Chapter 3
The rear window rolled down, and Harold poked his head out. “Mom, why did you badmouth Cindy to Grandma?”
He was blaming her for this.
Beverly looked at Cindy as she kneeled on the muddy ground, looking utterly aggrieved. It was clear why the latter had shown up there with Harold—she wanted to drive a wedge between him and Beverly.
“Don’t shout at your mother, Harry. She would never badmouth anyone.” Evan’s voice rang out protectively, and Beverly turned to meet his tender gaze.
She would’ve been moved to bits if she didn’t know the truth. But now, she just found him laughable.
“Why would Grandma want to chase Cindy away if Mom didn’t say anything to her? She must have done something!” Harold refused to listen to reason. He got out of the car and pulled Cindy to her feet, saying, “Get up, Cindy. Your clothes are wet.”
Beverly watched as he got anxious over Cindy’s wet clothes. He didn’t seem to notice that she, too, was soaked from the rain. Her heart twisted into a knot.
Cindy’s lips curved into a small, smug smile, but she still feigned grievance. “I’m fine, Harry. I can kneel for as long as Beverly wants, as long as she doesn’t drive me away.”
Beverly tried to remain patient as she spoke to Harold. “Harry, I taught you not to accuse anyone of anything when you don’t have proof.”
He pouted. “I’ll believe you if you tell Grandma not to chase Cindy away.”
In his opinion, Cindy was fantastic, and even Evan liked her. Who else would’ve complained about her, aside from Beverly?
Beverly couldn’t believe that Harold was demanding that of her just for Cindy’s sake. It seemed she’d spoiled him into thinking that he could do whatever he wanted just because she loved him.
“No one can change your grandmother’s mind once she’s made it up, Harry. You can’t ask your mother to do something so unreasonable.” Evan sounded like he was defending Beverly, but he was actually giving Harold an idea.
“I’ll beg her myself, then! Daddy, let’s go to Gray Manor now!” Harold tugged Cindy into the backseat with him. She pretended to be conflicted about it but quickly followed him in.
Beverly watched as they acted like they were mother and son. She kept telling herself that she would soon be gone, and Harold would no longer have anything to do with her. Yet, her heart still ached.
She was pulled out of her reverie when Evan held her frozen hand. He said gently, “Don’t take Harry’s words to heart. It’s not worth your time and energy to trouble yourself with these small matters. Once Mom fires Cindy, everything will go back to how it used to be.”
He was wrong. There was no going back!
“Anyway, Mom called me. She wants us to drop by. Gray Manor isn’t far from here, and you’re soaked. You need to change into something clean as soon as possible,” Evan added.
The main reason Elaine had been buried at that particular cemetery was so that Heather could frequently visit her. They’d been best friends, and Heather had showered Beverly with plenty of love and care since Elaine’s passing, treating her as if she were her own daughter.
Evan might have betrayed Beverly, but that wasn’t Heather’s fault.
With that thought in mind, Beverly shook Evan off. “I drove here.”
She didn’t want to sit where Cindy had sat—it made her feel disgusted. So, she turned and headed to her Panamera while Evan followed her, still holding the umbrella over her. As she drove off, she glanced in the rearview mirror at the diminishing MPV behind her.
Soon, she arrived at Gray Manor.
“Bev, why are you soaked?” Heather came out of the manor as a maid held an umbrella over her head. She wrapped an arm around Beverly and asked, “Where’s Evan? Why didn’t he come back with you?”
She instructed the maids to draw a hot bath for Beverly and prepare a hot drink for her before leading her upstairs.
Beverly’s eyes reddened when she saw how worried Heather was. She couldn’t imagine how devastated Heather would be when she learned that Evan had betrayed her.
She didn’t want Heather to worry, so she said, “His car’s right behind mine.”
Heather led her to a room and said, “Take a hot bath to drive away the cold.”
Once Beverly came out of the bathroom, Heather held her hand and said firmly, “Don’t be upset, my dear. I heard about what happened. You’re like a daughter to me, and I won’t let anyone bully you. I’ll stand up for you, okay? And I’ll support you, no matter what you want to do.”
Her loving gaze and resolute support made Beverly’s grievance bubble to the surface. Tears welled up in her eyes and flowed down her face. She’d expected Heather to ultimately side with Evan, no matter how much she doted on her.
Beverly thought that while Heather would be saddened and angered by Evan’s betrayal, she would ultimately choose to make Beverly swallow her grievances and put up with it for the sake of Gray Corporation.
Yet, unexpectedly, Heather had sided with her.
Beverly was touched and started telling Heather about her decision. “Mom, I’m planning on di—”
Harold suddenly burst into the room and threw himself into Heather’s arms, cutting Beverly off rudely. “Grandma, I won’t call Cindy ‘Mommy’ anymore. Please don’t chase her away!”
