Chapter 83
Chapter 83
But then, remembering Maelis’s words that Donald asked her to let Suzy to take down the posts Howard frowned. He thought, ‘Mom might not grasp the consequences, but how could Dad not? Why would he make her handle it?‘
Maelis stayed quiet, her thoughts tangled. In her mind, they were mother and daughter and their relationship couldn’t truly be severed.
“Are you saying all this to blame me for making the wrong choice?” Maelis snapped, frustration bubbling over. She’d comforted Betty, been pressured by Suzy, misunderstood by Zinnia, and Howard was questioning her too.
“Mom, that’s not what I meant! I just wish you’d talk to us before making such big decisions. We could’ve worked together to figure something out. Please, don’t be mad,” Howard said, his tone softening as he tried to calm her down.
“You all… none of you understand me! You are all busy with your own lives, and I’m left here dealing with everything alone. Only Betty stays by my side. I just wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be so heartbroken.
“The forum posts had nothing to do with Zinnia and didn’t harm her in any way, so I thought asking Suzy to help take them down was the best option.
“And now Zinnia went and complained to you? Betty was right–she’s such a disappointment.
“When Suzy was making things difficult for me, Zinnia didn’t speak up to me. She just stood there watching. If I hadn’t been pushed to the brink, would! have agreed so quickly?” The more Maelis spoke, the more aggrieved she felt.
“Mom… Zinnia didn’t come to me to complain. We were arguing, and she accidentally let it slip,” Howard said, instinctively wanting to defend Zinnia.
But hearing Maelis mention that Betty was right, he frowned. He thought, ‘Did Betty say something to Mom about Zinnia?‘ The thought left him uneasy.
“Didn’t l already explain this to you?” Maelis snapped, her tone tinged with frustration and blame. She felt hurt that her son wouldn’t take her side or help ease her mood.
“Mom? Howard? What’s going on here?” Yosef’s voice cut through the tension as he entered the living room, his sharp gaze taking in the scene.
“Yosef, you’re back. Howard’s saying I was wrong,” Maelis said, walking up to him with a hint of grievance in her voice.
“What happened?” Yosef asked, his piercing gaze locking onto Howard, his tone demanding.
“Zinnia’s upset and won’t come home. Mom’s already reached out to her several times–she’s done more than enough. This time, it wasn’t intentional. Howard, how could you talk to her like that?” Yosef said coldly, his eyes sweeping over Howard.
Yosef believed that a grown man like Howard, coming back to criticize his own mother–no matter what, she’s still their mom. If there were issues, they should handle them themselves instead of troubling her.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I lost my temper earlier,” Howard said sincerely, his earlier anger now replaced with calm. He realized he’d gone too far and offered a heartfelt apology.
Maelis dabbed at the corner of her eyes, suppressing the ache in her heart. As a mother, she felt she’d done enough by reaching out to Zinnia multiple
times.
“Yosef, you must be exhausted from work. Have you eaten yet? I’ll ask the chef to prepare your favorite dishes,” Maelis said, her worried gaze shifting to
Yosef.
“Mom, there’s no need. Just have Amy make me a bowl of herbal soup,” Yosef replied, shaking his head. His company had been negotiating a part with the Perkins Group, which had extremely high standards for details.
Yosef had been working overtime for weeks, Juggling demanding negotiations with the Perkins Group. Exhausted and reeking of alcohol from a business dinner, all he wanted now was a bowl of soup and some rest.
The faint smell of alcohol lingered on him–he had just returned from a business dinner. Right now, all he wanted was a bowl of herbal soup and a
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Chapter 83
chance to finally rest upstairs.
