Darin halted mid-motion.
Kiara regarded him with a twisted, sardonic smile spreading across her battered lips. “Stop projecting complete responsibility onto me, Darin. Your psychological damage runs deeper! Elliana’s the daughter of the woman you adored, yet she isn’t yours biologically. You harbor resentment that Rita rejected you and jealousy toward Elliana’s biological father. You’ve always resented Elliana’s very existence, which explains why you permitted my mistreatment of her, doesn’t it?”
Darin’s compressed lips betrayed his unspoken unease.
Kiara released a hollow, haunting laugh. “Despite your profound devotion to Rita, she chose another. Elliana shines brilliantly, but shares none of your DNA. I provided you with two children, imperfect though they may be. What justification supports your treating me with such contempt?”
“Mom, what did you just say?” Paige leaped up, her voice quavering with disbelief. “Elliana isn’t Dad’s biological daughter? Then whose child is she?”
Horror blanched Kiara’s features as she realized her catastrophic revelation.
Darin had guarded Elliana’s parentage zealously, repeatedly warning Kiara against disclosure. However, blind fury had loosened Kiara’s tongue. Fortunately, only Paige had witnessed this revelation. Nevertheless, Darin exploded with renewed ferocity, as though Kiara had deliberately reopened a profound emotional wound.
“You witch!” Darin roared, viciously kicking Kiara down once more. He then stormed out, abandoning her crumpled form.
Paige rushed to assist Kiara. “Mom, what’s happening? Tell me everything.”
Kiara’s face had swollen dramatically. She exhaled painfully. “I’ve only gathered fragments from Darin during intoxicated moments. The complete narrative eludes me. But avoid mentioning this subject again. It triggers extraordinary sensitivity in him.”
“Alright,” Paige murmured, nodding hesitantly.
Meanwhile, tension permeated the atmosphere at the Hudson family estate. Lenard berated Raylan mercilessly..
Raylan occupied an unremarkable position among the Hudson family’s younger generation. Lenard had selected him as heir primarily to atone for the tragedy that befell Raylan’s father, Orion Hudson.
During Orion’s childhood, Lenard’s carelessness had triggered an accident that condemned him to a wheelchair for the remainder of his days.
The weight of that guilt had shadowed Lenard throughout his life, compelling him to lavish attention on Orion and bestow the heir position upon Raylan as a form of karmic restitution.
Yet, Raylan had consistently faltered, never measuring up to the lofty standards Lenard had envisioned.
Now, Raylan’s fixation on marrying Paige and diving into the realm of reality television with her had ignited a wildfire of gossip, further infuriating Lenard.
“You’ve dragged the Hudson name through the gutter, you imbecile!” Lenard’s voice thundered across the room, berating Raylan before the entire assembled family.
Raylan stood motionless, eyes fixed on the floor.
Due to Orion’s circumstances, Raylan had received an abundance of affection during his formative years compared to his cousins, which had cultivated a sense of entitlement. Therefore, even when Lenard explicitly forbade his relationship with Paige, Raylan had defiantly gotten engaged to her anyway.
Yet, with the scandal surrounding Paige exploding into public view and the Hudson family caught in its fallout, Raylan found himself too mortified to offer any defense.
“I’ve warned you countless times! Hudson men avoid troublemakers, steer clear of the entertainment industry, and absolutely refuse to associate with dubious characters. Yet, you persistently ignore me! Are you trying to piss me off?” Lenard’s words hung heavy with disappointment as he castigated Raylan. Raylan maintained his silence, still as a statue.
Lenard’s fist crashed against the table, sending a jolt through everyone present.
Finally raising his gaze, Raylan murmured weakly, “Grandpa…”
“You will terminate your engagement with Paige immediately!” Lenard commanded. “She’s all facade, no substance. A marriage to her will devastate everything we’ve built!”
Though Raylan listened with apparent submission, internal resistance simmered beneath his compliance. Paige had been his childhood infatuation, viewed through the distorted lens of youthful adoration. Plus, she had always portrayed herself as virtuous in his presence, so despite her scandals, she remained blind to her true nature.
Raylan spoke up. “Grandpa, Paige is a sweet girl. There must be some confusion. I’ll investigate the matter, vindicate her reputation, and shield the Hudson family from further tabloid speculation.”
“Fool!” Lenard erupted. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger! Kiara was nothing but a fortune hunter in her day, ingratiating herself with a wealthy old man while carrying on affairs with Merritt. Do you truly believe someone of her character could raise a paragon of virtue?”
“Grandpa, that’s ancient history! Mrs. Jones shouldn’t be judged by her past indiscretions. She’s established herself legitimately as the lady of the Jones family. And Paige? She shines as Ublento’s premier socialite!”
Raylan couldn’t suppress his defense of them.
Lenard fixed Raylan with a penetrating stare, his fury rendering him momentarily speechless, his icy glare pinning Raylan for what seemed an eternity.
The tension in the room crystallized into something almost tangible. Not a soul dared disturb the silence.
Kristen Hudson, Raylan’s mother, eventually ventured to break the suffocating quiet, coming to her son’s defense. “Lenard, show some leniency. Raylan is still finding his way. It’s perfectly natural to develop feelings for someone as captivating and accomplished as Paige. She possesses more redeeming qualities than you acknowledge. Certainly, she surpasses Elliana in every respect.”
With this remark, Kristen took aim at Lenard’s previous insistence that Raylan marry Elliana, whom they all regarded as an unattractive nobody.
Lenard directed a glacial look at Kristen, his words dripping with contempt. “Raylan holds the position of my favored grandson. I’ve bestowed everything upon him, yet he remains a thankless ignoramus. And you? Your blindness knows no bounds!”
Kristen was irritated by his verbal assault but remained silent.
Lenard exhaled deeply, his spirit evidently burdened. He had concluded that neither Kristen nor Raylan possessed the acumen to uphold the Hudson legacy.
His painstaking efforts to cultivate Raylan as his successor now seemed utterly wasted.
“Raylan, you’ve proven incapable of managing the legacy I intended to pass on to you,” Lenard remarked, exhaustion permeating his voice. “Very well, I’ll cease my attempts to guide you.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.