough was enough.
"Uh..." Malcolm grimaced, waving a dismissive hand at Claudia. "Stop crying! How noisy you are."
Claudia instantly stopped sobbing.
"Theodore," Malcolm began, "don’t accuse Claudia for no reason. I know you don’t like her, but she is your mother, the mistress of this family. You should be respectful to her."
Theodore’s jaw clenched. "She is not my mother," he spat, his eyes flashing with a simmering rage. A dark thought flickered across his mind. Would Malcolm maintain the same stance if he knew the truth – the truth about Claudia and Franklin’s role in his accident?
"She is the reason my parents got separated. The reason I was forced away from my real mother, robbed of her love, and left to be ignored in this gilded cage." His gaze locked with Malcolm’s, a fiery intensity burning within. "Respect? That’s never going to happen."
Desperate to deflect the blame, Claudia interjected, her voice dripping with faux innocence. "Your mother left you. It wasn’t my fault. Why are you placing this burden on me?"
"Because you shamelessly seduced a married man," Theodore countered with icy contempt. "You caused the very separation you now deny responsibility for!"
"Enough!" Malcolm roared at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking with exertion. A fit of coughing seized him, his hand clutching at his chest.
Theodore’s eyes widened in alarm, his anger momentarily forgotten. He rushed to his grandfather’s side, his heart pounding with worry.
"Grandpa!" He squatted in front of him, rubbing his chest. "Bring some water," he yelled.
Claudia and Franklin watched with cold, calculating eyes, their previous expressions of sorrow and innocence replaced by something far more sinister.
The butler materialized, a glass of water held tightly in his grasp. Theodore took it, gently guiding it to Malcolm’s lips. The water seemed to calm the storm within him, his coughing subsiding into ragged breaths.
The moment passed, but the tension remained. Claudia, ever the opportunist, wasted no time in sniping. "You always manage to stir up trouble, Theodore," she sneered. "Why is this act now as if you care about him?"
"You!"
"Silence..." Malcolm, recovering his breath, held up a shaky hand, silencing both Claudia and Theodore. "Theo..." he rasped. "You should’ve... investigated Bella’s background properly before marrying her. How could make such a big mistake?"
Theodore’s scowl deepened. His gaze darted between his grandfather and the smug faces of Claudia and Franklin. "You..." he grunted out with dawning comprehension. "You investigated Bella behind my back!"
"Don’t give us that look," Franklin said gravely. "Yes, I investigated on her. We couldn’t just accept a random woman as a part of this family. What if she’s an imposter, pretending to be your savior? We were simply looking out for you."
Theodore snorted, his anger simmering. "Spare me your fake concerns," he growled. "I know exactly what you’re after."
"Fake concern?" Franklin countered. "If it weren’t for my investigation, we wouldn’t know she is a bastard child!"
Theodore shot to his feet, a furious flush creeping up his neck. "What garbage are you spewing?" he bellowed, his voice strained with barely contained rage. "Choose your words carefully, Franklin!"
A glint of triumph flickered in Franklin’s eyes, expertly masked by feigned surprise. "You didn’t know?" he exclaimed. "She clearly hasn’t told you." He was confident Theodore would leave Bella after knowing this truth.
The tension in the room was palpable, Theodore’s fists clenched at his sides, and his jaw set in anger. He could barely able to keep his rage in check. He couldn’t believe they had gone to such lengths to dig into Bella’s past.
Theodore knew Bella’s biological father had died before she was born. He was sure Franklin had presented a twisted truth in front of Malcolm.
"I know her better than any of you!" he roared with a desperate protectiveness. "She is no bastard child!" He spun towards his grandfather, urgency coloring his tone. "Bella’s father passed away before she was even born. Her mother later remarried Lionel Dawn."
Malcolm’s gaze flickered between Theodore and Franklin, suspicion clouding his features. Who was telling the truth?
"Humph!" Franklin scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips. "You’ve been played, Theo. Her father is alive and well. He abandoned her mother after getting her pregnant. Lionel himself confided in me."
Theodore bristled with indignation. "That’s a lie!" he bellowed. "Lionel is a drunkard! You can’t trust a word that spews from his mouth. He’d fabricate any story to smear Bella and her mother. Did your precious investigation not uncover his history of abuse? Bella herself put him in jail for beating her mother."
He whirled back to Malcolm, his voice pleading. "Grandpa, please don’t trust him. Lionel has a vendetta against Bella. He is weaving a web of lies to destroy her reputation!"
Malcolm, however, seemed not convinced. Disdain colored his features. "With such a murky background, she is hardly fit to be part of this family," he declared. "Thank heavens your marriage hasn’t been made public. End it before anyone finds out. Divorce her."
Theodore couldn’t believe the words coming from his grandfather, who had never cared about social status. A deep ache settled in his chest, a painful echo of the past. He’d been forced to accept the elders’ decision, ripped away from his mother. But this time, things would be different.
"Divorce is out of the question," Theodore declared with a steely resolve.
"Theodore!" Malcolm’s face contorted in fury. With a resounding slap, his hand connected with the table. "An illegitimate child has no place as the daughter-in-law of this esteemed family! You will end this marriage. That is final!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
