Chapter 8

My mother sneered. “That’s a lie, you fool! She didn’t tell you to protect your reputation, understand?”

Scarlet remained incredulous. “Is it really Penelope’s? Where did she get so much money?”

“I gave it to her,” my mother declared, her demeanor hardening. “Unless you two did?”

The atmosphere grew tense. Unexpectedly, Scarlet was the first to react. Her eyes widened, and she slapped her thigh. “Oh my! After all that fuss, it’s just a misunderstanding!”

“Oh, Mother-in-law! And Penelope, why didn’t you say so earlier? This is ridiculous! If you’d told us about the house sooner, we wouldn’t have had this huge misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding?” My mother’s tone was sharp. “Still calling each other in-laws? Are you saying that knowing the house belonged to Penelope, you wouldn’t have minded her earning less, not cooking, not hitting her, not scolding her?”

Scarlet fidgeted, while Kolby looked at Drew reproachfully. Neither knew what to say.

Just then, Darren, a lawyer, received a call. He approached my mother. “Ms. Lynch, there’s an urgent court order for a Personal Safety Protection Order; it’ll arrive within ten minutes. I suggest Mr. Koch handle his business first.”

My mother nodded. Kolby and Scarlet heard the lawyer address her as “Ms. Lynch.”

“Ms. Lynch? Didn’t you run a shop?” Kolby asked.

“Yes, a relatively large one. ‘Ms. Lynch’ isn’t an exaggeration, is it?”

Kolby and Scarlet exchanged glances, pondering her words.

Darren, his face stern, addressed them. “Before you stands Ms. Lynch of the Lynch Group. I’m her lawyer, handling the case of this gentleman assaulting Ms. Lynch’s daughter. Mr. Koch, here’s the surveillance video; it clearly shows the assault. We’ll proceed with an arrest and a civil lawsuit.”

Chapter 9

Gaven Koch reviewed the surveillance footage. I’d just learned my mother had installed a camera in the living room. No wonder she knew everything!

Hearing about the arrest and the video evidence, Kolby looked distressed. “Ms. Lynch, this is a misunderstanding! It was for the child’s sake. Please, as elders, don’t be so harsh!”

My mother shook her head. “You’re right, it’s for the children. Penelope has had a hard life. I couldn’t protect her when she was young. I lacked the means then, but not now! I couldn’t even scold her. How dare you assault her?”