His eyes were red-rimmed from his tears as he pleaded with Heather.
Evan entered the room. “Mom, don’t go along with him. You’ll upset Bev.”
Beverly turned away in disdain when she saw them both. Unfortunately for her, Evan didn’t take the hint and reached out to feel her forehead. She didn’t even have time to dodge.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn’t burning up.
Heather watched their seemingly affectionate interaction and looked down at Harold. She figured that Alfred had probably been misinformed when he’d spoken to her over the phone. After all, he hadn’t seen Beverly coming out of the study, so perhaps some maid had left the mess in there instead.
She started lecturing Harold. “Harry, how can you address Cindy as ‘Mommy’ when Bev is your mother? She wrecked her body giving birth to you, and you know how much pain she feels in her waist when the weather gets cold.
“How could you hurt her like that? I won’t let anyone break your mother’s heart. Since Cindy has been teaching you the wrong things, she has to go.”
Tears brimmed in Harold’s eyes as he gave Heather an aggrieved look. He hadn’t asked Beverly to give birth to him—she was the one who wanted to have him! Why should her pain be pinned on him?
However, he didn’t dare say anything in retort when he saw the fierce looks in both Heather’s and Evan’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, Bev. Cindy might be my distant relative, but she’s fed Harry the wrong information and misled him. I’ll punish her and make her leave immediately,” Heather said.
Beverly looked at her. Only then did she realize that Heather wasn’t chasing Cindy away because she’d discovered Evan’s affair. It was because of what had happened at the kindergarten that morning.
If that was enough to upset Heather, Beverly couldn’t imagine how furious she would be when she learned the truth.
Harold fell to his knees before Beverly and grasped her hand. “Mom, please don’t let Grandma chase Cindy away! It’s my birthday in 30 days. You’ve been asking me what I want as a gift this year, right? All I want is for Cindy to be with me forever! I don’t want anything else! You can’t break your promise!”
Beverly looked at him. Though his words were pleading, his expression was arrogant and commanding. Even if Cindy was just using him, his lack of respect for her was his own choice.
And if he felt any regret after learning the truth, that would be his own doing. Still, Beverly wanted to give him one last chance.
She asked, “Harold, are you sure that’s the gift you want?”
“I am!”
“You won’t regret it?”
“I won’t!” Harold nodded vigorously. “I just want Cindy to be with me forever.”
“Fine. I’ll grant your wish.” Beverly pulled her hand out of his. “Then that is the gift you’ll be receiving in 30 days, Harold.”
That would also be the day she left!
Harold looked at Beverly, who’d turned away from him. For some reason, he felt his heart throb painfully.
He’d never heard her call him by his full name in all his years. In fact, no matter how mad she was, not once had she addressed him as such. Yet now, she’d done it twice in such a short period.
However, he ignored the hint of discomfort when he remembered how she’d gone along with him and agreed to his every request in the past. Even if she were mad at him now, she would soon get over it herself. That was always what happened.
Harold turned back to Heather and said, “Grandma, Mom said it’s okay. I’ll stop calling Cindy ‘Mommy,’ so please don’t chase her away.”
Heather glanced at Beverly. The latter hadn’t made any demands and looked as docile as a cat as she sat there with Evan fussing over her.
Naturally, Heather considered the case closed. She said, “Your mother has agreed not to chase Cindy away, but I haven’t. From today onward, I’ll send someone else to care for you. That’s final.”
With that, she fired Cindy in front of Beverly. Harold couldn’t make her change her mind, no matter how big a tantrum he threw.
Beverly was touched by how Heather stood up for her. She couldn’t imagine how devastated Heather would be if she were to leave without a word in 30 days. She made a mental note to leave a comforting message before she left so Heather wouldn’t be worried.
The thought of not having to witness Cindy’s disgusting behavior for the next month lifted Beverly’s spirits slightly. She didn’t want Heather to worry, so she went home with Evan and Harold.
As soon as they drove out of the manor, her phone pinged with messages from Cindy.
“Beverly, have you ever heard of the matriarchs of affluent families arranging for their sons to have mistresses when their daughters-in-law can’t have children?
“I genuinely pity you, you know. The people you trusted the most have teamed up to lie to you. Do you want to guess where I am now?”
Cindy had sent a photo along with the messages. It showed her standing in Gray Manor’s backyard, where Elaine’s favorite tulips were planted everywhere. Beverly had planted them herself.
In the photo, Cindy was crushing one of the tulips.
Beverly turned to look at Evan, her eyes burning with rage. “Take me back to Gray Manor now.”
